PBO 04 2021

Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

ARTIST OF THE YEAR 9 APRIL 2021

VOLUME 7, NO. 9

BRIEFS No changes to Volusia County Schools’ mask mandate, future dependent on vaccinations

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With some Volusia County School Board members seeking additional data on the protection of masks for children, Volusia County Health Department Administrator Patricia Boswell was definitive in her recommendation: Continue with the mask mandate for now, and keep an eye on vaccination rates.

Boswell provided the School Board with an update on COVID-19 during its workshop on Tuesday, March 30. With no data yet on how spring break will affect COVID-19 numbers in children, and a cumulative total of 3,654 cases in people under 18 as of March 28, Boswell said cases in young people account for 8% of all COVID-19 cases. In comparison, cases involving seniors 75 years and older account for 6% and those between 65 and 74 years old account for 11%.

The 14-day positivity rate is 7.89%, and the seven-day positivity rate has risen slightly to 9.33%. Based on DOH’s COVID-19 tracing, Boswell said they have been able to identify 35 cases that resulted from outbreaks in schools. Four of those involved sports teams.

School Board Member Carl Persis said he wasn’t seeking immediate action regarding the district’s mask mandate, but with the vaccine becoming available to all 18 and older starting Monday, April 5, the board could look toward modifying its mandate for summer school.

“We’re getting to the point, with the abundance of vaccine that’s going to be available starting next week,” Persis said. “…

What I wanted to do was start the conversation. That’s all.”

Additionally, Persis questioned why fully vaccinated teachers would not be able to teach without a mask in classrooms

Do kids know civics?

Gov. DeSantis proposes civics education plan, calling it a ‘lost art.’ PAGE 2

Hair today Ormond resident opens sustainable hair salon.

See story at OrmondBeachObserver. com.

Photo by Jarleene Almenas

Mollie Kelly, from New York, has worked in all kinds hair salons, from Hair Cuttery to salons in Manhattan.

Flagler County sues owners of derelict motel on Old Dixie The structure attracts crime and presents a public safety hazard, according to the county government.

JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

The old derelict motel on Old Dixie Highway — its windows broken out, its pool filled with pea-soup colored water and its interior coated in mold and a nesting place for rats — has frustrated county officials and area residents for years. Now, the county is suing.

“It’s the first time we have used the public nuisance statute to address a situation in Flagler County,” Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed told county commissioners during a March 15 County Commission meeting.

The county has filed for temporary and permanent injunctive relief and is seeking the demolition of the former Holiday Travel Park, at 2251 S. Old Dixie Highway Image courtesy of the Flagler County government

SEE SEEKING PAGE 4

Graffiti covers the motel’s interior.

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PLANTATION BAY OBSERVER

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APRIL 2021

DeSantis proposes civics education plan

House passes proteser bill that Observer increases penalties for violence

‘Understanding what our country was founded on, understanding the civic tradition, the Constitution, all these things, has become very much a lost art.’

The sweeping bill would create a crime called ‘mob intimidation.’

PLANTATION BAY

DARA KAM NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Relying on federal coronavirus relief funds for schools, Gov. Ron DeSantis is proposing to spend $106 million to bolster civics education, including offering bonuses to teachers who complete training.

During a news conference March 17 in Naples, DeSantis announced what he’s calling the “Civic Literacy Excellence Initiative.” Part of the plan would direct the Florida Department of Education to create the Florida Civics Seal of Excellence, a licensure endorsement for educators.

“Under this initiative, the department will partner with national leaders in civics professional development to provide a series of modules and micro-credentials that any Florida teacher will be eligible to attain,” DeSantis said.

Teachers who complete the civics training would receive a $3,000 bonus under the governor’s plan.

The initiative would also include $16.5 million to create training programs for principals and edu-

cators “seeking to elevate civics education in Florida schools” and $17 million to strengthen the state’s civics curriculum. DeSantis wants lawmakers to take up the proposal during the ongoing legislative session.

“Understanding what our country was founded on, understanding the civic tradition, the Constitution, all these things, has become very much a lost art,” DeSantis said.

Several proposals aimed at beefing up civics education are advancing in the Legislature. A House measure (HB 5) that would direct the Department of Education to create a video library of first-hand accounts of “victims of other nations’ governing philosophies” is ready for consideration by the full House.

