Palm Coast Observer 9-7-23

Don Gooden was the crew leader for the Bunnell Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as several members drove two hours to Jasper, Florida, to help clear debris. Gooden is the congregation’s elders quorum president and also owns Aquatic Xpress Pool Service in Palm Coast.

Photo by Brian McMillan

Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh

Jordan Mills (2) celebrates his go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. Mills returned a fumble to put the Pirates ahead for good in a game at Tocoi Creek.

CITY WATCH

Pipe collapse closes Lewis Drive

A section of Lewis Drive is closed for structural road repairs after the road collapsed under the weight of a garbage truck on Sept. 5. Lewis Drive between Lewiston Place and Lewis Shire Way has been closed due to safety concerns until the repairs are made, a press release from Palm Coast said.

The road will be closed until repairs are completed and detour signs have already been placed at the scene. The road collapsed because of a pipe failure underneath the roadway, Communications and Marketing Director

Brittany Kershaw said in an email.

The city hopes to have a time frame for the repair by Wednesday, Sept. 6, but needs additional information before a repair can be scheduled, Kershaw said. The city is still looking to see what company the garbage truck belonged to.

During the road closure, traffic will be redirected to Lewis Drive for access to London Drive, the press release said. Residents traveling on Lewis Drive will be detoured to Lewisdale Lane for access to Lewis Drive.

City OKs Belle Terre Estates, Marina Village Splash pad repairs could cost $3 million

As the Palm Coast City Council approved two more developments that swapped commercial land for more rooftops, council member

Theresa Carli Pontieri had a question for her fellow council members.

“What is the point of having a code that is specifically in place to protect the quality of life here in Palm Coast if we don’t follow it?,” she said.

The council approved the Belle Terre Estates development application 5-0 and a Marina Village Master Planned Development 4-1 at its Sept. 5 business meeting. Both applications requested the council approve exceptions to land use code requirements or changes from original development plans, reducing the amount of commercial land for additional residential units.

Belle Terre Estates would be a community of 275 townhomes on a 40-acre parcel at the southeast corner of Citation Boulevard and Belle Terre Boulevard.

Pontieri — who also voted against both items in their first reading votes on Aug. 15 — said she voted for Belle Terre Estates on second reading because the developer met her concerns halfway between after the first vote. The language in the document now ensures that 1.75 acres of general commercial use will be pad-ready when infrastructure is complete.

The developer has also modified the townhome’s almost 80 end units to match the Land Development Code’s square-footage minimums.

Pontieri at the Aug. 15 meeting did not support the developer’s request that the city grant the development a Master Planned Development designation. The MPD designation would have allowed the developer to avoid meeting the usual square footage requirements for townhomes.

She said the compromise version showed that the developer was making an effort to make the development meet the city’s standards.

The Marina Village MPD application, on the other hand, reduced its designated commercial land by 60,000 square feet to a total of 103,000, and increased its number of residential units from 663 to 1085, shrinking the townhomes’ square

footage by 500 square feet but asking to make them 45 feet tall.

It isn’t normal, Pontieri said, for a city to allow so many exceptions to its own code.

“For us to almost be doubling the amount of residential units is just unacceptable,” Pontieri said.

Mayor David Alfin disagreed. The Land Development Code is a living document, he said, meant to allow for growth and change.

Beyond that, he said, Colbert Lane is a connector road, not a main thoroughfare, and is not the right space for a lot of commercial development.

“Crying for commercial is fine,” Alfin said. “But if you build commercial space that is not going to be profitable and successful, what you’re doing is you’re going to blight the city with unsuccessful businesses.”

Pontieri said that’s looking at Colbert as it is, not as it and Palm Coast will be. An MPD, she said, is intended to have a quality of life where residents do not have to leave to enjoy amenities like shopping and eating out.

Despite the reduction, the Marina Village MPD would still have 103,000 square feet of commercial land, including shops, restaurants and possibly a hotel. The marina would have 80 wet slips and 200 dry boat storage spaces.

“What we are doing is taking away

the original concept of this project so that the developer can make more money,” she said.

It is much easier for a developer to sell a home and make a profit than to wait for a commercial business to come along, she said.

Alfin, alongside council members Nick Klufas and Ed Danko, pointed out that a lot of commercial land is still vacant, even on State Road 100.

“If no one is showing up and investing their money and risking their money,” Danko said, “we can’t force them.”

Pontieri said the council is not addressing the city’s “messed-up tax base,” where ad valorem taxes account for so much of the city’s funding.

“We’re exacerbating it, and that’s my issue,” she said. “We keep doing and saying the same thing. We’re doing nothing to change it.”

COUNCIL OPTS TO ANNEX 62ACRE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

The City Council also preliminarily approved a 62-acre voluntary annexation into the city.

The property is owned by Geosam Capital Florida, LLC, and is slated as a 213-lot subdivision Master Planned Development. The council voted unanimously to accept the annexation.

The land is located east of Old Kings Road, about 2.5 miles south of State Road 100. Residents who live in the Polo Club West, which would share a border with the land, were concerned about the new development encroaching on their privacy and the preserved natural land in the area.

John Duncan, a Polo Club West resident, said their subdivision already has problems with people crossing into private land.

Michael Chiumento, representing Geosam at the meeting, said Geosam was made aware of some of the residents’ concerns. He assured the council that the developer intends to honor its agreements, including providing a fence or wall between the two subdivisions.

“We are committed to abiding by those commitments,” Chiumento said.

Planning Print Ads – U.S. & Canada

The city of Palm Coast’s proposed budget for 2024 includes $3 million to fix the Holland Park splash pad.

The splash pad’s surface delaminated shortly after the attraction opened, becoming a trip hazard that forced the city to close it. The city decided last November to sue the contractors it considers responsible for the damage.

At an Aug. 29 council workshop, Mayor David Alfin said he was concerned the $3 million wouldn’t be a realistic price estimate and would just act as a placeholder.

Stormwater and Engineering Director Carl Cote said the city received one bid for the project from Saboungi Construction. Saboungi’s bid was $2.6 million.

“We just put dollars in there so if council’s direction is ‘let’s move forward now,’ we had some hard costs to go after and seek reimbursement on [it],” Cote said. “We can always reallocate those funds.”

The project scope includes replacing parts of the pad’s flooring, including installing a new code-compliant surface material. The council has not reviewed the bid yet.

Cote said Saboungi agreed to extend the bid another 90 days. It will now expire in late November, early December.

“If we want it open at all for next summer,” he said, “we’re going to have to give them the go-ahead soon.”

Council member Theresa Carli Pontieri said that based on her experience as a lawyer, having a firm number for the repair cost will help in the litigation process.

Council members Nick Klufas and Cathy Heighter agreed.

“I think that it’s really important to get that splash pad opened up for the children in the community,” Pontieri said.

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PUBLIC

you plan ahead, you can make your final wishes known and provide your loved ones with true peace of mind.

FUNERAL HOME

Planning ahead is simple. The benefits are immense.

SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

“What we are doing is taking away the original concept of this project so that the developer can make more money.”

THERESA CARLI PONTIERI, City Council member

We came. We sawed. We conquered.

extended to 10 days. Most of the team is working 16- to 18-hour days, he said, but all of the team members are happy to be of help.

SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

Hurricane Idalia had barely left Florida before Flagler County sent out emergency response teams to help in the relief effort.

Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord and Emergency Management Planner Nealon Joseph left for Madison County at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 30 in the Emergency Operations Center’s field trailer. The duo were set to return to Flagler County on Tuesday, Sept. 5.

Lord said over text message that he and Joseph were working positions similar to their jobs at home.

Lord helped the Madison County emergency management director manage the response — identifying unmet needs, organizing priorities and liaising with other agencies — while Joseph helped set up distribution points for fuel and other resources.

Nonprofits and state, local and federal agencies were working together to provide services, Lord wrote.

“It is common in Florida for county emergency management to support each other in this way, as there are so few emergency management staff in each county,” Lord wrote.

Meanwhile, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s 10-member Emergency Response Team left before dawn on Aug. 31, setting up command in the back parking lot of Suwannee High School in Live Oak, Suwannee County.

Cmdr. Jon Dopp said the FCSO team was originally only sent out for a week, but the stay has been

“They wanted to be here for the full 10 days and get the job done,” Dopp said. “So they’re tired, they’re working hard, but they want to be here.”

The team left Flagler County with the FCSO’s Mobile Command Center, a bunk-house trailer, a kitchen trailer, patrol cars, an airboat and a high-water rescue vehicle. The team brought its own food and tools to be self-sufficient, Dopp said — the team only needed showers and laundry services, which Suwannee County was able to provide after a day.

“One of the worst things you can do when an area has been impacted like this is show up and become an additional burden on them,” he said.

Around 90% of Live Oak had power restored, Dopp said in a phone interview on Sept. 5, but the rural parts of the county — around 15,000-16,000 people — are still without power.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office announced in a press release on Sept. 4 that 96% of all accounts that lost power following Hurricane Idalia had been restored.

First responders and county officials were not the only ones who went out to help. The Bunnell congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent around 30 volunteers to Jasper, Florida over the weekend.

Don Gooden, the congregation’s Elder Quorum president, similar to an assistant pastor, said the church regularly organizes volunteer efforts after disasters.

The church’s groups split into three teams of around 10 people, received work orders in Lake City and then headed to Jasper. From there, Gooden said, his team managed to go to eight different properties, cleaning up debris and cutting up and removing fallen trees.

Downed trees caused a lot of the damage, Gooden said. Lord and Dopp said much of their disaster relief focused on clearing the roadways to get resources to residents.

Christina Brouse, a volunteer with the Latter-Day Saints team, said she, her husband and her kids have been volunteering for hurricane cleanups since they moved to Florida in 2009. She and her husband took turns over the weekend taking their four older daughters to Jasper, while the other parent watched their youngest at home.

On Sept. 3, Brouse said, her group — including Gooden and her daughters — cleared four properties of fallen trees and debris. At one of the

Jeremy Barton, a Palm Coast firefighter and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bunnell, saws a log for a family in need.

homes, she said, a tree knocked out the back portion of the home and destroyed the above-ground pool in the backyard.

“There was just water everywhere, and it was muddy; it was smelly,” she said. “The skid steer going in and out just made it muddier.”

Her kids love helping out with cleanup, she said, and it teaches them to be sensitive to the challenges other people may be facing.

“I think that service is a Christlike attribute. The Savior constantly was serving other people,” Brouse said. “This is a small way that we can share and show our love to others.”

Gooden said part of what the team members do while volunteering is spiritually minister to the people they are helping.

“One of our main points that we like to do is sit down and kind of talk with them,” he said, “Let them know that somebody cares about them and that they can get through it.”

told him that she wouldn’t have been able to take care of the work on her own. “She was just so very grateful that we were there,” Gooden said, choking back tears. “And it really touched me that we can do that for someone and uplift them. … It changed her entire outlook of the situation she was in.”

SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

In total, Flagler County received 1.01 inches of rain during Hurricane Idalia, according to measurements by the county’s Emergency Operations Center. The winds on Aug. 30 ranged from 40-49 mph: The strongest gust was clocked at 49 mph in Marineland at 4:06 p.m. Flagler County’s dune renourish-

ment projects were mostly intact after Hurricane Idalia, Coastal Engineering Administrator Ansley WrenKey said.

“I did see some lower beach changes,” she said, “but those weren’t anything different from any minor storm.”

Wind direction played a big part in the lack of damage. Hurricane Idalia was moving north and west, WrenKey said, so the winds were southernly. Southernly winds tend to keep the water levels at bay, while northeasterly winds push water higher up on the beach.

“So whenever we get northeast winds, those are the winds that are

going to erode the beach and the dune the most,” she said.

Not only did the winds’ direction prevent damage, so did the timing of their impact on the county. Idalia made landfall during a supermoon. Supermoons amplify the range of the tide, Wren-Key said. “We were lucky,” she said. Local businesses reported relatively minor impacts.

J.T. Cerchiara, the serving manager at the Turtle Shack, said the Turtle Shack remained open during Idalia on Aug. 30, though the restaurant didn’t draw a crowd until dinner. Cerchiara said the Turtle Shack’s management decided to stay open

when the storm’s track began shifting further north, even though a lot of Flagler shops closed.

“Just closing for half a day, we could lose upwards of $5,000 or more,” Cerchiara said. “It doesn’t seem like a lot, but you add a couple days up, that’s a lot of money … that we miss out on.”

The Golden Lion was one of the restaurants that closed. General manager Tim Griffin said the restaurant made that decision because most of its seating is outdoors.

