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Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

VOLUME 6, NO. 4

VETERAN OF THE YEAR PAGE 3 FREE

• NOVEMBER 2021

No more butts! New recycling program in Flagler Beach MATTHEW P. DOUGHNEY FLAGLER BEACH POLICE CHIEF

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According to the Truth Initiative, since the 1980s, cigarette have the distinction of being the most littered item on earth, with about 4.5 trillion cigarettes discarded each year. The filters of cigarettes are made of plastic and are not biodegradable. The filters store enough nicotine, heavy metals and other chemicals from the cigarettes to kill fish and marine animals that live in the waters where the tossed butts release toxins. The city of Flagler Beach is no exception, and cigarette filters are the most prevalent item collected during monthly beach clean-up efforts. In a proactive effort to address this issue in our city, Flagler Beach Commissioner Ken Bryan recently secured a grant to receive 75 metal receptacles from Cigarette Litter Prevention Program. The grant is administered by Jacksonville Beaches Go Green, a nonprofit part of Keep America Beautiful. “I initially asked for 50 receptacles, but after explaining the areas of concern and describing how much cigarette trash we pick up during the city beach clean-up programs, I was given 75,” Bryan said. Volunteers are mounting the metal recycling boxes at numerous locations around Flagler Beach, to include the Pier entrance, boardwalk, city parks and local businesses. The recycling boxes are being installed at/or near waist height. Volunteers and city sanitation staff will empty the boxes into containers donated by the Turtle Shack Cafe. Once they’re collected, the cigarette butts will be shipped to TerraCycle, a recycling company located in Trenton, New Jersey. TerraCycle has patented technology that recycles cigarette butts into plastic pellets used by manufacturers to build park benches, decking material and shipping pallets, among other items. GPS technology is being utilized by the city to assist in locating all the receptacles for follow-up disposal by the volunteers. According to Litter in America, the Keep America Beautiful National study of littering behavior, shows that just one cigarette butt receptacle decreases the amount of cigarette litter by 9% in a respective area. Look for the new receptacles in Flagler Beach and please encourage your smoker friends to use them. Keep Flagler Beach Clean: no ifs, ands or butts! For additional information, contact Commissioner Ken Bryan at kbryan@cityofflaglerbeach.com.

This photo was taken before Hurricane Matthew chopped off 160 feet from the end of the pier in 2016.

Once and future

pier F

lagler Beach’s iconic wood pier will be replaced with a new, concrete one in the same footprint, city commissioners decided during a special

hundreds of fervent spectators lining the shore. The parade, one of the community’s most highly anticipated events, is now in its 38th year. Four generations of Palm Coasters have enjoyed this unique annual celebration, now considered the largest boat parade in Central Florida. The parade would not exist were it not for the enthusiastic participation of boaters from all over Palm Coast and neighboring communities, the numbers growing year after year. It all began in 1984 with a group of boaters who would soon form the Palm Coast Yacht Club. The second year, ITT made it a contest with a grand prize of a trip to Italy. But the club soon echewed that format and offered it as an event purely in the spirit of a happily noncompetitive sharing of community holiday spirit. This year, boaters and party organizers are already mobilizing. This year the parade hopes to attract not only the many boaters who populate Palm Coast, but also representatives from the city’s local clubs and service organizations participating with boats decorated to reflect their activities and missions. This year, the now-famous articulated “shark” may not be back, but something equally

exciting is expected, as well as the ever-popular holiday tableaux and Santa Clauses bringing up the end of the parade in the tradition of the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. Departing from the Cimmaron Basin, the parade will pass the Tidelands, Marina Cove, the Hammock, Yacht Harbor Village and the Palm Coast Legacy Vacation Resort. It will then proceed under the Hammock Dunes Bridge along St. Joe Walkway and Canopy Walk, pass by Island Estates, Waterfront Park and Grand Haven before dispersing at the Clubhouse Waterway. The parade will be escorted by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, Tow Boat US, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Parking continues to be available near European Village for viewing along St. Joe Walkway, Canopy Walk and at Waterfront Park. This year, spectator parking will not be available at Waterfront Park due to an ongoing city construction project to enhance water-based activities. As always, participation in the parade is free, but registration is required. Contact Robert Ulis at 386-283-5166 or at srulis00@gmail.com. Visit www.palmcoastyachtclub. com. Rain date is Dec. 19.

