Ormond Beach Observer 08-21-25

Ormond cuts budget for lower tax rate

Bucs’ comeback

Mainland wins kickoff classic 14-13 over Osceola Kowboys. PAGE 8B

Have you registered for Ormond Beach’s new Utility Payment Portal? The portal was launched on July 25. Residents who were previously enrolled in automatic payments will need to re-enroll. Need help? The city’s Utility Billing Department’s office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through the Friday. For more information, call 386-6763209. Visit the portal at https://www. municipalonlinepayments.com/ormondbeachfl/utilities.

City Commission approves Walmart expansion plan

Commission directed Walmart to improve the western buffer within three months.

JARLEENE ALMENAS

MANAGING EDITOR

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The proposed Walmart expansion is a go. On Tuesday, Aug. 19, the Ormond Beach City Commission unanimously approved an amendment to the retailer’s Planned Business Development that will allow for the construction of a 5,101-squarefoot building addition for the Ormond Beach store, located at 1521 W. Granada Blvd. The project will allow Walmart to expand its online grocery pickup area to meet current demand. The amendment was first reviewed by the city’s Planning Board in March, but concerns regarding overgrowth of vegetation in the green belt buffer, security, transients and the store’s proposed aesthetic led the board to table it until Walmart could come back with a new proposal.

The new proposal — which included exterior façade improvements to a “Mediterranean Beach style,” updated signage, parking lot modifications and improved landscaping — returned to the board on July 1, following the cleaning of the buffer. The board unanimously recommended approval, with a

Walmart plans to improve the existing façade to match a “Mediterranean Beach style.” Courtesy rendering

condition that the western buffer also be cleared within 18 months.

Commissioner Kristin Deaton said she has been in communication with Walmart about the project since a neighborhood meeting was held in February.

“I know I was pretty adamant about the façade being more pleasant than the spaceship that it looks like currently,” Deaton said. “The only thing I’m not truly happy about is the 18 months to fix the green belt. I know there’s been improvement. It looks like trash — we’ve got to fix that.”

Planning Director Steven Spraker said that section fronting Granada Boulevard has to be completed with the expansion project. The 18-month condition was for the western buffer area, which was first discussed at the July 1 meeting. Her concern, Deaton said, is that after the overgrown vegeta-

tion was cleared from the Granada Boulevard section, the buffer looks “half-done.”

City Commissioner Lori Tolland agreed.

“That’s our gateway,” she said.

Tolland thanked Deaton and the Planning Board for working to make the Walmart project better for residents.

“Particularly Doug Thomas for championing this and for Walmart to be receptive to elevate that building to the standards that we enjoy in Ormond Beach,” Tolland said. On behalf of Walmart, attorney Rebecca Wilson said that the irony of the green belt issue is that it was a condition on the store’s development order to leave the buffer alone.

“For years, we’d actually asked the city if we could clean it out and we were told, ‘No, it’s in your

[development order] that you have to leave it the way it is,” Wilson said. “So the reason we started cleaning it so quickly is we have always wanted to do the same thing. We don’t want people back there either. We didn’t want the trash that was there either, so we were very happy to clean it out.”

She agreed with commissioners that it looks “terrible” at the moment, but said that’s because the landscaping hasn’t been replaced yet.

Wilson said Walmart plans to finish improving the buffer facing Granada Boulevard by the end of the month, but in case of storms, asked for a three month timeline. The commission gave Walmart a three-month timeframe for the western buffer, and a six-month timeframe to complete the east. Email Jarleene Almenas at jarleene@observerlocalnews.com.

Mainland brass celebrates after their halftime show at the kickoff classic against Osceola on Aug. 15 at Daytona Stadium.

Photo by Michele Meyers

BRIEFS

Palm Coast Fire

Lt. Patrick Juliano promoted to battalion chief

What began as a young man’s desire to help others in 2001 with the Eastchester Volunteer Ambulance Corps in New York has grown into a decades-long career of dedication, leadership and service to the Palm Coast community. On Aug. 15, the Palm Coast Fire Department announced the promotion of Lt. Patrick Juliano to battalion chief.

“I’m incredibly honored to be selected for this promotion,” Juliano told the Observer. “I wouldn’t have gotten here without the leadership and mentorship of so many people. I appreciate them. And I’m looking forward to serving alongside my brothers and sisters and serving the community in a new capacity.” Battalion chiefs are shift supervisors. They also take command on the scene of larger incidences, clear ob-

COPS CORNER

AUG. 8

SWEET TOOTH, STICKY FINGERS

5:40 p.m.

— 700 block of West Granada Boulevard, Ormond Beach

Suspicious incident. Police responded to a local retail pharmacy after its store manager reported an unknown suspect had stolen some candy. According to an incident report, the suspect, a man in his early to mid-50s wearing allblack clothing, had reportedly stuffed candy into his pants before the store manager

stacles for the crews and help facilitate day-to-day operations.

Juliano joined the Palm Coast Fire Department in 2006 as a volunteer firefighter and was hired as a career firefighter two years later.

His journey included a brief break from the fire service to serve as the Northeast Florida regional manager for Florida’s Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jeff Atwater. He returned to Palm Coast in 2017, rising through the ranks to driver engineer in 2018 and lieutenant in 2021.

As a certified advanced public information officer, Juliano has served as the de-

confronted him and asked him to return the merchandise. The suspect refused and walked out of the store. Police reviewed surveillance footage, but it didn’t capture the incident. The store wished to pursue charges, but wasn’t exactly sure how much candy was stolen.

AUG. 9 DRIVING WHILE DROWSY?

3:05 p.m. — 5000 block of Highway U.S. 1, Bunnell

Leaving the scene of a crash. Deputies arrested a 52-yearold Palm Coast man at his home the day after he left the scene of a crash.

According to his arrest report, upon spotting law enforcement at his home, the man said, “Please tell me I did

partment’s public information officer, often representing the fire department on television, radio and in print.

Juliano also serves as the department’s grants writer. He leads as commander of the Palm Coast Fire Department Honor Guard and has represented his peers as both president and current vice president of the Palm Coast Professional Firefighters Local 4807.

Juliano will continue in his other roles, including the department’s PIO, for now.

“As I learn and grow, there will be opportunities for others to learn and grow as well,” he said.

He wants to continue, however, in his roles in the honor guard and as the piper in the department’s pipe and drum corps.

“I just love pipe and drum,” he said. “It’s such a passion of mine, and I couldn’t imagine to not be a part of the honor guard anymore. It’s part of the fabric of the fire service, part of our heart and soul, honoring our past and our future with the pomp and circumstance of the fire service.”

not hurt or kill someone.”

He hadn’t, but the passenger in the vehicle he had hit had to be extracted from the car by removing the passenger side door.

The man told deputies that he had been working on his car on the morning of the crash when his allergies began to bother him, so he took two Benadryl pills, as usual. But, he said, after taking the medication, he didn’t remember anything else.

The damage to his vehicle was consistent with the crash, including a headlight cover found at the scene.

Surveillance footage of a general store near the scene of the crash also showed him purchasing a case of beer, placing him near the scene six

Palm Coast business owner Michael Brick dies in motorcycle crash on US 1

Brick’s motorcycle hit a car turning into his lane on U.S. 1 at Whiteview Parkway.

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Palm Coast business owner

Michael Brick was killed in a traffic accident on Friday night, Aug. 15, when his motorcycle hit a car turning into his traffic lane on U.S. 1 at the intersection of Whiteview Parkway, according to a Florida Highway Patrol Press release.

Brick, 35, owned Clean and Green, a pressure washing business. A GoFundMe page — gofundme.com/f/honoringmichael-bricks-legacy — was set up on Aug. 17 and had raised $12,753 through 120 donations by the afternoon of

minutes after the initial 911 call, according to the report.

He was taken to jail.

AUG. 12

UNEXPECTED PAYDAY

6:17

p.m. — First block of Hunt Master Court, Ormond Beach Fraud. An Ormond Beach resident received a check in the mail, addressed to him, for $167.

Only problem was, the check was from a food delivery company he’d never worked for.

The resident called police to report the incident, stating he had called the company and discovered someone had created an account under his name and address, and with his Social Security number, to

From

Aug. 19. The money raised “will go directly to his mother, Rosalie Carmalita, to cover funeral

be able to work for them. The work account was closed and the man wished to press charges if a suspect could be identified.

AUG. 14

THINGS ESCALATED

9:20 a.m. — 100 block of Flagler Plaza Drive, Palm Coast Battery. A 31-year-old Palm Coast woman is facing battery and criminal mischief charges after she shoved a basket into a plastic shield barrier at a local hotel.

Upon their arrival, deputies noticed items knocked over the reception desk countertop and on the floor. The general manager told deputies that the woman had advised them she would be late to work that day, starting an

and memorial expenses,” the page says.

The GoFundMe, which was organized by Brick’s friends, says, “The lives he has touched through his selfless nature and genuine ability to relate with and help others will create a ripple effect for generations to come. His impact on this entire area is rooted in his powerful testimony and the way he’s carried himself throughout his life as a man of God.

“He leaves behind memories cherished closely by family and friends, the desire to do the next right thing and put others before self, and the legacy to lead a life full of purpose, humility, authenticity, and love.”

The 38-year-old driver of the car and his 73-year-old passenger — both Palm Coast residents — suffered minor injuries, the press release said.

argument over the phone and in person when she arrived, according to a report.

The general manager told her she needed to leave, and the woman was upset, wanting to know if she was only being sent home and not fired. The argument then escalated, and she began “yelling and slamming her open palms on the counter” before she shoved the basket at the general manager.

The basket struck the plastic shield, launching it off the counter; it struck the general manager’s arm.