“It’s a pretty large preparation job at the Golden Lion, just because most of our stuff’s outside,” he said.

The Golden Lion has over 100

employees, Griffin said, and their safety is always management’s priority during storms.

Griffin and Cerchiara said that after a storm, the Flagler Beach community will usually come out to support local businesses. Cerchiara said a lot of people don’t want to cook after dealing with a storm, either.

“We try to stay open and stay ready for them,” he said. “[We want to] be like a little safe haven for people if they need it.”

Email Sierra Williams at sierra@ observerlocalnews.com.

‘We were lucky’: Flagler saw only 1 inch of rain from Idalia, gusts up to 49 mph

The storm hit during low tide on a supermoon, minimizing erosion.

Keila and Liana Brouse, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Hurricane Idalia threw a tree into this above-ground pool in Jasper, Florida. Thanks to a work crew from Palm Coast, the tree and the pool were removed.

Eddie Brouse, Don Gooden and Brent Foster help clear debris.

Flagler County, local volunteers aid in Hurricane Idalia disaster recovery.

Photos by Brian McMillan

Sisco Deen, Flagler County historian, dies at 83

Deen compiled and maintained detailed historical records.

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Claude Sisco Deen Jr., credited with almost single-handedly chronicling the history of Flagler County, died on Thursday, Aug. 31, at age 83.

“He made sure our history, our heritage, is preserved,” said Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed. “He showed that we could teach all of Florida history from Flagler County — from ancient Timucuans to the role of the Spanish, the American Revolution, and continuing all the way to the present date. His fingerprints are behind all of our progress in this realm.”

Deen is a member of four founding families of Flagler County.

“His family was very, very involved in the early days of the county. They were important people in the turpentine industry and farming,” said Gloria Deen, Sisco Deen’s third wife of nearly 20 years.

According to his website, flaglercountyfamilies.com, Deen’s paternal grandparents moved with their families to what is now Flagler County in 1902 and 1907, and his maternal grandparents moved here in 1913 and 1917 — which was the year Flagler was designated as a county.

“His family legacy is long established,” said Ed Siarkowicz, the president of the Flagler County Historical Society. “There are many other old timers who claim that he is literally related to everyone. And I’ve seen that to be true. It seems that everyone that comes in from an established name of Flagler County also claims relation to Sisco.”

Deen graduated from Bunnell High School and Florida State University. He was a captain in the Air Force, serving in 1963-74. He also served in the Florida Air National Guard in 1975-79 and then served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Reserves. He was Flagler County’s Veteran of the Year in 2017, the year of the county’s centennial.

After active service, he became a home builder. In the early 1990s he began focusing on Flagler County’s genealogy, and then its history.

“Sisco was a real historian. He’s someone who was very accurate,” said Carl Laundrie, Flagler County’s former communications director, who worked closely with Deen on the Flagler County Centennial Committee. “He was a great guy and a tireless worker. And Flagler County is going

to reap the benefits of that work for many years to come.”

Laundrie said that unlike some local histories, Deen’s records include Black history.

“He talked to people of color, got their backgrounds. He recorded and did as much as he could to preserve and record Black history. So his work isn’t just a whitewash history, it’s a complete history of all the residents of Flagler County,” Laundrie said.

Laundrie was a reporter and photographer at the Flagler Tribune who helped preserve bound editions of the paper and photographic negatives from the archives when the Tribune was sold to the Daytona Beach News-Journal in 1981. Deen later had the papers digitized, and they are now accessible online.

“Churches have deacons that are pillars of support,” Siarkowicz said. “Sisco was absolutely one of our main historians and a pillar of our community.”

CHRONICLING THE HISTORY

Deen and Hadeed met in the early 1990s, when Hadeed was serving as the county’s point-person for efforts to preserve historically and environmentally important lands.

“He knew I was doing this, and he was enormously helpful,” Hadeed said. “… I was looking for funding to preserve the history, and he was trying to capture it. … I was preserving the lands, and he was chronicling the history.”

One of Deen’s many contributions, Hadeed said, was connecting the county with the descendants of Gen. Joseph Hernandez, who owned a plantation at the site that is now Bings Landing County Park — a National Register of Historic Places site. Hernandez was also the first Hispanic U.S. Congress member.

“Combining his skills as a historian, as an archivist, and as a genealogist, he brought the descendants of General Hernandez to Flagler to celebrate their ancestor at a public event,” Hadeed said. “The respect and honor that he bestowed upon them, their ancestor, led them to provide us very important artifacts that they were holding concerning his life and legacy, both as a leader in the territory of Florida and after its statehood, his military career, his congressional career — very important artifacts.”

Those artifacts, including Hernandez’s congressional china, are on display in the county’s Government Services Building.

“He made that connection because

LaShakia Moore is new superintendent of schools

The School Board voted unanimously to give the interim superintendent the job permanently.

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The Flagler County School Board has abandoned its search for a new superintendent.

Kristy Gavin’s contract at a Sept. 19 workshop and then place the item on that night’s business meeting for a possible vote. Will Furry agreed, giving them a consensus. Hunt went on to say that there is “top-down dysfunction” on the board.

he was a many-skilled person … not attempting to draw attention to himself, very low-key, and therefore was able to really accomplish quite a lot,” Hadeed said.

Deen spearheaded the creation of the research library annex behind the Holden House Museum on East Moody Boulevard in Bunnell. Both buildings belong to the Flagler County Historical Society. The annex contains records like obituaries, newspaper clippings, early maps and artifacts collected by Deen and others.

“Because of his reputation and the respect people had for him, there were people in the community who were coming out and donating heirlooms to the county, sometimes unsolicited,” Hadeed said. “They would come in and they would say, ‘Oh my gosh, this stuff you guys are doing is great.’”

SISCO DEEN RESEARCH LIBRARY Siarkowicz said that building will be renamed the Sisco Deen Research Library.

Siarkowicz said he first discussed the honor with Deen three years ago when Deen was first diagnosed with cancer. But Deen said he didn’t think any living person should have something named after them.

“He said, ‘When I go, then you can name it after me,’” Siarkowicz said. “Last week he came in with his wife and I said, ‘We don’t want you to go anywhere, but are you still onboard with renaming the annex research library after you?” And he said, ‘Yep, but it has to be after I’m gone.’ We’re going to get formal board approval this week, but we’ll be renaming the building.”

Hadeed said Deen was “very engaging, very personable.”

Deen is survived by his wife, Gloria; three sons, Devin, Brian and Sisco; two stepsons, Seth and David Shortlidge; six grandchildren; and three step-grandchildren.

Gloria Deen said her husband was placed in hospice care on Tuesday, Aug. 29.

“The nurses were making him comfortable, and he started telling them jokes, making the nurses laugh,” Gloria Deen said. “That was Sisco.”

Devin Deen, Sisco’s oldest son, flew in from New Zealand and spent Wednesday night with his father, she said.

A Celebration of Life will be held in late September and will be announced soon, Glorida Deen said.

Managing Editor Jonathan Simmons contributed to this story.

The board decided the right person to lead the district into the future already had that role. The five board members unanimously voted to remove the interim tag on LaShakia Moore’s title and make her the permanent superintendent.

The unanimity of the board’s decision at a special meeting on Tuesday Sept. 5 was echoed in the board chamber as citizens and district staff broke out into a round of applause. Normally the board frowns on applause during a meeting, but this time it was welcomed.

The meeting, which had been scheduled to finalize approval of the district’s millage rate and budget, followed a morning interview session with the board and Moore. Each board member had already interviewed the former assistant superintendent individually.

“I would like to congratulate all of us,” board member Sally Hunt said, “because I think we’re the ones who are winning and having her as our leader. So congratulations Flagler Schools for having this tremendous leader now here at the district office. LaShakia, I know you are going to be exactly what we need.”

Moore took over as the interim superintendent on July 1 after the board had voted to let former Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt’s contract run out. The board hired the Florida School Boards Association to assist in a search, with a new superintendent scheduled to be in place by Jan. 1, 2024.

But board members were impressed with Moore’s energy and support from administrators, faculty and staff throughout the district. And they were impressed with how she handled her first crisis in the aftermath of Bunnell Elementary School’s segregated assemblies.

The district is finalizing its investigation of the assemblies that were designed to motivate fourth and fifth grade Black students to raise their scores on statewide assessments.

“I’m super excited about the vote tonight,” Moore said. “But I want you to know that I need each and every one of you in this room, each and every one that is listening or watching (to the live stream of the meeting) as well as those who may not be listening and watching. This is a collective effort. It should be a lot of work and we have a lot of work to do.

“But I look forward to working alongside our community, our stakeholders, our employees and staff and this board to move Flagler Forward,” Moore said, employing the district’s slogan for the school year.

But immediately after the unanimous vote, the board shifted into a divisive posture. Christy Chong and Hunt asked to review Board Attorney

“Here’s what I’m going to say: ‘Enough is enough,’” Hunt said, asking for a discussion about the board’s disagreements, which seem to be centered around comments made by Chair Cheryl Massaro and Gavin to news website Flagler Live.

Massaro said she added some of her own thoughts to the board’s approved statement at an Aug. 24 press conference regarding the Bunnell Elementary assemblies, and as a result, Hunt wanted to censure her.

SURJ ISSUES STATEMENT ON ASSEMBLIES

SURJ Flagler has issued the following statement on the recent assemblies targeting black students at Bunnell Elementary:

SURJ Flagler (Showing Up for Racial Justice) is highly disheartened over the recent events at Bunnell Elementary School, where underperforming black fourth and fifth graders were segregated from their classmates. These black students were threatened that if they didn’t get their achievement scores up, they could end up dead or in jail. A subsequent “Community Connections” meeting arranged by Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore was canceled due to Hurricane Idalia. At this time, there has been no announcement of a rescheduled date for the public forum.

SURJ Flagler is horrified about the devaluation of the African American students, and how they were subjected to a “less than” self-image. Not to be forgotten is the impact on the non-black students, where yet another false seed of academic and social superiority has been planted.

The membership of SURJ Flagler is taking this opportunity to reflect on options for positive interventions and activities for all the students at Bunnell Elementary School and indeed, all students in the district. We appreciate the Interim Superintendent’s desire to involve the entire community to address this travesty and to develop ways for all students to feel valued and motivated to do their best.

If ever there was a need for inclusive and uplifting activities, events and opportunities, now is that time. In fact, it is beyond time for our community members to come together with ideas. SURJ Flagler is all in for all students!

Let’s all Show Up For Racial Justice!

Photo courtesy of the Flagler County Historical Society

Sisco Deen wasn’t always telling stories of Flagler County history. He was living it, riding through Bunnell on a horse in 1945.

File photo by Paige Wilson

Sisco Deen speaks after accepting the Veteran of the Year award in 2017.

‘First Amendment auditor’ gets citations after flipping off deputy

Kyle Gaddie immediately pulled him over after Gray flipped him the middle finger. Gaddie gave Gray two traffic citations: one for following too closely and one for impeding traffic in the left lane.

“It was nothing personal against [Gaddie],” Gray said. “It was an investigation … to see if he would respect my civil right to flip him off. And, in my opinion, he did not do that.”

SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

When Jeff Gray, driving south on Interstate 95 on Aug. 8, flipped off a Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputy who then pulled him over and gave him two traffic tickets, the obscene gesture wasn’t without reason, he said.

“There’s established case law on it,” Gray said. “We have the right to tell the cops to go F themselves.”

Gray, who calls himself a civil rights investigator and First Amendment auditor, said the citations issued by FCSO Master Deputy Kyle Gaddie were retaliatory. Gray said he normally conducts himself in a peaceful and polite manner, but he’s been recording interactions with law enforcement since 2011 and uploading them to his YouTube channel, HonorYourOath Civil Rights Investigations.

He’s one of a number of citizens engaging in a practice sometimes known as “cop-watching” or “First Amendment auditing”: Videorecording interactions with law enforcement officers, sometimes after saying or doing something provocative that might tempt the officer to overreact. Gray was mentioned in a recent Washington Post story about the practice (the Post called Gray “one of the least confrontational auditors”).

Gray’s videos are intended to educate people, he said. A recent uptick of videos of officers pulling people over for flipping the bird made Gray curious to see what would happen if he did it.

“I decided to do what I call a civil rights investigation,” Gray said.

Gray said FCSO Master Deputy

In Gaddie’s body camera footage, which Gray posted to his YouTube channel, Gray asks the deputy if he was pulled over for his hand gesture. Gaddie says, “No, I don’t care about that.”