NEWS EDITOR

A ballet of boats Palm Coast Holiday Boat Parade: under a full moon Dec. 18

SARAH ULIS GUEST WRITER

At about 5 o’clock, it begins: a sedate drift of boats scattering lights across the water in Palm Coast’s Cimarron Basin. It is Dec. 18, 2021, the beginning of the Palm Coast Boat Parade. As twilight deepens the sky, more boaters begin to draw their boats into the gathering area, exchanging hearty greetings as they glide past one another in polite aquatic do-si-dos. Along the Intracoastal Waterway, even more boats have assembled. At 6 o’clock, lights flashing, the sheriff’s boat sets forth and guides the parade out onto the Intracoastal Waterway. A majestic line of decorated boats, cruisers and sail boats interspersed with canoes and kayaks begins its serene procession down a black velvet corridor of lights. Under a moon-bright sky, boat horns blast in response to tooting car horns and cheering from

Flagler Beach to replace pier with new $12.5 million concrete version meeting Oct. 27. The new pier will be 800 feet long — the length the current one had been before Hurricane Matthew lopped 160 feet off its end in 2016. “There’s $10 million in Tallahassee waiting for us to pull the trigger,” City Manager

JONATHAN SIMMONS

Courtesy photo by Eric Jordan

William Whitson said on Flagler Broadcasting’s “Free For All Friday” program Oct. 29. To build the replacement, the city plans to use $10 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency grant SEE ONCE PAGE 6

Holiday at the Beach Parade: Dec. 4 MATTHEW P. DOUGHNEY FLAGLER BEACH POLICE CHIEF

The Flagler Beach “Holiday at the Beach” parade will be Saturday, Dec. 4, at 1 p.m. The holiday parade in 2020 was canceled due to COVID-19, and this year’s parade will be slightly shorter in length than previous parades, as a precaution for the delta variant. Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston stated: “This year will be magical in Flagler Beach, as we have all been waiting to return to normalcy. ... Everyone looks forward to kicking off the holiday season with a skydiving Santa!” This year’s holiday parade will be organized by the Rotary Club of Flagler Beach. The parade will be limited to 50 entrants, and registration for the parade can be done online at the following website: https://www. needsconnector.com/holidayatthebeach. Contact Sues Alexander at 770-910-0359.

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NOVEMBER 2021

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Palm Coast Rowing Club wins medals at Gatorhead Regatta Kenny Logan (FPC) and Aspen Savel (Matanzas) took home a bronze medal.

Courtesy photo

Kenny Logan and Aspen Savel.

JOANI McCULLOUGH GUEST WRITER

The Palm Coast Rowing Club’s Junior rowers made their debut splash at the annual Gatorhead Regatta Saturday, Oct. 23, in Gainesville. The doubles team of Kenny Logan (Flagler Palm Coast High School) and Aspen Savel (Matanzas High School) took home a bronze medal. They are both high school seniors. Lenny Leighton, a Matanzas freshman, participated in multiple events. A big thank you to Designs For Health for their generous contribution to our youth program. Ricker Alford won a gold medal in the adult men’s master singles. Other Palm Coast club members competing included Tom Broward Hurry, Robin Jaeger and Roger Kohler. Palm Coast Rowing Club welcomes the community to participate and strives to meet the diverse needs of anyone who wants to row. For more information on how you can get involved, visit www.PalmCoastRowingClub.com.