When speaking to the woman, deputies report she told them she left the area quickly after the altercation because she had a job interview. She was taken to jail.

Patrick Juliano. Courtesy photo

gofundme.com honoring Michael Brick’s legacy

US Rep. Fine aims to help water treatment woes

Palm Coast has increased impact fees and utility rates; now it’s looking for other funding sources.

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Congressman Randy Fine did not close the door on helping Palm Coast in its quest to fund upgrades to its aging Wastewater Treatment Plant 1, but he didn’t leave that door wide open, either.

Fine’s first stop in his trip to Flagler County on Wednesday, Aug. 13, was at the city’s older and larger treatment plant at 26 Utility Drive. The plant serves nearly all of the city’s residents south of Palm Coast Parkway and east of U.S.1.

When the treatment plant was built in the late 1970s by ITT, it had a capacity of 300,000 gallons a day. It now has a capacity of 6.83 millon gallons a day, and the city is planning to expand capacity by 4 million gallons to 10.83 million gallons a day. The city is currently finishing up the design, Palm Coast Wastewater and Reuse Manager Danny Ashburn said. The plans also include a treatment upgrade to the Advanced Water Treatment process.

But Palm Coast is woefully short on funds to pay for the needed projects.

The city has recently received a total of about $5 million from the state for a new equalization tank and critical upgrades to the plant. The AWT conversion is currently unfunded.

As Ashburn was showing Fine, city officials, and the media a PowerPoint detailing the plant’s operation, Vice Mayor Theresa Carli Pontieri described the city’s dire needs.

“Last year, we raised our impact fees in the capacity piece to the statutory max, and we also had to raise utility rates on our users. We’re looking down the pipe of a roughly $280 million bond right now, which is what we’re trying to avoid, but that’s what we’re faced with,” Pontieri said.

Along with over $100 million in future projected impact fees, that is what is needed to provide capacity for 19,000 future homes that there are entitlements for, Pontieri said.

“That’s not the total amount for every project that would help our system,” she added.

“That is leaving a lot of projects out, but we decided we didn’t want to raise rates any higher on our residents right now.”

The plant has an average daily capacity of 6.5 million gallons, which is 300,000 gallons below its capacity.

The recent expansion and upgrades to Wastewater Treatment Plant 2 at 400 Peavy Grade off U.S. 1, has helped. Treatment Plant 2 now has a capacity of 4 million

“The federal government can help and I’d be happy to help. My primary interest, though, are the things that extend beyond Palm Coast. So, when sewage gets dumped into the Intracoastal, that doesn’t just affect Palm Coast.”

RANDY FINE, congressman

gallons a day. With its added capacity, about 800,000 gallons of wastewater per day from Plant 1 can now be redirected to Plant 2.

The two plants serve the entire 110,000-plus residents of Palm Coast.

The regular process is to send the treated wastewater for reuse for irrigation purposes for golf courses, residential lawns and common areas. But city staff estimated that the plant had to release treated and dechlorinated wastewater into the Intracoastal two days last year.

“We actually put 14 million gallons through this plant in one day during Hurricane Milton last year,” Ashburn said.

Fine noted that while millions of gallons flowing into the waterways can have negative effects with nitrogen and phosphorus feeding algae, the release during a storm is mostly rainwater.

“If you think about it, during a hurricane people generally aren’t running their washing machine,” he said.

“They’re not flushing the toilets, they’re evacuating, so that’s when stormwater infiltrates. It’s not wastewater.”

Fine said fundamentally, according to his philosophy of government, utilities are a local responsibility.

“We have this thing called home rule,” he said. “With the

ability to home rule, there are options. There’s the impact fees and the user fees and state (representatives) often go and get appropriations projects to help these kinds of things.”

Which is not to say the federal government can’t help. In fact, Fine recently obtained $5,160,000 in federal funds for the town of Bunnell for its wastewater treatment project.

“The federal government can help and I’d be happy to help,” he said. “My primary interest though are the things that extend beyond Palm Coast. So, when sewage gets dumped into the Intracoastal, that doesn’t just affect Palm Coast that affects all of Flagler County. That doesn’t just affect all of Flagler County, that affects the whole East Coast of Florida. So that’s really where the justification can come in. Making sure that the next 20,000 homes in Palm Coast have sewer, that’s fundamentally a Palm Coast responsibility. But making sure we’re not polluting the environment of Florida — the Intracoastal, that’s a very unique thing that we have here in Florida.

“People come (to Florida) because they want to live near the ocean or the Intracoastal or the St. Johns (River),” he said. “That’s why they come here. We have to continue to allow the state to develop, but we have to make sure we do it responsibly, and that’s why these things matter.”

Pontieri said she is a full believer in autonomy and home rule.

“The state, though, has implemented laws that are forcing development on us to help make affordable housing ... but at the same time not providing that funding for infrastructure that development is causing, so it’s a hard contradiction that we’re having,” she said.

Councilmen Ty Miller and David Sullivan, Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston and new Utility Director Brian Roche were also in attendance at the presentation. Afterward, Dan Niemann, the treatment plant’s lead operator, led Fine and company on a tour of the facility.

When asked what Palm Coast is looking for federally to help the city’s wastewater situation, Pontieri said, “I think we’re really looking for eyes and ears on the issue, not just this year, but in future years, because we’re going to continue to have to invest in our system — just to make sure that again we’re exhausting all funding sources, rather than having to go just to our residents to shoulder a lot of the burden of this growth.

“And, to the congressman’s point, to make sure this is connected environmentally, to make sure that this isn’t just a funding source to improve our condition, but also improve the conditions for our waterways on Florida’s East Coast. I think that that’s something that the congressmen seems to be very interested in. And obviously, that’s something that Palm Coast is very concerned about as well,” she said.

Fine touts vision for US while dozens protest

The protesters held up signs denouncing Fine’s ‘starve away’ comment.

BRENT WORONOFF

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

BRIAN MCMILLAN

PUBLISHER

As U.S. House Rep. Randy Fine continued toward his goal of making 100 public appearances in five weeks in District 6, dozens of people protested his Flagler County appearances on Wednesday, Aug. 13, with dozens more showing up at his Volusia Tiger Bay appearance on Thursday, Aug. 14, in Daytona Beach.

At the Tiger Bay event, Fine said that since he was asked by others — his wife, when he decided to run for the Florida Legislature more than eight years ago, and President Donald Trump, when he decided to run for Congress — he doesn’t feel any need to hold back what he says, and that leads to some people not agreeing with him.

Protesters lined up at the corner of Utility Drive and Old Kings Road in Palm Coast ahead of Fine’s morning appearance at the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant 1. They held up signs denouncing his comment on X pertaining to residents starving in Gaza: “Release the hostages. Until then starve away,” his post said. In parentheses, he added, “This is all a lie anyway. It amazes me that the media continues to regurgitate Muslim terror propaganda.”

Fine also visited Matanzas High School to tour the school’s career and technical education classes, events hosted by the Palm CoastFlagler Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, Flagler’s beaches and the Tiger Bay Club of Volusia County. Fine, who doesn’t live in District 6 and is not legally required to, said he had been planning to move to the district after the election, but instead he decided it was more important to spend the little time he had while not in

Washington to set up district offices to be responsive to the voters. Now that Florida is considering redistricting, he decided to further delay relocating, so that he doesn’t have to move again if the lines are redrawn.

Charles Gambaro, who is running against Fine for the seat, was not impressed with that logic, saying in an emailed statement that “Team Gambaro” has moved “multiple times in one year without hesitation” as part of public service, accusing Fine of serving himself rather than the residents.

Fine’s speeches at the Palm Coast chamber and Volusia Tiger Bay meetings were nearly identical, as Fine shared the story of his journey to Congress. He praised the Big, Beautiful Bill for cutting taxes for “regular people” — taxes, at least in part, on overtime, tips, Social Security, and financing on American cars. He called immigration “a huge challenge in the state” as immigrants who are in the country illegally receive an education and health care, which costs tax dollars. Fine also said it was the right idea for Congress to reduce the number of people who will receive Medicaid. Considering the U.S. government is operating on a deficit, it’s not right for the government to borrow money to pay for health insurance for ablebodied people who choose not to work, he said. The biggest threat to America, he said, is not Iran or China — it’s the national debt, which will grow by another $1.7 trillion this year, to a total of about $37 trillion.

“The greatest challenge that we face is our inability to spend within our means,” he said. “ ... And by the way, this isn’t a Democrat problem, it’s not a Republican problem — both parties contribute to it. ...

“I like to fix problems. I don’t worry about the judgment of the voters; I worry about the judgment of my two sons. ... You see, they’ll forgive me if I lose an election. But what they won’t forgive me for is if I take the time I’m spending away from them and I don’t use it to solve the problems that matter to them.”

U.S. Rep. Fine tells Flagler officials he’ll work to cut red tape for beaches

The congressman toured the county’s coastline.

JULIE MURPHY FLAGLER COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS

Flagler County officials on Wednesday, Aug. 13, took Congressman Randy Fine on a comprehensive tour of the county’s shoreline to reinforce the ongoing conversation about coastal preservation.

Coastal engineering staff, administration, and Board of County Commissioners Chair Andy Dance presented Fine the proposed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “Feasibil-

ity Study Initiative” alongside the essential FEMA-approved Category G funding for permanent beach and dune restoration.