But at the end of the footage, after handing Gray the citations, Gaddie said, “If it gets your rocks off trying to get people all riled up, that’s fine. However you want to spend your day, dude.”

Gray said he has discussed the incident with his attorney. He will contest the citations, he said, and he and his lawyer will also look into adding Gaddie to a national law enforcement misconduct and complaints list, called the Brady List.

“What we’re hoping to do is show that he intentionally lied,” Gray said. “He knowingly lied about the citations that he gave me. Those are sworn statements. And we want to go to court and we want the judge to know that he lied.”

Sheriff Rick Staly told the Observer Gray is welcome to file a complaint against Gaddie, at which point the FCSO would investigate.

“The proper place to dispute a traffic charge is not on social media, where he gets paid to have his videos out there, but in the court system,” Staly said.

United States courts have long ruled that free speech is not just limited to words: Actions can also be protected speech, including flipping officers the middle finger. In 2019, a Michigan appeals court sided in favor of a woman who flipped off a Taylor, Michigan police officer.

“Fits of rudeness or lack of gratitude may violate the Golden Rule. But that doesn’t make them illegal

“It was nothing personal against [Gaddie]. It was an investigation … to see if he would respect my civil right to flip him off. And, in my opinion, he did not do that.”

JEFF GRAY

or, for that matter, punishable,” U.S. Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton wrote in his opinion on the case.

Gray also said Gaddie tried to tell him the Fifth Amendment — which includes the right to not incriminate yourself — only applies in the court of law.

During the stop, Gaddie noted that Gray’s insurance information had the date crossed out. Gaddie asked him about it, then about his tint level. When Gray declined to answer, Gaddie brought out a tint-reader and

STATE BRIEF

Court to review proposed abortion ballot initiative

Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at ensuring abortion rights appear to have enough valid petition signatures to trigger a crucial Florida Supreme Court review.

The state Division of Elections website on Friday, Sept. 1, listed 297,586 valid petition signatures for the initiative, above the 222,881 signatures needed for a Supreme Court review of the ballot wording. Information on the website also indicated the political committee Floridians Protection Freedom had met a requirement that involves submitting certain amounts of valid petition signatures in at least half of the state’s congressional districts.

asked him to lower his rear passenger window so Gaddie could check the tint.

Gray refused to lower the window, citing the Fifth Amendment. Gaddie can be heard in the footage telling Gray that the amendment only applies in a court of law.

“I think that’s a troubling thing for law enforcement officers to say,” Gray said.

In an email, Staly said the driver had every right not to roll his window down, as Gray contends. It’s similar to a suspected DUI situation, Staly wrote, in which drivers may have only committed a traffic infraction and refuse to take a field sobriety test.

Staly told the Observer he has watched the footage himself. He said Gaddie is an aggressive deputy “for criminals and traffic violators.”

“Gaddie was doing his job in there,” Staly said. “If this driver has a different opinion than Deputy Gaddie’s, then that’s exactly what the court system is for.”

After receiving notification that the thresholds have been met, Attorney General Ashley Moody would ask the Supreme Court for an opinion on the proposed ballot wording. Those steps had not been taken as of mid-day Friday, according to the Division of Elections website. Floridians for Protecting Freedom announced the ballot initiative in May after the Legislature approved a bill that seeks to prevent abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

The amendment would bar laws that restrict abortion “before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”

The Supreme Court would review the proposal to make sure it includes only a single subject and would not mislead voters. If justices sign off on the wording, Floridians Protecting Freedom would need to submit at least 891,523 valid petition signatures to get on the ballot.

Floridians Protecting Freedom said in an Aug. 15 news release that it had collected more than 600,000 petition signatures.

Signatures have to be validated before they can be included in the Division of Elections count.

— THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

FCSO Master Deputy Kyle Gaddie hands Jeff Gray, a civil rights investigator on social media, two traffic citations. Image screen shot from HonorYourOath YouTube video, “Bird Watching with Deputy Gaddie.”

‘We have the right to tell the cops to go F themselves,’ said Jeff Gray, who runs a social media channel called ‘HonorYourOath Civil Rights Investigations.’

COPS CORNER

AUG. 15

BEAR-Y DIFFERENT

12:09 p.m. — 100 block of Midway Avenue, Ormond Beach Animal bite. An Ormond Beach woman called police to report a bear had bitten off her dog’s nose.

Yes, a bear.

The woman told police that the “bear” had run up a tree in her backyard after the incident, according to a police report. Her dog ran underneath the foundation of her home.

When the reporting officer arrived, he discovered that the “bear” was actually a large raccoon. The raccoon was lying on a branch about 40 feet up in a tree, and remained there for the entire time police were at the scene.

The dog, which is vaccinated against rabies, suffered bite marks and scratches on her snout and her paws.

Police placed a trap for the raccoon at the base of the tree, but it was still empty the next day, and the raccoon had left.

a convenience store.

The High Springs, Florida woman entered the store with a man, and the two went into the aisle with the flashlights, according to her arrest report. The woman picked up two, put one back and put the other in her purse. She then made herself a cup of coffee and walked over to the store’s cashier to pay for the coffee.

The cashier — who watched the woman pocket the flashlight — asked the woman if she would pay for the flashlight as well. The woman said, “What flashlight?” and denied taking it multiple times, the report said. She and the man left the store as the cashier called the police.

A police officer tracked the woman to her hotel room, the report said. As the officer asked the woman to step outside, the woman said, “Oh my god, is this about the flashlight?”

The officer placed her under arrest.

AUG. 26

HOT DOG

9:23 p.m. — 300 block of State Road A1A, Flagler

suspect arguing with another man, who said the suspect was harassing people. The bystander said the suspect then also began acting “aggressive” toward him once he returned with the hot dog.

A police officer heard the suspect shouting and, when the suspect tried to walk away, detained him. The suspect was arrested for disorderly conduct. It is unclear if he ever received his hot dog.

AUG. 28 911, WHAT’S YOUR EMERGENCY?

7:56 p.m. — Intersection of John Anderson Drive and Beau Rivage Drive, Ormond Beach Misuse of 911 system. Deputies arrested a 53-year-old Ormond Beach man who began disturbing officers while they investigated an incident involving his friend, who had been driving drunk.

AUG. 21

A SPOTLIGHT CRIME

5:42 a.m. —1200 block of State Road A1A, Flagler Beach Petit theft. A woman visiting Flagler Beach was arrested and charged with petit theft after she stole a flashlight at

Disorderly conduct. After asking a bystander to buy him a hot dog, a man accused the bystander of stealing. The suspect asked the bystander to buy him a hot dog from a nearby store because the suspect thought he wasn’t allowed in the store, according to the suspect’s arrest report. The man agreed and went into the store, bought the hot dog, and returned to the suspect with it.

The bystander saw the

Deputies had responded to the scene after the man’s friend crashed a Jeep in a residential yard, according to a report. As they were speaking with the driver, who admitted to drinking and driving, the Ormond man showed up and continuously interrupted a deputy’s conversation with the impaired driver.

The man was instructed to stand “a safe distance away,” the report notes, but he didn’t follow instructions and demanded to speak to a supervisor. He then called 911 despite deputies telling him not to.

The man also tried to enter the Jeep involved in the crash. Deputies noticed the smell of alcohol coming from his breath as well. He and his friend were both taken to jail.

Development, real estate +

Flipping Treasures

Resale offers furniture, clothes, kitchen appliances and decorative objects.

ALEXIS MILLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Massage therapist or thrift shop owner? Ormond Beach

resident Vanessa Mitchell has been both in the same shopping center after recently opening Flipping Treasures Resale.

Four years ago, Mitchell moved her business, Day Spa by Vanessa, to Palm Plaza in Ormond Beach. When a rental space opened up in the same plaza, she said, she knew it was destiny. It took two weeks for her to put her new shop together, and she celebrated its grand opening on Aug. 15.

“One of the main reasons why I thrift shop myself and

why I wanted to open my own thrift shop is for our environment,” Mitchell said, “I want to help save the pollution of our water, which can happen when too many things get thrown into landfills.”

The thrift shop, located at 600 South Yonge St., Unit 9, offers an array of different items — clothes, decorative objects, furniture, kitchen appliances. All of the items in the shop were donated or bought by Mitchell herself.

Mitchell said she believes that, at a thrift shop, items should not be sold close to full price. Because they are gently used, she said, they should be affordable.

“I want to help people save money, especially with the prices of everything going up — even at other thrift stores, prices are way too high,” Mitchell said.

Though the store opening came together quickly, it wasn’t a spur-of-themoment idea for Mitchell.

FCSO sergeant demoted over dispute at pub

The FCSO found that former Sgt. Michael Breckwoldt violated three policies.

SIERRA WILLIAMS

STAFF WRITER

A Flagler County Sheriff’s Office sergeant involved in an altercation at Finn’s Beachside Pub in May has been demoted and reassigned.

An internal investigation found that former Sgt. Michael Breckwoldt had violated three policies: use of alcohol while off duty, unbecoming conduct, and use of agency vehicles. The FCSO demoted Breckwoldt to corporal, effective Aug. 28, and placed him on probation for 18 months, according to a news release from the FCSO.

During the investigation, Breckwoldt admitted he used alcohol to deal with the stress of his job.

Last May, Flagler Beach

Police officers found Breckwoldt intoxicated and asleep in a chair outside Finn’s Beachside Pub. Another patron

told the officers Breckwoldt “chest bumped” him earlier in the evening, though FBPD officers found no indication of criminal wrongdoing.

Sheriff Rick Staly ordered the internal investigation.

Breckwoldt said he did not remember much of the evening beyond what he was told, according to the report. The night of the incident, he’d driven to a restaurant in his agency vehicle after work, then to Finn’s Beachside Pub. Breckwoldt purchased four Jameson drinks and two beers.

Breckwoldt completed Shatterproof — a firstresponder patient treatment program — in June. He has not had a drink since, according to the report. The FCSO transferred Breckwoldt to the Major Case Unit, and he has signed a last-chance agreement: If he violates any policy during his probation period, he will be terminated without appeal.

Staly said he knows alcohol abuse can happen in law enforcement because of the stress of the job, but he was “extremely disappointed” with Breckwoldt’s behavior.

CRIME REPORT

Deputy charged with boating under influence

A Flagler County Sheriff’s Office detention deputy was arrested on Sept. 2 for boating under the influence.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission arrested Deputy First Class Colin Haggerty in the Intracoastal near the Hammock Dunes Bridge and charged him with boating under the influence, a misdemeanor.

Haggerty has been suspended without pay for the duration of the FWC’s criminal investigation. After the FWC’s investigation is complete, the FCSO will conduct an internal investigation, the press release said.

Proud Boys leader gets 17 years for Jan. 6 attack

A Volusia County ex-Proud Boys leader was sentenced to 17 years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol aimed at preventing Congress’ certification of the 2020 presidential election.

Photo by Alexis Miller Vanessa Mitchell, owner of Flipping Treasures Resale.

“She’s been talking about opening a thrift shop or consignment store for a long time now,” son Mitchell Grace said. “I think she finally thought, ‘If I’m gonna do it I might as well do it now,’ and took it head on.”

Grace was one of Mitchell’s biggest helpers as she worked to open her new store. He redid her dressing room, helped with the heavy lifting and moved three large trailer loads of items for her to sell.

BIZ BUZZ

ASSOCIATES JOIN REAL ESTATE OFFICES

Molly McLaughlin has joined Weichert, Realtors - Hallmark Properties’ Palm Coast office, located at 9 Harbor Center Drive Suite 15.

Kelly Dunn has joined Coldwell Banker Premier Properties as a sales associate at the Palm Coast office.

Heidi Epperson has joined Coldwell Banker Premier Properties as a sales associate at the Hammock office.

George

July

He helped for five to six hours each day.

Her best friend of seven years, Marie Autter, was also a helping hand. Autter helped decorate, price items and put things away, along with running the cash register the first few days of opening.

Mitchell also plans on working with Employu, a nonprofit disability employment service that helps people with disabilities learn job responsibilities and life skills. She said that’s something she is passionate about and wants to include in her consignment shop.

“She is a very determined woman, and usually when she starts something, she goes through with it and she doesn’t fail at what she does,” Autter said.

Flipping Treasures Resale is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; 1-4 p.m. Friday; and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

UROLOGIST JOINS ADVENTHEALTH IN FLAGLER COUNTY

Dr. Ali Tourchi began caring for patients at AdventHealth Palm Coast and AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway on July 31. Tourchi specializes in minimally invasive surgery and treating kidney stones, enlarged prostates, sexual and erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, male infertility and vasectomies, and cancer of the kidney, ureter, bladder and prostate.