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HAMMOCK OBSERVER

NOVEMBER 2021

MEET YOUR VETERANS RICHARD BOLLEURS Bolleurs, 46, served in the Army for 22 years, retiring in 2015 as a chief warrant officer 2. He did a tour in Iraq. His last position was as an accountable property officer. “Everyone sends their orders to us, and we ship them out,” he said. “I call it the Amazon of the military.” In Iraq, he was in badging control, doing background checks and vetting people who wanted access to U.S. operations or bases, even if they were in the State Department, he said. Bolleurs has lived in Palm Coast since December 2020. Tom Piekarski accepts the challenge coin in a handshake from Randy Stapleford.

Photos by Brent Woronoff

Serving those who served Flagler County Veteran of the Year Tom Piekarski continues a fast pace. BRENT WORONOFF STAFF WRITER

Tom Piekarski served in three branches of the military. As a volunteer, he is equally ambitious. Piekarski received the Col. Gary E. DeKay Flagler County Veteran of the Year Award at the Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11, at the Government Services Building. In accepting the award, Piekarski, 72, urged people to help those who have served their country. “It’s our duty to assist our veterans,” he said. “Veterans sacrifice a great deal to serve our country. Let’s continue to honor our veterans by becoming active veterans club members and help when you can.” Piekarski is active in many service organizations. He is junior vice commander at the Palm Coast Veterans of Foreign Wars, assistant chaplain at the Palm Coast Disabled American Veterans, a member at large in the American Legion, a member of the Flagler County Veterans Advisory Council and a member of the Flagler County Volunteers. The Veterans Day ceremony began with the posting of colors by veterans service organizations and a joint Color Guard from the Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas high schools’ Junior ROTC programs. Lt. Col. Harry Gilman, a retired Army chaplain, delivered the invocation and benediction. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Navy veteran Earl Presley performed the national anthem. Randall Scott Morris, who served in Vietnam and is a member of the Flagler Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, was the special guest speaker. A staff sergeant in the Army, Morris was awarded the

WE SALUTE YOU The following organizations participated in Veterans Day ceremony: American Legion Post 115 Combat Veterans of America Marine Corps League 876, Military Officers Association of America Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8696 Disabled American Veterans Chapter 86 Flagler County Veterans Service Office Knights of Columbus Assembly 2810 Marine Corps League 876 Military Officers Association of America, Flagler chapter Flagler Palm Coast High School Air Force JROTC and Matanzas High School Army JROTC Scout troops from across Flagler County 2K Ranch

The oldest veteran at the barbecue, 93-year-old John Vidota, who served in the Third Army under General Eisenhower in World War II, was the first person to cut the cake.

LARRY WOLFE Wolfe, 75, retired from the Army in 1972 after 2.5 years of active duty and six years in the reserves. He was an operating room technician at Fort Sam Houston. But that did not end his service. Wolfe was a Washington, D.C., firefighter for 28 years. Since moving to Palm Coast three years ago, he has been a volunteer for the Flagler Beach Fire Department. “I like serving the people,” Wolfe said. Army veteran Larry Wolfe

Randall Scott Morris wears a replica uniform of the one worn by his fourth greatgrandfather, Lt. Andrew Putnam.

The combined Junior ROTC programs at Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast high schools served as the Color Guard.

Bronze Star while in the service. Morris wore a replica of the uniform worn by his fourth great grandfather, Lt. Andrew Putnam, who

Army veteran Richard Bolleurs

fought in the American Revolution. Morris noted that Veterans Day is a time to honor those in the military who have served our nation, but he added that everyone who is a family member of a veteran has also sacrificed. Piekarski, who is one of 11 children, said he was inspired by his parents, who volunteered in many veterans organizations. His three daughters all serve their communities in some way, he said, as does his wife, Eileen. Following the ceremony, the city of Palm Coast served a free barbecue lunch to veterans and their families at Central Park in Town Center. Mayor David Alfin noted there are about 12,000 veterans in Palm Coast. “Few duties as mayor mean more to me than recognizing our veterans,” he said. “We civilians don’t know all of you, but we owe all of you.” After lunch was served, the oldest and youngest veterans in attendance cut a sheet cake. The first to wield the sword was John Vidota, 93, who served in the Third Army under Gen. Dwight Eisenhower in World War II. Mikal George, 21, a Marine veteran, was the youngest.

