Palm Coast Observer 9-14-23

Richie Glover, a retired lieutenant from the Fire Department of New York, was the keynote speaker at the Palm Coast Elks Lodge 2709 ceremony. Glover was serving in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, and has been instrumental ever since in keeping that day in the memories of Palm Coast residents. He delivered his speech in front of the monument of twisted metal, made of pieces of the World Trade Center.

Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh

Photo by Brian McMillan

CITY WATCH

City to test out fee for EV charging stations

The Palm Coast City Council has agreed to try charging people a fee to use City Hall’s electric vehicle charging stations.

Chief Sustainability and Resiliency Officer Maeven Rogers gave a presentation at a Sept. 12 council workshop on the possibility of the city government partnering with private companies to bring more EV charging stations to Palm Coast.

DANKO OBJECTS TO ‘WOKE’ PRESENTATION

Most of Palm Coast lacks good cell coverage

“Yes, you are,” Alfin said.

SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

City Council OKs 2024 budget

In two unanimous votes, the Palm Coast City Council tentatively adopted the 2024 budget of $357.7 million and the new millage rate of 4.2570 mills on Sept. 7.

The budget is an overall 9% increase from the budget adopted in 2023, Financial Director Helena Alves said in the Sept. 7 meeting. Mayor David Alfin encouraged residents to take a look at the budget themselves. It is available at palmcoast.gov.

“We have rolled back the millage rate, which is a good precedent,” Alfin said.

The council adopted the rolled back rate in July, which reduced the budget by $2.8 million in property taxes. Ad valorem taxes account for 63% of the General Fund’s revenue, Alves said.

Vice Mayor Danko said he was glad the city managed to tighten its belt.

“It’s really good to see us complete the millage rate rollback,” Danko said. “Which means this year, I don’t have to drink any anti-freeze.” Danko had campaigned on a promise that he would sooner drink anti-freeze than raise taxes.

The final budget vote will be on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 5:15 p.m. at City Hall.

She proposed a trial fee structure to see what a realistic return on investment might be.

The council unanimously agreed on a fee structure of 18 cents per kilowatt hour, with an initial fee of 50 cents when someone first plugs up the car. The council has not set a date to implement the fee.

Rogers said the 50-cent connection fee would go to ChargePoint, the EV charging company the city uses. The 50 cents covers the use of ChargePoint’s cloud services, plus the city’s warranty on the charging stations, she said.

Based on 2,400 kWh used a month, the city could see a net annual return on investment of $839. If that rate increased to 20 cents per kWh at 2,400 kWh a month, it would be an annual $1,315 net return, Rogers said in her presentation.

Some cities, she said, implement a larger fee to discourage loitering or overnight parking. The council did not set such a fee.

EV stations do not typically need a lot of maintenance, Rogers said.

“I don’t see a lot of our EV charging infrastructure needing upkeep or cleaned or anything,” Rogers said.

Vice Mayor Ed Danko asked her how she was qualified to make such a statement.

Rogers said she had eight years of experience in the industry, specifically when she was in Orlando and the city installed 100 EV stations.

“We have not seen any type of maintenance in that time,” she said.

When Danko said that things break down, she replied, “That’s why we have the warranty, to make sure that we’re covered under that.”

Paid

Rogers’ presentation was primarily informational, expanding on the benefits of electric vehicles and EVrelated plans and legislation being considered in Tallahassee, including a Florida Department of Transportation electric vehicle infrastructure master plan to expand EV charging station coverage on the highways to every 25 miles by 2035.

That plan, Rogers said, would support short- and long-range EV travel and emergency evacuations.

But after Rogers spoke about the potentially limited global supply of crude oil and other nonrenewable liquid fuel sources, Danko called the presentation “absurd” and “woke propaganda.”

He also pointed out that fewer people may use the City Hall stations if they have to pay.

“We’re not in the market to compete against free enterprise,” he said.

Rogers last made an EV presentation to the council in June, when she asked the council to consider a grant for the same purpose. The council voiced several objections, questioning whether there’s a need for more EV stations in Palm Coast and expressing concern that city-run EV stations may interfere with private enterprise.

Danko said he was not impressed that Rogers would present a proposal that would encourage residents to spend money with the city government, rather than at local gas stations, to charge their cars.

“The facts that you’re presenting, quite frankly, they’re just based on AOC, Green New Deal, Joe Biden [policies],” Danko said.

Mayor David Alfin said that the city manager had asked Rogers to give the updated presentation on EVs. If the vice mayor had a problem, he should take it up with City Manager Denise Bevan or Alfin — not the staff member, Alfin said.

“You’ve made your point,” Alfin said, raising his voice over Danko. The two began yelling over each other to be heard.

“I’m not finished yet,” Danko said.

BE THEIR FOUNDATION FOR LIFE

Foster or Adopt an Older Child

“I will express myself any way I want to,” Danko said. “I don’t even know why this person has a job here.”

“I will not tolerate your going after staff,” Alfin said. “I’m the mayor of this city and I control this meeting.”

Danko did ultimately agree to the 18 cents per kWh hour, despite his other concerns.

Council member Cathy Heighter agreed to the fee structure too, but said she also didn’t like the idea of interfering with free enterprise.

For council member Theresa Carli Pontieri, the crux of the issue was the lack of local need for EV stations.

Palm Coast only has around 500 EVs, she said, which is not enough to justify spending taxpayer money on additional stations.

Alfin asked Rogers to return to the council in the future with more information on how the city could lease land to private companies interested in adding charging stations, garnering even for the city without interfering in the business itself.

He said he was also curious about implementing a permit fee to install EV chargers in city limits.

BY THE NUMBERS

18

cents per kilowatt-hour: the rate the council agreed to test out on City Hall EV charging stations

50 cent connection fee will be added to the total when people plug into an EV charge station

$839 the city’s potential annual net return on investment with this fee structure, assuming the 2,400 kWh per month usage

Only a fraction of Palm Coast has reliable cell phone coverage.

That data comes from representatives of Diamond Communications, LLC, which has built several cell towers in the city. Chief Technology Officer Tony Sabatino told City Council members on Sept. 12 that a location has reliable coverage if it has a signal level equal to or greater than minus 100 decibel-milliwatts, or dBm. The decibel-milliwatts decrease the further you get from the “cell edge” — the edge of a broadcast radius, Sabatino said.

“[Negative] 100 is pretty fair,” he said.

The larger the magnitude of the negative number, Sabatino said, the worse the coverage gets. Sabatino said Diamond looked at Palm Coast’s coverage under AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile, which are the top three carriers in the United States.

Around 14-15% of the total land area in Palm Coast has reliable coverage, he said.

“It looks like less than 50% of the residential dwelling units in the city of Palm Coast have what you would call reliable coverage,” Mayor David Alfin said, referencing a map showing the 14-15% reliable coverage areas.

On average, T-Mobile has minus 105 dBm in Palm Coast, Verizon Wireless minus 102, and AT&T has minus 105, according to data from the presentation.

FirstNet U.S., which maintains nationwide wireless broadband for first responders, operates at an average of minus 94 dBm in Palm Coast.

Best-in-class coverage is minus 95 dBm, Sabatino said. Palm Coast will need to think about wireless coverage as it expands westward, he said.

H

undreds of local children have faced struggles that most adults can scarcely understand. While their friends and classmates are learning, growing, and enjoying their childhoods, these children have suffered trauma, abuse, and neglect. They need guidance, they need love, they need family - and above all, they need safe, caring foster or adoptive homes.

Our community urgently needs compassionate individuals to become foster or adoptive parents for children and youth ages 9 to 15. The behaviors, attitudes, and choices of this formative period echo throughout an individual’s life. And for children in the child welfare system, these years are especially momentous. A loving foster or adoptive parent can help a child build a strong foundation for a happy, successful life. As one foster parent put it, “We have a window of opportunity to have a positive impact on these children.”

Many foster and adoptive parents choose to open their homes to children ages 9 to 15 because there is a real opportunity to make a difference for a lifetime in a relatively short time. A loving home during this vital time can mean the difference between a child continuing the cycle of abuse, neglect, and poverty or transcending it. Whether providing a caring refuge as a foster parent or giving a child who has suffered a forever family through adoption, you can make a difference for generations to come.

Fostering or adopting a child in need is both challenging and rewarding. Most foster and adoptive parents in our community say they are living out a conviction to

care for these children.

“We have a window of opportunity to have a positive impact on these children.”

Visit CommunityPartnershipForChildren.org today to learn more about becoming a foster or adoptive parent. Community Partnership for Children is the nonprofit lead agency that cares for abused, neglected, and abandoned children in Volusia, Flagler, and Putnam Counties.

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LEARN MORE

THE LONG SHADOWS OF 9/11

SIERRA WILLIAMS

STAFF WRITER

Mayor David Alfin took the podium in Heroes Memorial Park during the city’s Sept. 11 memorial service and called on Palm Coast residents to remember how Americans united in the face of tragedy 22 years ago.

“We focused on the love and comfort of family and friends,” Alfin said. “We concentrated on a true sense of national patriotism with a capacity to recover and repair in the face of trauma.”

On Sept. 11, 2001, 2,977 Americans were killed in the worst attack against the U.S. in its history. Palm Coast and Flagler County hosted several events on the 22nd anniversary to remember the lives lost and the first responders who gave their lives to save others.

Flagler County Fire Rescue hosted its third annual 9/11 Stair Climb at the Hammock Beach Golf Resort and Spa. Local firefighters and other

participants — including Flagler Palm Coast High School Fire Leadership Academy students — climbed 10 flights of stairs 11 times to honor the 110 flights of stairs New York first responders climbed when the World Trade Center was struck by the two airplanes. New York firefighters, burdened with over 60 pounds of gear and equipment, had been instructed to ascend the stairwells of each World Trade Center tower to where the planes hit. Each flight of stairs took

about a minute to climb. American Airlines Flight 11 impacted floors 93 to 99 in Tower 1, while United Airlines Flight 175 struck floors 77 to 85 in Tower 2. Palm Coast hosted its annual 9/11 Candlelight Memorial Service at 7 p.m. in Heroes Memorial Park. Though the service was cut short by rain and lightning, the Palm Coast Fire Department Honor Guard still rang the Firefighter Memorial Bell in honor of the lives lost. Ironically, Alfin said, the attack on

ELKS LODGE HOLDS 9/11 COMMEMORATION

As retired New York City first responders and rescue workers gathered in a line, united 22 years later in Palm Coast, their shadows told a story.

The sun remained low enough over the trees along Old Kings Road, at Palm Coast Elks Lodge 2709, that the honorees’ shadows stretched across the walkway, as if reaching out, reminding the crowd to remember the reason they had gathered on the 22nd anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, in New York City.

courtesy of Flagler Schools Flagler Palm Coast High School Fire Leadership Academy students joined first responders in the third annual 9/11 Stair Climb.

It was the 12th year in a row that the Elks Lodge had hosted a ceremony. This year, Jerry DiMenna was master of ceremonies, Jerry O’Gara was ceremony producer, Fred Gleissner was bell coordinator, and retired FDNY Lt. Richie Glover was keynote speaker.

Other speakers were Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin, Flagler County Commissioner Greg Hansen, Sheriff’s Office Chief Mark Strobridge, and Palm Coast Fire Chief Kyle Berryhill. Check the Palm Coast Observer’s Facebook page for video clips of Alfin’s and Berryhill’s speeches.

— BRIAN MCMILLAN

9/11 brought out the best in Americans. “We stepped forward, as brothers and sisters, to go after the terrorists and show anyone that if they harmed one American, they harmed us all,” he said. “The things that unite us are so much more powerful than the issues that divide us.”

A total of 343 firefighters and paramedics died in the line of duty on 9/11. Since then, PCFD Fire Chief Kyle Berryhill said, more first responders have died from injuries and illnesses sustained that day.

“I would say that not one of the firefighters [who] climbed those stairs did so so that we could gripe at our neighbors,” Berryhill said.

The first responders who died that day did so for their neighbors and family, he said. Choosing to focus on love and kindness instead of anger, he said, is a way to honor the heroism of all those who died.

“The example that I want to emulate from the 9/11 heroes ... is to try to be kind to our neighbors,” Berryhill said. “I believe that we can honor the sacrifices of our 9/11 heroes when we choose to live in a way that they wouldn’t mind. When we choose to live in our very best way.”

Photo

Palm Coast hosted its 9/11 Candlelight Memorial Service in Heroes Memorial Park.

Photo by Brian McMillan

Many Palm Coast residents lived in New York City and responded to the tragic events of September 11, 2001; they were recognized for their efforts at the Palm Coast Elks Lodge on Sept. 11, 2023.

‘The things that unite us are so much more powerful than the issues that divide us,’ Mayor David Alfin said during a 9/11 Candlelight Memorial Service at Heroes Memorial Park.

Photo by Sierra Williams

County seeks funding for shelter at fairgrounds

Flagler County and Palm Coast are preparing legislative funding requests ahead of the next legislative session, which begins in January.

SIERRA WILLIAMS

STAFF WRITER

Flagler County wants to increase its emergency shelter space by building a multipurpose facility at the Flagler County Fairgrounds.

The county will ask the state for $10 million for the project as part of its next round of legislative requests.

Chief of Special Projects Holly Albanese told the County Commission at its Sept. 6 workshop meeting that the county has a deficit of specialneeds shelter space.

“What could be a special-needs shelter when needed could also be used as a facility for community events,” Albanese said.

A significant portion of Flagler County’s growth consists of older adults, and households with older adults are more likely to have special medical needs when sheltering during an emergency, according to meeting documents describing the proposal.

The $10 million would fund fairground field improvements as well as the special-needs shelter, according to documents describing the proposal.