His practice accepts most insurance plans and is located at AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway, 3 AdventHealth Way, Suite 210. Call 386-302-1360.

Joseph Biggs, who was arrested near Ormond Beach, was convicted by a Washington D.C. jury, along with three others, for a series of felonies including seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and destruction of government property.

During the attacks, Biggs, 39, was among those seen leading the charge, according to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The next day, he told members of the Ministry of Self-Defense that he was “proud as f--- what we accomplished.” He also recorded a podcast-style interview, the news release states, in which he called the Jan. 6, 2021, attack a “warning shot” to the government.

Fellow former Proud Boys leader Zachary Rehl, 38, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 15 years. Biggs’ sentence is the second longest among the Capitol riot cases. Stewart Rhodes, founder of a far-right group called Oath Keepers, was sentenced in May to 18 years, according to NPR.

We would love everyone who knew George to join us!

George absolutely loved

flowers. He was also a proud American that respected and appreciated Veterans for their selfless sacrifice and service.

So, in lieu of flowers, if you would like, you can make a donation in memory of George Berent to the woundedwarriorproject.org.

TRIBUTES

‘Bogus’ lease used in eviction leads Ormond resident to sue landlord

Jacqueline Dienst Rivers bought her trailer at Granada RV Mobile Home Park in 2020, hoping the low lot rent would help in her quest to buy a home. Then, the park was sold.

JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR

For the last nine months, Ormond Beach resident Jacqueline Dienst Rivers has lived in fear of homelessness.

A paraprofessional for Volusia County Schools and mother of two children with autism, she bought a mobile home at the Granada RV Mobile Home Park at 19 N. Yonge St. in January 2020 with the hope that the low lot rent would help her save up to buy a home. Six months later, the mobile home park was purchased by Sunrise Oasis Villas LLC, of Miami.

Rivers paid her rent and mobile home payments every month. When she paid the latter off completely in March 2021, her rent went down to $490.

And then, on Jan. 27, she received a five-day notice on her front door stating she owed $8,860 for rent. The notice claimed Rivers’ rent was $840.

Rivers said she knew that if she didn’t fight the eviction, she and her children would be homeless. So she looked for a lawyer to take her case on pro bono.

“All I want to do is live comfortably, raise my children and know that we have that security of a roof,” Rivers said.

Sunrise Oasis Villas filed her eviction on April 27, according to court documents. On May 22, after Rivers got a lawyer and filed a lawsuit, the company amended its eviction complaint, stating she owed $2,450 for rent. The company’s lawyers stated the difference was due to “an error in computation,” and that the larger figure had included payments due on the trailer itself — the trailer Rivers

states in her lawsuit that she paid off in 2021.

LAST FORM OF ‘AFFORDABLE’?

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the 2024 fair market rent in the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach metro area for a two-bedroom housing unit is $1,413. The rent for a three-bedroom unit is $1,865.

With rental prices like that, a mobile home is often one of the last housing options before an individual or family ends up in homelessness, said Max Story, a Jacksonville-based attorney and managing partner of Story Griffin Attorneys.

“Then the conditions and the way they’re treated there is often fairly poor,” Story said. “These are people that, because of the economics of the trailer park, they don’t have access to the legal system or attorneys. ... So they’re especially vulnerable to exploitation and predatory practices.”

Story is Rivers’ lawyer. Normally, he only handles cases in North Florida, but he said that when Rivers called him, after hearing her distress, he couldn’t turn down helping her.

Her eviction was dismissed in June after she paid the $2,940 Sunrise Oasis alleged she owed.

A few weeks later, the company responded to Rivers’ lawsuit. The suit counters Sunrise Oasis’ claim that Rivers agreed to buy the mobile for $14,400, over double the amount in Rivers’ original purchase agreement.

(Rivers called the lease “bogus.”) The suit also claims that Sunrise Oasis presented a lease unsigned by Rivers as evidence for Rivers’ filed eviction.

The lease that’s missing Rivers’ signature was allegedly signed on the park management side by the park’s previous property manager. But the ex-manager states that her signature was forged, according to the complaint. The ex-property manager was evicted in January.

The company’s lawyers, of Coronado Law Group in New Smyrna Beach, denied those allegations in their response to the filed complaint. The Observer reached out to lawyer

Kenneth Bohannon, of Coronado Law Group, but did not receive a response.

RESOURCES AVAILABLE

In Volusia County, 45% of households do not earn enough to consistently cover basic living expenses, according to United Way, which has coined the term ALICE for these families.

The nonprofit’s reports on ALICE — which stands for the “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed” population— aim to spotlight working residents and families who are struggling financially.

In Flagler County, 40% of households fall under the ALICE threshold. Affordable housing is not only a problem in Volusia and Flagler. It’s a countrywide issue, said Lawrence Anderson, community partnerships manager for the Community Foundation and United Way of VolusiaFlagler Counties. Anderson sits on the Coalition for the Homeless Applications committee and is part of a Housing Problem Solving Workgroup trying to increase affordable housing units in both counties.

“One thing that I’ve seen with the development of affordable housing is that, unfortunately, it takes time,” he said. “It takes time for developers to come into the community, identify appropriate parcels of land and get all of the permits and requirements done to actually start building and renting out the apartments.”

Another challenge he’s encountered is ensuring funding is available for communities that are at higher risk of homelessness, such as people with disabilities, and families or individuals escaping domestic violence. People are also being asked to pay high security deposits, on top of first and last months’ worth of rent.

Agencies such as the Neighborhood Center of West Volusia and Halifax Urban Ministries offer help with rehousing assistance, he said, but one of the biggest resources for ALICE families is United Way’s 211 help hotline.

“That is always the best place for individuals in need to start, because all they would need to do is give 211

a call,” Anderson said. “For 24 hours a day, seven days a week, a call representative is waiting by the phone to provide resources for a variety of needs — whether it’s finding rental assistance or utility assistance, or finding an agency providing this rehousing assistance.”

He said he’s also noticed that waitlists for housing assistance — such as Section 8 vouchers — have also been declining as nonprofit and for-profit entities increase their human services with help from federal funds.

SEEKING A PERMANENT HOME

Florida law states that all mobile home lot rental agreements must consist of at least a one-year lease. Rivers’ lease states she’s on a monthto-month basis.

While Story declined to comment on specifics regarding Rivers’ case due to the ongoing lawsuit, he said that’s one of the things mobile home residents should know — that they’re entitled to a year lease.

Rivers’ case isn’t an outlier. As rental rates continue to rise and average yearly salaries stay stagnant, Story said, he comes across cases like Rivers’ quite often.

“We’re seeing a lot of landlords going from smaller mom-and-pop

places to huge corporate entities that are based out of state, and they have New York hedge fund money supporting them,” Story said. “Some of the same people who were behind the foreclosure crisis are now in the rental community.”

That often translates to lease agreements with additional fees for tenants who are at their financial breaking points, he said.

His firm has also been studying what happens to mobile home parks, and found that many are eventually sold for redevelopment into condominiums or apartment complexes.

Rivers worries that will be the end result for her mobile home park, as it’s located within the Ormond Beach downtown district. She also suspected the property managers wished to evict her and her children as they worked to make the mobile home park a 55-and-over community: A trailer listed for rent less than two weeks ago states Granada RV Mobile Home Park is a 55-and-over community.

Rivers said she dreams of having a permanent home for her children.

“Even a manufactured home — I wouldn’t care,” she said. “A permanent home for me and my kids so I don’t have to worry about anyone taking it away from me anymore.”

Photo by Jarleene Almenas

When Jacqueline Dienst Rivers found a notice on her door alleging she owed over $8,000 worth of rent, she looked for an attorney to help her.

Belle Terre Elementary is now a Title I school

BTES is one of five public Flagler County schools designated as Title I.

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Belle Terre Elementary School has been identified as a Title I, Part A school this year.

It joins four other Flagler County public schools that qualify for the federal program which provides financial assistance to schools with high percentages of children from low-income families.

Title I funds provide additional instructional staff, professional development and extended learning programs to raise student achievement in higher-poverty schools.

Five of the district’s nine public schools are listed as Title I. The others are Buddy Taylor Middle School, Bunnell Elementary, Rymfire Elementary and Wadsworth Elementary. Flagler Palm Coast High School was a Title I school last year but is no longer on the district’s Title I list.

Tammy Yorke, Flagler Schools’ coordinator of federal programs, said the five schools receive an additional $400,000 to $700,000 in federal

STATE BRIEFS

Old Florida takes a hit from Hurricane Idalia

Steinhatchee, as Taylor County

Sheriff Wayne Padgett described it, is “a little fishing village on the coast down there.”

But this week, Steinhatchee and other out-of-the-way North Florida communities became ground zero, as Hurricane Idalia roared in from the Gulf of Mexico and caused massive damage before heading into Georgia and South Carolina. Flooding. Destroyed buildings. Widespread power outages. The Category 3 Idalia brought all of that — and more.

Now comes the long process of re-

BRIEFS

1-year-old girl dies of gunshot wound

An 18-month-old girl was shot at a house in Palm Coast the night of Sept. 3 and died of a gunshot wound to the head.

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has named one person as a “person of interest” in connection with the shooting, and deputies have arrested him on a charge of probation violation for possessing a firearm in violation of his probation. The shooting may have been accidental, and Major Case Unit detectives are still investigating.

The county’s emergency dispatch center had received a frantic 911 call at about 11:45 p.m. reporting that a baby had been shot at a home at 2 Ranwood Lane.

funds.

“The majority of that goes into additional intervention staff to provide intensive reading and math support,” Yorke said.

Title I status is based on the percentage of students in school who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Schools above the district average are eligible for Title I funds. Belle Terre Elementary had an increase in the number of students who qualify this year. Yorke said 58.71% of the school’s students qualified.

Among the district’s other Title I schools, 56.69% of Buddy Taylor students qualified for free or reduced lunch, 67.83% of Rymfire students, 68.24% of Wadsworth students and 72.84% of Bunnell’s students.

With all students in the district now eligible for free lunches through a provision in the National School Lunch Program, the district no longer collects free or reduced lunch applications. So, the percentages are based on students who participate in state assistance programs such as Medicaid and SNAP, Yorke said.

The district receives the data each February to determine which schools qualify for the following school year.

The schools receive a per-pupil allocation based on their numbers.

“There was obviously a change in

building in a rural swath of the state dotted with small towns, scattered homes, timber and farms.

“There has been significant damage, particularly along Florida’s Big Bend,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday, Aug. 31. “But the community is resilient, and we are going to work hard to make sure people get what they need.”

Idalia made landfall about 7:45 a.m. Wednesday in the Keaton Beach area of Taylor County after increasing in strength as it moved up the gulf. Storm surge inundated places such as Steinhatchee and, further to the south, Cedar Key.

Once on land, the storm caused damage and knocked out electricity in places such as Jefferson County, Madison County, Lafayette County, Suwannee County and Hamilton County.

Idalia caused less damage than Hurricane Ian, which made landfall

Deputies found the girl injured, but alive, according to an FCSO spokeswoman. Emergency medical personnel took her to the AdventHealth Palm Coast, where she died.

Investigators have removed a handgun from the house as evidence. Eight people who live in the home were there when investigators arrived.

The people who were in the house at the time have not been forthcoming, and detectives found 420 grams of marijuana and a powdery substance they suspect is cocaine or heroin in the home, Sheriff Rick Staly said in a press conference.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime scene investigators are aiding in the investigation.

“This is a tragic situation, and we offer our condolences to the family and friends of this little girl. This was a young life cut way too short,”

Sheriff Rick Staly said.

FCSO honors staff, citizens at awards ceremony

OBSERVER STAFF

Sheriff Rick Staly honored employees and citizens at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Second Quarter 2023 Awards Ceremony on Aug. 31.

“I am proud to lead such a strong and professional team of individuals who make us proud every day serving our community,” Staly said.

LIFE SAVING AWARD: DEPUTY

FIRST CLASS KYLE GADDIE AND CITIZEN JOHN KENNY II

their demographics,” at Belle Terre, Yorke said.

“What we found is that rentals and housing costs are so astronomical that we have a lot of families (in the county) that do shared housing,” she said. “If you’re a single parent, it’s very hard to afford $2,000 a month rent. So there are a lot of factors that play into how that trickles down and affects the schools.”