“I appreciate Chairman Dance, County (Administrator Heidi) Petito and their team for showing me the unique issues facing the Flagler County shoreline,” Fine said. “I’ve worked on beach issues since I got elected to the (state) Legislature in 2016, understand them well, and I’m excited to help. At the county’s request, my team and I will work with my friends in President Donald Trump’s administration to cut through the red tape on these urgent projects.” Flagler County has 18 miles

of coastline with a mixture of private communities, unincorporated areas, and three of the five municipalities within the county: Marineland, Beverly Beach and Flagler Beach. The northern half of the county is lower in elevation and includes the coquina beach outcrops that create the orange-colored sand, but it is also more prone to overtopping and back-bay flooding during hurricanes,

said Coastal Engineer Ansley Wren-Key.

FEMA Category B (for emergency protective measures) and Category G (for parks, recreational, infrastructure and other public facilities) beach projects have been essential to restoring the dune in this area.

“We’re grateful to Congressman Fine for touring our beaches, experiencing our concerns firsthand and recog-

“We’re grateful to Congressman Fine for touring our beaches, experiencing our concerns firsthand and recognizing that Florida’s coastline isn’t just a backdrop. It’s the economic and protective backbone of our region.”

ANDY DANCE, Flagler County Commission Chair

nizing that Florida’s coastline isn’t just a backdrop,” Dance said. “It’s the economic and protective backbone of our region. His dual support for FEMA Category G funding and the Corps’ feasibility study signals a robust, forward-thinking partnership.”

More than $30 million has been spent by FDEP, FEMA, and Flagler County in the northern reaches on emergency dune projects in 2019 and 2023 (a third project is underway), which are only a temporary solution.

The southern half of the county has a higher elevation, but the dunes have been severely eroded, houses and infrastructure – including State Road A1A — are at risk

during storms and hurricanes. Public safety is an issue as A1A is an evacuation route that has a history of being damaged in storms during the last decade.

“Our coastal protection framework requires both near-term action and sustained planning,” Petito said of the strategy of combining immediate action with longterm planning. “With FEMA Category G funding, we can begin restoring and fortifying our dunes now, while the Army Corps’ feasibility study lays the groundwork for multigenerational resilience. Congressman Fine’s perspective as someone who truly lives the coastal lifestyle in Florida is a powerful asset in championing these initiatives.”

Wastewater Treatment Plant 1 Lead Operator Dan Niemann (left) explains a process to Congressman Randy Fine. Photos by Brent Woronoff

Protesters at the corner of Utility Drive and Old Kings Road in Palm Coast ahead of Rep. Randy Fine’s appearance at Palm Coast’s Wastewater Treatment Plant 1 on the morning of Aug. 13. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Vote to select broker for employee benefits tabled as officials weigh going with a lower broker fee, or a higher fee with a costsavings possibility.

JARLEENE

conflicts of interest — didn’t reach a consensus on whether to go with Brown and Brown or Foundation Risk Partners.

Brown and Brown proposed an annual fee of $50,000. Foundation Risk Partners proposed an annual fee of $99,102.

With a difference of almost $50,000 between the two, commissioners questioned the price disparity.

“We’re talking apples and apples, we’re talking the same service, the same coverage?”

Commissioner Harold Briley asked.

A broker helps the city design the insurance plans for employees, negotiates rates, analyzes claims data and advocates for employees when it comes to billing claims and other issues that

may arise, said Assistant City Manager Claire Whitley at the workshop. Both companies, she said, would provide the same service.

Brown and Brown is the current broker, and a fiveyear agreement with the city is set to expire in September. That agreement was based on commission, rather than a flat broker’s fee.

Whitley said the only two differences between the two companies are the proposed fees and, from a staff perspective, the “relationships in Volusia County.”

“And leveraging those relationships and having that history that Brown and Brown currently has with those providers,” Whitley said.

Commissioner Travis Sargent abstained from the vote

because he is employed by Foundation Risk Partners.

Commissioner Lori Tolland also abstained as her son works for Foundation Risk Partners as well.

But, both commissioners spoke to a representative from the Florida Commission on Ethics, who said they could participate in the discussion.

Tolland asked Claire if the city knew how much it had spent on its broker’s fee with Brown and Brown.

“Over the course of five years, no,” Whitley said. “If you did the commission for this year based on this year’s premium, it would be about 90,000, but it would have been less in previous years because it’s based on the actual premium that’s charged.”

That’s a big cut in commission, Sargent said.

“Are the services going to be less? I assume not, I would hope not,” he said. “... At the end of the day, our residents are saving. I just hope that there’s no service gaps, if you will.”

The city’s Open Finance transparency portal reports the city paid Brown and Brown $101,567 for “other insurance premiums” in 2024. The subcategory doesn’t appear in 2023, but it does appear in 2022 at a cost of $20,758.

In an email interview with the Observer, Commissioner Kristin Deaton said she asked Foundation Risk Partners during the workshop if there was a difference in service for the fees. The response? There could be.

“I do believe Foundation Risk Partners has the ability to bring new and innovative options that we may not have seen in past years,” Deaton said. “I recognize the longevity and presence of Brown and Brown in the insurance industry, and I am eager to see if they are able to offer any additional benefits to our employees.”

She favored tabling the vote because she said she wanted to ensure the commission had “all of the proper information.” This included staff’s scorecard and comments as to why points were awarded to each firm. (Brown and Brown was 100; Foundation Risk Partners was 78.)

Additionally, last year, the city first changed bro -

“Our community deserves the full picture, not snippets taken out of context. My focus remains on providing the city’s employees with the best coverage possible while also making sure the taxpayers are getting the best deal possible.”

KRISTIN DEATON, Zone 3 City Commissioner

kers from Brown and Brown to Foundation Risk Partners for its Property and Casualty Insurance, and while they had a higher broker fee, the company saved the city money on the premium.

The scorecards were not made available to the commission for the insurance workshop, and Deaton said that was important because both companies previously scored a 100 on the Property and Casualty Insurance scorecards; Foundation Risk Partners was chosen as the broker for that in late July, for an annual fee of $55,000.

“I was curious to review what has changed since then,” Deaton said. “I am still curious why Brown & Brown changed from a commissionbased structure to a lower, flat broker fee of $50,000. If this lower fee is truly their best price, I am curious why it wasn’t offered earlier.”

Tabling the decision, Deaton added, “ensures we choose the firm that will deliver the best long-term results.” The commission was also advised that a decision did not need to be made that night.

At the workshop, Mayor Jason Leslie said he was in favor of selecting the broker that would save the city money.

“I think it’s just suicide for me to say, ‘Yeah, I’m going

to spend more money for a broker that’s going to provide almost similar services to what we currently are going to have, or going to get,” Leslie said.

The remaining voting commissioners — Briley and Deaton — said they wanted more time to think about the decision.

Tolland said that $50,000 looks “more attractive right off the bat.” “But I also am thinking about, at the end of the day, do you save more money with a company that may be more creative down the road?”

That’s the unknown — the potential savings of going with either company.

“That would be the thing I would think about when you guys are voting, is the bigger picture,” Tolland said. “Not just stuck on the brokerage fee, but I don’t like the brokerage fee the way that it is either.” Leslie said he could appreciate the idea, but said it would be like putting “money in a slot machine.” The city could save money by investing more, but there’s no guarantee, he said, referencing that going with the higher-priced fee would be “political suicide” for him.

Deaton said that she struggled with FRP’s higher fee cost, but would consider it if the company could convince the commission they would save them money in the long run. In her interview with the Observer , Deaton said that asking for more information doesn’t delay the policy renewal or cost taxpayers anything.

“Unfortunately, some misinformation has been shared online in ways that mislead residents,” she said. “Our community deserves the full picture, not snippets taken out of context. My focus remains on providing the city’s employees with the best coverage possible while also making sure the taxpayers are getting the best deal possible. I encourage residents to contact city staff or their commissioners directly for accurate information.”

The commission will revisit the issue at its Sept. 3 meeting.

CITY ATTORNEY SAYS COMMISSIONERS LORI TOLLAND, TRAVIS SARGENT DID NOT VIOLATE FLORIDA STATUTE

If Commissioners Lori Tolland and Travis Sargent abstained from the vote due to a potential conflict of interest, why were they able to participate in discussion? According to the Florida Commission of Ethics, when presented with a voting conflict, elected officials must abstain. They must also disclose their conflict prior to the vote, both in a public statement, and within 15 days by filing form 8B. The form must then be incorporated into the minutes.

Florida Statutes, City Attorney Randy Hayes said in an email, do not prohibit participation in any discussion.

“My understanding from the workshop and commission meetings is that Commissioners Tolland and Sargent both disclosed a conflict of interest in the matter; that they discussed the matter with someone at the Florida Commission on Ethics; and that they could participate in the discussion of the matter,” he said.

Unemployment rate rises in Volusia, Flagler for July 2025

Volusia County’s unemployment rate rose to 4.7%; Flagler County’s rate is at 5%.

JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR

While Florida’s unemployment rate has remained steady at 3.7%, Volusia and Flagler counties are seeing their rates spike.

Volusia County’s unemployment rate rose to 4.7% in July 2025, based on recent data from Florida Commerce. This is 0.4% higher than it was one year ago, and Volusia’s July unemployment rate is the highest it’s been since August 2021, when the rate was reported at 4.9%.

“Despite 1,441 more residents finding work last month, Volusia County’s unemployment rate continues to increase,” said Nexus 360 CEO Greg Blosé in a press release.

“Year-over-year, Volusia County only has three more residents employed but has 996 more people standing in the unemployment line.”

Flagler County’s unemployment rate in July rose to 5%, a 0.2% increase from June. It’s also the highest in the county since August 2021, when it was reported at 5.1%.

According to Blosé, 292 Flagler County residents found employment last month.

“Flagler’s labor force continues to grow, along with the population, and hiring is not keeping up,” he said in the press release. “Flagler County has the same number of residents employed as a year ago but has hundreds more people in the unemployment line.”