Albanese told the commission that when the county does submit its legislative requests, that request will emphasize how the shelter would help with emergency preparedness.

The shelter proposal is one of nine funding requests the county will submit to the state at a Flagler County Delegation meeting on Oct. 13, alongside 10 policy priorities the county would like the state to support.

YOUR TOWN

AdventHealth Palm Coast and the city of Palm Coast’s annual Pink

Among the policy priority items, the county would like the state to change its definition of a rural community to raise the population cap for the “rural community” designation.

Albanese said Florida Statute 288.0656, which defines rural community population levels, hasn’t been updated since 2009. The county will lose its status as a rural community when its population exceeds 125,000.

Rural community status makes the county eligible for small-county funding grants, so losing rural community status means losing access to that grant money, Albanese said.

“This is imperative to get them to change this,” Albanese said. “This will affect us in so many ways.”

PALM COAST PROPOSALS

The Palm Coast City Council is also

on Parade 5K to raise awareness of breast cancer will be held on Sunday, Oct. 8.

The parade will begin at 7:45 a.m. at AdventHealth Palm Coast, 60 Memorial Medical Parkway in Palm Coast, according to a news release from the city government. For details or to register, go to runsignup. com/Race/FL/PalmCoast/pink5k.

Event proceeds will support can-

preparing its legislative requests, including a request for funding to build a YMCA in Palm Coast.

Council member Theresa Carli Pontieri and Mayor David Alfin asked staff at the council’s Aug. 8 workshop to add the item to the city’s request list, with consensus from their fellow council members.

At a Sept. 5 business meeting, Alfin also asked staff to add the expansion of the Old Kings Road to the list of requests.

“I am concerned, and with increasing anxiety, about our northsouth evacuation routes,” Alfin said. “I’d like to get [Old Kings Road] on the books. I think we’re going to need it with increasing urgency.”

Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo said the almost $55 million in state funding the city received last June included funding for a study for the expansion, but the city could ask for design and construction funding.

The County Commission is also considering improvements to Old Kings Road, but decided at its Sept. 6 workshop to reach out to Volusia County first — since the road extends into Volusia County — and make a joint funding request.

Albanese told the commissioners that if cooperation with Volusia County couldn’t be arranged in time, she would remove the ask from the list for this year, and staff would continue to work on it through the next year.

Palm Coast is also asking for funding to help build a Maintenance Operations Center, preserve historic Fire Station 22, perform a flood map study in the Blare Drive and Colbert Lane area for flood mitigation, protect environmentally sensitive areas like the Palm Coast Parkway hardwood tree canopy and the Bulow Creek relic dune and burial mound, and several projects intended to protect the city’s water supply and water quality.

Email Sierra Williams at sierra@ observerlocalnews.com.

cer diagnostics and screening and cancer-related education materials for Flagler County residents, plus the construction of AdventHealth’s Freytag Health Plaza, which will include a cancer center next to AdventHealth Palm Coast, according to the news release.

To contribute before the event, take part in Palm Coast’s Food Truck Tuesday event at 5 p.m. Tuesday,

Palm Coast YMCA likely to be built in Town Center

Mayor David Alfin said an integral community feature like a Y ‘shouldn’t be an oasis,’ and should instead be surrounded by other amenities.

SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

Palm Coast has identified two possible locations for a new YMCA, both in Town Center.

Mayor David Alfin told the Observer a group of stakeholders — including the city of Palm Coast, Volusia Flagler Family YMCA CEO Chris Seilkop and Town Center land owners — has been formed to discuss potential locations, and all agreed on Town Center as an ideal location.

A central location like Town Center would help make access to amenities as easy as possible for residents, Alfin said. The next question, he said, is what other amenities should be near the Y.

“This is going to be a full-blown amenity YMCA center,” Alfin said.

“A Y is so integral to the community that it shouldn’t be an oasis.”

The group of stakeholders formed because Alfin and council member Theresa Carli Pontieri at an Aug. 8 council workshop asked to add a request for funding for a Palm Coast YMCA to a list of state appropriations requests the city is compiling.

In August, the YMCA announced that it had received $5 million in appropriations funding, $1 million of which would go into site planning for a Flagler County location. Seilkop told the Observer in an August interview that building a new, 25,000-square-foot Y could cost $6 million.

Sept. 19, at Central Park in Town Center. The Pink on Parade 5K will be the main beneficiary. For details, visit fb.me/e/xuUDQTFe.

GREEN EXPO PLANNED FOR SEPT. 14

The Flagler County community is invited to take part in educational sessions and panel discussions led by sustainability experts from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 14 at the inaugural “Green Expo” at Cattleman’s Hall at the county fairgrounds.

“These sessions aim to inform and engage residents, homeowner associations’ board members and managers, as well as green industry professionals on topics such as water conservation and quality, energy efficiency, sustainable gardening, and the importance of making environmentally conscious choices in our daily lives,” said Judy Jean, with University of Florida IFAS Extension.

The UF/IFAS Extension partnered with the St. Johns River Water Management District, various professionals, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to organize the event.

There will be presentations about

Alfin said the city already has a precedent for success, citing the almost $55 million in state appropriations funding the city received last June.

He said he is “in close communication” with local legislators in the region — including Volusia County’s Rep. Tom Leek and Flagler County’s Sen. Travis Hutson and House Speaker Paul Renner — to get the YMCA project done.

“We have an issue here locally,” Alfin said. “Folks are not getting the service they deserve.”

Florida’s wa ter, Floridafriendly landscaping, irrigation, stormwater infrastructure, invasives, working with HOAs to be Florida-friendly, and green in dustry certifications. Lunch will be followed by roundtables.

Vendors and educational booths include: citrus trees tolerant to greening; native plants; seeds; honey products; local microgreens; Florida Department of Environmental Protection; St. John River Water Management District; Florida Sea Grant; and, Flagler County Master Gardeners.

Registration is required and can be done at FlaglerGreenExpo.eventbrite.com.

For questions, contact Judy Jean at 386-437-7464 or by email at jean. cjudy@ufl.edu.

File photo County Commission Chair Greg Hansen listens as an FDOT representative explains the programs planned for its tentative five-year work program.

Photo by Sierra Williams Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin

The 2022 Pink on Parade 5K

File photo by Brent Woronoff

Principal resigns before investigation into segregated assembly is complete

Evensen wrote in her resignation letter that she did not deserve to be placed on leave or to be removed as principal; the presentation’s facilitator has also resigned.

BRENT WORONOFF

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Bunnell Elementary School Principal

Donnelle Evensen has resigned as the Flagler County School District completes its investigation into an assembly at the school for African American students.

Evensen emailed her letter of resignation on the night of Wednesday, Sept. 6, to Flagler Schools Interim

Superintendent LaShakia Moore and the district’s five School Board members.

Anthony Hines, the school’s fifthgrade facilitator, who coordinated the assembly, resigned on Sept. 7.

Moore informed Bunnell Elementary parents on Thursday morning that former BES Principal Marcus Sanfilippo would take over as princi-

Donelle Evensen

pal again in the interim “as we determine next steps.”

On July 28, Sanfilippo transferred to the district office as coordinator of special projects, and Evensen was promoted to principal.

Evensen was placed on administrative leave on Aug. 24 following her approval of the Aug. 18 assembly that included only fourth and fifth grade African American students.

The assembly was designed to urge the Black students to improve their state assessment scores. Hines was also placed on leave.

Hines, who is Black, presented a PowerPoint that included a bracketed competition on assessment scores with meals from McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A as prizes. Parents said the students were told that if they were not responsible in school they would be in danger later in life of getting shot and killed or going to jail.

In a short resignation letter, Hines wrote: “Please consider this my letter of resignation effective today and dated September 7, 2023. I appreciate the opportunity to work in Flagler County Schools.”

Evensen has been a teacher and administrator in the district for 18 years. She was an assistant principal at BES for the past four years and was the district’s Assistant Principal of the Year last year. She was the district’s Teacher of the Year in 2019, when she was a literacy coach at Rymfire Elementary School. Moore was the principal at Rymfire at the time.

In her resignation letter, Evensen said she “loved every minute of teaching, coaching, and leading within the county.”

She went on to say: “I am broken hearted over the way in which the current events have affected the district and the communities view of my abilities and reputation. I have not deserved the time of leave that I have been placed on and I certainly do not deserve anything less than the position I currently have as Principal of Bunnell Elementary. I have willingly followed the process for investigation and been as quiet as I can during this process so as to preserve

that process, believing that the truth and legacy that I have built would result in restoration of my name and a chance to truly show what BES is capable of under my continued leadership. Since this is not the direction that things are going at this time, I am offering my resignation.

“I can only hope that due to the unfavorable attention from this situation that a light will be shed and the most important conversation will be unavoidable as to the achievement levels of subgroups of students including African American students and Students With Disabilities. The level of achievement is unacceptable and although some are infuriated with the conversation I am hopeful that those same people and more will become instead infuriated with the data and begin working together to change it.”

In a Sept. 7 press release announcing Evensen’s resignation and Sanfilippo’s return to the school on an interim basis, the district said Moore expected the investigation into the assemblies will be completed by the end of the week.

“Once the investigation is complete and persons given the opportunity to appeal, then the investigation will be closed. Ten days after that, it

will be made available to the public,” a district spokesperson said.

Evensen sent an email to BES faculty and staff at the same time she sent in her resignation.

“It has come to my attention that the outcome will not be a favorable one at the conclusion of my leave,” she wrote. “Please know that I have tried my best to make known to district officials the positive manner in which the meeting with African American students took place and reminded them of all that we have accomplished and the plans for what we would accomplish this school year. ... I feel that I have failed you and all the great plans that we had. I can not tell you how much you mean to me and how much my journey with you these past four years means to me.”

Moore informed BES parents of Evensen’s resignation and Sanfilippo’s return in an email on Thursday morning.

“I know that this has been a rocky start to the year but we as a school and organization are committed to restoring the rest of this year. There are many great things that are happening at BES and we will continue to do even more great things,” Moore wrote.

Flagler County at ‘extremely high’ risk of rip currents from Hurricane Lee

Swells could reach 5 or 7 feet throughout the week, and the elevated water levels could damage the county’s dunes.

SIERRA WILLIAMS

STAFF WRITER

As Hurricane Lee moves north offshore of Florida’s east coast, the storm’s effects on waves and currents will be a real concern through-

out the week, Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said.

“We definitely have some concern about the increasing risk of rip currents,” Lord said. Swells and rough seas increase the risk of rip currents, Lord said, and the rough seas and swells could create an “extremely high risk.” The surf could reach 5 or 7 feet from Wednesday, Sept. 13, through at least Saturday, Sept. 16, according to a press release from Flagler County. The National Weather Service has also issued a rip current advisory for the Volusia County coastline.

As of 5 a.m. on Sept. 12, Hurricane Lee was moving north at 7 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Lee has decreased from a Category 5 storm to a Category 3, with a sustained wind speed of 125 mph. A Category 5 hurricane has sustained wind speeds greater than 155 mph.

Lee is predicted to make landfall on Sunday, Sept. 17, near Maine and Canada, according to the NHC. Flagler County’s dunes could also see some damage from the swells and tides, Lord said.

“There’s no way to truly predict

that,” he said. “We don’t have anything that tells us it’ll break through the dunes. The dunes will just do what they’re supposed to do, which is sacrifice themselves to protect what’s on the other side.”

Coastal Engineering Administrator Ansley Wren-Key said the tides for Lee are lower than they were for Hurricane Idalia, which hit during a supermoon, with elevated tides.

As the storm gets closer, the waves will likely worsen and potentially cause more damage to the dunes.

“What we’re really concerned about is the swells,” she said. “Basi-

cally, waves are going to create a little bit of an elevated water level, and then the wave run-up is what’s going to run up the beach and erode the dunes.”

Not only do higher swells increase the risk of rip currents, but they also increase water elevation on the beach by a couple of feet, she said.

Lord reminded residents that this is the peak of hurricane season, and they should stay prepared.

“People should not let their guard down, and [should] be prepared and make sure that disaster kits are ready at all times,” he said.

COPS CORNER

line, according to the man’s arrest report. The employee saw the man sleeping at the wheel, but he woke up when she approached his car.

SEPT. 1

IDLE HANDS

11:37 p.m. — 1000 block of Justice Lane, Bunnell Obstructing extinguishment of fire. An inmate at the county jail is facing an additional felony charge after he made the sprinkler system go off because he was bored.

The inmate, who was already facing three felony and two misdemeanor charges, admitted to standing on his bunk bed and reaching up to the sprinkler near the ceiling of the cell, according to his arrest report. Security camera footage showed that the sprinkler suddenly began spraying as the man reached up to the sprinkler.

Water began spreading out under the cell door and into a general recreational area, flooding the entire cell block, the report said. When a Sheriff’s Office deputy spoke to the man about why he touched the sprinkler, the man said he did it because he was bored.

SEPT. 4

DRIVE-THRU DRINKING

2:03 p.m. — First block of Old Kings Road, Palm Coast Driving under the influence. A Sheriff’s Office deputy arrested a man for drunk driving when the man fell asleep in a fast-food restaurant drivethru lane and then drove into a parked car.

An employee at the restaurant stepped out into the lane after noticing that a car was stopped and holding up the

The man was slurring his words and then tried to leave the drive-thru lane, hitting a curb and then a parked car, the employee told the Sheriff’s Office deputy. The driver told the deputy that he had just left the hospital and had gone to a liquor store to get a drink since he wasn’t able to drink at the hospital. He drank the liquor in the parking lot before going to the fast-food restaurant, the report said.