Four nonprofit private schools in Flagler County have also been targeted for federal assistance for students who are educationally disadvantaged and failing or are most at risk of failing to meet high academic standards and reside in Title I, Part A public school zones. They are St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Christ the King, First Baptist Christian Academy and Suncoast Community School.

last year in the Fort Myers area before crossing the state. But conducting searches and helping rural residents after Idalia presented its own set of challenges.

“Up here in the Big Bend, you may have two houses on a five-mile road,” state Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said as recovery efforts began Wednesday.

As of Friday morning, the state had confirmed one death tied to Idalia. That death was a traffic-crash victim in Alachua County.

Several hours after the landfall Wednesday in his county, Padgett sounded like he was trying to keep things in perspective.

“As bad as it is, it still ain’t as bad as it could have been,” the sheriff said.

–JIM SAUNDERS, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

19-month-old boy drowns after falling into Palm Coast pool

A 19-month-old boy died the evening of Sept. 3 after falling into a pool at a Palm Coast home, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office’s dispatch center received a 911 call about the drowning at 91 Seattle Trail at about 7:42 p.m., according to an FCSO spokeswoman.

The child was foaming at the mouth after being pulled from the pool. The 911 caller did CPR and did not know how long the boy had been in the water, according to 911 dispatch notes. Fire rescue personnel took the boy to AdventHealth, where he was pronounced dead, according to the FCSO.

LIFE SAVING AWARD: DEPUTY

DAVID JOHNSON AND DEPUTY

VINCENT MISTRETTA

Units responded to a possible overdose at a Palm Coast business April 4. A man was performing chest compressions on the victim. Mistretta took over chest compressions while Johnson administered Narcan. The victim became responsive.

LIFE SAVING AWARD:

COMMUNICATIONS SUPERVISOR

LISA NESBITT

Nesbitt answered a 911 call May 1 from a caller who said a female was choking. Nesbitt instructed the caller on the Heimlich maneuver until the patient was breathing normally.

LIFE SAVING AWARD: DEPUTY

JOSHUA BARRETT

Barrett responded to call about an unresponsive male on June 28. He saw the male slumped over and administered Narcan. The male recovered.

LIFE SAVING AWARD: CMDR.

BRIAN FINN AND SGT. JON

RECKENWALD

Finn responded to a call about an unresponsive female at a Palm Coast home on April 22. He found the female unresponsive in her yard, administered Narcan and began compressions. Reckenwald administered a second dose of Narcan, and a pulse was reestablished. The female regained consciousness.

LIFE SAVING AWARD: DEPUTY

NECOLE MARSAN

Marsan responded to call about an unresponsive man at a Palm Coast home April 22. It was reported that the 81-year-old might have had a heart attack. Marsan began CPR until relieved by EMS. The hospital confirmed at the time of this award that the man was still in the ICU.

LIFE SAVING AWARD: CMDR. BRIAN FINN, DEPUTY FIRST CLASS PHILIP KOTOWSKI AND DEPUTY VINCENZO BARLOTTA Deputies were dispatched to an overdose at a business in Palm Coast on June 16. They administered Narcan to two victims. Both survived.

LIFE SAVING AWARD: DEPUTY

ANTHONY CUTHBERT

Communications received a 911 call on June 16 about two males who were unconscious. Cuthbert administered Narcan. Both survived.

LIFE SAVING AWARD: DEPUTY

FIRST CLASS CHRISTOPHER

CREGO, DEPUTY TROY

MAGNUSON

Communications received a 911 call June 12 about an 8-year-old boy who was not breathing at the Royal Palms RV Resort. A neighbor was performing CPR. Crego and Magnuson continued CPR. The child recovered.

Gaddie and Deputy Nick Huzior were conducting a DUI and crash investigation Aug. 10 when Huzior found drugs in the car. Huzior began to feel dizzy. Gaddie recognized that Huzior may have been exposed to an opiate, and administered Narcan. A citizen, John Kenny II, stopped to assist.

CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION:

nJohn Spina (citizen)

nDeputy First Class Laura Jenkins

nCpl. Craig Rossi

CERTIFICATES OF COMMENDATION:

nSpecialist First Class Stephanie Mayberry

nDebra and Donald McKinney (citizens)

MERIT AWARD:

nDeputy First Class Jennifer Prevatt

UNIT CITATION:

Chief Daniel Engert, Cmdrs. Jonathan Dopp and Louis Miceli, General Counsel John Lemaster, Sgts. James Miley, Shane Meehan, and Paul Desousa, Deputy First Class Jesse O’Neill, Deputies Derek Logsdon and Robin Towns.

UNIT CITATION:

Sgts. Daniel Parthemore and Gabe Fuentes, Cpl. Andrew Cangialosi, Deputy First Class Bryan Scott Jackson and Jennifer Prevatt, Deputies Aaron Beausoleil, Jake Fowler, Matthew Hirschi, David Lichty, Angelica Quiroga-Joya, Olivia Schrager and Alexander Wolfe.

UNIT CITATION:

Sgt. Franklin Gamarra, Cpl. J. Gibson Smith, Deputy First Class Robert Finn, Branden Hartley, Deputy Joseph Oliva, Richard Stanford, Derek Logsdon, Necole Marsan, Daytona Beach Shores Sgt. Billie Phillips, Flagler County Firefighter Lt. Jon Moscowitz

UNIT CITATION:

Cmdr. Joseph Barile, Sgt. Gabe Fuentes, Cpl. Andrew Cangialosi, Deputy First Class Jennifer Prevatt, Deputies Jaxon Dorsey, Jake Fowler, Kevin Gomez, Bryan Scott Jackson, David Lichty, Alexander Wolfe, RTCC Supervisor Nikki North, Crime Analyst Hayden Ore and Communication Specialist First Class Tina Eddy

EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH: nApril: Communications Specialist First Class Stephanie Mayberry

nMay: Deputy First Class Jennifer Prevatt

nJune: Deputy First Class Christopher Crego

YEARS OF SERVICE

n5: Courthouse CCTV Operator Erika Balogh, CCTV Operator Stephen Palmer, Deputy Anthony Bifano, Deputy First Class Richard Wallis, Reserve Deputy Kevin VerStraten

n10: Cpl. Mita Nicolas, Executive Assistant Sheri Gopie, Accreditation Supervisor Michele Bagnoli

n15: C.O.P. Dan Lamperti.

Belle Terre Elementary School. Image from Google Maps

YOUR NEIGHBORS

Packing party

Hospice Veterans Committee ‘packing party’ packages record amount of donations for veterans.

MICHELE MEYERS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The rustle of plastic bags filled the meeting room at the Halifax Health –Hospice Care Center in Port Orange on Tuesday, Aug. 15.

The Veterans Committee and volunteers moved quickly to fill boxes with containers of shampoo, toothpaste, packages of underwear, paper and pens along with anything else that veterans, active military members and their families may need. The items were boxed, labeled with the designated military branch and sealed in preparation for delivery to the Jacksonville USO the following day.

The committee’s annual “packing party” is part of the Halifax Military and Veteran Donation campaign. Donation bins are delivered to all 14 Halifax Health – Hospice locations, plus many civic organizations.

Included with the participants this year were the Ormond Beach, Palm Coast and Holly Hill Chambers of Commerce, as well as the Rotary Club of Flagler County. Rotary President and Palm Coast resident Charles Barbel also helped deliver the donations to the USO.

Donations are received at each facility from May through the end of July, when bins are collected and delivered to the Port Orange Care Center.

Eric Whitwam has worked for Halifax Health – Hospice for 29 years and is now the operations manager. He has participated with the campaign since its inception. He said he basically lives out of the company van he uses to deliver the donations.

“Forty-three boxes of donations,” he said. “Our best year yet.”

Maintenance Supervisor Anthony Alvarez filled the interior of the van with the boxes. He has been with Halifax Health – Hospice for 11 years — starting in resale, then working his way up to management. He has volunteered every year, and said he loves it.

“I just love to help people,” he said. “Just to be a blessing to others is always a good thing.”

The Veterans Committee consists of Halifax employees and includes a Veterans Advisory Council, which is a subcommittee that helps keep the pulse of the community.

The council includes retired veterans who give the committee information about veterans’ needs,

changes happening within the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and Veterans Stand Down events designed for assisting homeless veterans, among others.

“They help keep us straight,” Whitwam said. “They let us know what we can really do to positively impact our veterans and what may not be on our radar that we are completely missing.”

United States Navy veteran and Ormond Beach resident Bob Bendlin is on the Veterans Advisory Council and a director for the Vietnam Veterans of America Daytona Beach Chapter 1048. He also takes part in Halifax’s Veterans Recognition Program, which includes a pinning cer-

emony performed to honor veterans and their families for their military service and sacrifices made for the country.

Bendlin said he will never forget his first pinning ceremony. When he and the chaplain arrived at the Port Orange residence, a Marine veteran, who would soon die, was seated in a chair. His wife and daughter were with him.

“The last thing we do is salute them,” Bendlin said. “He called his wife and daughter over. They helped him out of the chair and he saluted back. I said, I will never stop doing this (pinning ceremony). We take great pleasure in helping the people that are soon to pass away.”

Bendlin serves on the Advisory Council with Ormond-by-the-Sea resident and fellow veteran Ed Miller. Both of them cook at the Halifax Health – Hospice Ormond Beach Care Center. Miller cooks lunch and dinner on Tuesdays, and Bendlin does breakfast on Fridays. For five years, the two have been on the frontline, baking 1,200 cookies for the service men and women.

Bringing up the rear in the cookie venture is James Turner, who has been employed in the Halifax system for 42 years — 29 of those years with Halifax Health – Hospice. He said both Bendlin and Miller work behind the scenes and do not want to be recognized for their good deeds.

“They do what they do out of the kindness of their hearts,” he said.

He was happy to be working with the veterans.

“(Having our) freedom, having a teacher, being able to voice whatever our voice is — we thank vets because they’re the ones that made that possible,” he said. “Without our veterans, we wouldn’t be a society that we are. It’s very important, so we thank our vets for that.”

“(Having our) freedom, having a teacher, being able to voice whatever our voice is — we thank vets because they’re the ones that made that possible. Without our veterans, we wouldn’t be a society that we are. It’s very important so we thank our vets for that."

JAMES

employee

Halifax Health – Hospice Operations Manager Eric Whitwam and Jessica Facciponti tape boxes of donations in preparation for delivery.

Halifax Health – Hospice maintenance supervisor Anthony Alvarez loads the veterans’ donation boxes into the back of the van.

Halifax Health – Hospice employee Evelynda Rosales and Black Pearl Real Estate broker Richard Zicker box donations for the different branches of service.

Photos by Michele Meyers

TURNER, Halifax Health – Hospice

Halifax Health – Hospice volunteer Judy Bostaph joins the team to distribute donations at the “packing party.”

Courtesy photo

Halifax Health – Hospice Operations Manager Eric Whitwam (left) passes a box to Rotary of Flagler County president Charles Barbel. Halifax’s veterans committee collected 43 boxes of donations for all the branches of service.

SPONSORED STUDENT CONTENT

LOCAL EVENTS

FRIDAY, SEPT. 8

MOVIES IN THE PARK

When: 7:50-9:50 p.m.

Lorelei Killmer

Would you prefer to have 1,000 followers on social media who love what you share, or 1 million followers who don’t really care about what you share? Why?

After reaching a million, the number that everyone strives for, she still felt empty. Her life revolved around reaching this milestone for so long, she had hoped it would arrive with a greater sense of satisfaction. So many followers, and yet no sense of connection, no sense of self worth, no hint of life to be seen in the ghost town of her own creation. The only sign of her account being of any value was the massive amounts of sponsorships being offered to her.

Her bank account has hit a number she never could have imagined, but what’s the point of possessing what she doesn’t have the heart to use? Her life revolved around pushing out content like a human conveyor belt, constantly looking for a glimpse of individuality in the cookie-cutter work she did for a living.

Eventually, she stopped attempting to reply to comments. She stopped putting her heart into her work. She even stopped seeing the “1” in front of the six zeros after a while, loneliness being her constant companion.

Back when she had a thousand followers — when her lighting was worse, when she had less experience, and when she was working ten times as hard — her content held more meaning to her. Every inch felt like a mile, and every mile was a dream come true. The reward was lower, but her heart soared higher. Her reward had been that her community was invested in her creativity, rather than what it was now, a quick hit of dopamine. Before bots were the ones flooding her comments, she witnessed authentic conversations between strangers, building bridges across people from a variety of backgrounds.