Ormond Beach’s unemployment rate for July was 4.4%, up 0.3% from June, said Brian Rademacher, the city’s economic development director.

Employment, however, is up: A total of 19,247 people were employed in July, up from 19,139 in June. It’s also the same number of employed from July 2024, when the city’s unemployment was 4%.

Rademacher said employment trends have been largely positive and stable at a local, regional and statewide level.

“I think that the unemployment rate of 4.4% reflects a cooling job market,” Rademacher said. “We had several years of robust growth and since last year, inflation, the question mark surrounding tariffs really caused perhaps a pause in a lot of hiring.”

Since January, 71 new jobs have been added to the Ormond Beach’s economy.

At the state level, Florida’s unemployment has held steady since April.

“The number of job openings is up from the same point in the year before,” said Jimmy Heckman, chief of workforce statistics and economic research at the Florida Department of Commerce to the News Service of Florida. “So, we are really seeing strong demand for labor, which will give opportunities to unemployed Floridians.”

The Department of Commerce reported 417,000 people qualified as

“If we were to look at job postings in Volusia County or Flagler County, we might see that companies are, in fact, trying to hire. It’s just a matter of how quickly they can hire, and if they have the skilled workforce that they need.”

BRIAN RADEMACHER, Ormond Beach Economic Development director

unemployed in July, up 2,000 from last month.

Florida’s unemployment rate in July 2024 was 3.4%. The Department of Commerce report also showed the number of jobless individuals increased by 35,000 from July 2024 to last month, and the labor force grew by 25,000.

Volusia County’s labor force is 269,780 residents.

Flagler County’s workforce is 56,024 residents.

Both counties have seen an increase in the number of employed residents — a figure that includes those working within their resident county or outside of it.

Volusia’s number of employed residents rose by 1,441 residents, going from 255,731 in June 2025 to 257,172 in July 2025. Flagler’s number of employed residents increased by 292 people, going from 52,951 in June 2025 to 53,243 in July 2025.

Volusia and Flagler also saw an increase on the number of unemployed job-seeking citizens. Volusia went up by 395 from last month; Flagler rose by 99.

“As we prepare for the conclusion of the peak summer hiring season, there’s concern Flagler’s unemployment rate will continue to rise,” said Blosé, who is also the former president of the Palm Coast-Flagler Chamber of Commerce. “Traditionally, Flagler County is the first to feel an economic slowdown and among the last to recover. Local businesses need to plan accordingly.”

The current job market in Ormond Beach is healthy, Rademacher said. The unemployment rate, while a good metric, he said, is a lagging indicator of employment. Ormond Beach’s workforce is estimated at 20,124 and that’s remained consistent in recent years.

Looking at June’s job posting data, Ormond Beach had about 729 listings in the city’s leading industries: health care, retail trade, administrative and support services, finance and insurance, marketing, professional and scientific services and manufacturing. The latter two categories, Rademacher said, are growing.

“If we were to look at job postings in Volusia County or Flagler County, we might see that companies are, in fact, trying to hire,” Rademacher said. “It’s just a matter of how quickly they can hire, and if they have the skilled workforce that they need.”

Email Jarleene Almenas to jarleene@observerlocalnews.com.

Ormond cuts budget to reduce tax rate hike

JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR

While Ormond Beach residents are likely to still see an increase in their taxes, it won’t be as high as expected.

Ormond Beach City Commissioners cut the city’s proposed property tax rate for next fiscal year by about 0.04 mills during their workshop on Tuesday, Aug. 19. The new rate — 4.4797 mills, or $4.4797 per $1,000 in taxable property value — is 7.66% higher than the current tax rate.

But, it’s lower than the 10.2% increase and tax rate of 4.5220 mills originally proposed in late July.

“I think we all want to do the lowest possible [milage] with the highest quality,” City Commissioner Lori Tolland said, adding that certain public safety needs like police wages and collective bargaining agreements were “non-negotiable.”

Those needs alone raise the rate.

“I do acknowledge and I know all of you have probably heard it — the Tallahassee goal to be fiscally conservative — and I think we’re all struggling with that as well,” Tolland said. “We all want to be conservative.”

Cut from the millage rate was funding for:

„ Heavy-duty vehicle and equipment replacement — $260,000, at an additional millage rate of 0.046. Rather than funding this increase using property taxes, the city will use its reserves to fund the remaining dollars needed to purchase the vehicles outlined in the budget (two Public Works vehicles, three Leisure Services vehicles and two Engineering vehicles. One of the Public Works vehicles is over 55 years old.)

„ IT analyst position — $100,000, at 0.0175 mills. City staff said it would reassign duties for two currently vacant positions.

„ A Consumer Price Index Adjustment for the city’s landscaping contract — $50,000, at 0.0088 mills. The city’s contractor, Yellowstone Landscaping, asks for a CPI adjustment every year. This will come before the commission for approval at a future date, but if OK’d, it won’t be funded through property taxes.

SAFETY NEEDS

PUBLIC

Four public safety expenditures were brought before the commission as possibilities to cut: $1 million to fund fiscal year 2024’s police wage increases, $1.8 million for anticipated collective bargaining agreement costs, $100,000 for public safety vehicles and equipment replacement, and $60,000 for a new security guard for City Hall.

The four expenditures totaled 0.3905 mills, or 39 cents per $1,000 in taxable property value.

Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey spoke about the budget items, highlighting the need for a security guard in particular.

The department conducted a security assessment last year following some incidents that left some city staff employees “on alert.” Coupled with City Hall’s open layout, OBPD recommended security improvements, including an armed guard.

Godfrey referenced a 2019 Virginia Beach shooting where an exemployee left 12 people dead at a municipal building.

“There’s some things that happened here that mirror what we have going on today here at City Hall, and

I believe that it would definitely increase employee safety and also make our employees feel protected,” Godfrey said.

Commissioners opted not to cut any of these items, citing a need, not a “want” for public safety.

“I don’t think we can afford to not have it, to be honest,” Commissioner Kristin Deaton said. “We’re living in different times right now where people act quite erratic.”

PARKS STAFF

Placed on the chopping block were two new positions for parks maintenance, at $110,000, or 0.0195 mills.

Leisure Services Director Robert Carolin said the city has seen a drastic increase in park usage since the COVID-19 pandemic, which has created a lot of wear and tear on the city’s parks and related infrastructure — playgrounds, boardwalks, garbage pickups.

“We’ve done as much as we possibly can to keep up, but we’ve realized that there’s areas that we need to be more proactive on,” Carolin said.

Playgrounds being one of those areas, he explained. Currently, staff is able to look at the city’s 14 playgrounds anywhere from once a week to twice a month, and aren’t able to do a comprehensive check on what needs maintenance.

Additionally, the two positions would help with more frequent trash pickups at parks, Carolin said.

Commissioners opted not to cut the proposed positions.

“Our residents expect when they use our parks, they’re going to be safe,” Commissioner Harold Briley said.

THE TIME FOR IDEAS

Though the commission reached a consensus on the possible cuts brought to them by staff, Ormond Beach Mayor Jason Leslie wanted more budget cuts — $2.4 million’s worth, to be able to fund the budget with the same rate as last year’s budget.

When the commission asked him about other ideas to lower the tax rate, the mayor said he’d need time to think about it.

The city’s first budget hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 3.

“Just so we’re clear, we’re going to bring to you this rate at your next meeting in September, and we do not want to do public math on the dais because we could make a mistake,” City Manager Joyce Shanahan said.

Commissioner Travis Sargent said none of the commissioners want to raise taxes.

“I’ve put so many spreadsheets together this way, that way and I mean, to China, and I don’t see anywhere else to cut,” Sargent said.

“And I would like to know where. I mean, obviously, I would like to say, ‘No taxes, let’s go to rollback.’ I don’t think that’s feasible, and I don’t think it’s feasible to vote no on a budget without proposing some ideas.”

The workshop was the time to do that, he said.

It’s a tough situation, Leslie said, as some of the budget needs were inherited from previous fiscal years.

“We have a little over 100 plus million dollars that’s going in and out, and it would take somebody way above my pay grade to really go through each line item,” Leslie said.

His biggest issue with a tax rate

increase, he said, is the inconsistency in assessments in neighborhoods — some are assessed higher because they bought their homes in recent years, compared to longtime residents.

Yes, houses are reassessed when sold, Briley said. But, homestead exemptions also play a large role, and the Legislature has given additional breaks in recent years.

“What rollback really means is you’re — no matter what your millage is, millage may go up, it may come down — but you’re collecting the same amount of money this year that you collected last year,” Briley said. “Well, when you keep getting homestead exemptions ... the tax increase is because you’re actually collecting less because of the new exemption.”

Under the new proposed millage rate, the average homesteaded resident with a taxable property value of $250,000 will see an increase of $87.44 a year.

How homes are assessed is part of a bigger picture, Tolland said. The city’s discussion revolves around providing services to the residents.

“I do respect the fact that you don’t want to raise, you want to look at different things, but we have to make decisions and move on,” Tolland said. “We can’t keep postponing it, so if you have ideas, we really need to hear them.

“I’m not trying to call anybody out,” she said. “I’m just trying to get to a good answer and as our mayor, you’ve got to bring us all together. Your job is consensus and collaboration and so we need your leadership right now to help us get to that answer.”

NOT ENOUGH TIME?

Previous mayors have voted no on tax increases, Leslie said.

“If I’m not comfortable with what I see and there isn’t enough time,” Leslie said. “For me to go through this thing, I’d have to really go line through line through line.”