ORAL GROVES Groves, an Army veteran, served in the 169th Engineer Battalion in Vietnam. He was a power production specialist. “We did depot repair on power generators,” he said. “In Saigon, every installation had a power plant. I was also a substitute operator, and the things I saw stationed at the hospital were wrenching — guys with no limbs. That’s why I continue to serve at a number of organizations.” Groves is a procurement officer for the Disabled American Veterans.

Vietnam veteran Oral Groves

TOMMY TUCKER III The Air Force veteran served in Thailand during the Vietnam War. He retired as a master sergeant after 26 years of active duty and 22 years of civil service, also with the Air Force. His son, Tommy Tucker IV, also served, retiring after 21 years. Now, he works for the Veterans Administration in Crestview. Before moving to Palm Coast six years ago, Tommy Tucker III was an information assurance officer at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. “I kept an eye on our network, making sure the bad boys stayed home,” he said. Tucker said the computer network supported 2,000 airmen and 5,000 civilians. Air Force veteran Tommy Tucker

TOM PIEKARSKI The Flagler County Veteran of the Year began his military career in the Navy. He was stationed in the Philippines during the Vietnam War. He retired from the Air Force and had time in the Army too, he said. “I spent a lot of my life around helicopters,” he said. “An Army Aviation unit in the Philippines, all helicopters. A search and rescue unit in the Air Force, that was helicopters.”

Tom Piekarski urges people to help serve their communities.

HAMMOCK OBSERVER

PalmCoastObserver.com

NOVEMBER 2021

School Board cuts the word ‘equity’ in draft plan Goal No. 2 in the plan will be retitled as ‘Student Support.’ BRENT WORONOFF STAFF WRITER

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“Equity” had been the title for Goal No. 2 of the new Strategic Plan that the Flagler County school district has been drafting. The goal won’t change. But the title will. The School Board agreed to change the goal’s title from “Equity” to “Student Support.” At an Oct. 19 workshop, School Board member Jill Woolbright said a “large constituency group” objected to the word equity, primarily as it is used among the “guiding principles” in the district’s rezoning process. Woolbright also noted that it was a goal title in the draft for the Strategic Plan. At the School Board’s Nov. 2 workshop, Superintendent Cathy Mittlestadt offered the alternative title for Goal No. 2, based on previous discussion and public comments during School Board meetings. “What it means is to be deliberate with our resources to be sure that every student has an opportunity to be successful,” Mittelstadt said. “I heard some dialogue among the board, and we had it in public comments. I want to make sure we’re landing where we need to land. It does not change where we need to go and what we need to do by amending the title. But the intent by district staff … is because we feel Flagler Schools has certain subgroups within our demographic

File photo

School Board member Jill Woolbright.

where our gaps have just not closed, and we wanted to be so intentional on how we move our work forward.” Woolbright said that because of the perception of

the word, “whether misunderstood or not,” there’s still a concern, and she was in favor of changing the title. “We are here to represent all our constituents,” she said. “It’s always the context,” board member Janet McDonald said, noting that equity “has become such an inflammatory word.” Board member Cheryl Massaro said she did not have a problem changing the title, giving the new title a majority of support from the board. “Equity is such a misinterpreted phrase. It fits whatever people want it to fit,” Massaro said. “Probably, a change of language will make life much easier and more understandable to our families and that’s our goal.” But board member Colleen Conklin called the change

WORKSHOP TO FOCUS ON MEDIA CENTER MATERIAL, PROCEDURES What started with School Board member Jill Woolbright raising some parents’ concerns about a fifth-grade English Language Arts passage focusing on Black Lives Matter turned into a call for a workshop on district media center policy and procedures. At the Nov. 2 agenda workshop, Woolbright asked LaShakia Moore, the district’s director for teaching and learning, if there is a handbook for media center specialists. There is not, Moore said. Woolbright then called for a workshop to discuss library book lists and media center proce-

dures. Woolbright and Janet McDonald were in favor of the workshop, while Cheryl Massaro and Colleen Conklin were against holding one. Board Chair Trevor Tucker said, “I’d like students to read everything, whether I agree with it or not. ... I personally don’t want to go down a road where a media specialist or someone says this is a list of books we can have, this is a list of books we can’t have. I hate that idea personally.” But Tucker agreed to the workshop, casting the deciding vote, “so it’s out there in the public.”