With black lawmakers condemning the proposal as a return to the Jim Crow era, the Republicancontrolled Florida House on March 26 approved a measure aimed at cracking down on violent protests by creating a host of new crimes, enhancing riotrelated penalties and creating roadblocks for local governments to trim police spending.

The House’s party-line passage of the law-and-order bill (HB 1) was a first step in delivering one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ top legislative priorities. As lawmakers approach the midway point of the 60-day legislative session, a Senate version of the measure has not been heard in committees.

Democrats, during nearly four hours of debate on Friday, scalded the proposal, with black lawmakers especially taking umbrage at what they maintained is a “heartless” approach to civil disobedience at a time when the nation is facing a reckoning over racial biases in policing and other aspects of life.

The Republican governor rolled out a framework for legislation in late September, following largely peaceful protests throughout the country sparked by the death

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.”

Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944

of George Floyd, a Minneapolis black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. In arguing for the bill, Republicans have repeatedly cited violence that occurred in places such as Seattle and Portland.

The sweeping bill would, among other things, create a new crime of “mob intimidation” and stiffen penalties for injuring police officers during protests. Also, it would establish an “affirmative defense” for defendants in civil lawsuits involving deaths, injuries or property damage if the injuries or damages were sustained while plaintiffs were participating “in furtherance of a riot.”

But Democrats argued the country’s foundations are rooted in protests, with black House members emphasizing that acts of civil disobedience were responsible for many of the liberties enjoyed by citizens today.

“We must be careful that, through our zeal to make something illegal, that we chill the very thing that makes us great,” said Rep. Christopher Benjamin, a Miami Gardens Democrat who is a lawyer. “It is … through protests that we remind America of its promises. It is through protests that we activate the conscience of America.”

The proposal is contrary to American democracy, Orlando Democrat Travaris McCurdy said during the emotionally charged floor debate.

Publisher / John Walsh, jwalsh@palmcoastobserver.com Executive Editor / Brian McMillan, bmcmillan@palmcoastobserver.com Associate Editor / Jarleene Almenas, jarleene@ormondbeachobserver.com News Editor / Jonathan Simmons, jonathan@palmcoastobserver.com Page Designers / Hailey McMillan, Jennifer Edwards Advertising Manager / Jaclyn Centofanti, jaclyn@palmcoastobserver.com Senior Account Manager / Susan Moore, susan@palmcoastobserver.com Senior Account Manager / Hallie Hydrick, hallie@ palmcoastobserver.com Front Desk Associate / Bonnie Hamilton, bonnie@palmcoastobserver.com Operations Manager / Maureen Walsh, maureen@palmcoastobserver.com Circulation Manager / David Brooks, david@horizonroad.com

Plantation Bay HOA President / John Gamin, 386-586-7530, mjgamin@cfl.rr.com Vice President / Bob Anderson, 386-316-1278, rranderson1@hotmail.com Treasurer / Robert LaTocha, 386-6158204, robertlatocha77@gmail.com Secretary / Helen Siegel, 386-236-9884, hsiegel51@aol.com Director / Joan Beck, 386-672-7762, jbeck386@aol.com Director / Jack Corbett, 772-405-7339, corbettteam@gmail.com, Director / Roseann French, 386-671-7715, gfrench154/aol.com Director / Chuck Gilles, 386-689-5222, cjg.7@att.net Director / Kathleen Walter, 386-263-2570, kzwalter@aol.com

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PLANTATION BAY OBSERVER

Some of the people with the greatest financial need won’t get stimulus payments because they don’t have an address, bank account or stable work and tax history. Others may benefit temporarily from a stimulus payment but still can’t find the right job to sustain them in the long term.

REQUESTS DECLINE AT THE SHELTERING TREE

Flagler agencies respond to anticipated stimulus effects

HOW FAR WILL IT GO? JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

S

ome local social assistance organizations are expecting this round of federal stimulus payments to decrease demand for their services, while others, looking to past experience, expect minimal, if any, change.

“It’s really exciting that people are going to get $1,400 — that’s pretty good,” said Sue Bickings, who chairs the board of The Sheltering Tree, the local cold weather shelter that also provides limited rental and utility shutoff assistance.