In a rare show of frustration, Shanahan said the commission had a month to go through the budget; the City Commission received it on July 9. “I don’t think it’s fair to staff to put them on the spot at the last minute,” Sargent said. “... Where do you want this budget to go? Do you want to go to rollback, and how do we get there? Mayors previously, yes, they did vote no for it, but they had ideas, and I think we need those ideas to hash this out for the residents of Ormond Beach.”

Leslie said they were all part of the same legislative body.

“Out of five people here, nobody has an idea?” Leslie asked.

Finance Director Kelly McGuire said staff brought to them line items that they felt could be negotiable.

“If you want to go beyond this particular millage rate that we’re proposing, then you have to enter the world of reducing service,” McGuire said, adding that would lead to cuts in parks and recreation. “... And when we talk about that, to get to almost another $2 million for where we’re at right now, we’re talking about not just eliminating services, but possibly having to actually close the facility, because those facilities in and of themselves are expensive.”

State allocates

$400K

to

Volusia’s

EOC expansion

Sen. Tom Wright presented Volusia County with a $400,000 check on Wednesday, Aug. 13, to support the expansion and enhancement of its Emergency Operations Center, which plays a critical role in coordinating the County’s response to hurricanes, wildfires, and other large-scale emergencies.

The funds are part of a recent state appropriation and contribute to the state’s total investment of roughly half the project’s cost — more than $2.5 million — through multiple funding avenues. The overall cost of the expansion is just over $5 million.

During the presentation at the EOC, located at 3825 Tiger Bay Road in Daytona Beach, county officials thanked Sen. Wright and the state of Florida for their ongoing support of local emergency management v operations.

“We’re grateful for the support that has made this expansion possible,” said Volusia County Emergency Management Director Clint Mecham.

The expansion project will add approximately 5,000 square feet to the facility, significantly increasing the community’s capacity during major crisis events such as hurricanes, wildfires, and other large-scale emergencies. The additional space will allow more emergency personnel, agency partners, and support staff to work together under one roof, improving coordination and response. When not activated for emergency operations, the expansion will serve as a, multi-purpose area for training, planning sessions, and conferences involving local and regional

first responders, emergency management officials, and community partners. Construction has already begun, and the expansion is on track to be operational by spring 2026.

Volusia wins third consecutive Telly Award for State of County video

Volusia County has once again earned national recognition for its excellence in video production, winning a 2025 Telly Award in the general government relations category for the State of Volusia County 2024 video.

Adding to a growing list of accolades, the recognition marks the third consecutive year Volusia County has received a Telly Award for its State of the County video. Since 2018, Volusia County has received more than 10 Telly Awards. The award-winning, hour-long video was produced for the county’s annual State of the County event and followed the theme “Shaping Volusia’s Future Together.”

The Telly Awards celebrate excellence in video and television content across all screens. With more than 13,000 entries annually from all 50 states and six continents, the awards recognize work from leading agencies, television networks, production companies and public organizations around the world. Volusia County’s continued success in this field demonstrates its commitment to transparent, creative and effective public communication.

To view the State of the County 2024 video and learn more about Volusia County’s initiatives, visit the County of Volusia YouTube page or www. volusia.org.

Hurricane Erin expected to bring dangerous rip currents

As Hurricane Erin tracks northward, its expansive wind field will generate rough seas for boaters and hazardous surf and strong rip currents along Volusia County’s beaches this week. Although there are no significant or direct impacts expected locally, the storm’s effects on the ocean will become increasingly hazardous over the next several days. Residents and visitors should remain alert to changing conditions and take extra care when visiting the beach or heading out on the water.

Safety reminders for beachgoers and boaters include:

„ Check the beach flag system before entering the water and follow lifeguard instructions.

„ Expect stronger rip currents and increased wave heights.

„ Those who choose to enter the water should do so near staffed lifeguard towers.

„ Boaters and paddlers should anticipate rough seas and monitor forecasts closely. Out of an abundance of caution, Volusia has removed trash cans, port-o-lets, and other equipment from the beach to protect them from potential damage. In addition, tidal conditions associated with the storm could affect the availability of beach driving. Beachgoers are encouraged to check conditions before heading out to ensure access points are open.

The Volusia Beaches app provides real-time updates on weather and ocean conditions, open beach ramps, parking locations, and staffed lifeguard towers. Volusia County will continue to monitor the storm in coordination with the National Weather Service and state and regional partners, and will provide updates if conditions change.

History of a forgotten theme park

Marco Polo Park once occupied 5,000 acres in Bunnell near the Flagler and Volusia County border.

RANDY JAYE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The recent announcement that Marineland (now called Marineland Dolphin Adventure), which was built in 1937 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, is for sale due to a bankruptcy process has brought to memory another local theme park: the once-enchanting and almost forgotten Marco Polo Park.

sections and a petting zoo.

Television commercials stated that Marco Polo Park was to be “the greatest adventure of your life.”

SECTIONS OF THE PARK

There were five sections of the park: China, India, Japan, Turkey and Venice. All of the sections were connected by an overhead passenger gondola system called the Sky Ride, which provided spectacular aerial views. A narrow gauge railroad, The Orient Express, featured a steam engine with four passenger cars and traveled the park’s perimeter.

China included a Chinese boat ride and a Spinning Tea Cup ride.

India included a Flying Elephant ride and a Log Flume (Bamboo Chute) ride.

was seen fleeing from the area at the same time one of the fires began. This suspect actually fired gunshots in the direction of a security guard as he fled from the park.

PASSPORT TO FUN WORLD

Marco Polo Park was fairly large as it occupied 5,000 acres in Bunnell near the Flagler and Volusia County border. The park featured various Asian themes based on the 13th century exotic travels of Marco Polo (1254-1324), the legendary Venetian merchant and explorer. The park featured multiple sections, beautiful gardens, canals, lagoons, dancing shows, internationally themed restaurants, live music, movies, puppet shows, various rides, and other entertainment venues designed to lure tourists.

During the time the park was operational, the name of Old Dixie Highway was changed to Marco Polo Boulevard (in the park’s general vicinity). The name of that stretch of road was changed back to Old Dixie Highway many years ago.

THE PARK’S VISIONARY

O.L. “Jack” White (19152003) was a successful real estate developer in the Daytona Beach area, and president of the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce. In the late 1960s, White became the president of the board of directors for Marco Polo Park Inc. and, in conjunction with 28 stockholders, began setting up plans to build the park.

The park’s visionaries believed that people traveling back and forth on I-95 to the new world-class Walt Disney World theme park, which opened in 1971, would be interested in extending their vacations or satisfying their curiosities at the nearby Marco Polo Park.

On Dec. 28, 1970, the first phase of the park, the Japanese section, opened with notable public enthusiasm. In May 1972, the second phase opened with four additional

Japan was the largest section, 500 acres, and included a lagoon, a replica of a Japanese fishing village, a Japanese botanical gardens area and a mile-long waterway with several ornately designed bridges. Rides included an 82-foot Ferris wheel with spinning gondolas. Authentic Japanese entertainers performed at various shows. Eighteen Japanese teakwood sampans (Asian boats traditionally used for transportation and fishing) transported guests around the waterways. There were also souvenir shops with Japanese and Asian-themed items and two Japanese restaurants with tempura-style menu items.

Turkey featured multiple rides, including Flying Chairs, a Spinning Turban ride that rotated by centrifugal force, and two Twin Bumper Cars rides (one for adults and the other for children).

Venice served as the main entrance to the park; it was highlighted by a Venetianstyle entrance archway. One of the featured rides through Venice was small replica Ford Model T cars that guests could manually steer through the woods and trails along a guided track.

TWO SUSPICIOUS FIRES

In February 1975, two suspicious fires, just eight days apart, resulted in significant damage to Japanese Village, the park’s major attraction. It was determined that Japanese Village was beyond economic repair and was subsequently demolished. At least one report blamed bats roosting in the electrical house and stated that they shorted out wiring which ignited the fires. However, arson is the most likely cause, since a suspect

Marco Polo Park closed in early 1975 to repair damage caused by the fires. On May 24, 1975, the park reopened with a new bandstand which was a replacement attraction for the Japanese Village, and a new 40-horse carousel. The reopened park was under new management of the Ozarks Park, Dogpatch USA organization and given a new name of Passport to Fun World. The newly reopened park featured a world travel theme very similar to that of Marco Polo Park, and was advertised as being “close to everything in central Florida” and as “The Best Day Money Can Buy.”

THE PARK’S DEMISE Not long after Passport to Fun World opened, it proved to be unprofitable and unsustainable. In 1976, the park was permanently closed. In 1978, most of the park’s property was auctioned off, and other assets, including buildings, tracks and other structures, were removed.

The Plantation Bay Golf and Country Club community was developed on the land where Marco Polo Park once stood. In addition to the suspicious fires, there were several other factors that contributed to the closing of the park, including an economic recession in the early 1970s, the lack of a nearby southbound exit off I-95 at the time, Walt Disney World’s overpowering competition, and the OPEC oil embargo of 1973, which caused gas prices to increase.

Marco Polo Park/Passport to Fun World was not the only theme park in Florida to go out of business in the 1970s. Several others across the state went defunct, including Wonderland Park, Titusville (closure year: 1973), Pirates World, Dania (1975) and The Aquatarium (also known as Shark World), St. Pete Beach (1977).

The most significant reason for the demise of these theme parks was the world-class Walt Disney World attractions who had overwhelming business advantages and were simply too much competition for these smaller theme parks to endure.

O.L. “Jack” White summed up the fate of Marco Polo Park as he said, “… I learned one important lesson: you can’t compete with the mouse.” Today, no remnants or historical signs exist which would identify where Marco Polo Park once stood.