COST OF INQUIRING

2:43 p.m. — First block of South Beach Street, Ormond Beach

Non-reportable offense. A 47-year-old Ormond Beach man received a threatening message from an escort site owner after he contacted about 30 women to inquire about their availability.

The man told police he was feeling lonely because he hadn’t seen his girlfriend for about six months, which led him to contact the women, according to a police report. However, he told police he didn’t pursue any further conversations or speak with anyone over the phone.

The text message from the escort site owner said that the man had wasted the women’s time and that he would be fined, and that the site owner wanted to come to an agreement “without any bloodshed.”

The man asked police to document the incident.

SEPT. 5

ON-STREET PARKING

11:51 a.m. — 100 block of Ponce De Leon Drive, Ormond Beach Recovered stolen vehicle. A 62-year-old Ormond Beach woman saw an unidentified man drive a teal motor scooter by her house. She

watched him park the scooter and walk away from it, never to return, according to a police report.

Thinking that was odd, she called police, who discovered that the scooter had been stolen three days prior in Daytona Beach. Police tried to find the suspect, but could not.

The owner of the scooter was at work. The scooter was towed at her request.

SEPT. 6 THIS POSTER’S ON FIRE

4:01 a.m. — 600 block of South Atlantic Avenue, Ormond Beach Arson. Police arrested a 56-year-old Ormond Beach woman who lit a local restaurant’s Bob Marley poster on fire.

The restaurant’s manager told police that the restaurant’s surveillance footage showed a woman walking up to the poster with something on fire in her hands, according to a police report. She lit the poster on fire in several spots until the whole poster caught fire, leaving burn marks on the wall and the wood frame that surrounded the poster.

The woman was found walking north on South Atlantic Avenue the next day. When the reporting officer began speaking with her about the incident at the restaurant, the woman apologized and said she hadn’t meant to light the poster on fire. She said she would pay the restaurant back and asked the officer to apologize on her behalf.

The restaurant’s manager estimated that the poster cost about $300. The frame was valued at $100, and the damage to the wall was estimated at $200.

The woman was taken to jail.

Audit finds ‘no major red flags’ in FYO bank account Superintendent contract has $165,000 base salary

Areas of concern included AmazonSmile donations to FlaglerLive that totaled less than $4.

BRENT WORONOFF

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Zach Chalifour, a partner in the accounting firm that performed an audit for Flagler Schools on the Flagler Youth Orchestra’s bank account, summed up the result in four words: “No major red flags.”

At a Sept. 5 School Board workshop, Chalifour presented a draft of James Moore & Company’s audit on all FYO transactions during the fiscal years of 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The company has performed audits on the district’s internal accounts for the past six years.

This 100% transactional audit was ordered when the district discovered that the FYO account was in fact an internal account that was using the district’s Employee Identification Number but had not been subject to audits or operating under school district procedures.

Cheryl Tristam, the FYO’s director since the program was created by the school district in 2005, managed the account. Tristam resigned on July 3, saying in an article she wrote on her husband, Pierre Tristam’s, news site, FlaglerLive, that conduct toward her and the program by some School Board members “has been reprehensible and inexcusable.”

Chalifour noted some core concerns that the audit uncovered. Some cash receipt revenues were not properly supported. Some procedures were not followed.

A substitute instructor in 2022 did not have a background check. That turned out to be the daughter of FYO Artistic Director Joe Corporon. She was a Stetson University music student who served as a fill-in.

Tristam’s son received a senior scholarship payment, but nine other

“She

PATTY WORMECK on former FYO Director Cheryl Tristam not having a copy of the district’s accounts procedures manual

seniors also received the standard scholarship, which was made in prior years as well, Chalifour said.

FlaglerLive received a $3.83 payment as a nonprofit beneficiary through FYO’s AmazonSmile purchases. Amazon donated a half percent of AmazonSmile purchases to a designated nonprofit before discontinuing the donation program in February.

Board member Will Furry asked Flagler Schools Chief Financial Officer Patty Wormeck if that is an acceptable practice for district internal accounts.

“Under our internal procedures, that practice would not be allowed,” Wormeck said.

Board member Colleen Conklin asked Wormeck if the reason some procedures were not followed was that Cheryl Tristam was not offered training.

Wormeck said that was indeed the case. She said that after the account was discovered, she gave Tristam a copy of the account procedures handbook, also known as the Red Book manual.

Board hopes to finalize a deal with LaShakia Moore in October.

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The Flagler County School Board plans to present a contract offer to new Superintendent LaShakia Moore with a base salary of $165,000 a year.

The board voted to hire Moore for the position at a Sept. 5 special board meeting. She has been the interim superintendent since June 30.

Board members held a special workshop on Aug. 12 to go over their contract proposal to Moore with Board Attorney Kristy Gavin. Gavin used the contract with former Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt and the Charlotte County School Board’s superintendent contract as guides.

The $165,000 base salary was the low end of the salary scale that the board was going to advertise in its planned superintendent search. The upper end of the scale was $195,000, which would have been a salary for an experienced superintendent.

The board decided to give Moore a four-year deal, unlike her predeces-

sors who had three-year deals but either left at the end of their contracts or were not renewed.

“Let’s see if this gets us out of the cycle,” Board Chair Cheryl Massaro said.

Board members agreed to give Moore an expense account of $1,000 a month, noting that they had asked her to expand the district’s engagement within the community.

At a workshop/interview session on Sept. 5, Moore said one of her priorities is to reconnect with the community.

“What I have found is almost like we have isolated ourselves from the community. It appears the community is growing and moving forward around us,” she said. “We as a district have to work to extend ourselves back into the community, being a part of the many community events that sometimes Flagler Schools doesn’t have a place at.”

Board member Sally Hunt again asked that the job title be amended to Chief Executive Officer and Superintendent of Schools.

The board will present the contract offer to Moore with the goal of finalizing a deal with the district’s new superintendent by the Oct. 17 business meeting.

EARLY LEARNING COALITION OFFERS WATER SAFETY INITIATIVE

The Early Learning Coalition of Flagler & Volusia has launched a new initiative to be offered to child care centers in Flagler and Volusia.

The Josh the Otter Water Safety & Awareness Project teaches young children about the importance of water safety through educational activities and its mascot, Josh the Baby Otter.

Each month, a trained volunteer for ELCFV will visit local early learning programs to promote the importance of early childhood water safety training to prevent drowning. The volunteer will read “Josh the Baby Otter,” by Blake Collingsworth, and provide resources to go home with children, including their own copy of the book.

Collingsworth started the Josh the Otter program in 2008 after his 2-year-old son Joshua died after being found unconscious and unresponsive in the family’s pool.

Collingsworth also developed the Float 4 Life water safety program, which provides one-on-one lessons teaching children how to jump or fall into the water and recover to a back float without help. In Flagler and Volusia counties, the program is facilitated by Easterseals of Northeast Central Florida.

Drowning is the primary cause of accidental death for children under 5, according to Centers for Disease Control.

ELCFV’s Literacy Initiatives Coordinator, Erica Garris, poses with Josh the Otter.

The School

From Flagler Schools video

Board members Will Furry, Christy Chong, Sally Hunt, Colleen Conklin and Cheryl Massaro go over the superintendent’s contract with Board Attoney Kristy Gavin.

was very honest. She said, ‘This is the first time I’ve seen this, and I can tell you that I was not doing this, this and this. Had I known I would have put these procedures in place.’”

Defense attorney calls fatal shooting ‘accidental’

Defendant Brenan Hill, 34, is on trial for second-degree murder. The prosecution says he lied to law enforcement multiple times about the shooting and has a history of domestic violence.

SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

The defense attorney for a man accused of shooting his girlfriend in 2021 says the shooting was accidental. Opening arguments in the trial of defendant Brenan Hill, 34, began on Sept. 12 after jury selection on Sept. 11. Hill is

facing three felony charges

— including second-degree murder — for the 2021 shooting of his girlfriend, Savannah Gonzalez, who died of her injuries in late 2022. Hill has pleaded not guilty.

When first questioned by deputies, Hill had said that a black man approached the couple’s car and shot Gonzalez in the parking lot at Graham Swamp. But he changed his story several times and tried to hide the gun in the woods, according to the prosecution.

Hill’s defense attorney, Gerald Bettman, said that the shooting was an accident and would warrant a manslaughter charge, not a seconddegree murder charge.

“It was purely accidental,” Bettman said. “As horrible as it was.”

Assistant State Attorney Melissa Clark said during the trial’s opening arguments

that not only did Hill lie multiple times to detectives, but he also had a volatile temper and a history of domestic violence. When arrested in 2021, Hill had an active warrant for a domestic violence case in Pennsylvania.

“You’re going to hear how he lies,” Clark said. “He was lying to the police over and over again … and he did all of that to try to hide what he had done.”

The Medical Examiner’s Office listed Gonzalez’s cause of death as complications from a gunshot wound to the head.

After opening arguments, the court heard from the first FCSO deputy to interview Hill, Sgt. Daniel Parthemore; as well as Dr. Maryan Rahman, one of Gonzalez’ doctors; and FCSO Detective Sarah Scalia.

Clark said the jury would hear and see video evidence of Hill’s lies and his temper.

“You’ll be able to see the

BRIEFS

Man struck, killed while walking on roadway

A 39-year-old Palm Coast man died the evening of Sept. 11 after he was struck by a car while walking in the roadway on Belle Terre Parkway.

short fuse that he has,” Clark said. “You’ll be able to see how he acts with her when he’s angry at her, and how he yells at her.”

Bettman said that was not the case. Hill and Gonzalez loved and depended on each other, Bettman said.

“There was not an intentional shooting,” he said. “They were living together. They loved each other; they provided for each other.”

Person of interest in baby’s shooting had prior gun charge

Several witnesses gave sworn statements that the man had handled the gun earlier that day and had said it was ‘jammed.’

The person arrested after an 18-month-old girl was shot and killed on Sept. 3 had been arrested in 2022 for carrying a firearm without a license.

The suspect, a 21-year-old man, is a “person of interest” in the shooting case but

was arrested on an unrelated charge of parole violation. Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies had responded to Ranwood Lane after a report that a child had been shot. Several witnesses in the home provided sworn statements that the person of interest handled the firearm and spoke of the weapon being “jammed” before the shooting, according to the man’s Sept. 4 arrest report. The shooting may have been accidental, and Major Case Unit detectives are still investigating, according to statements from the FCSO. In April, the 21-year-old man had pleaded no contest to two charges — possessing

a gun without a license, and marijuana possession — and was placed on six months’ probation.

The FCSO charged him on Sept. 4 with violating his parole by possessing or carrying a firearm.

In audio from the 911 call on Sept. 3, an unnamed man told the operator, “the baby has been shot.” The call lasted 7 minutes and 15 seconds. The operator could be heard repeatedly asking the man about the baby’s condition.

“I know you’re upset, but try to answer my questions the best you can,” the operator said. “Is the baby breathing?”

Initially, the caller thought the girl had already died, tell-

ing the operator a gun went off and shot the 18-month-old in the head. Then, halfway through the call, he told the operator the baby was breathing.

“The baby’s breathing,” he said. “She’s conscious, she’s breathing.”

The man could be heard calling the girl’s name and telling her to stay strong and stay awake. “Breathe, baby, it’s okay,” he said. “Be strong for me, baby.”

The operator ended the call when FCSO deputies arrived on scene. Fire rescue personnel took the child to AdventHealth Palm Coast, where she later died.

The man was walking in the right outside travel lane just north of Palm Coast Parkway at about 7:42 p.m. when a northbound sedan struck him, according to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol. The man was not in a crosswalk, according to the report.

The sedan’s driver, a 27-year-old Palm Coast woman, had no injuries. Rescuers took the man to AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway, where he died.

Cyclist dies in U.S. 1 crash

Two Ormond Beach bicyclists were hit by a pickup truck on U.S. 1 north of County Road 2002 in Flagler County on Sept. 7. A 40-year-old woman was killed in the crash while the other cyclist, a 45-yearold man, was seriously injured.

The crash happened just after 4 p.m. The pickup truck was driving south in the outside lane of U.S. 1, and the bicyclists were traveling south in the bike lane, according to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol.

The pickup truck crossed over into the bike lane, hitting both cyclists, and came to a stop on the outside shoulder, according to the report. The driver, a 32-year-old man, was not injured.

Library marks 60 years as federal depository

The Volusia County Public Library system is celebrating

the 60th anniversary of its status as an official federal documents depository library for the Government Publishing Office.

What does this mean for Volusia County residents?

They can stop by any of the county’s 14 library branches and request free access to historical and current documents from all three branches of the federal government in print and electronic formats. Librarians can help patrons navigate the documents.

The public is invited to a celebration at noon Monday, Sept. 18, at Daytona Beach Regional Library, 105 Jackie Robinson Parkway.

Staff will explain the program, and District 2 County Council Member Matt Reinhart will present a proclamation honoring staff for providing open access to federal documents. Access to documents is available at volusialibrary.org.

Pipe work scheduled for Old Kings Road

Old Kings Road will be temporarily closed at two intersections while the Palm Coast Stormwater Department replaces a pipeline at Freneau Lane. The department will close Old Kings Road at the intersection of Felshire Lane and the intersection of Frenora Lane on Sept. 14 and 15, according to a press release from the city.

The roads will be closed overnight due to safety concerns, and workers will be present from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Traffic heading north on Old Kings Road will be detoured to Felshire Lane, then to Fellowship Drive and finally back to Old Kings Road.

Traffic heading south on Old Kings Road will be detoured to Frenora Lane, then to Freneau Lane to rejoin Old Kings Road and avoid construction.

SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

Photo by Sierra Williams Brenan Hill (right) and his attorney, Gerald Bettman.

One Daytona reveals Costco Wholesale design

One Daytona is also adding two new tenants this month: Foxtail Coffee and Crumbl Cookies.

SUZANNE MCCARTHY

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

One Daytona President Rozanne Ribakoff unveiled a rendering of the new Costco Wholesale at a press conference at The Daytona Hotel on Thursday, Sept. 7. Costco plans to open in early 2024, and work has begun on the future site in the Northwest corner of One Daytona, west of the CMX movie theater. The façade design features a checked flag background, a departure from the traditional Costco signage. Two new businesses are also coming to One Dayto -

na: Foxtail Coffee, located in the former Copperline Coffee storefront, is opening on Sept. 19, and Crumbl Cookies is targeting a late September opening.

Crumbl Cookies will be located in the Shoppes at One Daytona, the former Volusia Point Shopping Center on the corner of International Speedway Boulevard and Bill France Boulevard, recently

BIZ BUZZ ENTREPRENEURS JOIN TO FORM MANAGEMENT FIRM KMDN

rebranded and redeveloped by One Daytona. To provide easy entry for customers, an access road was added from the main shopping and entertainment area to The Shoppes at One Daytona, which also features a First Watch restaurant, Gold’s Gym and longtime tenant Cycle Gear.

The press conference also highlighted the economic impact of One Daytona in the local community.

It has generated over 2,900 direct and indirect jobs, bringing $99 million in income or wages to Volusia County. Costco plans to hire at least “300 full- and parttime employees,” Ribakoff announced. It is currently unknown if Costco customers will pay the enhanced amenity fee of 1%. The EAF is added to each purchase at One Daytona to offset development investments. The fee also allows the center to offer the public various events, including an art festival and concerts, free of charge.

Kelly Navarro, J.D., M.B.A., and Dr. Maria Dowling have joined to form KMDN Global Business Partners, LLC.

“Florida’s entrepreneurial landscape is thriving, and by uniting our expertise, we hope to not only enhance business outcomes but also inspire others to realize their potential as entrepreneurs,” Navarro said, according to a press release from KMDN.

Both are leaders of the leaders of the Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Hispanic Business Alliance, according to a press release from the chamber.

Navarro and Dowling met during a local business conference and discussed the challenges businesses face juggling various aspects of management. The two planned for months before unveiling their joint venture, according to the

KMDN press release.

KMDN Global Business Partners offers “a one-stop shop of business management services, including legal, compliance, HR consultancy, IT solutions, project management, financial advisory, marketing, and beyond,” according to the news release.

“Our partnership signifies the potential for collaboration to drive meaningful change,” Dowling said. “By combining our strengths, we aim to create solutions that resonate both locally and globally.”

EL POLLO COLORAO ADDS DINING ROOM

El Pollo Colorao Puerto Rican Eatery has opened an eat-in dining area, enabling patrons to dine in as well as take out.

“It’s awesome: Customers

can enjoy a great atmosphere with great food they have already come to love,” owner Dennis Rivera said, according to a news release.

The restaurant held a soft opening for the new dining area on Aug. 8. Take-out is still available.

The addition of the dining room was driven by customer requests, according to the news release. The restaurant, which opened in 2015, had signed a lease for the neighboring unit in 2020 and therefore had room to expand.

“It has been a long road to get to this point! We were and remain committed to giving our customers a nice dining room to enhance the experience,” the news release states.

El Pollo Colorao Puerto Rican Eatery is located at 227 St. Joe Plaza Drive in Palm Coast, in the St. Joe Plaza to the right of Aaron’s.

Photo by Suzanne McCarthy

Signage marks the location of the future Costco, where work has begun for an early 2024 opening.

Courtesy of One Daytona

A rendering of what the Costco at One Daytona will look like.

Kelly Navarro Maria Dowling

Courtesy photo

The new dine-in area at El Pollo Colorao Puerto Rican Eatery

Strap on a pack and walk with purpose! The Gammon Ruck is on Saturday, Nov. 4. This 28-mile ruck can be completed solo or as a team and raises funds for the Brant Gammon Scholarship to assist future firefighters.

Matanzas student opens smoothie truck

Joey Sherman transformed a trailer into the Snowy Smoothie Saloon, which will debut at the Potato Bowl and have a grand opening at the Pro Rodeo.

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Matanzas High School junior

Joey Sherman has been preparing to open his food truck — Snowy Smoothie Saloon — for the past two years.

He’ll finally be open for business at the Potato Bowl football game at Matanzas on Friday, Sept. 15. Sherman and his two friends, Gavin Winfree and Violet Ochrietor, will serve fruit smoothies and snow cones, with soda and water also available.

He’ll have a grand opening ribbon cutting on Sept. 29 at the Flagler County Pro Rodeo at the Flagler County Fairgrounds.

“I’m really excited,” Sherman, 16, said. “I’ve been telling my friends about this for the past two years.”

The idea has been in the works since Sherman’s parents, Jessica and Steve, closed their Palm Coast business, Twisted Minds Escape Room, during COVID-19. Since then, they’ve been helping their youngest son start his own business. (Older son Steven is a senior at Matanzas).

Joey and his father, Steve, converted a cargo trailer the Shermans had used in their business into the watering hole-themed truck.

“I took down the walls, put in foam insulation, did the

For more information or to register, visit parksandrec.fun Check

wiring and the plumbing, put the walls back up — wrapped in linoleum — and we added tables, sinks, stuff like that,” Joey Sherman said. He did research. He saw there was an uptick in food trucks during COVID, especially smoothie trucks.

“I always loved fruit,” he said. The “Saloon” will serve five basic smoothie flavors and three specialty flavors — the Sheriff (strawberry and banana), the Outlaw (mango, pineapple and strawberry) and the Wrangler (blueberry and banana). It will also have a rotating flavor, Joey said.

Joey earned his ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification at age 14, scoring a 97 on the exam. He had

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING CITY OF BUNNELL, FLORIDA

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE CITY OF BUNNELL, FLORIDA will hold a Public Hearing as authorized by law at 7:00 P.M. on the 25th day of September 2023, for the purpose of Second and Final Reading of Ordinance 2023-09, in the Chambers Meeting Room of the Flagler County Government Services Building (GSB) located at 1769 East Moody Blvd, Bunnell, Florida 32110. ORDINANCE 2023-09

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BUNNELL, FLORIDA

PROVIDING FOR THE REZONING OF REAL PROPERTY TOTALING APPROXIMATELY 32,583 + ACRES WITHIN THE CITY OF BUNNELL AS DESCRIBED IN EXHIBIT

“B” PROVIDING FOR THE TAKING OF IMPLEMENTING ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS; PROVIDING FOR THE ADOPTION OF MAPS BY REFERENCE; REPEALING ALL CONFLICTING ORDINANCES; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR NON-CODIFICATION AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

ALL INTERESTED PERSONS ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE as may be legally permitted on the day of the meeting. Instructions on how to participate by electronic or other means, if legally permitted, would be found on the City of Bunnell’s website at www.bunnellcity.us on the homepage. The public is advised to check the City’s website for up-to-date information on any changes to the manner in which the meeting will be held and the location. The failure of a person to appear during said hearing and comment on or object to the proposed Ordinance, either in person or in writing, might preclude the ability of such person to contest the Ordinance at a later date. A copy of all pertinent information this ordinance can be obtained at the office of the Bunnell Customer Service Office, 604 E. Moody Blvd. Unit 6, Bunnell, FL 32110. Persons with disabilities needing assistance to attend this proceeding should contact the Bunnell City Clerk at (386) 437-7500 x 5 at least 48-business hours prior to the meeting.

NOTICE: If a person decides to appeal any decision made by the City Commission on this matter a recording of the proceeding may be needed and for such purposes the person may need to ensure that a verbatim record is made which includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is based. (Section 286.0105, Florida Statutes)

Internet installed, he has his own insurance for the business, and now he’s learning about payroll, Steve said.

Jorge Carrasco of Rev’d Up Marketing did the artwork for the truck, creating the character “Sheriff Snowy.”

The truck has wood pallets for customers to step onto at the ordering and pickup windows. Straws and napkins are in containers placed on two wooden barrels.

The truck’s Old West watering hole theme is part of Joey’s long-range business model to follow the rodeo circuit.

Joey has always enjoyed cooking and baking, and Steve has 32 years of experience in the restaurant business, opening up individual stores for corporate chains. Joey is in Matanzas’ culinary program, and after he graduates from high school, he wants to enroll in the Culinary Institute of America or Johnson & Wales University’s culinary arts program.

“Hopefully he can eventually franchise this out and go into brick and mortar,” Steve said. “The knowledge and experience he’s gaining right now is important, because this is what he wants to do with his future.”

For now, Joey, a cadet in Matanzas’ Army JROTC program, wants to work JROTC and community events and donate a percentage of the profits to the JROTC programs

“Hopefully he can eventually franchise this out and go into brick and mortar. The knowledge and experience he’s gaining right now is important, because this is what he wants to do with his future.”

at Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast high schools. He is limited in how much time he can devote to the business. In addition to JROTC, he is dual-enrolled, has a 5.16 GPA in the Cambridge AICE program and is a member of the National Honor Society. He is also a member of the Matanzas JROTC drill team, Color Guard and Raider team.

Before Matanzas athletic director Jordan Butler invited Snowy Smoothie Saloon to be one of the food trucks at the Potato Bowl, Joey Sherman was scheduled to lead the JROTC’s traffic patrol at the game.

“At first he wasn’t going to man the truck (at the game),” Jessica Sherman said. “He said the traffic kids aren’t going to know what to do. But the first sergeant gave him the green light.”

Jessica Sherman at the pickup window

Joey Sherman prepares a snow cone during a practice run Sept. 10 in the Shermans’ driveway.

STEVE SHERMAN on son Joey's smoothie and snow cone truck.

Courtesy photo from the City of Palm Coast Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin, right, took a tour of Joey Sherman’s Snowy Smoothie Saloon truck, which will debut at the Potato Bowl football game Sept. 15 at Matanzas High School.

Photos by Brent Woronoff

Flagler County bans ‘floating structures’

on weekends or whenever, and there’s this structure there that clearly is a concession stand,” O’Brien said. “And it is huge. And it’s just sitting there ... The only intent and the only use of that structure is to sell food and snacks or whatever, and it does not belong there.”

the county line.

JONATHAN SIMMONS

MANAGING EDITOR

Hoping to avoid becoming home to the kind of on-thewater concession stand that’s been causing controversy in St. Johns County, Flagler County has banned unpowered “floating structures” from its waters.

The County Commission voted unanimously Sept. 6 to pass an ordinance barring the structures, except in marinas.

County Commissioner Donald O’Brien said he’d noticed such a structure this past weekend, just north of the Flagler-St. Johns County line “Boats all congregate there

Commissioners in St. Johns County passed a similar ordinance on Aug. 1 after residents created a Change.org petition to oppose a floating business, Hurricane Watersports, that sells snacks, plays music and rents out paddle boards and kayaks in the Matanzas Inlet area.

County Commissioner Andy Dance passed the Hurricane Watersports structure on Saturday in the Matanzas River just west of Las Brisas Condominium. It looked closed, and he took a photo of it and sent it to County Attorney Al Hadeed and the county administrator, he said in a text sent to local reporters.

Jeff Thomas, the owner of Hurricane Watersports, told the Observer that he’s ready to move on: He wants to travel the country, see the west coast and Alaska and then build a bigger floating music venue out west, likely in Lake Tahoe.

“This time I’m going into the politics side of it first,” he said. “I’m going to get somebody to invest in it, so they have a vested interest to make sure it doesn’t get shut down.”

Of the bans in St. Johns and Flagler, he said: “I’m just honestly shocked that they passed a law that it’s OK just to go in and shut down an operating business, that wasn’t breaking any laws. ... As soon as you let the government take over, they’re going to take over and ban everything. The fact that you can’t have an unattended float? That’s crazy.”

He said he’d started the company in June 2021, and

TRIBUTES

PATRICIA B. GREEN 1931 - 2023

denied accusations that he’d played loud music or sold alcohol or sold alcohol to minors, noting that he has a teenage daughter himself.

“You could barely hear our music from the shore,” he said. “The company was based off of renting to children and their parents.”

Thomas said he’d built the float himself and expected to pull it from the water by Wednesday, Sept. 13, before he takes to the road.

Hadeed told commissioners at the meeting that Flagler County’s ordinance is preventative. It does not apply to barges or boats that meet state registration guidelines.

The kinds of floating structures the ordinance targets, Hadeed said, don’t meet the safety requirements boats must meet and can cause environmental damage when anchored and a safety hazard when storms approach and the structure can’t move out of the way.

The county’s staff overview of the new ordinance refers to the structures as, “in essence, a neighborhood convenience store on the water,” and adds that those may work in some parts of the state, but that Flagler County’s waterways are too narrow.

The ordinance would prohibit such structures from mooring, anchoring, or tying to shoreline vegetation.

Hadeed noted that the northeastern part of the county is part of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve.

“Those are very high-quality estuaries that would be damaged if a floating structure shaded out a particular part of that area, which is a very sensitive area where we have mangroves growing, etc.,” Hadeed said.

Patricia B. Green of Palm Coast, FL ( formerly of Allison Park, PA ), passed away peacefully on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 at her daughter's residence in Sturbridge, MA.

A beloved wife, mother, sister, and aunt.

Patricia was predeceased by her husband of 62 years, Franklin Hartford Green of Allison Park, PA., and is survived by her daughter, Sarah E. Green of Sturbridge, MA.