Bickings had noticed that requests for rental and utility assistance seemed to decline around the time the last two rounds of stimulus money were dispersed, and she expects similar declines this time.

The amount given in aid by The Sheltering Tree is generally low — for instance, an emergency $100 or less to keep someone’s water running, she said — so The Sheltering Tree will be less likely to assist with those for people who are receiving stimulus checks.

“If people come to us to get utility assistance or rent assistance — well, we know that there’s $1,400 out there, so you’re not going to be getting that this month, but let’s hear your story: There might be something else out there that’s not financial that we could do,” she said.

In contrast, the Flagler County government’s Social Services department, which provides more extensive financial assistance, isn’t changing its processes as a result of the stimulus checks, as they aren’t considered taxable income, according to county government Public Information Officer Julie Murphy.

The Sheltering Tree often works with clients who don’t receive the checks because they don’t have an address, Bickings said.

But she’s optimistic that the end of the pandemic is near.

“I think things look like they’re getting back to normal,” she said, “and I just hope people will continue to wear their masks; we at The Sheltering Tree are continuing to wear our masks even though some of us have been vaccinated.”

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APRIL 2021

RECORD HIGHS AT FOOD PANTRY

Grace Community Food Pantry Director Pastor Charles Silano said he hasn’t noticed much change in demand for the food pantry’s services from the arrival of the previous stimulus checks.

“That might happen on a temporary basis, but that money runs out eventually,” he said. “It’s still about jobs, at the end of the day.”

For instance, although demand for the food pantry has surged since the pandemic began — from about 3,800 families a month before COVID, to about 6,000 a month now — it dropped down slightly during Bike Week because people were able to pick up temporary jobs, Silano said. That happens during other big events like Octoberfest, as well.

“We see this every year: It’s cyclical,” he said. The pantry saw a pandemic high of 6,500 families per month, lasting for several months, Silano said. It’s distributing about 40% more food than before the pandemic, and distributed more than 3.5 million pounds of food last year.

“I don’t know exactly how this is going to go,” he said of the coming end of the pandemic. “You have your gas prices that are going up, so even the jobs people do get, they’re spending more. And I’m not an economist, but I read the reports about inflation fears, and there’s a lot of factors. ... We’ll see how many people retain their jobs, because it’s just a different world today.”

But he’s hopeful.

“The community has really responded to support those that are less fortunate this whole year; it’s been really, really wonderful,” he said. “ ... I think things will start to get better. I do have that sense.”

One wild year Palm Coast Ford forecasts a stimulus bump in sales BRIAN McMILLAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Courtesy photo

Palm Coast Ford Product Specialist Mason Lowe helps customers Malcolm and Anne Fraser buy a Ford Escape.

The coronavirus swallowed the economy whole in March 2020.

It wasn’t any kinder in April, as Florida’s unemployment rate reached 12.9%. Palm Coast Ford took a hit — but things improved steadily afterward. In fact, although the dealership’s sales were down 10% in 2020 when compared with 2019, if you took out March and April, sales would only be down 1.5% for the year.

And so, Ford General Manager Don York feels optimistic. Even

before the second round of stimulus checks were announced, he said, “We felt like we were in a very good position heading into 2021.”

The infusion of stimulus cash into the economy could have a bigger impact on sales than the first round did.

“Last time people were using the stimulus to catch up on their rent — they really needed it to put food on the table,” York said.

“But this time, I think a lot of people, hopefully, are caught up. ... I would think this stimulus will help our end of things more so than it did the last time.”

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PLANTATION BAY OBSERVER

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APRIL 2021

Experience DOWNTOWN

Seeking demolition, county sues owners of derelict motel on Old Dixie CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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across from the main entrance to Plantation Bay. If the owners won’t do it, the county is seeking a court order that will allow it to demolish the building and place a lien on the property to recoup its costs.

“The basis for that case is that the motel has been abandoned, is unsecured, there’s a large amount of refuse — overgrown vegetation, vegetative debris — throughout the premises,” Hadeed said. “Also on the property is an unsecured and partially filled swimming pool containing green stagnant water. We have determined that the motel is unsafe, unsanitary … that it constitutes a fire hazard, is dangerous to human life and is a hazard to the safety and health of the community by reason of inadequate maintenance, and dilapidation.”