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HAMMOCK OBSERVER

NOVEMBER 2021

Bus drivers, other staff may get pay increases

“Equity is such a misinterpreted phrase. It fits whatever people want it to fit.” CHERYL MASSARO, School Board member

Paraprofessionals may also receive raises that have been agreed to by district and union negotiators. BRENT WORONOFF

File photo

The school district and union have agreed to pay increases for bus drivers, paraprofessionals and other support staff.

STAFF WRITER

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REMEMBRANCE WALK HONORS JIM EGAN A remembrance walk was held Nov. 6 at Central Park in Town Center for local school bus driver Jim Egan. Egan, who died in a motorcycle crash on Oct. 5, drove the bat bus to Matanzas High and Belle Terre Elementary. Geri Drayton, Egan’s supervisor, presented a framed picture to Egan’s wife, Sue, from his fellow bus drivers. The picture included a photo of fellow drivers standing by Jim Egan’s bus and the original bat sign from the bus.

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Flagler Schools’ paraprofessionals and school bus drivers will receive raises, pending School Board approval. The Flagler Educational Support Professional Association members accepted the raises in a union-wide vote Nov. 4. The school district and union negotiators had agreed to the raises in collective bargaining Nov. 1. Union members ratified the agreement with 74% of the vote in favor and 24% against, said FESPA president Brun Hudson. The School Board is expected to give its final approval at its regular monthly meeting Nov. 16. According to the agreement, starting bus drivers without previous experience will be paid $15 an hour, a raise of $1.42. Salaries for starting paraprofessionals will increase $2.96 an hour to $15. As a result, each pay step for drivers will also increase by $1.42 and each pay step for paraprofessionals will increase by $2.96 across the board. “That change in pay affects all 35 steps in each of those lanes,” Hudson said. Also, all other support staff employees will receive a raise of 66 cents an hour with minimum pay increasing to $11.75. All of the raises are retroactive to July 1. “Those two departments (bus drivers and paraprofessionals) are critical shortage areas that we have defined as three or less applicants for any particular job, and we are close to 30 behind (in those areas),” Paul Peacock, the district’s chief of operational services, told the School Board at an agenda workshop Nov. 2. Hudson and Peacock both noted that the agreement puts the school district ahead of the curve for Florida’s minimum wage adjustments, which increased to $10

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“shameful.” “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation,” Conklin said. “We are now going to remove a key term from our Strategic Plan because we have a political group that is not happy with the use of the term ‘equity.’ I think this conversation is ridiculous, and I’m obviously in the minority, but I think it’s a travesty.” Board Chair Trevor Tucker said he did not care either way whether the goal’s title was Equity or Student Support, but with three board members in favor of the change, there was a consensus. Mittelstadt explained the goal as “increasing access for all students to a high quality educational experience.” She added, “The matrix that we’re really targeting are students with disabilities, our free-, reduced-lunch population, the African American population. We’re looking to close those gaps that historically we’ve been flat with.” McDonald said the descriptor that puts the targeted groups in those categories is their low performance. “So, if we can keep it to an educational vocabulary, we wouldn’t have an issue, because it’s all about what they need to be successful, no matter what their packaging is, no matter what their orientation is,” McDonald said She added that “every side” takes the term equity in different ways and it is “undermining our focus for our district.” Other goal titles in the Strategic Plan include: Academics, Social and Emotional Well-Being, Talent, Operational Efficiency and Communications. A final document is expected to be submitted for School Board adoption on Nov. 16.