Born Dec. 10, 1931 in Indianapolis, IN, the daughter of Russell E. Brandenburger Sr. and Gladys Hoehn Brandenburger. She grew up in Shelbyville, IN graduating from Shelbyville High School in 1949, and attending Western College in Ohio.

A dedicated member of the P.E.O Sisterhood in Shelbyville, IN., Allison Park, PA and Palm Coast, FL. She also volunteered her time and creativity to the Pittsburgh Civic Garden Center, Passavant Suburban Aids, and Altar Guild for Christ Episcopal Church of Pittsburgh.

As a founding member of the Franklin H. Green

Family Foundation, she lent her support to the preservation of history and historic places via The National WWII Museum and The National Trust for Historic Places. And was a dedicated supporter of her local animal welfare organizations.

A talented gardener, avid croquet player and ardent animal lover. Patricia enjoyed travel, listening to Frank Sinatra, hot fudge sundaes anytime, a glass of good red wine and laughing with family and friends.

A loving mother and friend, Patricia was always ready for the next new adventure with her daughter and friends and her company is greatly missed.

A Memorial Service will be held at Christ Episcopal Church, 5910 Babcock Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15237, September 15, at 11:00 am.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Christ Episcopal Church, North Hills - Pittsburgh or The National Trust for Historic Places.

A new ordinance bans floating concession stands like one that became a subject of controversy in the Matanzas Inlet north of

Photo courtesy of Andy Dance

The Hurricane Watersports concession stand is the kind of structure county commissioners are trying to ban.

LETTERS

Children lost out in FYO witch hunt

Dear Editor: The children lost, again.

The long-awaited audit of the finances of the Flagler Youth Orchestra is in.

In spite of the fact that Director Ms. Cheryl Tristam received no guidance from the school administration, it has been shown that she kept accurate records and that neither she nor FlaglerLive received any personal benefits from the orchestra's finances.

Even as the results were presented, School Board member Mr. Will Furry continued to pursue his quest to find something wrong with the audit.

The end result is that the witch hunt found no witches, but the children lost a committed, passionate leader who enhanced the lives of countless young members of the orchestra over the years.

How sad for our community.

EDITH CAMPINS Palm Coast

Q+A

Editor's note: The audit found a few minor concerns — a handful of snack bar cash receipt revenues weren't properly supported, and some procedures were not followed — but there were "no major red flags,” according to the firm that conducted the audit.

SWAT gives Florida youth tools to reduce tobacco industry’s influence

Dear Editor: The need for youth to speak up about the issues they care about is as important as ever, which is why one student-led organization in Florida is leading the way in the fight against the tobacco industry and the addictive products that target youth.

Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) is a statewide youth organization focused on educating, empowering, and mobilizing Florida youth to revolt against and deglamorize Big Tobacco.

As a member of the Flagler SWAT chapter, I believe SWAT is an important cause more youth should get involved in.

Not only does SWAT educate youth on the harmful effects of

tobacco usage, but it also provides students with an opportunity to educate their peers.

More and more youth have been getting involved with e-cigarettes. It is important to educate our youth on the dangerous effects of tobacco.

SWAT has been educating and empowering youth and communities since 1998. SWAT has had several successful initiatives throughout the years.

"Not a Replacement" was a statewide campaign where thousands of youth reminded tobacco companies that they are unique individuals with the potential to make a positive impact on their community.

"Not a Lab Rat" is a current statewide campaign that focuses on the truth behind e-cigarettes.

I joined SWAT after attending multiple beach cleanups. I saw the number of cigarettes littered on the beach and got motivated to be more involved with SWAT.

Flagler SWAT chapter has been working with Flagler Beach to clean up cigarette butts and provide a smoke-free beach and parks.

The Flagler SWAT chapter participates in several community events, including the recent Back to School Jam, and partners with the Flagler

Police Athletic League.

SWAT has given me the opportunity to participate in three radio interviews to talk about the dangers of youth vaping and SWAT’s upcoming events. I have attended regional and statewide SWAT meetings. These meetings got me motivated to help educate Flagler County students on the dangers of tobacco use.

By working with peers, students can create change that will keep tobacco products out of Flagler and improve the health of our family, friends, and community.

SWAT is open to all Florida youth in sixth through 12th grade.

To get involved, contact Rochelle Stone (rochelle@civcom.com) or visit SWATFlorida.com.

I hope that in writing this, more youth are inspired to stand up and speak out against the tobacco industry by joining our local SWAT clubs.

KARLIE PAGE Palm Coast

Send letters of up to 400 words to jonathan@observerlocalnews.com. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Why is this rabbi so happy? Here’s what the High Holy Days mean

BRIAN MCMILLAN PUBLISHER

T

PALM COAST

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

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Courtesy photo

What exactly are the Holy Days?

And how are you and your synagogue celebrating?

The Holy Days actually begin with Rosh Hashanah, which is going to be Sept. 16 and 17 this year. Rosh Hashanah is the new year, the beginning of the year. From the Bible: God created the world in six days. Rosh Hashanah is actually the sixth day of creation, when God created Adam and Eve. We celebrate the creation of man, because ultimately, God created the world, but it’s our mission as the human race to bring the goal and the purpose of creation into fruition.

Ten days later, we have the holi-

YOUR TOWN

day of Yom Kippur, which is the Day of Atonement. So that tracks back to when the Jews left Egypt, and they were in the desert, and they received the tablets. Thirty-nine days later was the sin of the golden calf, and Moses goes back up the mountain to ask God for forgiveness. And he comes down with God’s forgiveness on the second tablets on the day of Yom Kippur. This is a special day, where God gives us a blank page, a new beginning. Four days later, we have the holiday of Sukkot, which is known as the holiday of huts. When God took us through the desert, we were protected by God’s clouds of

ported more than 31,300 passengers over 281,000 miles without a complaint or accident.

“Richard also helps to train new operators,” Transportation Manager Pia Thomas wrote in a nomination form for Briggs. “(He) is very kind and easygoing with a lot of patience.”

Flagler County Public Transportation is a paratransit bus system that is demand response, shared ride, and provides door-to-door service. It focuses on the elderly, people with disabilities and the transportation disadvantaged.

BUS DRIVER EARNS DRIVER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Flagler County Transportation Driver Richard Briggs was selected by the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged for its Driver of the Year Award.

Briggs, who has worked for Flagler County for six years, has trans-

glory. We live in a very shaky world, nothing’s for certain. So we go out into huts and we say, “You know, we might have these big houses and these businesses and security. But ultimately, we know that our true security is in the hands of God.” And so we step out into the wilderness, so to speak, in a hut and you say, “God, you’re my roof, and you’re my walls, and you’re my protection.”

What do you do to celebrate the Torah? You would think the best way to

Costs in the county are $2 per ride. Medical trips to Volusia, St. Johns, Jacksonville, and Gainesville are available on select days at set rates. Go to flaglercounty.gov/ departments/transportation or call 386-313-4100 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays.

PCFD LIEUTENANT RETIRES AFTER 25 YEARS

The Palm Coast Fire Department is bidding farewell to Lt. Richard “Rich”

do it is to open up the Torah and study it, right? But we don’t do that; we actually dance with it. Because ultimately, our connection with God is that deep. It’s not about how much you know, it’s about how much you’re involved. It’s about being connected. And so maybe not everyone can read, we’re not going to understand, but everyone can dance. And so we grab the Torah, we hug it, we embrace it, and we dance with it. How can we make our prayers more meaningful?

Prayer isn’t just about asking God for our needs. And prayer isn’t just saying thank you. Prayer is about making a connection. It’s about checking in. How many times a day do you speak to your spouse? Multiple times a day. That’s the relationship, right? “This is how my day went. I wanted to let you know, my child started walking today. I want to let you know, business is going great.”

Read the rest of this interview at http://bit.ly/3Lleic8.

Cline as he retires after 25 years of service to the city of Palm Coast.

“Congratulations to Rich, and his wife, Cindy, and daughter, Heather, on completing a career in public service,” Fire Chief Kyle Berryhill said. “... Well done, my friend. PCFD is proud of you.”

Born and raised in Jacksonville, Cline enlisted in the Coast Guard before enrolling at Florida State College in Jacksonville to earn his firefighting and EMT certifications. He served as an EMT with Flagler County Ambulance Service, where he worked during the 1998 wildfires, before joining the PCFD in 1999 and earning his EMS certification at Daytona State College in 2001. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2008.

Cline was instrumental in creating the department’s Honor Guard and CPR program and was a founding creator of the Halloween Hall of Terror alongside retired Fire Chief Jerry Forte, earning the title of “BooMaster.”

Cline completed his final shift on Sept. 8, 2023.

Locally Owned / Publishers of The Palm Coast Observer Palm Coast Observer, LLC P.O. Box 353850 Palm Coast, 32135

VETERAN OF THE WEEK

Ronald Stevens

 Branch of military: U.S. Air Force

 Dates of service: 1964-1968  Rank/occupation: Sergeant/ Aeronautical Chart & Information Specialist

Adoption fees vary based on the animal, and the shelter has both dogs and cats up for adoption.

Anyone who is interested in adopting or has questions about the process can contact the Flagler Humane Society at 386-445-1814 or apply online at flaglerhumanesociety.org.

Brennan is a 5-year-old male cat. Colonel, 2, is a male German shepherd.

 Hometown: Athens, Vermont Ronald Stevens grew up on a small family farm in rural Vermont. At an early age, he knew that was not the life for him. Stevens enlisted in the Air Force at age 18, just days after graduating high school. He attended basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, and then was trained in his Air Force specialty at the Aeronautical Chart & Information Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Following his training, he was assigned to Kastel Air Station in Wiesbaden, Germany, where he applied his craft. At this point in his life, he wasn’t aware that his job was considered critical in supporting U.S. efforts in Vietnam, deploying the Point Positioning Database targeting system, which gave U.S. aviators better targeting accuracy. It also provided charts and graphics to assist the planning and execution of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, which included determining lunar orbits and finding landing sites. As a respite from the tedious work, his good fortune to be stationed in Germany allowed him to tour most of Europe during his enlistment and learn to ski. After his honorable service, Stevens joined the Miami Police Department, where his career spanned from 1972 to 1995 — definitely some wild times in South Florida. He and his wife, Nancy, of 45 years this November, moved in 1995 to Palm Coast, where they raised two daughters. They now have five grandchildren. Stevens is one most pleasant and conscientious people you’ll ever meet. He’s been a local Realtor for almost 30 years, and is currently a Realtor with Palm Coast Flagler Beach Realty.

NEED HELP WITH VETERAN SERVICES?

For information about benefits and support organizations for veterans, call 386-313-4014.

he Jewish community in Flagler and Volusia counties is gearing up for the High Holy Days. To better understand the celebrations, and to ask for advice in finding meaning in prayer and worship, I spent some time with Asher Farkash, assistant rabbi and program director at the Chabad of Greater Daytona. What follows is an edited interview. For more of my interviews with faith leaders, follow “Faith in Flagler” on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.Rabbi Asher Farkash, of Chabad of Greater Daytona.

The Flagler Humane Society is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1 Shelter Drive in Palm Coast.

Sabrina is a friendly 2-yearold female cat.

Skyler is a 5-year-old female Labrador retriever.

PETS UP FOR ADOPTION

Driver Richard Briggs

Photo courtesy of the city of Palm Coast

From left: Fire Chief Kyle Berryhill, Lt. Richard Cline and Battalion Chief Thomas Ascone

YOUR NEIGHBORS

Picking up Palm Coast

Over 190 volunteers clean parks, waterways for 16th annual Intracoastal Waterway Cleanup.

CHRISTINE RODENBAUGH CONTRIBUTING WRITER

More than 190 volunteers checked in early Saturday morning, Sept. 9, to protect and enjoy nature by picking up trash in city parks, recreation areas, saltwater canals or their neighborhoods during Palm Coast’s 16th annual Intracoastal Waterway Cleanup.

The volunteers collected more than 1,800 pounds of trash, according to the city government. Staff at the Palm Coast Community Center provided bright yellow T-shirts, trash bags, gloves and a safety sheet. Students and youth organizations earned community service hours.

Evana Fretterd led a group of Flagler Palm Coast High School students who participate in the Student Government Association, National Honor Society or Bunnell Future Farmers of America. Fretterd has participated for five years and wondered, “How do the Girl Scouts always win?”

John Katts frequents Waterfront Park to hike and exercise. “I wanted to do something good for the park,” Katts said. He found a discarded fishing rod, sneakers, tennis balls and the letter “E” made out of wood.

There were prizes for the most pounds of trash collected and the most unique find.

“I found a pasta maker one year, and still didn’t win,” Fretterd said. This year, Christopher and Sophia Harrison gathered 80 pounds of trash to win the Individual Most Trash Collected Award, Girl Scout Troop 2413, collected over 1,100 pounds of trash to win the Group Most Trash Collected Award, and Palm Coast resident Karolyn Whitney found a

vintage telephone line concrete marker and received the Most Unique F.I.N.D. Award.

Fretterd said she was proud of the students for showing up after the FPC Bulldogs defeated the Bishop Moore Hornets in Friday night’s football game. Tired and still a bit hoarse from cheering the Bulldogs the night before, the students set off to scour Linear Park for trash.

Event staff member Jordan Myers showed off some of the prizes, including a stuffed osprey, Torpedo — the mascot of the 2023 event.

Myers said mascots are selected from native and endangered or protected species common to the area. Otters and spoonbills have been mascots in the past.

Volunteers choose the sites they patrol on foot or by boat.

“We like them to be comfortable with the area they are cleaning up; that’s why we don’t make assignments,” Myers said.

Terry, Terri and Megan Schade moved to Palm Coast about a year ago and seek to be involved in the community.