The property has no working fire alarm system, a partially collapsed roof that’s allowed water to enter the building, broken windows and no potable water, he added. The electrical system has been vandalized, and parts of the second-floor railing are missing.

“The property is not secured,” he said. “It’s open, it’s accessible, it’s fostering vagrants and it is a location of repeated criminal activity. ... The swimming pool is not secured. It’s partially filled with water; it’s a danger to the public of serious injury and/or

“The property is not secured. It’s open, it’s accessible, it’s fostering vagrants and it is a location of repeated criminal activity. ... The swimming pool is not secured.

It’s partially filled with water; it’s a danger to the public of serious injury and/or death — particularly to children.”

AL HADEED, Flagler county attorney

death — particularly to children.”

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has documented problems at the location, which is a frequent subject of complaints.

The county government has issued a certificate deeming the property an unsafe structure under the Florida Building Code.

The Florida Department of Health in Flagler County has secured a state sanitary nuisance order against the property, Hadeed said, but the owners have not complied with it.

The county recently met with potential purchasers of the property who’ve said they would be willing to remediate it, but in the meantime, Hadeed said, the county has filed to secure a court hearing.

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APRIL 2021

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“The goal here was just to target the people in need,” GERRI MADDEN, chair of the board of directors for the lodge

Luke Raines, Aiden Boyer, Ryan Allen and Elijah Mott help distribute food at the Elks Lodge.

Photos by Jarleene Almenas

Elks Lodge host COVID-19 supply drive ‘Elks care. Elks share.’

JARLEENE ALMENAS ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Girl Scout Troop 825 members Khloe, Makayla and Li’ana help distribute paper goods

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The need in the community caused by the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t gone away, and one local organization spent a morning lending a hand to those most affected.

The Ormond Beach Elks Lodge 2193 hosted a drive-thru COVID supply drive on Saturday, March 20, where people had the ability to receive food, water, sanitizing products and paper goods, a result of $6,500 in grants by the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks. Erika Barger, vice president of the Elk’s East Central

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District, said that, since there are fewer organizations holding similar supply drives a year into the pandemic, now is a time when people likely need aid the most.

“One of our mottos is ‘Elks care, Elks share,’” Barger said. “So through the foundation, that’s really what the funds are for — to help our communities, and that’s one of our biggest goals.”

The Elks Foundation provides grants to lodges across the U.S. thanks to the membership’s fundraisers. For every dollar raised, Barger said lodges receive approximately $2.30 back to use in endeavors such as the COVID supply drive.

Gerri Madden, chair of the board of directors for the lodge, said they put together a team of people to host the event. They did their own shopping with the grant money provided by the Elks, and some members also donated goods toward the effort. In addition, Madden contacted the Ormond Beach Police Department to help find people in need in the community.

They targeted mainly residents benefiting from different forms of rental assistance, a number Madden said hovers around 200 in Ormond Beach.

“The goal here was just to target the people in need,” she said.

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APRIL 2021

FAITH

Photo by Jarleene Almenas

Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry, right, vows to advocate for linkage fees for a $7 million housing trust fund.

in the future FAITH pushes for civil citation data transparency in Volusia County JARLEENE ALMENAS ASSOCIATE EDITOR

W

hen Barbara Cochran’s son was 7 years old, he was arrested for one felony and two misdemeanors.

The crime? Entering Burns Science and Technology Charter School in Oak Hill through an open door, riding his bike with his 10-year-old cousin down the halls, and making a mess. They tore posters off the wall and colored a teddy bear.

Cochran’s son was charged with burglary, trespassing and criminal mischief.

“What they did was wrong, but I don’t believe it was criminal, and I don’t think they believed it to be criminal,” said Cochran to a crowd of vehicles at the FAITH Action Assembly on Monday, March 22.

“They make a mess like that in their bedrooms.”

Cochran found out her son, who was 3 feet, 8 inches tall at the time, was going to be arrested when police showed up at her door, a block away from the school. Her son was placed in the back of a police car and questioned without a parent present for three hours before being released.

FAITH, which stands for Fighting Against Injustice Toward Harmony, is a nonprofit coalition of religious congregations, and every year, its clergy and mem-

bers hold an action assembly to call upon local elected officials to make public commitments on issues including affordable housing and restorative practices for the youth in the community.