She’s tired of only messaging care about the number she has rather than the posts she makes. Despite being surrounded by a chorus of voices, her solitude sang the loudest. She longed for the days when her messages were filled with fans who were genuinely interested in her content. What was once her daily highlight has become her daily burden. As she thought back to those simpler times, there more quality in her life when there was less quantity?

PROGRAM SPONSORED BY:

Where: Central Park at Town Center, 975 Central Ave., Palm Coast Details: Bring your blanket, lawn chairs and picnic baskets and watch “Ghostbusters,” rated PG, at Central Park. This event is presented by Palm Coast Parks and Recreation.

Plaza, 204 St. Joe Plaza Drive, Palm Coast; and Astro Skate, 251 N. US 1, Ormond Beach.

Details: Get your pet vaccinated at a lower cost. Rabies shots will cost $5 for 1-year vaccinations. Other shots offered include dog distemper/parvo combo, dog flu, cat distemper combo, feline leukemia and more. Heartworm prevention and flea control products will be available for purchase. All vaccinations are administered with a licensed veterinarian. No appointment needed. The first clinic is at Ice House Saloon, the second at St. Joe Plaza and the third time slot is at Astro Skate. Clinic is open to everyone. Proceeds benefit abused animals. Call or text 7488993 or visit spcavolusia.org.

FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY

BOOK SALE

When: 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 9

16TH-ANNUAL INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY

CLEANUP IN PALM COAST

When: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where: Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Pkwy NE, Palm Coast

Details: Participate in the annual Intracoastal Waterway Cleanup event and help keep local city paths, walkways and waterways clean. Following the cleanup, volunteers are invited to return to the Palm Coast Community Center for a reception where prizes will be awarded for pounds of trash collected and the most unique find. Pre-registration necessary. Visit parksandrec. fun.

LOW-COST PET SHOT CLINIC

When: 9-10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; and 2:30-4 p.m. (three locations)

MIPMEINPROGRESS

Where: Ice House Saloon, 810 State St., Bunnell; St. Joe

Where: Flagler County Public Library, 2500 Palm Coast Parkway NW, Palm Coast

Details: The Friends of The Library are hosting a book sale featuring fiction, non-fiction, hardcovers and paperbacks, as well as children’s and young adult books. There will also be DVDs and puzzles for sale. Contact Connie Hussey at 386-283-4618 or visit friends@friendsofthelibrary.org.

REGROW THE LOOP WORKSHOP

When: 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Where: Ormond Beach

Regional Library, 30 S. Beach St., Ormond Beach

Details: Learn how to attract wildlife, pollinators and birds to your yard during this free workshop sponsored by Volusia County’s ReGrow the Loop initiative. Speakers will share landscape design techniques. Registration is required. Visit tinyurl.com/regrowtheloop.

HISTORY OF THE ORMOND BEACH AREA

When: 10 a.m.

Where: Anderson-Price Memorial Building, 42 N. Beach St., Ormond Beach

Details: Learn about the history of the Ormond Beach area, beginning with the indigenous people who settled there. The presentation will be conducted by local author and historian Randy Jaye. Event hosted by the Ormond Beach Historical Society. Free admission.

AUDITIONS FOR ‘THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG’

When: 12-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9; and 5-7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10.

Where: Flagler Playhouse, 301 E. Moody Blvd., Bunnell

Details: The Flagler Playhouse will hold auditions for “The Play That Goes Wrong,” directed by Bob Pritchard. Bring a headshot and resume. The playhouse is looking for six men ages 20-50 and two women ages 20-35. Rehearsals will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 12, and performances will be in November.

BOOTS ’N BOWS BBQ

When: 3-8 p.m.

Where: Cattleman’s Hall, 150 Sawgrass Road, Bunnell

Details: Attend this family friendly event presented by the NLA Booster Club and featuring free games, bounce houses, vendors, a bakers showcase, a silent auction, food and a DJ. Donate a bag of used shoes at the door to

recieve a Texas Roadhouse gift certificate. Free admission. Event supports the NextLevel Allstars cheer program.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 10

HAPPY WANDERERS PALM

COAST WALK

When: 8-10 a.m.

Where: Hilton Garden, 55 Town Center Blvd., Palm Coast

Details: Join the Happy Wanderers for a 5K or 10K walk from the Hilton Garden Inn Palm Coast. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Costs $3.

MONDAY, SEPT. 11 9/11 REMEMBRANCE

CEREMONY

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Heroes Memorial Park, 2860 Palm Coast Parkway NW, Palm Coast

Details: The Palm Coast Fire Department is inviting the community to attend a remembrance ceremony in commemoration of the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. This year’s ceremony will be held by candlelight. For more information, contact Fire Department Public Information Officer Lt. Patrick Juliano at pjuliano@palmcoastgov.com.

WEDNESDAY SEPT. 13

CFOB MEETING

When: 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Where: Ormond Beach

Regional Public Library, 30 S. Beach St., Ormond Beach

Details: Citizens for Ormond

Beach will host Ormond Beach Public Works Director Shawn Finley, who will address the city’s efforts to minimize flooding through improvements in the storm water management system and neighborhood projects. For more information, contact Bill Denny at billdenny105@ gmail.com.

PALM COAST DEMOCRATIC

CLUB GATHERING

When: 6-8 p.m.

Where: African American Cultural Society, 4422 U.S. 1

N., Palm Coast

Details: The Palm Coast Democratic Club is hosting a gathering with guest speaker Colleen Conklin. A time to socialize will take place from 6-6:30 p.m., and the gathering will begin afterward.

ONGOING

MOMS OF PRE SCHOOLERS

When: 9:30-11:30 a.m. on the second and fourth Friday of the month

THURSDAY, SEPT. 14

HALIFAX GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY MONTHLY MEETING AND PROGRAM

When: 1:30 p.m.

Where: Ormond Beach Library auditorium, 30 S. Beach St., Ormond Beach

Details: Kathy Stickney will present “Using Local and County Histories in Your Family Research,” a talk that defines local and county histories and explores the various types of information they contain. Following the program, join the society as it brings its ancestors to life by telling the stories that shaped them. Guest registration is free.

TRIBUTES

Wanda Pahdoco McDaniel of Jacksonville, Florida passed away on August 23, 2023 at the age of 83. Wanda was born in Lawton, Oklahoma on October 13, 1939 to the late Jess Albert and Alma Lee Pahdoco. She graduated from Lawton High School in 1957, graduated from Cameron University and Oklahoma State University, and received a Masters degree in Education from Oklahoma University.

While visiting her longtime friends in Georgia, Sandra and Bill Cadle, Wanda met Cadle McDaniel who she later married. Wanda retired from a long career as an educator. Before teaching, Wanda worked at Fort Sill, Oklahoma for several years. She was an accounting teacher at the Margaret McEvoy girl’s school in Macon, Georgia and was an adjunct instructor for the University of Oklahoma and Emory Riddle University teaching at the Federal Aviation Administration Management Training School.

Wanda lived in Palm Coast, Florida while teaching at the FAA Management school. She later moved to Orange Park, Florida to be closer to her son. After her son’s death, she moved to Wyndom Lakes Assist-

AIRPORT AUTO & UPHOLSTERY

Where: Central Baptist Church, 152 Fairview Ave., Daytona Beach Details: Moms of Pre Schoolers is a free faith-based program for moms, moms-tobe and their preschoolers for support and encouragement. Breakfast is provided, as well as a video with discussion and crafts. Playtime offered for children, with adult supervision. Call 386-255-2588.

‘THE CHOSEN’

When: 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays, through the end of November

Where: Central Baptist Church, 152 Fairview Ave., Daytona Beach Details: “The Chosen,” a TV series on the life of Jesus, will be aired at every Thursday, beginning with Season 1. Free admission.

ed Living Center in Jacksonville, Florida and had recently transferred to the Riverwood Center.

Wanda was a devoted member of the Episcopal Church and a member of the Comanche Nation. She was preceded in death by her beloved son Jay Albert McDaniel, his dad Hugh Cadle McDaniel and her parents. Wanda is survived by her grandson Jackson Hugh McDaniel and two step-grandchildren, Emily and Ethan Suto; and siblings Linda Pahdoco Elzie, Jim Pahdoco, Jo Vickers; and by many loving nephews and nieces. The Broadus-Raines Funeral Home in Green Cove Spring, Florida is handling arrangements. A Celebration of Life service is planned for October 13, 2023.

Wanda Pahdoco McDaniel

Locals walk bridge in recognition of Overdose Awareness Day

Many of the participants remembered loved ones who died of an overdose.

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Some participants walked over the Flagler Beach bridge in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31 to celebrate their years in recovery. Others walked in memory of loved ones who lost their lives to overdoses.

The Flagler County Drug Court Foundation sponsored the event, which began at Wadsworth Park and ended with a gathering of more than 30 across the bridge at Veterans Park.

Todd Frenier, campus pastor at Salty Church in Flagler Beach, delivered a prayer at each site.

Michael Fedlbauer, the president of the Flagler County Drug Court Foundation, noted that several people in recovery were in attendance.

“We pray, and we thank God that they’re here standing with us,” he said.

Feldbauer said the biggest issue is stigma, “and we need to fight that.” He noted that Flagler County has one of the highest overdose death rates in the state.

“We have to wake up our neighbors,” he said. “Now with the fentanyl crisis, people are dying by pure accident.”

Narcan nasal spray, which rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdose, was handed out. Renee DeAngelis spoke about the importance of education. Her daughter died of a fentanyl overdose six years ago. She has been working with the Drug Court Foundation and the Flagler County Opioid Task Force since 2018 educating the community about Narcan and the addiction problem.

Tabitha Wilkins attended the event in memory of her twin sister, Jillian Zuniga, who died last year at age 22 of a fentanyl overdose. Meg Parker walked over the bridge

Darryl Strawberry to speak at gala

The former baseball star will talk at the Open Door gala about his own recovery.

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Pastor Charles Silano wanted to take the annual Open Door Recovery Gala to the next level. That meant trying to bring in a nationally known keynote speaker.

Silano decided to swing for the fences. He contacted a man who understands that term — former Major League Baseball player Darryl Strawberry. To Silano’s surprise, Strawberry accepted. The former New York Mets and Yankees star will be the keynote speaker at the gala on Sept. 24 in the Ocean Ballroom at Hammock Beach Resort.

Proceeds support Open Door Re-Entry and Recovery Ministry, a faith-based substance abuse recovery program in Flagler County.

“Darryl has a great testimony, a great story,” said Silano, Open Door’s founder and chairman.

Strawberry slugged 335 home runs during his 17-year major league career. He was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1983, an eighttime all-star and a four-time World Series champ.

in honor of her son, Daniel Parker. Tressie Paytas walked in memory of her son, Tim Paytas. Kim Schattner, one of two members of the Flagler County Drug Court team who are in recovery themselves, said she hoped the circle of people remembering their loved ones “doesn’t grow any bigger than it is now.”

But he struggled with drug addiction and alcohol abuse. Today, Strawberry and his wife, Tracy, are ordained ministers who run Strawberry Ministries, with the mission of restoring lives and relationships.

“He’s turned his life around completely,” Silano said. “There will be a lot of enlightenment to people bewildered about recovery, especially those going through it. There will be a lot of ah-ha moments.”

This will be the 11th annual Open Door Recovery Gala. Silano said he decided to step it up seven years ago when the organization moved the event to Hammock Beach Resort. Now they are taking a similar leap, paying for a well-known speaker.

“We prepared for that for the sake of keeping recovery here on the map, and enlarging the map. I hear people say all the time, ‘I didn’t know the problem is so serious,’” Silano said. “When you look at the size of the problem, we need as many hands on deck as possible. Law enforcement can’t do everything. We need more facilities, especially where people can get long-term help.”

Silano said Open Door is planning to build a campus where it can double its bed space and not have to turn anyone away.

“We’re looking for the right place to put it,” he said.

Open Door is a nine-month program. Clients are employed while they are in the program. The organization has a transition house to keep clients engaged in the program.

“The longer you do that, the chance of recovery increases exponentially,” Silano said.

Having the clients on one campus would provide more of a community atmosphere, he said.

“The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it’s community,” Silano said. “In addiction, you’re hiding, you’re living by yourself. In recovery, your whole demeanor changes. It’s a big deal to know you’re accepted.”

The gala is scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. so everyone could get back home for Sunday Night Football, Silano said. Tickets for the dinner and event are $250 and available at opendoorrecovery.org. Tables and individual tickets are available. Because of some generous donations, Silano said, Open Door plans to invite some of the people currently in residential recovery to attend.

“Who needs to hear Darryl more than they do?” Silano said.