The cleanup was an opportunity to explore, although they went to familiar areas including Waterfront Park. Regarding being assigned

to an area, Terri said, “That would be fine. Maybe it would open people up to places they don’t know.”

Since the city’s inaugural event in 2008, volunteers have collected more than 13.8 tons of trash, with an average of about 2,000 pounds each year. The event is supported by a $5,000 Florida Inland Navigation District grant.

From left: Yameliz, Carmelo and Yarieliz Morales Rios filled at least one bag at Waterfront Park. “Near culverts is a good place to find trash,” Carmelo Morales Rios said.

Flagler Palm Coast High School students who participate in the Student Government Association, National Honor Society or Bunnell Future Farmers of America check in at the Palm Coast Community Center on Saturday, Sept. 9, to pick up T-shirts, trash bags and gloves for the 16th annual Intracoastal Waterway Cleanup.

From left: Terry, Megan and Terri Schade seek ways to be involved in the community. “We want to explore,” Terry Shade said. “We saw two dolphins!” The family mostly found whole and broken bottles and scraps of paper.

Katarina Becker, Isabella Lipkovich and Aaradhana Moluguri search for trash during Saturday’s Intracoastal Waterway Cleanup. “I wanted to get involved in SGA at FPC and help out the community,” Lipkovich said.

Photos by Christine Rodenbaugh

Event staff member Jordan Myers showed off some of the Intracoastal Waterway Cleanup prizes, including stuffed osprey “Torpedo,” the mascot of the 2023 event.

LOCAL EVENTS

GREEN EXPO

When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: Cattleman’s Hall, Flagler County Fairgrounds, 150 Sawgrass Road, Bunnell

Details: Attend educational sessions and panel discussions led by sustainability experts. The University of Florida IFAS Extension partnered with St. Johns River Water Management District, various Flagler County professionals, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for this expo. There will be presentations about Florida’s water, Florida-friendly landscaping, residential irrigation,green industry certifications and more. Lunch will be served followed by roundtable discussions. Registration required. Visit FlaglerGreenExpo.eventbrite. com.

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 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 free.

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.

TRACKING GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY BY HARNESSING

THE WIND When: 7 p.m.

Where: University of Florida Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience 9505 Ocean Shore Blvd., St. Augustine, FL 32080, or via Zoom with registration link

Details: This first lecture of the fall Evenings at Whitney Lecture Series will feature Elizabeth Clare, Ph.D., professor of biology at York University. Clare will describe the power of “eDNA,” or “environmental DNA,” genetic material found in the water, soils and air. It has been for decades in the study of aquatic life, but scientists are realizing that its most extraordinary power might actually be on land. Free event, in person or live via Zoom. To watch via Zoom, register at ufl.zoom.us/webinar/register/ WN_Qh61zq8MQvenHsh8qJ4XEA.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 15

ALL THAT JAZZ AND MORE

When: 6-10 p.m.

Where: African American Museum and Cultural Center of Florida, 4422

U.S. Highway 1 North, Palm Coast

Details: Listen to jazz, meet and greet local authors and enjoy some dancing. Tickets cost $28. Attire

is “classic.” There will be light fare and a cash bar. Proceeds benefit the Flagler County NAACP. Visit aacspalmcoast.org.

‘I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE’

When: 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 and 30; and 3 p.m. on Sundays, Sept. 17, 24, and Oct. 1

Where: City Repertory Theatre, 160 Cypress Point Parkway, Palm Coast

Details: City Repertory Theatre will present this off-Broadway musical on modern love illustrated through a series of vignettes. Featuring a cast of six, the show will look at the perils and pratfalls of the first date to marriage, children and life’s twilight years. Tickets cost $30; student tickets cost $15. Visit crtpalmcoast.com.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 16

INTERNATIONAL COASTAL

CLEANUP

When: 8-11 a.m.

Where: Varies Details: Participate in this year’s International Coastal Cleanup event, to be held at more than 20 sites along the beach, Halifax River and Indian River Lagoon. Event is hosted by Volusia County’s Environmental Management Division. Register at tinyurl.com/registerforcleanup.

OPERATION 22 POKER RUN

When: 10 a.m.

Where: Iron Horse Saloon, 1068 U.S.

1, Ormond Beach

Details: Local real estate agent Kathy Davis Carlton is teaming up with Operation 22, which aims to combat veteran suicide, to hold a poker run beginning at the Iron

Helping you pursue your financial goals since 1890

Horse Saloon. To sign up, visit operation22.com/events.

‘GENEALOGY IN THE LIBRARY’

PROGRAM

When: 1-4 p.m.

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

Details: This free, one-on-one research assistance program is offered by Halifax Genealogical Society volunteers to anyone interested in researching family history. Gather your family information, and explore how the library’s genealogical databases can help find your ancestors. Convenes in Meeting Room 3. For registration, contact halifaxgensociety@gmail. com.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 19

FOOD TRUCK TUESDAY

When: 5-8 p.m.

Where: Central Park at Town Center, 975 Central Ave., Palm Coast

Details: Enjoy a variety of foods from local food trucks as part of Food Truck Tuesday in Palm Coast, presented in partnership with the Palm Coast Observer

THURSDAY, SEPT. 21

ORMOND BEACH AREA

DEMOCRATIC CLUB MEETING

When: 7 p.m.

Where: 56 N. Halifax Drive, Ormond Beach Details: The Ormond Beach Area Democratic Club will host guest speaker Carl Persis, Volusia County School Board member for District 4. Check-in and social visiting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Like-minded nonmembers are welcome to attend as guests. Visit ormondbeachdems.org.

ONGOING

MOMS OF PRE SCHOOLERS

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

Where: Central Baptist Church, 152 Fairview Ave., Daytona Beach

Details: Moms of Pre Schoolers is a free faith-based program for moms, moms-to-be 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 386-2552588.

‘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 Central Baptist Church every Thursday, beginning with Season 1, according to a news release. Free admission. Discussion and light refreshments will follow the showings. Call 386-255-2588.

MOAS EXHIBITIONS

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday Where: Museum of Arts and Sciences, 352 S. Nova Road, Daytona Beach

Details: Want to spend a day looking at fine art? The Museum of Arts and Sciences has the following shows on display: “Unfolding the Universe: The James Webb Space Telescope” and “Visions of Visionaries: Beaux Arts of Central Florida.”

The

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10-ACRE LOT

ACREAGE DREAM HOME! 6-BR, 4-BA, 2-CG open floor plan home. Close to town. Private airplane runway, detached barn/workshop over 5,000 sq ft. Breathtaking lake views with a floating dock. Home also includes an in-ground pool with a summer kitchen and pool bath. This home isn’t just a property; it’s an embodiment of a luxurious lifestyle. MLS#1112704 $1,650,000 Call Buzzy Porter 386-405-1000.

4-BR, 2-BA, 2-CG Home. Serene oasis on 2.34 acres. Kitchen has been updated with new countertops and has an abundance of cabinet and countertop space. Split bedroom plan. Master bedroom features trey ceiling, private bath and spacious closet. Home also features enclosed Florida room and a screened-in patio with a hot tub. MLS#1112983

$675,000

Call Buzzy Porter 386-405-1000.

JOHN ADERSON COUNTRY ACRES OCEANFRONT

Remarkable waterfront estate currently owned by an awardwinning musician offers a harmonious blend of opulence and functionality. Presently used as a second home and a music studio, this property presents a unique opportunity to own a truly exceptional residence. 4-bedroom, 4-bath, 2 half-bath .

$2,200,000

7,500 sq ft, and sitting on almost an acre lot.

$5,500,000 Call Bill Navarra 386-334-9991.

Completely remodeled condo from floor to ceiling with highend upgrades! 16th floor with direct ocean views. New AC unit (2019) and water heater (2016). The community offers access to their 20th-floor penthouse/clubhouse, game room, exercise room, indoor jacuzzi, tranquil sauna, in-ground pool and grilling area. MLS#1110461 $475,000

Call Buzzy Porter at 386-405-1000.

Welcome to your dream home on the most sought-after street in Ormond Beach! This riverfront house offers an unparalleled living experience with breathtaking views of the river from every room. 3 bed 3.2 bath. new dock, boathouse and lift.

Call Bill Navarra 386-334-9991.

HOMES ARE SELLING FAST! WE NEED MORE LISTINGS

BEWARE THE SPORTS

ELEPHANT

wood. You hear elephant, and everyone starts going crazy.”

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

If Matanzas is to beat Flagler Palm Coast in the Potato Bowl for the first time in seven years, it will have to beware the elephant and not underestimate the flag football player.

On paper, the Pirates won last year as the rivalry game was one of four contests the Bulldogs forfeited after self-reporting an ineligible player. But on the muddy, drenched FPC turf, the Bulldogs rolled to a 41-6 victory. Matanzas did not throw a pass in the game as it tried out a triple-option offense a week after quarterback Dakwon Evans fractured his collarbone.

On Friday, Sept. 15, at Matanzas, both teams expect a close game for the first time since the Pirates last won in 2016. Matanzas is 2-0 for the first time since the 2016 season. The Pirates had hoped to be 3-0 this week, but their Sept. 8 game at Deltona was postponed because of unplayable field conditions.

FPC (1-1), after struggling in its season opener at Suwannee on Aug. 25, defeated Orlando Bishop Moore 28-14 in the Bulldogs’ home opener on Sept. 8. An early bye week came at a perfect time. The Bulldogs apparently have found their starting quarterback. They also found a charging elephant that is hard to stop.

Defensive end Colby Cronk, who is listed at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, lined up at tailback behind 225-pound running back Marcus Mitchell and the biggest offensive and defensive linemen on the team in the “elephant formation” and scored three touchdowns of 4, 4 and 7 yards.

“It was certainly fun and awesome,” Cronk said. “I’m always on defense and being on offense, actually having the ball in my hands, is kind of different. I’ve done it in Pop Warner, but not in high school.”

Offensive coordinator Jake Medlock said the formation was designed by his father, Ricky Medlock, when the elder Medlock was an assistant coach at Fletcher High School. The Bulldogs installed it after they were stopped on fourth and goal against Suwannee, Jake Medlock said.

“My dad came up with the formation years ago. It’s, go have fun tackling 6-4, 250. It’s right up the middle. If you can stop those guys, I’ll (tip) my hat off to you. That’s what I want us to be known for. We’re going to be all spread all over the yard, but on third and short, fourth and short, we’re getting elephant. Hopefully the fans will start buying the old (plastic) horns, just how we did it at Fletcher and how we did it at Sandal-

Dan Fish, the Bulldogs’ first-year head coach, said the formation was even more successful than they had anticipated.

“Colby’s a guy who’s never going to quit,” Fish said. “So you’re going to need all 11 to get him. We brought in some other big bodies to get in front of him and clear the way. So, that’s a package you’ll see on goal line and short yardage situations going forward. And we’ve got a lot of faith in it.”

FLAG FOOTBALL TO

FROM

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

The Bulldogs also have a lot of faith in senior quarterback Caden Gonzalez, who played in his first tackle football game in the spring.

In his first regular-season start, Gonzalez completed eight of 15 passes for 120 yards against Bishop Moore. Mikhail Zysek caught seven of the passes for 112 yards. Zysek’s 20-yard catch on third down set up Cronk’s third touchdown of the game, a 7-yard run behind the big bodies.

“I’ve been playing with (Zysek) since flag (football), so me and him have that chemistry,” Gonzalez said. “I rolled out and hit him. He saw me pointing my finger to start moving up instead of blocking. So, he start ed running up and I was able to give him a nice throw, and he made a great catch.”

Gonzalez has been playing flag football since he was 6 years old. His parents would not allow him or older brother Landon to play tackle football until high school. Caden’s high school career got sidetracked with injuries and eligibility issues, he said. He missed his junior season due to knee surgery.

He discovered that the differences between flag and tackle football are much more than getting hit.

“You got the helmet on, so it’s

MATANZAS GAME RESCHEDULED

The Pirates game at Deltona on Sept. 8 has been rescheduled for Monday, Oct. 2, three days after Matanzas travels to St. Augustine for its first district game of the season.

“It’s not ideal for either one of us,” Matanzas coach Matt Forrest said. “They’ve got their game with DeLand that Friday.”

After a heavy rain on Sept. 8, playing conditions on Deltona’s field “were borderline unsafe,” Forrest said. “They just finished a field renovation project.”

playing under the lights.”

Caden’s father, Rick Gonzalez, who coached both of his sons in flag football, said he and his wife were both nervous about them playing tackle before high school. Landon, a receiver who graduated in 2022, played four years for the Bulldogs.

“I think they learned the game a lot better playing flag because they’re playing both sides on offense and defense,” Rick said. “So mentally, both the boys were prepared.”

Caden was the only eligible quarterback on the roster for the spring game and helped the Bulldogs win playing in his first tackle football game. Competing against three other quarterbacks in the preseason, he started in the kickoff classic and turned the ball over on FPC’s first two possessions. He didn’t get on the field again until the fourth quarter against Suwannee. With the senior at the helm, the Bulldogs started moving the chains.

“He performed really well towards the end of that game,” Fish said. “We saw something in him, and the guys were really gravitating towards him. In the bye week, he really kind of solidified himself as the one. It was still competitive this week (before the Bishop Moore game), but he kind of ran away with it.”

Caden said he heard the chatter after the kickoff classic, and that motivated him to work harder.

“Yeah, it really hit me,” he said. “It made me want to push more, so I started working harder, watching more film and talking to my coaches. And I’ve been staying determined. Tonight’s game, it was really fun.”

“There’s one thing about Caden,” Medlock said. “He’s not a quitter. I have tested him on so many levels, and he has responded every time.”