One of those practices is the issuance of civil citations in lieu of arresting minors on first-time nonviolent charges.

Pedro Dash, co-chair of FAITH, said Cochran’s son, who was issued a $300 fine and mandated to spend time cleaning up the school, could have faced the same circumstances had he been issued a civil citation instead.

“This is a systemic problem here in Volusia County,” Dash said. “...And although that story didn’t happen yesterday, it is important to hear how an arrest, one arrest, can negatively affect a child.”

TENSION WITH THE SHERIFF

At the start of the assembly, Rev. Wendell Webster of the Mount Zion AME church, said that FAITH was not here to make enemies, but they also weren’t here to make friends.

“We are here because we are called to do justice, not just when it is easy, but always,” Webster said. “And to do justice, we need each other. We are black, brown, white, Republican, Democrat, rich, poor, Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Unitarian. Despite our differences, we are united in our call for justice in our community.”

In the days leading up to the assembly, tensions sparked between FAITH and Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood,

who posted on his Facebook page on March 14 that he was cutting ties with the coalition after Chris Hoffmann, pastor of Our Lady of the Lakes in Deltona, posted on his church’s bulletin on March 7 that the civil citation usage by VCSO was 23%.

According to a statement released by FAITH on its Facebook page, this data was taken directly from the Florida Juvenile Justice Department website. In 2017, Chitwood publicly committed at FAITH’s assembly to achieve an 80% civil citation usage.

Chitwood released three pages of data on Facebook on March 11, showing every VCSO case involving a juvenile in 2020. He reported that VCSO had 111 cases of this nature, 27 of which were domestic violence arrests, a crime for which VCSO doesn’t issue civil citations. Of the remaining 84 cases, Chitwood said 69 juveniles received civil citations, a usage rate of about 82%.

“F.A.I.T.H. leaders have known for years that the stats they were using to criticize us were wrong,” Chitwood wrote on Facebook on March 17. “...Apologizing is not in their vocabulary, and to admit they knew their numbers were flawed would be to admit their organization is a fraud.”

In response to that statement, FAITH said on Facebook that members met with Chitwood on Feb. 9 to discuss the latest data from DJJ, and that at the time, Chitwood “offered no information or explanation that disputed the DJJ data. In that meeting we mutually agreed that the focus should be on giving civil cita-

bers had no access to accurate data without the collaboration of local law enforcement agencies and the State Attorney’s office.

PROMISES MADE With the rising cost of rent in Volusia County and the lack of affordable housing, several County Council members promised to advocate for and vote to create a $7 million Housing Trust Fund in Volusia before the end of 2021.

These council members — Barb Girtman, Billie Wheeler and Heather Post (who submitted her responses in writing) — also promised to implement linkage fees as a source for the Housing Trust Fund. Linkage fees secure a portion of dollars per square foot of new development, but Volusia would first need to a study to analyze the need for affordable housing and the link between development and housing costs.

Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry and DeLand Mayor Bob Apgar also vowed to advocate for linkage fees.

‘THIS IS A WIN’

tions to all eligible children with the exception of those involved in domestic disputes.”

FAITH stated that if the data on the DJJ website was inacurate — as confirmed by Chitwood’s March 17 statement on Facebook where he shared an email with the agency that stated its dashboard “should not be used to determine the commitment of any agency or individual to the Civil Citation process” — mem-

Webster said at the assembly that he wasn’t afraid of tension.

“There is a type of constructive nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth,” he said, quoting “A Letter from Birmingham Jail,” by Martin Luther King Jr. FAITH is launching a campaign to push for this effort; it asked members to send a postcard (provided at the meeting) to Chitwood, the governor, and state representatives asking the DJJ website to publish accurate data, whether through the dashboard or through quarterly reports.

Chitwood and FAITH appear to have resolved their dispute, as Webster announced that the sheriff said he would be working with DJJ for this effort.

“This is a win for the children in our community,” Webster said, receiving a chorus of car honks in response.

FAITH hopes to have the new data by May 1. Dash said FAITH has been addressing the civil citation issue for years.

“Due to our diligent action, and dedication to data transparency, we are delighted that these issues are finally being looked at,” he said. “We look forward to more collaborative efforts that will ensure reaching law enforcement’s stated goal of 80% usage of civil citations. But, there is more work to be done and we have to stay united.”