Randy Jaye currently resides in Flagler Beach. He recently researched and nominated five properties that have been successfully added onto the National Register of Historic Places. He is the author of several history books and has written articles for historical journals, local newspapers, magazines, online publications, and has appeared on several radio shows and PBS documentaries.

Marco Polo greets guests at the entrance plaza of Marco Polo Park, circa 1970s. Photos courtesy of Randy Jaye

A red-sailed junk glides near Half-Moon Bridge at Marco Polo Park, circa 1970s.

Flagler County approves two temporary measures for beach funding

Twenty percent of the Tourist Development Tax set aside for capital projects will move to the beach restoration fund for a year.

SIERRA

WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

In an effort to shore up funding in the short term, the Flagler County Commission approved two items on Aug. 18 that will provide additional funding to its beach renourishment program.

The first was an amendment to Flagler County’s perpetual easement agreement with the Hammock Dunes Owners’ Association. The agreement was made between the two after Hurricane Matthew hit in 2016 and allows Flagler County access to the HDOA’s 2.3 miles of shoreline for beach restoration projects. The easement also allows the HDOA shoreline to be eligible for funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The amendment states the HDOA will pay Flagler County $570,000 per year to maintain the HDOA’s dune property until Flagler County finds a substitute source of funding,

according to county meeting documents. In exchange, Flagler County is agreeing to take responsibility for maintaining the HDOA’s beach and dunes while the county continues to search for other means of recurring funding for the fund.

County Administrator Heidi Petito said the intention is that this agreement will eventually be replaced by an MSBU, a special taxing district, that the county began in December 2024. The MSBU will go into effect next year in time for the budgeting process, she said. A letter was sent out to Hammock residents announcing that an amount of “zero” was being levied

for the MSBU this year, which was a legal requirement, Petito said. A public meeting will be held on Sept. 11 about the MSBU.

“You’re not levying anything,” Petito said to the commission. “So there isn’t going to be a letter today, and then a new amount introduced on Sept. 11. The amount is zero.”

In addition to the HDOA funds, the Flagler County Commission also approved a one-year shift in funding from the Tourist Development Tax.

The TDT is a 5% sales tax on hotels and vacation rentals. The tax revenue is traditionally split three ways, according to the county’s code: 20% for capital projects, 20% for beach

restoration and maintenance and 60% for advertising.

After a suggestion from the Tourism Development Council, Flagler County decided to temporarily reallocate the entire capital project revenue to the beach restoration fund for one year. Each 20% of the tax is expected to generate around $880,000 in fiscal year 2026, or $1,760,000 in total for the beach restoration fund for the next year.

Both items were approved by the commission in 4-0 votes. Chairman Andy Dance was absent from the meeting.

Flagler County to purchase 3,800 acres of conservation for $6 million

The funding comes from state-appropriated money that must be used to purchase land in the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

Flagler County has approved the largest purchase of land for conservation in its Environmentally Sensitive Land program’s history.

The Flagler Board of County Commissioners approved the purchase of 3,819 acres of land five miles west of Espanola from the Folk H. Peterson Charitable Foundation for a tentative total of $6,110,400. The price is pending the confirmation of the property size from a surveyor.

“This is going to be the largest purchase in ESL history,” Public Lands and Natural Resource Manager Erick Revuelta said. “I think it’s going to add about 30% additional acreage for us to manage.”

The item was discussed at Flagler County’s Aug. 18 workshop and later

approved in a 4-0 vote — Chairman Andy Dance was absent from both meetings — at the board’s 5 p.m. meeting later that day.

The land, which is a part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, will be purchased with state funds desig -

nated for that purpose, Assistant County Attorney Sarah Spector said.

Vice Chair Leann Pennington said it’s important for the public to know that the fund could only be used to purchase land in the Florida Wildlife Corridor for conservation.

“This is exactly what the state sent down for us to do,” Pennington said.

“And it can not be developed,” Commissioner Greg Hansen said. “Ever.”

The land was originally owned by Folke H. Peterson, and after he died in 1988, it was placed in a joint trust with Truist Bank, the South Florida Wildlife Center, a Broward County nonprofit, the University of Florida and the University of Miami.

Spector said there are some important terms in place on the property. There is an existing oil, gas and mineral reservations that were attached to the property when Peterson pur-

chased it. The rights are in place for 99 years, until 2049. However, she said, there is no legal access to the property at the moment.

“So it is highly unlikely, at the present moment, that they would be able to access the property to exercise those rights,” she said.

The same land access issue means county staff are working with adjacent property owners to gain access to the land, especially for a surveyor to come out and appraise the property, Spector said.

The contract can be canceled if Flagler County cannot gain access to the property for a reasonable price.

Flagler School Board’s Barrs expects Senate confirmation in September

Barrs’ final board meeting could be Aug. 26. He is slated to be confirmed as head of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

BRENT WORONOFF

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Derek Barrs may step down from the Flagler County School Board in less than a month.

Barrs is expected to be confirmed in September by the full U.S. Senate as the head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the agency under the U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates and provides safety oversight of commercial motor vehicles.

He was nominated for the post by President Donald Trump on March 25.

The Senate is scheduled to be back in session in early September. Barrs expects the confirmation vote to be in mid-month. Following that, he will begin his new job.

“It looks like the middle of September,” he said of Senate confirmation. “I’m trying to nail down the actual date. Hopefully it will

come fairly quick. I am excited. I’m ready as can be, but I want to give the School Board at least three or four weeks. I want to wrap up (school) district business as well as my consulting job.”

When Barrs steps down, his School Board replacement will be in the hands of Gov. Rick DeSantis,

who will name a new board member to finish out the term that ends in November 2026. Barrs himself was appointed to the seat by DeSantis on Oct. 30, 2024, after Sally Hunt resigned. DeSantis’ appointment of Barrs came just over a month after Hunt submitted her resignation on Sept. 20.

Barrs is looking forward to one of his last duties on the board — voting to approve board policy revisions.

That vote is scheduled for the Aug. 26 board meeting, which could be his last.

“I am excited about that,” he said. “Board policies are important, and some have not been updated in many years.”

Barrs began a career in law enforcement in 1991 as a Madison County Sheriff’s deputy. He joined the Florida Highway Patrol in 2001 and became chief of commercial vehicle enforcement in 2017.

Currently, he is an associate vice president for the HNTB Corporation, a transportation consulting firm. He works closely with state departments of transportation on safety issues, particularly with commercial vehicles.

Barrs was approved for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration position by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on July 30 by a 15-13 straight party-line vote. During a hearing before the committee on July 16, Barrs said roadway safety would be his highest priority.

In introducing Barrs at the hearing, Sen. Rick Scott described Barrs’ 2019 collaboration with the Florida Trucking Association to form the Troopers and Truck Drivers initiative in which FHP troopers would spend a day with experienced truck drivers and commercial vehicle drivers would spend a day on patrol with troopers.

The Flagler County Commission approved purchasing 3,800 acres of land for conservation in Flagler County (see map on the left). Photo by Sierra Williams

Derek Barrs appears before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in July. Courtesy photo

Examining budget is a Volusia School Board member’s job

‘Should public bodies base their actions on their defined obligations, or only on whether they believe the public cares?’

School Board budget meetings can be a real snore, which is probably why so few attend them. Or maybe they figure that what they think doesn’t matter, and that the issues they raise won’t be addressed anyway, so why waste their time?

They’re not wrong. Unfortunately, board members interpret empty chambers as satisfaction. It’s hard to argue otherwise. It looks like no one cares. The question then is, should public bodies base their actions on their defined obligations, or only on whether they believe the public cares?

After warmly and enthusiastically and gratefully welcoming about 300 new teachers to Volusia County Schools, the board met for a workshop, regular board meeting, and the public hearing required by Florida Statute, at which we theoretically discuss the budget, and then adopt the millage rate for the next tax year.

The millage rate is not set in stone. This time, the vote was based on the preliminary budget for 2025-26, and theoretically we can lower the proposed millage rate in our final vote in late September.

We can theoretically do things, but we don’t actually do them. Questions are politely asked about the arithmetic: Is our budget balanced? Yes. This budget is smaller than last year’s, right? Yes. All sounds good then, thanks. No one asks how the money is spent. In fairness, it’s hard to do. Florida Statute doesn’t require that school districts post full line-item budgets, as other local governments are required to do. We are required to post budgets in “plain language,” so we get narratives with categories of spending, blocks of services

lumped under generalized labels, where we can’t tell what goes where, to whom, in what amounts, or for what reason.

I played the videos from the last two years of preliminary budget hearings to get a sense of the protocols, and how the board approached the subject. Last year, the only question was the usual, “Is our budget balanced?”

The year before, there was some discussion about the end of ESSER (Covid) funds, where the board was reassured that the district was fully prepared to lose those funds, and there would be no disruption. As was widely reported, things clearly did not go as planned.

To her credit, Ms. Haynes raised the issue of administrative staffing levels, and asked the superintendent to look at ways to reduce spending there, instead of always going to the front line. Since it was only an ask, and not a directive, there is unfortunately no evidence anything came of it.

The process was equally sanitized this time, too. There were numerous declarations of the evils of social media, and indignant demands that only “experts” should be trusted.

Ironically, the workshop had included a presentation about a new reading program, during which we were reminded of the days when “experts” replaced phonics with “whole language,” an approach that arguably crippled several years of early reading before it was broadly denounced and abandoned. So who defines “expert”? My experts, as I have said many times, are my teachers and school administrators. They are on the ground, doing the heavy lifting, figuring out what works and what doesn’t.

They are the ones required to move kids around to produce the desired graduation rates. Or administering the same tests multiple times and eliminating the hard questions so the test grade is higher. Or who describe their ESE classes with 3 grade levels, multiple special needs, and 30 students, all in the same class, with just one para to help them.