HAMMOCK OBSERVER

PalmCoastObserver.com

NOVEMBER 2021

Once and future pier CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

money it had won after the hurricane. It will have to raise an additional $2.5 million from other sources. The possibility of rebuilding the pier in concrete was the first of two options presented to the City Commission in a presentation at the meeting. Called Option A, it will retain the first 100 feet of the original wood pier, then rebuild the rest of the pier with concrete. It would take two to three years to build. It was the initial plan the city had presented to FEMA, and the one for which FEMA has offered $10 million. The second option, Option B, would have retained the original pier but built a new concrete pier on state land to its south. That would have meant undergoing a new environmental review and submitting new plans to FEMA, with the risk they’d be denied. The environmental assessment for Option B could add up to a year to the project, said Florida Division of Emergency Management Community Assistance Consultant Allison

Taylor. The state of Florida might also refuse to grant the city land on which to build the new pier. She warned that FEMA could revoke the grant money to the city if it feels the city isn’t making enough progress on the project. An added delay could increase the risk of losing the funding. “The further you get away, the ... more skeptical FEMA is of time extensions,” she said. Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord had similar concerns. “Whatever occurred between then and now, nothing has really happened,” he told commissioners. Federal officials, he said, are likely to take note of that. “There might be valid reasons for it, but that’s still on there.” As is, the city will have to request an extension. There would also be another complication with Option B, Lord noted: If the project cost runs over the ini-

File photos by Brian McMillan

tial estimate, the city could appeal to recoup that cost if it went with the original plan, Option A, but not if it changed plans and went with Option B. “You have $10 million, for lack of a better term, in the bank,” Lord said. “If you don’t do the original planned project ... you can’t go back and ask FEMA for more.” Commissioner Rick Belhumeur said he favored Option A so that the city could recoup money spent as a result of cost overruns. “Having built a few houses over the last several years, the cost of materials is going nuts, and I’m assuming the cost of labor is going to skyrocket as well,” he said. “To do Option B and keep what’s there now is going to cost us an outright fortune to maintain insurance.” Commissioner Ken Bryan, noting that he was a fisherman, favored Option A, with the shorter time to completion and less risk of losing the funding. Whitson suggested that the new concrete pier would be easier to insure than the wooden one. Commission Chairman Eric Cooley thought Option B would be too risky. “Option B is a volatile option,” Cooley said. “You’re gambling. You’re risking a lot. ... We just need to make sure we stay realistic with our expectations.” The commission voted unanimously to proceed with Option A and to have the city manager seek out the remaining funding required. The project will then proceed to the bidding process and to construction.

Image courtesy of Flagler Beach

Option A — the one the commission selected — will retain 100 feet of original pier, then demolish the remaining footprint of original pier and build a new concrete one in its place.

Florida Division of Emergency Management Community Assistance Consultant Allison Taylor warned that FEMA could revoke the grant money if it feels the city isn’t making enough progress on the pier. “The further you get away, the ... more skeptical FEMA is of time extensions,” she said.

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HAMMOCK OBSERVER

NOVEMBER 2021

Flagler confronts increase in domestic violence cases

JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

There were four domestic violence-related murders in Flagler County in 2017. That number prompted the Sheriff’s Office to create a task force dedicated to preventing and responding to domestic violence cases. For a while, domestic violence-related cases and injunction violations decreased. But COVID-19 seems to have reversed that trend, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said on Flagler Broadcasting’s “Free For All Friday” on Oct. 22. “Everything was going great: Domestic violence reports were down, arrests were down and then COVID came,” he said. This year, there’s been a 4% increase in reported domestic violence offenses and a 14% increase in arrests. The more notable rise in arrests, Staly said, “means it’s becoming more physical, because we’re able to determine who the aggressor is based on the evidence.” Violations of injunction have increased this year by 41%, Staly said. The reported numbers are presumably an undercount due to victims’ reluctance to report. Trish Giaccone, chief executive officer of the local domestic violence shelter called the Family Life Center, noted that victims are often financially dependent