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APRIL 2021

Illumination Game

Jack Neiberlein’s passion for the arts shines at the Flagler Auditorium TERROR ON CHURCH STREET

F

or most theatergoers, lights are purely practical: They allow the audience to see what’s on the stage. But for Jack Neiberlein, lighting a stage is a creative outlet. He’s so passionate about it that he does the lighting for more than two dozen shows at the Flagler Auditorium each year, often working from 7 a.m. till 11 p.m.

Something else has kept Neiberlein in Flagler County for the past 22 years, though. It’s another passion he didn’t know he had: teaching.

“Where would we be without Jack Neiberlein?” Auditorium Director Amelia Fulmer asked.

“We would be at a loss — because of his experience and his years of growing with the auditorium, understanding how everything works. And the patience he has with students. To have someone who knows how to lead and teach children how to lead — that’s very much of an asset.”

Fulmer said Neiberlein is patient and kind with students, whether they are his own students or not. When she was an instructor in Flagler Schools herself, she brought young student-performers to the auditorium, and Neiberlein gave them a memorable experience.

“He would say, ‘We’ve got to make sure these kids sound good and look good,’” Fulmer recalled.

“It was never, ‘Well, they’re not professionals.’”

Neiberlein said, in a recent interview with the Palm Coast Observer, that he’s proud of several of his students who have gone on to professional careers, including Chris Lutz, who has worked on Broadway.

“It allows me to keep a toe in the pro world,” Neiberlein said.

Neiberlein began in the pro world when, while attending Ohio State University, he worked on gory special effects for two lowbudget horror movies, including “Beyond Dream’s Door.” He got married to Renae, whom he had known since eighth grade, in 1991, and they moved to Orlando, where Neiberlein did some acting and became the lighting director for a year-round haunted house called Terror on Church Street.

“We figured we couldn’t compete with the darkness — the darkness was the scariest thing,” Neiberlein said. “So the designer would create these beautiful sets, and I would have these little pools of light. Others said, ‘We can’t see the set!’ But, less is more, and it really worked.”

The haunted house closed for good in 1999, and Neiberlein had the chance to travel the world in other design projects, but, by then, his son, Connor, was 2 years old, and Neiberlein decided to find a job that wouldn’t require travel.

‘THE BEST THING IN TOWN’

He applied for the technical director job at the Flagler Auditorium, on the campus of Flagler Palm Coast High School, and got it.

“When I first started, I wasn’t too keen on the educator part,” Neiberlein said. “I wanted to do the shows and design. But it didn’t take too long to figure out that was the most important part of the job. I really feel like I’m making a difference here with getting kids access to a theater like this — which most kids in the United States don’t anymore.”

He praised the community’s decision decades ago to support the arts enough to build an auditorium of this quality.

Some of the students who take his theater classes are there

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WHAT’S GREAT LIGHTING? In addition to helping students do the lighting for professional shows at the Auditorium, Jack Neiberlein also helped design the lighting system of the Flagler Playhouse, in conjunction with John Sbordone, who is now directing City Repertory Theatre. Neiberlein also designed the lighting for the FPC student production of “Les Miserables.”

“There’s a difference between light design and illumination,” Neiberlein says.

“You can light a room to see each other, but light design is about subtly forcing emotions. And that can make the difference between interesting and incredible.”

because they couldn’t find a better elective. Some of those are dropout risks, and the theater keeps them in school.

“Then I get some who do want this to be their career,” he said, “and when you see that creativity blossom, that is incredibly satisfying.”

Neiberlein knows that most

Photo by Brian McMillan

Jack Neiberlein has been the technical director at the Auditorium for the past 22 years.

art-loving students will never get a job in the arts. But some do. And even if they don’t, they still learn to be “more complete human beings” and how to be part of community theater and painting groups later in life.

“Nobody goes into a town and says, ‘Look at that factory — it’s the best thing in town,’” Neiberlein said. “All the arts troupes, CRT, the Flagler Playhouse, the Art League — those are the best parts of Flagler County for me, and for a lot of others. It doesn’t matter whether you’re operating on a pro or amateur level; when you think back on your life, I just appreciate art more and more.