OPEN DOOR RECOVERY GALA

When: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept.

24

Where: Ocean Ballroom at Hammock Beach Resort

Tickets: $250 available at opendoorrecovery.org

Keynote speaker: Darryl Strawberry

Also: Strawberry will hold a book signing at the end of the gala. The event will include testimonials and a chance to connect with supporters.

Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney walks with participants of the International Overdose Awareness Day event as they cross Moody Boulevard on the way to Veterans Park.

Renee DeAngelis at Veterans Park in Flagler Beach on International Overdose Awareness Day.

Tabitha Wilkins with her son Kayden. Tabitha’s twin sister, Jillian Zuniga, died last year from fentanyl poisoning.

Participants gather at Wadsworth Park before walking over the Flagler Beach bridge to Veterans Park in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day.

Shelia Hinds walked over the bridge in memory of Daniel Parker. “He always had a good spirit. You miss that a lot,” Hinds said.

Photos by Brent Woronoff

Meg Parker, left, walked over the Flagler Beach bridge to Veterans Park in memory of her son, Daniel Parker. Tressie Paytas walked in memory of her son, Tim Paytas.

Todd Frenier, the campus pastor at Salty Church in Flagler Beach, leads the group in prayer before their walk over the bridge to veterans Park.

Mills’ fumble return lifts

Matanzas to a thrilling victory.

POP and GO

The Matanzas Pirates were down. And with less than a minute left in the first quarter, senior Jordan Mills appeared to be out.

Mills had dislocated his right shoulder — the same shoulder on which he had surgery earlier this year. But after the Pirates’ trainer popped the bone back in place, Mills came back. Then he delivered Matanzas a comeback victory.

The defensive back picked up a fumble with 4:39 left in the game and ran 15 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Three minutes later, he intercepted a pass to seal the Pirates’ 20-14 triumph at Tocoi Creek on Friday, Sept. 1.

“Just credit our guys for rallying and battling and finding a way to win. It was awesome to watch.”

MATT FORREST, Matanzas coach

“Jordan is a special young man. He’s earned everything he’s got,” Matanzas football coach Matt Forrest said after the game. “When he battles and battles and battles and he gets hurt again and things just aren’t going his way, and then he makes two big plays to help us win the football game, it’s just one of those things where I’m happy for him, because he’s just a great human being.”

It was a surreal night for the Pirates, who improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2016. Senior kicker Landon Grover booted two field goals, including a schoolrecord 54-yarder in the first quarter.

The defense scored both Matanzas touchdowns, with Braden Russell picking off a first-quarter pass and running 40 yards for the score. Matanzas forced five Tocoi Creek

“I was like, there’s no way that I’m coming out and let my team down again. I’m going to get this popped back in. I asked the trainer, ‘Am I good to go?’ He was like, ‘Yes sir. It’s your senior season, go out there and do your thing.’”

JORDAN MILLS

THIS WEEK

FRIDAY, SEPT. 8

struggling to move the ball in the first half, Matanzas senior Cole Hash broke loose for an apparent 64-yard

like, ‘Yes sir. It’s your senior season, go out there and do your thing.’ And I knew I had to go out there and get my team back in the game.’”

When he re-entered the game, Mills said a little prayer.

“I thanked the Lord that I could get (the bone) back in and I could move my arm around and have mobility.

I just said a prayer of gratitude,” he said. “As the game went on, the pain was going away.”

Grover’s 54-yard boot was 11 yards farther than his previous long field goal. It followed a delay-of-game penalty against the Pirates when they lined up to run a play on fourth down.

Despite the five penalty yards that pushed his field goal attempt to well over 50 yards, Grover’s confidence never wavered.

“I mean, in practice, I hit that like nothing,” he said. “So it was just another day.”

When the ball flew through the uprights, Grover leaped in the air.

“That was one of the most insane moments. My heart was beating out of my chest. It was a great experience,” he said.

The Toros (1-1) led 14-9 at the half on Killmer’s two touchdown passes to Julio Santiago.

Matanzas quarterback Dakwon Evans, playing in his first regularseason game since Sept. 9, 2022, threw three interceptions. But he shook off the rust in the second half to finish with 146 total yards.

“Our offense sputtered a little bit in the first half,” Forrest said. “It was Dakwon’s first game back and there was some timing that was off. But our defense answered the bell and created turnovers and made plays.

“I told them we just got to band together and find a way. Tocoi’s a heck of a program. I’ve got a lot of respect for them and what they’ve been able to do since they opened (in 2021). Just credit our guys for rallying and battling and finding a way to win. It was awesome to watch.”

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Senior quarterback Dakwon Evans (3) outpaces Tocoi Creek’s Garrett Mitchell (79), Carson Collins (9) and Aidan Matos (7) on a first-quarter keeper. Evans ran for 95 yards in the game.

Jordan Mills (2) intercepts a pass with 1:41 left to seal the Pirates’ 20-14 victory at Tocoi Creek High School.

Abe Mills (left), celebrates the goahead touchdown scored by his son, Jordan Mills, with other Pirates fans.

Matanzas running back Michah McGuire (31) faces Tocoi Creek defender Parker Webster (1) after catching a pass in the first quarter.

„ Orlando Bishop Moore (0-2) at Flagler Palm Coast (0-1), 7 p.m. „ Matanzas (2-0) at Deltona (0-2), 7 p.m.

Photos by Christine Rodenbaugh

After hitting a recordbreaking 54-yard field goal, Landon Grover (9) kicks off.

Cole Hash (4) runs 64 yards to the end zone early in the third quarter. A flag on the play kept the Pirates from putting points on the board.

Freshman Keri Petro killing it for Matanzas

Freshman Keri Petro led the Matanzas volleyball team in kills in both of the Pirates’ victories last week. Petro had eight kills in the Pirates’ 2-1 win over Seabreeze on Aug. 29 and 14 in their 3-1 win against Atlantic on Aug. 31. Matanzas improved to 4-1 on the season heading into its home match against Spruce Creek on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Petro leads the team with 41 kills and 12 serving aces. Seabreeze’s Mollie Martin had 14 kills against the Pirates. The Sandcrabs (1-2) bounced back from the loss with a 3-0 win at St. Augustine Menendez on Aug. 31. The Sandcrabs won the third set 26-24 to sweep

the Falcons. Six Seabreeze players combined for 17 kills in the match. The Sandcrabs are scheduled to host University on Sept. 5. Mainland (1-2) also won its first match of the season on Aug. 31. The Bucs defeated Deltona 3-1. Janiyah Giddens had eight kills, Jaelynn Brown had eight digs and five aces and Sophia Martindale had 23 assists and four aces for the Bucs.

Matthew Gazzoli 9th at DeLand Invitational

Matanzas placed third in the varsity girls division at the DeLand Invitational cross country meet on Sept. 2 at the Sperling Sports Complex. The Pirates placed sixth in the boys race. Father Lopez

finished 10th in both races.

Lopez’s Matthew Gazzoli of Ormond Beach finished ninth overall in the boys race with a 5-kilometer time of 17:09.9. Matanzas’ Blaine Vogel was 17th in 17:43.3. Sierra Howard led the Matanzas girls with a time of 21:11.7 for 12th place. Lopez’s Anna Nugent (21:23.3) was 14th. Matanzas’ Nina Rodriguez (21:37.3) was 17th.

Former Seabreeze runner Mackenzie Roy won the girls race in 18:36.5. Arianna Roy (19:00.5) was third. The twin sisters transferred to Spruce Creek.

Seabreeze competed in the Horse Park Invitational in Ocala. Hunter Shuler led the Sandcrabs with a time of 16:58.5 to place 50th in the boys varsity race.

Email Associate Editor Brent Woronoff at brent@ observerlocalnews.com.

OCEANS

HORIZONS CONDO

This recently built 4 bed/ 2 bath residence is a true gem, offering a perfect blend of comfort, style, and convenience. Situated on a corner lot, this property boasts a range of desirable features that will make you fall in love at first sight. Outside, the property is completely fenced. MLS#1111316 $460,000 Call Brady Van Hook 386-956-1740.

DIRECT OCEANFRONT UNIT! This 3/2 fully furnished spacious unit features a breakfast bar, floor to ceiling sliding doors to bring the beach views into your home, split floor plan and space for the whole family! With weekly rentals allowed this is a great investment opportunity. MLS#1113122 $499,900 Call Jennifer Allen 386-316-2303.

Discover an exquisite 3-bed, 2-bath haven in Port Orange, FL. This single-story gem backing up to a conservation area offers elegance and comfort. Step through a new front door to a modern masterpiece. An open great room seamlessly connects living, dining, and a stylish kitchen. Outside, a screened lanai offers serenity. MLS#1112892 $459,900 Call Lindsey Wolf 407-432-3849.

views from every room looking through the updated doors and windows are amazing! With the wrap around balcony, you get the best views around! Come live your best life and get your toes in the sand! MLS#1113067 $629,900 Call Danny Robinson 386-682-4343. Amazing Investment Opportunity. This Concrete Block house offers 3 Bedroom, 2 bath and a 1 car garage. The Roof is 7 years old. Nice corner lot at the end of a cul-de-sac. No FHA/VA financing. MLS#1113210 $180,000 Call Kevin Rybicki 386-547-9445 CORPORATE OFFICE - 386-677-SOLD (7653) 900 West Granada Blvd., Ste. 3, Ormond Beach, FL 32174 BEACHSIDE OFFICE - 386-441-SOLD (7653) 2110 Oceanshore Blvd., Ste. B, Ormond Beach, FL 32176 PORT ORANGE OFFICE - 386-767-SOLD (7653) 840 Dunlawton Ave., Ste. D, Port Orange, FL 32127 COMMERCIAL OFFICE - 386-253-8565 140 S. Atlantic Ave., Suite 102, Ormond Beach, FL 32176 DAYTONA BEACH SHORES OFFICE - 386-766-SOLD (7653) 3118 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores, FL 32118 MASON PARK FAIRGLEN WESTPORT RESERVE SANCTUARY ON SPRUCE CREEK PENDING Dr. Indira Alvarez, Au.D., F-AAA Heather Curry, H.A.S 160 Cypress Point Parkway, Suite A108, Palm Coast, FL 32164 115 E Granada Blvd., Suite 7, Ormond Beach, FL 32176 Call today for an appointment. (386) 283-4932 409625-1 Hearing loss can affect your life in many ways. • Increased dementia risk • Increased risk of falling • Decreased likelihood of being able to live independently as you age Services We Offer • Hearing testing and hearing aids • Ear cleanings and wax removal • Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) evaluation & management • Checking and testing of your current hearing aids to make sure they are properly fit See a Doctor Who Specializes in Hearing NOT a Salesman Unhappy with your hearing aids? Call us, we can help! Call today for a free hearing screening! *By Appointment Only Check out our blog for informative articles: ormondhearingcenter.com/blog David Gray is on the way! Don’t have your summer fun interrupted by a plumbing emergency. Need help after hours? No sweat! David Gray will save the day with fast, friendly service 24/7. 386-287-5711 davidgrayonline.com Call or schedule online, 24/7! Licensed and insured: CFC057459 15 Hargrove Lane, Unit 6K, Palm Coast, FL 32137 any service call over $240 $40 OFF 40th anniversary special Exclusions apply. Offer expires 10/15/23 100% foravailableFinancing service installationand 409631-1 Call Dottie Dills 386-931-1826 | Dottiedills1@aol.com COLDWELL BANKER PREMIER PROPERTIES Bunnell Acreage Prime Coast Lots (Zoned for Mobile Homes) Water Oak Rd 2003, 3/2, Doublewide, lg. porch, paved rd. Needs TLC $169,900 Mahogany Blvd 2/1, Singlewide, Needs TLC, corner lot, paved rd. $99,000 Hickory St 1989, 2/2 Doublewide, Needs TLC, fenced 165x300’ lot $179,900 Business for Sale 4 station hair salon, established clientele, located in busy strip center on US-1 $40,000 Guava Ln Updated 3/2, Doublewide, fireplace, metal roof, new septic $215,900 Renworth Ln.................................................$98,000 Round Tree, 80x125......................................$72,800 Ramrock, Oversized......................................$72,800 Frankford Ln, 80x125...................................$72,800 Squire Ct. Cul-de-sac....................................$79,800 Avocado Blvd, 1.14ac.................................$35,000 Shady Ln, 1.14ac.........................................$40,000 Holly Ln, 1.14ac...........................................$40,000 Forest Park St, 1.14ac.................................$45,000 Elder St., well, septic...................................$80,000 Off CR 90 E., 10ac.....................................$200,000 409943-1 SIDELINES

REAL ESTATE

House in Flagler Beach tops sales list in Flagler County

Ahouse in Flagler Beach was the top real estate transaction for July 20-26 in Palm Coast and Flagler County. Donald Deal Jr. and Terry Deal, of Flagler Beach, sold 1580 Lambert Ave. to Elmar Locker, as trustee, for $2,199,000. Built in 1997, the house is a 6/4.5 and has a boat lift, a fireplace, a pool, a hot tub, a dock, a cabana and 5,589 square feet of space.