Medlock said they only asked Gonzalez to manage the game. The Bulldogs primarily relied on their running game in the win. They ran for 267 yards, with Mitchell running for 145 yards on 25 carries and

POTATO BOWL

WHO: Flagler Palm Coast (1-1) vs. Matanzas (2-0)

WHERE: Matanzas High School

WHEN: Friday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m. (gates open at 5:30)

TICKETS: $10. Go to matanzas.com/athletics/athletics/tickets or download the Hometown Fan app. Cash will not be accepted at the gate.

freshman Ehimen Ajide (known to his teammates as He-man) rushing for 87 yards on 10 carries, including a 14-yard touchdown run.

The defense did its part, with Cronk notching a game-high 12 tackles and recording two key thirdquarter sacks.

“It was a monster game for him,” Fish said. “We have the utmost faith in Colby. He’s our leader on and off the field. We know whatever we ask him to do, he’s going to do it to the best of his ability.”

FPC junior wide receiver Mikhail Zysek (15) catches a 20yard pass fro Caden Gonzalez to put the Bulldogs into the red zone early in the first quarter.

Bulldogs quarterback Caden Gonzalez (13) completes a pass to Mikhail Zysek.

“You got the helmet on, so it’s harder to see things. You got people coming at you. In flag, usually they send one person and they’re about seven yards away. Tackle is way more intense. But I love playing under the

CADEN GONZALEZ,

Touchdown! Colby Cronk puts Flagler Palm Coast up by two scores with his third touchdown of the game with 4:22 remaining.

Jumbo formation, converted flag football player come up big for Flagler Palm Coast.

Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh

Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh

Matanzas’ Gazzoli outlasts FPC’s Carlisi in match at Palm Harbor Golf Club

Reigning state champ

Alexandra Gazzoli shot a 4-under-par 32; Carmella Carlisi had an eagle on the par-4 No. 5 hole.

BRENT WORONOFF

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

With three holes to go, Flagler Palm Coast’s Camella Carlisi and Matanzas’ Alexandra Gazzoli were tied at 2-under.

But keeping pace with Gazzoli, the Florida Women’s Amateur Stroke Play champion and the defending Class 2A state high school champ, is not easy.

Gazzoli, who will play golf at Florida State University next year, shot a 4-under 32 to lead the Pirates to victory over the Bulldogs at Palm Harbor Golf Club on Sept. 7.

Carlisi shot a 2-over 38. Her highlight of the day was an eagle on the

par-4 No. 5 hole.

“It was like 240 yards. With the wind in my face, I took my 3 wood and I just got my hands nice and high and hit it right at the flag. We walked up and I was like 6 feet away,” she said. “I tapped it in for eagle. It was a pretty straight putt. So, it was pretty cool. I felt like Happy Gilmore. I hit it in one.”

She also had an eagle putt on the par-5 No. 3, but she wound up 3-putting for par. Carlisi was two strokes

behind Gazzoli going into the par-4 No. 1, which was their final hole. But while Gazzoli birdied, Carlisi finished with a triple bogey.

“Other than that, I was hitting pretty well,” she said.

Gazzoli had four birdies on Nos. 3, 7, 8 and 1 and no bogeys.

Her 32 wasn’t her best nine-hole round at Palm Harbor, but it was close.

“I think I shot a 31,” she said. “I could have done better. The greens aren’t in the best condition, so may-

be if they were better, another putt or two might have gone in, but I think I did good overall.”

Playing without No. 2 golfer Zoe Alred, Matanzas defeated FPC 185 to 247. Matanzas’ other top scorers were Ana Heartz (47), Arianna Rodriguez (51), Bianca Sherman (55) and Sara-Kate Vannucci (57). Madison Heck shot 58 for the Bulldogs.

The Pirates improved to 2-1 while FPC was playing in its first match. Carlisi rejoined her former teammates after spending last year in San

Diego, honing her game at Torrey Pines Golf Course.

“I want to go to college out there, so I tried to play in some tournaments,” she said. “It’s tricky though, because I want to be with my family, but I like it out on the West Coast. So, we’ll see.”

Matanzas’ only loss came to Seabreeze on Aug. 29 at Riviera Country Club. The Sandcrabs and Pirates meet again on Thursday, Sept. 14, at Palm Harbor.

Carol Lunn, 85, a resident of The Overlook Community in Charlton, MA, passed away Saturday https://www. dignitymemorial.com/ obituaries/framinghamma/bernadettelunn-11422289, August 28th, amongst family, following a brief illness.

Carol lived a long and abundant life. She was born and raised in Portland, CT, the eldest of three siblings and the only daughter of Bernice and John Kuzminski. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Connecticut School of Nursing and later a master’s in health care management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She worked for 18 years as an Occupational Health Nurse at Pratt & Whitney/United Technologies in Connecticut. Following retirement, she and her husband Howard moved to Palm Coast, FL, to embrace new friends and host family escaping New England winters. Ever prepared, Carol was an active volunteer for the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and the Palm Coast CERT team, all while Howard kept the neighborhood in good order. They returned to New England in 2016 to be closer to family and blended into the beautiful community at The Overlook. Carol enjoyed time with friends and family,

Carol enjoyed time with friends and family, traveling, cavorting with pets Ziggy and Poppy, and was the “Cool Grammy,”

traveling, cavorting with pets Ziggy and Poppy, and was the “Cool Grammy,” She is predeceased by her parents and husband Howard. She leaves a heartbroken but immensely grateful family including her two brothers John Kuzminski (Joan) of Killingworth, CT, and David Kuzminski (the late Ronna) of Portland, CT; three children Carolyn Selavka (Matt) of Charlton, MA, Larry Hryb (Taylor Johnson) of Kenmore, WA, and Sue Larson (Dave) of Cumberland, RI; and four grandchildren Amelia Larson, Chloe Selavka, Brigitta Larson, and Waverly Hryb.

A celebration of life will be held at the Chapel at Overlook Community, Charlton, MA, on Saturday, September 23rd at 11:00 AM, with a reception to follow.

CELEBRATION OF

Saturday, September 23, 11AM Chapel at Overlook Community Charlton, MA

DONATIONS:

In lieu of flowers, financial contributions in memory of B. Carol Lunn can be made to the UConn School of Nursing (Nursing Scholarship Fund (0021761)) details on UConn Foundation page. or The DanaFarber Cancer Institute.

Carol Lunn 1937-2023

Matanzas golfer Alexandra Gazzoli watches her shot on Sept. 7 at Palm Harbor Golf Club.

Carmella Carlisi, right, and Bianca Sherman on the green

Photos by Brent Woronoff

“I tapped it in for eagle. It was a pretty straight putt. So, it was pretty cool. I felt like Happy Gilmore. I hit it in one.”

CARMELLA CARLISI

LINES

Seabreeze topples FPC in girls bowling battle

Flagler Palm Coast girls bowling coach Laura Oliva made sure to reschedule the Aug. 30 match with Seabreeze that had been canceled because of the hurricane.

They rescheduled for Sept. 7, with Seabreeze winning the match 5-2 at Palm Coast Lanes.

“Seabreeze is a No. 1 team. It was our third match of the week, but I wanted the girls to see that level of competition,” Oliva said.

MATANZAS BOYS, GIRLS PLACE 5TH

The Matanzas boys and girls cross country teams both finished fifth at the Coach Joe McKinney Classic on Sept. 9 in New Smyrna Beach.

Seabreeze’s boys were sixth.

Mainland’s girls were seventh.

Spruce Creek’s Mackenzie and Arianna Roy finished first and second in the girls race with times of 18:20.3 and

18:37.6, respectively.

Matanzas’ Sierra Howard ran her best time of the season with a 20:33.8 to place ninth, while the Pirates’ Nina Rodriguez was 16th with her best time of the season at 21:29.1. Matanzas freshman

Noemi Malinowski finished 21st with a personal record

21:56.5. Kiera Williams led Mainland with a 25th-place finish in 22:05.7.

Seabreeze sophomore

Hunter Shuler finished ninth in the boys race with a time of 16:59.8, which was just 1.3 seconds off his personal record that he set the previous week in Ocala.

Matanzas sophomore

Blaine Vogel (17:04.7) was 12th. Chris Murdock of First Baptist in Bunnell ran a PR 17:13.8 to finish 15th.

Lake Mary won the girls team title, while Orlando Boone won the boys team title.

The Sandcrabs and Bulldogs split the individual games, with Seabreeze winning two of three Baker games and winning the point for total pins with 28 more than FPC.

“I’m pleased they only beat us by 28 pins,” Oliva said.

FPC was the first team this season to score points off Seabreeze, which has defeated its six opponents by an aggregate score of 40-2. FPC has been almost as good, with an aggregate score off 44-5.

Oliva was pleased with her bowlers’ enthusiasm against the Sandcrabs. She told them to stay positive, and she was happy with the results.

“We cheered every time, not just for strikes and spares,” she said.

Seabreeze improved to 6-0 with another 7-0 win over Atlantic on

Sept. 11. FPC improved to 6-1 with a 7-0 win over DeLand.

Bulldogs senior Emma Pezzulo leads all girls bowlers in the district

BUCS RALLY PAST BARTRAM TRAIL

Mainland held on to its No.

1 MaxPreps football ranking in Class 3S with a 28-24 win over Class 4S No. 5 Bartram Trail on Sept. 8.

Rodney Hill scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns for the Bucs, who improved to 3-0. The Bears (2-1) led 24-14 at the end of the third quarter. Hill’s 8-yard touchdown run pulled the visitors to within a field goal at 24-21. He then rumbled 43 yards for a score to put Mainland ahead with 3:44 remaining.

Khamani Robinson also had two long touchdown runs for the Bucs, scoring from 67 and 57 yards. Mainland will return home on Friday, Sept. 15, for a game against Jacksonville Raines (2-0).

SEABREEZE’S HAYES TOSSES 4 TD PASSES

with a 233.13 average.

“Emma is bowling her best ever,” Oliva said. “She is knocking it out of the park every time.”

Seabreeze’s Kara Beissel is second in the district with a 219 average, while Seabreeze’s Stacey Spaulding is third with a 212.6.

Four other Seabreeze bowlers — Breanna Hess, Madison Kuenning, Hailey Halcomb and Katelyn Miller — also rank among the top eight in the district.

Seabreeze’s boys are also 6-0 after wins over FPC and Atlantic. The Sandcrabs blanked the Bulldogs 7-0. DeLand also topped FPC to drop the Bulldogs’ record to 5-2.

Like the Sandcrabs’ girls team, the boys have dominated with a 40-2 aggregate score.

Seabreeze’s Dalton Boice leads the district with a 244 average, while Brayden Barnes is third at 215. Jeremy Batt and Eliot Oliva leave the Bulldogs with a 186 and a 180 average, respectively.

Seabreeze’s offense got rolling for the first time this season but its defense struggled for the second straight week in a 64-36 loss to University at Daytona Stadium.

Hayden Hayes threw four touchdown passes — two to Tyrone Cordare. Denali Campbell scored on a 91yard kick return to put the Sandcrabs up 22-19 with 1:35 left in the first quarter. Campbell also caught a 58-yard touchdown pass on third-and-14.

Landon Smith scored on a 76-yard catch and run, and Drew McInerney kicked a 43yard field goal.

The Sandcrabs (0-3) will have a week off to make corrections. They’ll travel to DeLand on Sept. 22.

Email Associate Editor Brent Woronoff at brent@observerlocalnews.com

By Luis Campos

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“PV’HH FHPFOG CDKDX JCV CVXDVG DE 9/11. ... PV ZHVTUV JCFJ PV PRHH KVIVX EDXUVJ JCVRX GFLXRERLV.”

ZXVG. UVDXUV P. AMGC

Puzzle One Clue: M equals U

“RN RG’Z COIUG NAY CO, RG MRFF HO. GXAZO MAYLZ IYO CV CIUGYI RU FRNO, IUL RG XIZ UOBOY FOG CO LAMU.”

KOUURNOY XTLZAU

Puzzle Two Clue: A equals Z

“V’N UROYJU GJ R BVN REN CPRZ KVOY CRCJU CPREJW OYRE GJ R ARE REN CPRZ KVOY R KIARE’W YJRUO.”

VUVWY WVEFJU EVRPP YIURE

Puzzle Three Clue: Z equals Y

© 2023 NEA, Inc.

BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE by Aaron Rosenberg, edited by Jeff Chen

Photos by Brent Woronoff

FPC’s Emma Pezzulo has the highest girls average in the district, with a 233.13.

Seabreeze's Kara Beissel bowled a 212 against FPC.

REAL ESTATE

House in Hammock Dunes tops sales list in Flagler

Ahouse in Hammock Dunes was the top real estate transaction for July 27 to Aug. 2 in Palm Coast and Flagler County. Craig Moore, of Palm Coast, sold 85 Calle Del Sur to John and Sharon Binkley, of Palm Coast, for $4,200,000. Built in 2007, the house is a 4/6.5 and has an elevator, a dunewalk, a pool, a hot tub, a fireplace and 7,682 square feet of space.

ALEXIS MILLER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Condos Richard and Joyce Young, of Grayling, Michigan, sold 60 Surfview Drive, Unit 818, to Marion Liotta, of Palm Coast, for $665,000. Built in 2004, the condo is a 3/2.5 and has 1,640 square feet. It sold in 2011 for $260,000.

William and Patricia Daniel, as trustees, sold 2450 North Ocean Shore Blvd., Unit 215, to Russell and Lynda Hatfield, of Flagler Beach, for $820,000. Built in 3/3 and has 1,919 square feet. It sold in 2016 for $480,000.