Now that I’m older, I just want to be surrounded by art more and more, until my time is done.”

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“Now that I’m older, I just want to be surrounded by art more and more, until my time is done.”

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2020 ARTIST OF THE YEAR “For a style to develop, you have to take it as far as it will take you.”

JAN JACKSON

Artist Jan Jackson.

Photo by Eric Gutierrez, Gallery Assistant at Galleria d’Arte

Jan Jackson honored by Gargiulo Art Foundation BRENT WORONOFF CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A

s a writing teacher, Jan Jackson taught her students how to find their voice. As an artist it took many years for Jackson to find her own voice.

The pastel artist was named the Gargiulo Art Foundation 2020 Artist of the Year. It is an award that is presented the following year after the winner is selected.

Jackson’s work will be featured in the east wing of the new Galle-

ria d’Arte, 231 St. Joe Plaza, Palm Coast, through April 27. An opening reception and a Meet the Artist and Art Talk was held March 6-7.

Jackson is the 21st recipient of the GAF Artist of the Year Award.

“It’s really a great honor,” she said.

She is well-known in the local art community as the curator of the Grand Gallery at Grand Living Realty and a member of the Palm Coast Arts Foundation.

“This year we had four nominees for artist of the year,” said GAF co-founder Tom Gargiulo. “One

of the requirements is they’re not only a good artist but they also do something for the art community.

As we went around, we went to all of the artists’ home studios and there we saw more of their work.

If you know Jan Jackson, you know her work, but you never see a large body of it. Jan Jackson has so much work. This gives her a good opportunity to have a retrospective show, work that the public doesn’t see. She’s very good.”

Jackson, 81, was a water colorist in art school in the late 1960s.

After earning degrees in fine art and art history at Wayne State, she returned to school to earn a master’s in education.

She taught elementary school for many years in Chicago, utilizing the Bay Area Writing Project principles to improve the use of writing in all subject areas. In 1995 she took an early retirement to get back to her artwork.

“I decided I was very interested in pastel, but I felt I had to find my own voice,” she said.

She was interested in textiles, specifically the mola blouses worn by the Kuna Indian women of Panama and the neighboring San Blas Islands. Molas are made by a reverse applique method with layers of different colored cloth sewn together and designs formed by

cutting away parts of each layer.

“I’ve been to Panama, and I collected the molas for a lot of years,” Jackson said. “I thought, How can I interpret that?”

She decided to use textured paper and paint stitch marks around her designs to look like fabric.

“For a style to develop you have to take it as far as it will take you,” she said. “Gradually I changed to surrealism and magical realism.

Space becomes an important element. My newer paintings play with space.”

After leaving the Chicago area, Jackson and her husband, Leigh, moved to Arizona. She later opened Dreamscapes Gallery in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Jan and Leigh have lived in Palm Coast for eight years.

She has been the curator at the Grand Gallery, now the Grand Gallery of Palm Coast Arts Foundation, for nearly two years, changing the shows every six weeks. Finding artists, she said, is not difficult.

“This area is rampant with known artists. We’re overflowing with artists —underappreciated artists, I feel,” she said.

She taught pastel art for three years at the Flagler Art League and helped develop a class on painting tote bags for the Palm Coast Arts Foundation. She also painted the loggerhead turtle sculpture “Vincent” as part of the PCAF’s Turtle Trail. “Vincent” is located at the Palm Coast Community Center.

The other nominees for Artist of the Year were Barb Forristall Scapin, Christine Broussard and Bob Teller.

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First Acoustic Jam of 2021 in VFW’s outdoor pavilion Even the cool weather and the wind could not dampen these musicians’ enthusiasm for playing together once again.

SCOTT ADIE GUEST WRITER

Palm Coast VFW Post 8696, at 47 Old Kings Road, hosted its first Acoustic Jam of 2021 in its outdoor pavilion Saturday, March 6. The event was a joyful occasion for local musicians who have had

little opportunity to get together and jam since COVID began.

There were about 20 musicians and 15 visitors in attendance. A voluntary offering of $161 was given to the VFW in appreciation of all they do for our veterans and for lending the pavilion to the players and guests.