ALEXIS MILLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

BUNNELL

Grand Reserve and Golf Club

Laura Niederlander, of Palm Coast, sold 37 Birdie Way to Walter and Miriam McDonald, of Bunnell, for $443,000. Built in 2019, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 1,799 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $277,000.

Condos

Joseph Coccimiglio, of Bunnell, sold 16 Salisbury Court to Maria and Cindy Facchini, of Palm Coast, for $242,500. Built in 1985, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,098 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $198,500.

James and Lisa Crosby, of Interlachen, sold 104 Surfview Drive, Unit 1201, to Tami Napolitano, of Palm Coast, for $444,000. Built in 1992, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,127 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $359,000.

Janine Kurowski, of Palm Coast, sold 310 Palm Coast Parkway Northeast, Unit 104, to Matthew and Kimberly Hillyard, of Palm Coast, for $200,000. Built in 1975, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,006 square feet. It sold in 2017 for $120,000.

David Harrison, as trustee, sold 46 Club House Drive, Unit 101, to William and Laura Anderson, of

Palm Coast, for $215,000. Built in 1977, the condo is a 2/2 and has 986 square feet. It sold in 2019 for $130,000.

George and Janice Stey, of Palm Coast, sold 800 Canopy Walk Lane, Unit 822, to Centrex Properties, LLC, of Perry, for $385,000. Built in 2004, the condo is a 3/2 and has 1,377 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $265,000.

Jonathan Hall, as trustee, sold 30 Casa Bella Circle, Unit 1001, to Miles and Beth Blundell, of Canastota, New York, for $659,000. Built in 2005, the condo is a 3/2.5 and has 2,014 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $580,000.

Patrick Appolonia Jr., of Flagler Beach, sold 39 Magnolia Drive South to Emily Santos and Benjamin Hartwick, of Ormond Beach, for $332,500. Built in 1992, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,300 square feet. It sold in 2019 for $158,000.

Nuview IRA Inc FBO Michael J. Daynus IRA, sold 25 Riverview Bend North, Unit 122, to Philip Halsey, a trustee, for $280,000. Built in 2006, the condo is a 3/2 and has 1,461 square feet. It sold in 2012 for $76,000.

PALM COAST

Belle Terre

LGI Homes – Florida, LLC, of The Woodlands, Texas, sold 24 Perkins Lane to Richard Mara, of Palm Coast, for $304,900. Built in 2023, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,270 square feet.

FARMER’S MARKET

Matanzas Woods Seagates Homes, LLC, of Palm Coast, sold 29 Lancelot Drive to Marc Owens, of Palm Coast, for $419,900. Built in 2022, the house is a 3/2 and has 2,208 square feet.

Jaqueline Lopez Hernandez and Yaremis Lopez Hernandez, of Palm Coast, sold 12 Lynton Place to Cara Vance, of Palm Coast, for $365,000. Built in 2004, the house is a 4/2 and has 2,046 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $310,000.

Ocean Hammock Phillip and Debra Anninos, as trustees, sold 33 Cinnamon Beach Way to Hardy/33 Cinnamon Beach Way, LLC, of Round Rock, Texas, for $971,000. Built in 2007, the house is a 4/3.5 and has a fireplace, an elevator, a pool, a hot tub and 2,789 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $630,000.

Palm Coast Plantation Joseph and Virginia Doyle, of Palm Coast, sold 146 Heron Drive to Harold Philip Cahill and Robin Jones Cahill, of Palm Coast, for $750,000. Built in 2006, the house is a 3/2.5 and has a boat dock, an outdoor kitchen and 2,418 square feet. It sold in 2019 for $400,000.

Palm Harbor Thomas Jesse Bell and Keene Brockenbrough Bell, of Palm Coast, sold 16 Farragut Drive to Shea Marie McEwen, of Palm Coast, for $357,500. Built in 1973, the house is a 2/2 and has a pool and 1,476 square feet. It sold in 2014 for $120,000.

Shannon Elisabeth Levesque, of Lake Zurich, Illinois, sold 44 Fernwood Lane to Maurice and Patricia Bailado, of Palm Coast, for $339,900. Built in 1976, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace and 1,670 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $208,000.

Northtide Properties, LLC, of Kingsport, Tennessee, sold 38 Forest Grove Drive to Kerri Boyd, of Palm Coast, for $345,000. Built in 2022, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,500 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $275,800.

Pine Grove William and Barbara Deneen, of Hagerstown, Massachusetts, sold 26 Privacy Lane to George Smith, of Palm Coast, for $295,000. Built in 1999, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,222 square feet. It sold in 1999 for $76,900.

Pine Lakes Thomas Sisti, of Jacksonville, sold 6 White Place to Antonio and Rita Salema, of Palm Coast, for $407,500. Built in 2003, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 2,040 square feet. It sold in 2016 for $233,000.

Toby Tobin, of gotoby.com, contributed to this report.

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REAL ESTATE

House on John Anderson tops sales list in Ormond

Ahouse on John Anderson Drive was the top real estate transaction for July 23-29 in Ormond Beach and Ormond-by-the-Sea. Robert and Kristyn Tupper, of Brea, California, sold 585 John Anderson Drive to Tabitha Townsend, of Ormond Beach, for $685,000. Built in 1965, the house is a 4/3 and has a fireplace and 2,767 square feet of space. It sold in 2019 for $329,300.

ALEXIS MILLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Condos

Richard Sabol, of Ormond Beach, sold 1 John Anderson Drive, Unit 615, to Paul and Martha Chalker, of Ormond Beach, for $475,000. Built in 1996, the condo is a 2/2.5 and has 1,745 square feet. It sold in 2012 for $184,000.

Michael Duranceau, Karen Duranceau and Devon Vincelli Kilgore, of Ormond Beach, sold 640 North Nova Road, Unit 511, to Carl Mazzella, of Ormond Beach, for $157,000. Built in 1976, the condo is a 2/2 and has 932 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $30,300.

Join Us

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 11TH

American Legion Flagler Post 115 Monthly Meeting

When: 6:00pm

Brenda Hardy, of Ormond Beach, sold 200 Lemon Tree Drive, Unit 3, to Jeanne Riva, of Ormond Beach, for $238,000. Built in 1984, the condo is a 2/2.5 and has 1,430 square feet. It sold in 2019 for $150,000.

ORMOND BEACH

Banyan Estates Margaret Fasano and Edward Brooks Jr., of Ormond Beach, sold 103 Ellicott Drive to Thomas Razabdouski, of Ormond Beach, for $435,000. Built in 1963, the house is a 4/2 and has a pool, a fireplace and 2,157 square feet. It sold in 2005 for $300,000.

Cypress Trail Alison Marie Huntington, of Ormond Beach, sold 255 Cypress Trail Drive to Joey and Julie Sfera, of Ormond Beach, for $595,000. Built in 2021, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,928 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $394,500.

Elrod Estates Space Coast Capital LLC, of Ormond Beach, sold 147 Lucky Drive to William Anthony Thomas and Terina Renee Thomas, of Ormond Beach, for $455,000. Built in 1958, the house is a 3/2 with 1,447 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $330,000.

Fleming Fitch Linda Berntsen, of Ormond Beach, sold 1705 Evergreen Street to Julie Thompson, of Ormond Beach, for $72,500. Built in 1958, the house is a 1/1 and has 484 square feet. It sold in 1999 for $22,500.

Halifax Plantation

D.R. Horton, Inc., of Orlando, sold 2978 Monaghan Drive to Joe and Linda Perlis, of Phoenix, Arizona, for $517,000. Built in 2023, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,361 square feet.

Thomas and Michael McManus, as co-trustees, sold 3209 Lienster Circle to Daryl Nelson, of Ormond Beach, for $490,000. Built in 2003, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 1,948 square feet. It sold in 2003 for $205,931.

Matthew and Heather Putnam, of Ormond Beach, sold 3003 Silvermines Ave. to Stephen Zollo, of

Ormond Beach, for $615,000. Built in 2019, the house is a 3/2 and has 2,357 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $515,000.

Hunters Ridge Michael and Virginia Downey, of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, sold 39 Hunt Master Court to Curtis Matthew Smith and Elizabeth Nadeau, of Ormond Beach, for $510,000. Built in 1996, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,395 square feet. It sold in 2017 for $297,500.

Ormond Lakes

Kathleen Blais, of Ormond Beach, sold 10 Rocky Bluff Drive to William and Barbara Hubbard, of Ormond Beach, for $660,000. Built in 2004, the house is a 4/3 and has a fireplace, a pool and 2,478 square feet. It sold in 2004 for $357,100.

Plantation Bay

Gerald Lipowski, as trustee, sold 1239 Hampstead Lane to Robert and Robin Nelson, of Ormond Beach, for $575,000. Built in 2003, the house is a 3/2 with a pool and 2,916 square feet. It sold in 2003 for $263,500.

Riviera Oaks Jennifer Lynn Matey, of Ormond Beach, sold 450 River Square Lane to Conrad Cullen, of Ormond Beach, for $449,900. Built in 2017, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool, a hot tub and 1,773 square feet. It sold in 2017 for $249,500.

Tomoka Meadows Charles Moore, of Riverside, California, sold 78 Tomoka Meadows Blvd. to Lisa Montanez, of Ormond

Beach, for $195,000. Built in 1980, the house is a 2/1 and has 875 square feet. It sold in 2009 for $80,000.

Tymber Creek

Christopher Robert Ristuccia and Claire Nicole Ruehle, of Ormond Beach, sold 425 Sand Creek Lane to Timothy Lewis Colvard and Mary Colvard, of Largo, for $539,000. Built in 1997, the house is a 4/2.5 and has a fireplace, a pool, a hot tub and 2,183 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $355,000.

ORMOND BY THE SEA

Oakview Torque USA, Inc., of Daytona Beach, sold 21 Sunrise Ave. to Barry Michael Norton and Wendy Doneen Norton, of Ormond Beach, for $538,000. Built in 1967, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,810 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $345,000.

Silk Oaks Douglas Kinney, as trustee, sold 13 Silk Oaks Drive to Andrea Megan Tucker, of Ormond Beach, for $455,000. Built in 1961, the house is a 3/3 and has a fireplace and 1,512 square feet. It sold in 2010 for $112,500.

John Adams, of Adams, Cameron & Co. Realtors, contributed to this report.

Where: VFW Post 8696 47 Old Kings Rd N, Palm Coast, FL 32137

DETAILS: The Flagler Post 115 monthly meeting will feature a potluck dinner and update of coming events. American Legion Post 115, 3rd Annual Golf Tournament will be at Grand Haven on October 2, 2023. Register now, call Gary Owens, 386-585-5302, Cost $150, 18 holes, with lunch included, players and sponsors needed, game day packages.

WI 52601

Gaisford

Market St. LaCrosse, WI 52601

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that an action for PETITION TO TERMINATE PARENTAL RIGHTS AND RELATIVE ADOPTION has been filed against you and that you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to this action on petitioner or petitioner’s attorney: JONATHON H. GLUGOVER, ESQ.

P.O. Box 2613 Daytona Beach,

before service on Petitioner, Attorney or immediately thereafter. If you fail to do

a default may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the petition.

of all court documents in this case, including orders, are available at the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office. You may review these documents upon request. You must keep the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s Office notified of your current address. Future papers in this lawsuit will be mailed to the address on record at the Clerk’s Office.

Rule 12.285, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, require certain automatic disclosure of documents and information. Failure to comply can result in sanctions, including dismissal or striking of pleadings.

Under, or Against The Estate of Merna E. Murray a/k/a Merna Murray-Brown a/k/a Merna E. Murray Brown, deceased Last Known Residence: Unknown YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action to foreclose a mortgage on the following property in FLAGLER County, Florida: LOTS 174 AND 175, OF BLOCK 1, OF PALM COAST, MAP OF BELLE TERRE, SECTION 11, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF AS RECORDED IN MAP BOOK 6, PAGES 59 THROUGH 66,

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