Does the current budget reflect the needs of those experts? It’s hard to tell, because they are never candidly discussed. We’re too busy making everything pretty.

Government budgets can make you wonder who thinks

like this. Then again, even those of us who hate to read them are able to ask some obvious questions:

„ We are a party in more than two dozen lawsuits, all of which are public record. What are we spending on outside legal counsel? Answer (after much searching, since the number is grouped with other professional services): approximately $350,000

„ How did the cost of a replacement school start at $32,000,000 two years ago, to be built in 2028-29, to now being in this year’s budget for $72,000,000, before we even determine whether it’s needed?

„ In each listed department, under “Salaries and Benefits,” how many salaries does that include? How many employees work in that department? The website flow chart for just one department is 23 pages. So many questions no one asks. So few answers no one wants. Does the board’s apathy mirror that of the public, or vice versa? It doesn’t matter. We as a board are not cheerleaders. We are charged with oversight, as we struggle to get relevant documents. Whether or not the public cares, it’s our job.

Steps headed in right direction on animal research

‘Animal experiments are expensive, often completely ineffective and come at a steep cost ethically.’

Will experiments on animals ever truly end?

The U.S. is beginning to chip away at the amount of money spent on animal research and the number of animals held captive to endure painful, often useless experiments.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a non-profit organization consisting of over 17,000 physicians and nearly 1 million members is pleased that in February 2025 caps were placed on government funded universities’ research grants. University animal research is funded by our tax dollars, harms animals and

yields little benefit to human health.

In one such study in Michigan, researchers have induced heart failure in hundreds of dogs in a cardiac research experiment that has been running since 1991 but has failed to help a single patient, according to PCRM. In April 2025, the Food and Drug Administration announced plans to phase out animal tests in their monoclonal antibodies development. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has long required millions of animals every year to undergo testing for products like fuel additives

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Palm Coast City Council should crack down on ‘out-of-line’ speakers

Dear Editor: Decorum at Palm Coast City Council meetings has noticeably been slipping away, especially so within the last nine months. It is apparent in interactions between council members and the mayor with childish name calling, accusations of lying, etc.

We are unfortunately getting used to that. But there is also a decorum breakdown by a disproportionate number of speakers attending the meetings who dwell on misinformation, wild conspiracy theories, incessant innuendo and outright unfounded accusations of corruption directed, often by name, at certain council members and city staff. It has become uncomfortable to watch let alone attend. Unfortunately there is little, if any, pushback by the mayor or council members, even though the rules pertaining to speakers disallow irrelevant, impertinent (rude) and slanderous comments. Speakers do not have unfettered First Amendment privileges in City Council meetings.

According to the city’s meeting policies and procedures, the mayor presides over City Council meetings and is tasked with enforcing rules of decorum. The mayor has the prime responsibility to call out, challenge, correct and caution these speakers on the spot. Council members can do that as well. But that is not happening as it should.

It’s reasonable to assume, in the case of the mayor, the cause is because the “out of line” speakers are more likely to be his supporters. Why other council members don’t appropriately do their part is unclear.

It’s a duty for good governance to ensure an atmosphere of content accuracy and credibility in council meetings, ensure residents aren’t inundated with falsehoods and misinformation. And that should be a basic requirement of responsible council leadership. Although silence doesn’t always suggest condoning certain behavior, very often it can easily be perceived as such. A strong concerted effort by the council to do much better is certainly needed now along with an apology from the mayor and

council for not doing better sooner.

SALLY BIRCH Palm Coast

Now that mayor has dropped lawsuit, Palm Coast can move forward

Dear Editor:

It is time to recognize Mayor Mike Norris for taking a step that can help Palm Coast move past recent turmoil and get back to the work residents expect.

Over the past eight months, the City Council has endured more than its share of controversy: allegations of verbal attacks before the election, claims of CIA wiretapping, questions about resignation requests, accusations of quid pro quo, an independent investigation, an ethics review, a failed lawsuit, two censures and a vote of no confidence. It has been a period of disruption that has distracted from the real issues facing the city. Now, however, there is reason for optimism. Mayor Norris has withdrawn his motion for a rehearing and voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit against the city ...

and pesticides. The EPA had set deadlines around 2018 to reduce animal testing by 30% by 2025, a goal which was not met, but current EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin is committed to eradicate animal testing altogether by 2035.

Then on May 4, 2025, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya announced that dog experiments had been shut down at the NIH campus. It is believed that in recent years well over 2,100 beagles died in brutal septic shock experiments at NIH.

The above are all steps in the right direction, not only for the animals, but for sci-

with prejudice.

This decision allows the council and the community to turn the page and focus on priorities that matter most: drainage, water, property taxes, roads and the many responsibilities of local government.

Recent meetings have already shown improvement, with discussions becoming more productive and informative; a positive indication that, as Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri aptly stated, it is “time to get back to city business.”

Regardless of individual opinions about the mayor’s style, many residents, including myself, support the platform he ran on and the values he has promoted. Those values resonate not only within Palm Coast but across Flagler County and beyond. There are many who want to see the city grow in the right way, with residents’ needs kept at the forefront.

I commend Mayor Norris for choosing to dismiss the litigation and refocus his energy on governing. It is the right move at the right time. The residents deserve leadership that puts progress above personal disputes. With this chapter in the rearview, the city of Palm Coast now has an opportunity to move forward together.

RON LONG Flagler County

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ence itself. Animal experiments are less reliable and often not predictive of effects in human medicine. NIH Director Bhattacharya said, “It’s easy, for instance, to cure Alzheimer’s in mice, but those things don’t translate to humans. More than 90% of drug trials fail between animal and human testing trials.

Animal experiments are expensive, often completely ineffective and come at a steep cost ethically. Laboratory animals suffer living in intensive, often solitary confinement, undergoing painful tests involving tube feeding, forced inhalation of

Another spike in property tax

Dear Editor: While reading last week’s Ormond Beach Observer, I saw the letter to the editor from Brian Hilgers expressing concern about approving a double digit increase in the property tax for Ormond Beach. I share that concern. Another tax increase? Not just an increase but a double digit increase of 15.8% over the property tax rollback rate last year, which also was a double digit increase of 12.8% over the rollback rate the year before, which was a 13.7% increase over the prior years rollback rate. The tax increase is in addition to likely increases to utility rates. I echo Brian Hilgers call for a thorough audit to justify a financial need before another double digit increase in property taxes.

I’m not one to voice concerns about government spending without also offering solutions. A recent example is the proposed cost of the broker fee for its employee benefits plan — $50,000 or $99,102. A solution could be to increase the pay to each employee at the cost of the employee benefits plan. This allows each employee to choose from a larger universe of benefits that an individual broker may be limited to.

substances, multiple surgeries and so much more. Advancing technologies such as organ-on-a-chip technology or computational modeling offers a more effective alternative to animal testing. Many scientists around the globe are embracing the progress.

The United States is seeing a seismic shift in how animals are used in research. I n time animals may hopefully not be used at all.

Ending the agony of these animals by finding and implementing effective alternatives to animals in research could be one of American science’s most important achievements.

The cost savings come from the elimination of the broker fee — a win-win for employees and taxpayers. Another cost savings can potentially come from the city’s new Utility Payment Portal.

The city can offer a utility statement credit for customers who switch from paper bills to paperless. This not only saves money on the cost of mailing out paper statements every month but also helps avoid negative environmental impact of thousands of envelopes and statements a month. That was an idea I proposed while serving on the city’s Budget Advisory Board a few years ago. While on the Budget Advisory Board, I declined taxpayer funded meals offered prior to joint meetings with the City Commission. This may seem like a very small cost savings but I did it more for the fiscal responsibility, “‘need’ or ‘want’?” mindset I believed is paramount for someone in a fiscal fiduciary position. The cost of those meals for every participant in those meetings every year adds up over time to more than a rounding error in the budget.

DONNA BROSEMER

VOLUSIA SCHOOL BOARD

JOE HANNOUSH Ormond Beach

AMY CAROTENUTO

FLAGLER HUMANE SOCIETY

YOUR NEIGHBORS

Gecko chamber

Ormond Beach Environmental Discovery Center welcomes a new animal ambassador: Dexter the leopard gecko.

JARLEENE ALMENAS

MANAGING EDITOR

The Ormond Beach Environmental Discovery Center has a new ambassador.

And he can fit in the palm of your hand.

On Friday, Aug. 15, the EDC held a special program to welcome Dexter, a leopard gecko, as the center’s seventh ambassador animal, joining four snakes and two Florida box turtles, named Frank and Beans. During the program, children learned facts about leopard geckos, including about their anatomy, life cycles, diet and habitat.

Ellie Schultz, city recreation leader at the EDC, said it’s important for people to be able to interact with elements of nature, and the EDC’s ambassador animals are part of that initiative.

“I think being able to have animals that we can have the kids hold or pet or touch is really useful for the kids to be able to build those relationships with animals and hopefully that’ll then extend to being out in nature and respecting, not just the animals, but the plants and all of the other wildlife out there,” said Schultz, a former teacher.

Dexter arrived to the EDC after the center’s caretaker found out his owner needed to rehome him.

“We were of course very happy to have a leopard gecko and a new animal that we were able to help people learn about new species that they might not know about,” Schultz said.

Leopard geckos can live up to 20 years in captivity. Dexter is estimated to be around 10.

“So he is getting a little up there in age but he should still have several years to enjoy his time with us here,” Schultz said.