PALM COAST

Armand Beach East

Alan and Lynne Jackson, of Centerville, Massachusetts, sold 3 Laurel Lane to Robert David Jarowski and Jennifer Herold, of Palm Coast, for $482,000. Built in 1995, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,708 square feet. It sold in 2003 for $265,000.

Bayside

Wick Palm Development LLC,

Find your notices online at: ObserverLocalNews.com, FloridaPublicNotices.com and BusinessObserverFL.com

of Greenwood Village, Colorado, sold 62 Ballenger Lane to Donna Lee Malinski, of Palm Coast, for $340,000. Built in 2022, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,721 square feet.

Cypress Knoll Peter and Bethann Ells, of Palm Coast, sold 54 Esperanto Drive to Jose Miguel Rodriguez, of Palm Coast, for $395,000. Built in 2020, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,838 square feet.

Easthampton Align Development, LLC, of Jacksonville, sold 27 Emerson Drive to Andrew Jackson, Jr., of Palm Coast, for $335,000. Built in 2015, the house is a 4/2 and has 2,210 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $285,000.

Grand Haven Village Edward Bruce Avena and Sandra Ann Avena, of Oswego, Illinois, sold 2 Village View Way to Arthur Moscola, of Palm Coast, for $625,500. Built in 2004, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace, a pool, an outdoor kitchen and 2,159 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $365,000.

Evelyn Dandy, of Palm Coast, sold 14 Sandpiper Court to BMZ Investments LLC, of Moweaqua, Illinois, for $465,000. Built in 2005, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 1,868 square feet.

Hidden Lakes Steven and Sandra Batton, of Ormond Beach, sold 33 New Leatherwood Drive to William and Patricia Daniel, of Palm Coast, for $940,000. Built in 2020, the house is a 4/3.5 and has a pool, a hot tub and 2,745 square feet of living space. The house sold in 2020 for $535,000.

Indian Trails National Home Corporation, of Roswell, Georgia, sold 122 Bressler Lane to 122 Bressler, LLC, of St. Augustine, for $287,000. Built in 2022, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,517 square feet.

Lehigh Woods Seagate Homes, LLC, of Palm Coast, sold 70 Riverina Drive to Ronda Jones, of Palm Coast, for $358,900. Built in 2023, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,832 square feet.

Steven Carnes, as trustee, sold 53 Ryder Drive to Palm Coast Portfolio, LLC, of Thousand Oaks, California, for $285,000. Built in 2003, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace and 1,662 square feet. It sold in 2003 for $119,500.

Ocean Hammock Lutz and Christa Thurm, as trustees, sold 24 Atlantic Place to Matthew Riley and Cristyn Carlson, as trustees, for $1,390,000. Built in 2015, the house is a 4/3.5 and has a pool, a hot tub, a fireplace, an outdoor kitchen and 3,583 square feet.

Palm Harbor Roger Molloy and Ruth Martin Molloy, of St. Augustine, sold 9 Campbell Court to ANJ Holdings Bravo, LLC, of Mansfield, Texas, for $490,000. Built in 1973, the house is a 2/2 and has a boat dock and 1,397 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $440,000.

Brett and Nicole Rabbat, of Palm Coast, sold 3 Fairmont Lane to Jose Garcia Guerra, of Palm Coast, for $580,000. Built in 2020, the house is a 5/3 and has 2,938 square feet.

Seagate Homes, LLC, of Palm Coast, sold 37 Fleetwood Drive to David Mucciarello, of Hamilton, New Jersey, for $392,900. Built in 2023, the house is a 3/2.5 and has 1,992 square feet.

Shorelink Properties, LLC, of Palm Coast, sold 21 Fernmill Lane to Kim Robert Halat and Ewa Henryka Halat, of Palm Coast, for $449,500. Built in 1997, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 1,707 square feet. It sold in 2023 for $270,000.

Palm Island Melinda Iannillo, of Palm Coast,

PUBLIC NOTICES

person’s right to request an administrative determination (hearing) under Sections 120.569 and 120.57, F.S., or to intervene in this proceeding and participate as a party to it. Any subsequent intervention (in a proceeding initiated by another party) will be only at the discretion of the presiding officer upon the filing of a motion in compliance with Rule 28-106.205, F.A.C.

A petition that disputes the material facts on which the Department’s action is based must contain the following information:

Tommy D. and Barbara F. Tant, Eric Johannessen, Edith C. and Thomas M. Reilly, and Lake and Resort Properties, LLC. (Lake and Resort Properties, LLC subsequently transferred its property interest to Commercial Properties, LLC). The permit, numbered FL-479 AR, authorizes erection of an anchored sheetpile bulkhead and associated backfill of approximately 2,000 cubic yards between approximately 220 feet south and 305 feet north of the Department of Environmental Protection’s reference monument R-54 in Flagler County. The project address is 3295, 3299, 3303, 3309, 3311, 3319, 3323, 3335 and 3341 North Oceanshore Boulevard, Flagler Beach. The application is available for public inspection during normal business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except legal holidays, at Department of Environmental Regulation Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, 2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 3522, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400. The Department has received a petition for an administrative proceeding (hearing) on the Department’s issuance of the permit. The administrative hearing process is designed to formulate agency action. Accordingly, the Department’s final action may be different from the proposed agency action and may result in the issuance of a permit as requested by the applicants or as modified in the course of the proceeding or by settlement. The petition has been given DOAH Case Number 23-2785. The Department’s agency action in DOAH Case Number 23-2785 shall become final unless a timely petition for an administrative hearing is filed under Sections 120.569 and 120.57, F.S., before the deadline for filing a petition. The procedures for petitioning for a hearing are set forth below. A person whose substantial interests are affected by the Department’s agency action may petition for an administrative proceeding (hearing) under Sections 120.569 and 120.57, F.S. The petition must contain the information set forth below and must be filed (received) in the Office of General Counsel of the Department at 3900 Commonwealth Boulevard, Mail Station 35, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000. Petitions filed by any persons other than those entitled to written notice under Section 120.60(3), F.S. must be filed within twenty-one days of publication of the notice or receipt of the written notice, whichever occurs first. In addition to filing a copy of the petition with the Office of General Counsel as stated above, the petitioner shall mail a copy of the petition to the applicants at the time of filing. The applicants’ address is Akerman LLP, Attention Silvia Alderman, 201 E. Park Avenue, Suite 300, Tallahassee, FL 32301. The failure of any person to file a petition within the appropriate time period shall constitute a waiver of that

(a) The name and address of each agency affected and each agency’s file or identification number, if known;

(b) The name, address, any e-mail address, any facsimile number, and telephone number of the petitioner, if the petitioner is not represented by an attorney or a qualified representative; the name, address, and telephone number of the petitioner’s represen tative, if any, which shall be the address for service purposes during the course of the proceeding; and an explanation of how the petitioner’s substantial interests will be affected by the agency determination;

(c) A statement of when and how the petitioner received notice of the agency decision;

(d) A statement of all disputed issues of material fact. If there are none, the petition must so indicate;

(e) A concise statement of the ultimate facts alleged, including the specific facts the petitioner contends warrant reversal or modification of the agency’s proposed action;

(f) A statement of the specific rules or statutes the petitioner contends require reversal or modification of the agency’s proposed action, including an explanation of how the al leged facts relate to the specific rules or statutes; and

(g) A statement of the relief sought by the petitioner, stating precisely the action petitioner wishes the agency to take with respect to the agency’s proposed action. A petition that does not dispute the material facts on which the Department’s action is based shall state that no such facts are in dispute and otherwise shall contain the same information as set forth above, as required by Rule 28106.301, F.A.C. Because the administrative hearing process is designed to formulate final agency action, the filing of a petition means that the Department’s final action may be different from the position taken by it in this notice. Persons whose substantial interests will be affected by any such final decision of the Department have the right to petition to become a party to the proceeding, in accordance with the requirements set forth above. Mediation is not available in this proceeding. Persons seeking to protect their substantial interests that would be affected by such a modified final decision

sold 144 Palm Circle to Elaine Davis Branton, of Hiddenite, North Carolina, For $675,000. Built in 1961, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool, a boat dock and 1,408 square feet. It sold in 1996 for $90,000.

Pine Grove

Fin Homes LLC, of Jacksonville, sold 43 Prattwood Lane to Sein Myint, Sr., of Palm Coast, for $450,000. Built in 2006, the house is a 4/2.5 and has 3,105 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $290,000.

Pine Lakes

SI Homes RCL, LLC, of Jacksonville, sold 85 Westrobin Lane to Lewinshy Gilot, Marie Gilot Labbe and Clerveau Gilot, of Palm Coast, for $338,000. Built in 2023, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,617 square feet.

Sawmill Branch

D.R. Horton, Inc., of St. Johns, sold 15 Summerwood Road S. to Adam Joseph LaDuca and Dionna Kuzmiw, of Palm Coast, for $309,300. Built in 2023, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,714 square feet.

D.R. Horton, Inc., of St. Johns, sold 38 Summerwood Road S. to Marcus Delano Clark and Sheleena Taylor, of Palm Coast, for $329,100. Built in 2023, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,862 square feet.

The Trails

D.R. Horton Inc., of St. Johns, sold 185 Redbud Road to Isidoro and Sally Cavallaro, of Palm Coast, for $248,000. Built in 2023, the house is a 2/2.5 and has 1,442 square feet. Toby Tobin, of gotoby.com, contributed to this report.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

must file their petitions within twenty-one days of publication of this notice, or they shall be deemed to have waived their right to a proceeding under Sections 120.569 and 120.57, F.S. Any party to a final order has the right to seek judicial review of it under Section 120.68, F.S., by filing a notice of appeal under rule 9.110 of the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure with the clerk of the Department in the Office of General Counsel, Mail Station 35, 3900

Commonwealth Boulevard, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000, and by filing a copy of the notice of appeal accompanied by the applicable filing fees with the appropriate district court of appeal. The notice of appeal must be filed within thirty days after a final order is filed with the clerk of the Department. September 14, 2023 23-00226F

23, 2023

27, 2023

11, 2023

FIRST INSERTION PHYSICIAN TERMINATING PRACTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to § 456.058, Fla. Stat. and Rule 64B810.002, F.A.C., that Madhu Unnikrishnan, MD will no longer be seeing patients with Florida Cancer Specialists, P.L., d/b/a

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA GENERAL JURISDICTION DIVISION CASE NO. 2023 CA 000540 LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC, Plaintiff, vs. MELISSA C. ROCKWOOD AND JOHN PARAGIOS, et al.

Defendant(s).

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated August 2, 2023, and entered in 2023 CA 000540 of the Circuit Court of the SEVENTH Judicial Circuit in and for Flagler County, Florida, wherein LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC is the Plaintiff and MELISSA C. ROCKWOOD; JOHN PARAGIOS; THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ON BEHALF OF THE SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT; ENERBANK USA; GULF STATES CONTRACTOR SERVICES, INC. are the Defendant(s). TOM W. BEXLEY as the Clerk of the Circuit Court will sell to the highest and best bidder for cash at https:// flagler.realforeclose.com, at 11:00 AM, on October 06, 2023, the following described property as set forth in said Final Judgment, to wit: LOT 9, BLOCK 89, SUBDIVISION PLAT ROYAL PALMS - SECTION-32 PALM COAST, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF, AS RECORDED IN MAP BOOK 10, PAGE 54 THROUGH 66, INCLUSIVE, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA.

LN, PALM COAST, FL 32164 Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from the sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the lis pendens must file a claim in accordance with Florida Statutes, Section 45.031. IMPORTANT AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. If you are a person with a disability who needs an accommodation in order to access court facilities or participate in a court proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. To request such an accommodation, please contact Court Administration in advance of the date the service is needed: Court Administration, 101 N. Alabama Ave., Ste D-305, Deland, FL 32724, (386) 257-6096. Hearing or voice impaired, please call 711. Dated this 11 day of September, 2023. ROBERTSON, ANSCHUTZ, SCHNEID, CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC Attorney for Plaintiff 6409 Congress Ave., Suite 100 Boca Raton, FL 33487 Telephone: 561-241-6901 Facsimile: 561-997-6909 Service Email: flmail@raslg.com By: \S\Danielle Salem Danielle Salem, Esquire Florida Bar No. 0058248 Communication Email: dsalem@raslg.com 23-107206 - NaC September 14, 21, 2023 23-00149G FIRST INSERTION

FIRST INSERTION

District Manager

September 14, 2023

23-00228F

Florida Relay Service at 7-11, or 800-955-8771 (TTY)/800-955-8770 (Voice), for aid in contacting the District Office. Each person who decides to appeal any action taken by the Board at these meetings is advised that person will need a record of the proceedings and accordingly, the person may need to ensure a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, including the testimony and evidence upon which such appeal is to be based.

Bob Koncar District Manager September 21, 2023 23-00225F

July 22, 2024

August 26, 2024

September 23, 2024

be specified on the record at the meeting. A copy of the agenda for these meetings may be obtained from 250 International Pakway, Suite 208, Lake Mary, Florida 32746 or by calling (321) 263-0132. There may be occasions when one or more Supervisors or staff will participate by telephone. Pursuant to provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations at this meeting because of a disability or physical impairment should contact the District Office at (877) 276-0889 at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the Florida Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1, or 1-800955-8771 (TTY) / 1-800-955-8770 (Voice), for aid in contacting the District Office. A person who decides to appeal any decision made at the meeting with respect to any matter considered at the meeting is advised that person will need a record of the proceedings and that accordingly, the person may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, including the testimony and evidence upon which such appeal is to be based.

Manager

Photo courtesy of Sherron Skibo/ Watson Realty Corp