on their abusers, and may be afraid of calling police who might then jail the family’s primary earner, or, by their presence, affect the family’s reputation. “There really is that reluctance, not only for the possibility of arrest, but also now the neighborhood is seeing law enforcement parked in front of their home,” Giaccone said. Staly recalled an incident early in his career as a deputy: A woman had called 911 because her husband was beating her. Staly and other deputies arrived, and the woman grabbed a glass lampshade and tried to hit Staly over the head with it. Such reactions aren’t uncommon. “The person that’s making the majority of the income is about to be arrested, and that’s not what they wanted,” Staly said. COVID-19-related job losses or reductions in work hours may have left some victims even more reliant on income from their abusers. Abusers often use finances in other ways to exert control over victims. Occasionally, Staly said, victims reach out to the Sheriff’s Office about financial or emotional abuse, but it’s hard to make an arrest in those cases. For clearer cases with physical violence, he said, the FCSO has a “pro-arrest policy” to keep violence from escalating. Giaccone said that preventing domestic violence starts young, with parents modeling healthy relationships. People who fear that their own relationship to a family

SEEKING HELP People seeking shelter from domestic abuse can call the Family Life Center’s hotline at 386437-3505. In emergency situations in which it isn’t safe to call 911 — for instance, an abuser is within earshot — use Flagler County’s textto-911 feature to contact law enforcement.

member is abusive should reach out to a mental health provider, she said. People who suspect that others in their lives may be victims of domestic violence can help by being willing to ask people about how their lives are going, she said. “Please don’t be afraid to ask someone how they’re doing and if they need support,” she said. If they do need help, she added, share the Family Life Center’s domestic violence hotline number: 386-437-3505. Sometimes, Staly said, victims might need to be asked more than once before they’re comfortable talking. “They may tell you everything is fine 15 times,” he said. “But the 16th time you ask that over the course of a few weeks or a couple of months, they might say, ‘You know, I really could use some help.’ And that’s when you get the Family Life Center involved, or law enforcement. ... We don’t like making these arrests, but what we don’t like worse is going to a serious crime or a homicide.”

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Flagler Beach restaurant Hang Ten closes permanently The restaurant’s former co-owner was arrested for child molestation. The restaurant has since received code-related complaints.

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The Hang Ten restaurant — formerly Jimmy’s Hang Ten — in Flagler Beach has closed, less than a year after it opened. Co-owner James Harris was arrested in July on charges of molesting a child. He is in jail with no bond, awaiting trial, and faces up to life in prison if convicted. His wife, Jayne Harris, with whom he’d co-owned the resPhoto by Jonathan Simmons taurant at the northern corner The Hang Ten restaurant after its closure of the intersection of State Road A1A and 12th Street South, took over as sole owner The restaurant had recently unacceptable,” while other and changed the restaurant’s drawn complaints from local residents said it played inapname from Jimmy’s Hang Ten residents and City Commis- propriately loud music. to Hang Ten. sion members. At an Oct. 14 Commissioners had disShe announced in a post commission meeting, Com- cussed how the restauon the restaurant’s Facebook missioner Ken Bryan called rant might be cited by Code page Nov. 1 that the restaurant the restaurant’s reliance on Enforcement staff for the is closing. portable bathrooms out- portable bathrooms and the “It is with an extremely side the building “absolutely music. heavy and broken heart that I am writing this,” she wrote. “Many of you know that the past four months have been “I have been working tirelessly to overcome extremely challenging for me multiple challenges in running Hang and my staff at Hang Ten. I have been working tirelessly Ten, but ultimately they proved to be to overcome multiple challenges in running Hang Ten, insurmountable and I therefore have but ultimately they proved to be insurmountable and no option other than to close effective I therefore have no option other than to close effective MINT Magazineimmediately.” 2013 v1 immediately.” ISSUE DATE: This is your only ad proof. Please review this ad carefully as it will be printed as it The post went on to thank MINT MagazineJAYNE HARRIS 2013 v1 the restaurant’s customers missed by you on this proof will not release you from any liabilities from m ISSUE the isMagazine Publisher. Color and position of adadorcarefully page placement is not DATE: and staff. This your only ad proof. Please review this as it will be printed as it Blinds #165100 guaranteed. Ads with coupons may have coupon placement

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