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The event went non-stop from 1:30 to 4:15 p.m., with many full rounds of playing and singing. Even the cool weather and the wind could not dampen the enthusiasm for playing together once again. The music ranged from gospel, to country, bluegrass and a little blues.

A second event was planned for Saturday, April 3.

For more photos, see this story at www.palmcoastobserver.com.

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Development, real estate + business news

‘Sue Baby’ prepares for unforeseen births at ER

Care Connect+ awards innovators

Thanks to a $22,000 donation from Palm Coast residents Peter and Sue Freytag, the ER now has an up-todate baby warmer.

ERIN WALLNER

BRENT WORONOFF CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It’s a girl.

Sue Baby was delivered to AdventHealth Palm Coast’s emergency department in January.

But “Sue Baby” is not actually a baby.

“It’s a nice, new infant warmer,” said Mary Radcliff, AdventHealth’s director of emergency services.

AdventHealth Palm Coast does not have a birthing unit, but the emergency room does deliver about five to seven babies a year, Radcliff said.

Thanks to a $22,000 donation from Palm Coast residents Peter and Sue Freytag, the ER now has an up-to-date baby warmer to use in those unforeseen situations.

“We had one, but it was a much older model,” Radcliff said. “It’s nice to know we have updated equipment just as good as they have in a birthing unit. It has all the monitors you need. We can provide oxygen if the babies need

it. It’s very well equipped.”

It weighs the baby, has a heart monitor, monitors body temperature and has a heat lamp to warm the baby, she said.

Last spring and summer the ER delivered three babies during a four-month period. At that point it was evident the department needed a new baby warmer, Radcliff said.

“Delivering babies is never a fun thing to do in an ER, because it’s not something you do routinely,” she said.

The department reached out to John Subers, the director of AdventHealth Foundation of Palm Coast. Subers approached the Freytags, who are active with the foundation — Peter is on the foundation board — and have been helping to raise money for the new 100-bed AdventHealth facility to be built on Palm Coast Parkway.

“We were told about the new baby warmer the nurses wanted,” Sue Freytag said. “We decided we’d buy it for the hospital.”

After the baby warmer’s arrival, Subers told Peter the hospital wanted to name it “Sue” in honor of his wife. Peter had a slightly different idea.

“My high school nickname was ‘Sue Baby,’ “ Sue Freytag said. “In a weak moment I told my husband what my high school nickname was, and he’s used it ever since.”

So Peter Freytag suggested

FLAGLER HEALTH+

they name the baby warmer, “Sue Baby.”

Sue Freytag may not love the name, but she does love that she and her husband were able to help fill the need for the hospital.

“It’s a wonderful piece of equipment for the emergency room,” she said.

The Freytags moved to Palm Coast from Bloomington, Indiana, 18 years ago. Peter was a vice president of common stocks with State Farm. Sue was a public school teacher.

They have been very active with the hospital foundation as well as educational charities.

“Peter and I have lived here for 18 years. This is our home,” Sue said. “We feel like we should contribute locally. We feel that good

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Courtesy photo

Sue and Peter Freytag (donors and SueBaby namesake), and Foundation Friend, Nan Reid.

IT DOES HAPPEN ...

AdventHealth Palm Coast does not have a birthing unit, but the emergency room does deliver about five to seven babies a year,

medical facilities and good education are important.”

There hasn’t been a delivery in the ER since Sue Baby’s arrival, but the new baby warmer is ready for that eventuality.

“Mr. and Mrs. Freytag have been very generous in buying this equipment,” Radcliff said.

To kick off its expansion into Flagler County, Care Connect+ awarded Innovators Micro Grants to four Flagler County nonprofit organizations.

Care Connect+ is a social health organization, developed by Flagler Health+. Visit careconnectplus.com.

The one-time awards of $5,000 were awarded to the following: Early Learning Coalition of Flagler & Volusia Counties for the Safe Baby Program - To assist families with children (prenatal to 12 months). The program exists in other counties but the micro grant will allow the program to expand into Flagler County.

Children’s Home Society of Florida for the Family Transition Program George Washington Carver Foundation for the LIGHTSSS Program, which provides strategies and mentoring to students from a low-income neighborhood.

Abundant Life Ministries for the Phoenix Community Mental Health Program, a multidisciplinary behavioral health care practice that offers behavioral health and substance abuse services to residents of Flagler County.

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