Friends of the Ormond Beach Library receive $1,000 donation

The Friends of the Ormond Beach Library recently received a $1,000 donation from Local Souls, an Ormond-Daytona Beach based nonprofit founded by two sisters. According to a press release, the two sisters — Chrissie Parsons and Brenda Hall — share a love of crafting and a desire to give back to their community. Local Souls donates 100% of proceeds to local charities and service organizations. Previous nonprofits to receive donations include Salty Family Services, First Step Homeless Shelter, Daytona Outreach, Dillinger Food Bank, Ormond Strong, Provision Packs and Halifax Urban Ministries.

Parsons and Hall can be found at the Ormond Beach Farmer’s Market at City Hall Plaza, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursdays. Their nonprofit can be supported through the purchase of custom and original design stickers, magnets, engraved bookmarks, license tag art and sea glass pictures.

FUN FACTS ABOUT LEOPARD GECKOS

„ While most geckos have adhesive pads on their toes to climb vertical walls, leopard geckos do not.

„ They are polyphyodonts — they have 100 teeth that are each replaced every three to four months.

„ They shed every two to four weeks, and eat the shedded skin.

„ Leopard geckos can drop their tails to escape from predators. Their tails can regenerate.

„ Female leopard geckos can lay two eggs at a time, though they can lay several clutches in a year.

„ Eggs take 35-90 days to hatch.

„ They are native to Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India and Nepal.

„ Leopard

and other reptiles.

Misty Kingsley named Social Services Professional of the Year

The Florida Health Care Association recently recognized Misty Kingsley, social services director at Avante at Ormond Beach, as a “Shining Star” with the 2025 Compassion in Action Award for Social Services Professional of the Year. The award recognizes an outstanding social services professional, and Kingsley “demonstrates a deep commitment to the individuals and communities she serves, prioritizing urgent resident needs while maintaining high-quality care,”

a press release states.

“Misty embodies the vision of ‘going above and beyond,’ as she is known to do with residents, colleagues, and community partners,” said Emmett Reed, FHCA’s chief executive officer. “Whether she is providing care or mentoring a newcomer to the profession, Misty demonstrates unparalleled compassion.”

Kingsley previously founded the National Long Term Care Social Services Association in Orange County and served as its president.The award was presented during FHCA’s annual conference, held July 13-17, at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando.

Source: Ormond Beach Environmental Discovery Center

Ormond Beach Regional Library to celebrate annual How-To Festival

The Ormond Beach Regional Library will offer a variety of programs for all ages on Saturday, Sep. 13 as part of its annual How-To Festival.

In the Youth Services area:

„ DIY Buttons — 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Unleash your creativity by designing a button that you can wear and take home.

„ Family Crafting with Cricut — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Learn about Cricut, a die-cutting machine used for crafting, and how you can apply fun designs to basic family supplies

„ Discovering Microscopes — 1-3 p.m. Learn how to use a microscope to view materials under a different lens.

Citizens are also invited to visit the adult area of the library to try a new craft, view demonstrations by

library staff, and visit with representatives from local organizations and Volusia County government. The area will also host the following presentations:

„ Garden with Native Plants — 11 a.m. to noon. Learn about the advantages of gardening with plants native to Florida, and how you can get started from the Pawpaw Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society.

„ Get Started with Birding — 12-1 p.m. Learn how to get started with the hobby of birding and spot some of our local feathered friends from Halifax River Audubon.

„ Climb Your Family Tree — 1-2 p.m. Learn tips, tricks, and information on available genealogy resources from the Halifax Genealogical Society. Stay after the presentation for oneon-one research assistance from HGS’s trained genealogists, available from 2-4 p.m.

Makayla Sanford holds Dexter.

Ellie Schultz, city recreation leader at the EDC, and Dexter. Photos by Jarleene Almenas

Ellie Schultz, city recreation leader at the EDC, shows Dexter to Emily and Aiden Queen, of Ormond Beach.

geckos mostly eat bugs like worms and crickets, but some are known to eat small animals like mice

Misty Kingsley, second from right, receives the 2025 FHCA Compassion in Action Award for Social Services Professional of the Year. Courtesy photo

Chrissie Parsons, co-founder of Local Souls; Carol Johnson, President of the Friends of the Ormond Beach Library; and Brenda Hall, co-founder of Local Souls. Courtesy photo

LOCAL EVENTS

all skill levels. Pre-sketched canvases will be available for those who want them. Event costs $40 for members and $50 for nonmembers and includes light bites, one drink, supplies and instruction. Additional drinks available for purchase.

ORMOND BEACH AREA DEMOCRATIC CLUB

When: 6:30-8:15 p.m.

Where: 56 N. Halifax Drive, Ormond Beach

includes select pieces from OMAM’s Malcolm Fraser permanent collection, the John Wilton installation in the stairway gallery, a walk through the gardens to learn more about the military tributes, and a tour of the historic Emmons Cottage. No advanced registration is required.

LET’S TALK PALM COAST — A TOWN HALL SERIES

When: 5-6 p.m.

Where: Waterfront Room at the Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE, Palm Coast Details: Meet Council member David Sullivan in this open forum.

CANVAS & COCKTAILS

When: 5:30-8 p.m.

Where: Ormond Memorial Art Museum, 78 E. Granada Blvd.,

Ormond Beach Details: Artist Stacey Frates will guide this social evening in the museum, where guests will paint a hibiscus flower and monstera leaf. Open to

Details: Attend the August meeting of the Ormond Beach Area Democratic Club. Likeminded guests are welcome to attend. Visit ormondbeachdems.org.

FRIDAY, AUG. 22

SENIOR HEALTH & WELLNESS EXPO

When: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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

Details: Flagler Radio is hosting a free expo, presented by AdventHealth, where attendees can receive free vision screenings, hearing screenings and blood sugar checks. There will be free coffee and cash grab envelopes for the first 50 people.

BEACHSIDE GARAGE OPEN HOUSE

When: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where: Birthplace of Speed Park, 21 Ocean Shore Blvd., Ormond Beach

Details: The Motor Racing

Heritage Association will host an open house at the Ormond Garage model at the Birthplace of Speed Park. The garage holds the two replica race cars that competed in the first sanctioned race on the beach in March 1903.

RECIPES AND READS

CULINARY LAB: THE CULTURE AND HISTORY OF FOOD — BEEF

When: 11 a.m.

Where: Ormond Beach Regional Library, 30 S. Beach

St., Ormond Beach

Details: Learn the history of Florida beef in this cooking demonstration, presented by library staff. Free event.

PALM COAST

ACOUSTIC JAM

When: 2-5 p.m.

Where: Hammock Community Center, 79 Mala Compra Road, Palm Coast

Details: Sing? Play an acoustic stringed instrument? Bring your instrument, a folding chair and join other local amateur musicians of all ages for a jam session. Free, familyfriendly monthly event.

FRIDAY, AUG. 23

SURFERS FOR AUTISM

When: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where: 7th Street South to 8th Street South, Flagler Beach

Details: Participants will surf twice and the event will feature a DJ, hames, raffles, merchandise, free sunscreen,

water and lunch. Visit https:// surfersforautism.org/registration.

DANCE FUNDRAISER

When: 10:45 a.m.

Where: Gold’s Gym Ormond Beach, 333 W. Granada Blvd., Suite 200, Ormond Beach

Details: Attend this dance workout fundraiser where all proceeds go toward purchasing school supplies for local children. $10 donation requested to participate. For more information, call the front desk at both the Ormond and Daytona gym locations, 386-310-7863 and 386-281-5959, respectively.

SUNDAY, AUG. 24

WESTWARD ROAD

When: 6-8 p.m.

Where: The Gathering Place at Lighthouse Christ Presbyterian Church, 1035 W. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach

Details: Attend this family Christian ministry event featuring Westward Road, a family trio that blends gospel and modern worship music. Free admission, but offerings accepted. For more information, contact Brad Yates at brad@lighthousecpc.org.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 27

VETERANS CREATIVE EXPRESSION WORKSHOP

When: 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where: Ormond Memorial Art Museum, 78 E. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach

Details: Create an art project

with an OMAM instructor or guest artist. All materials provided; no experience needed. Open to veterans and current service members, but a family member or friend (age 16 or older) may also register. Costs $50 for members and $60 for non-members. Visit www.ormondartmuseum.org/ classes-programs.

THURSDAY, AUG. 28

LITTLE NOTES & NARRATIVES

When: 10:30 a.m. to noon

Where: Ormond Memorial Art Museum, 78 E. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach

Details: In partnership with the Early Learning Coalition of Flagler & Volusia. Designed for ages 3 to 5. Nurtures creativity, rhythm, and a love for music. The program is guided by Kelsey Avignon of the Early Learning Coalition. Free. Registration is required. Visit www.ormondartmuseum.org/ classes-programs.

ATLANTIC FEDERATION REPUBLICAN WOMEN MEETING, FEATURING

RANDY FINE

When: 11:30 a.m.

Where: The Palmetto Club, 1000 S. Beach St., Daytona Beach

Details: Attend the August meeting of the Atlantic Federated Republican Women. This month’s guest speaker will be Congressman Randy Fine. Meeting fee of $28 includes lunch. For more information,

or to register, visit https:// www.atlanticrepublicanwomen.com.

RECIPES AND READS CULINARY LAB: BASIC COOKING — SPICE LAB: VANILLA When: 2 p.m.

Where: Ormond Beach Regional Library

Details: Learn all about vanilla and its uses in this cooking demonstration, presented by library staff. Free event.

PALM COAST CONCERT SERIES

When: 6-8 p.m.

Where: The Stage at Town Center, 1500 Central Ave., Palm Coast

Details: See the Southern Rock Revival band perform. Food trucks, vendors, yard games, and beer and wine. Bring a chair.

SATURDAY, AUG. 30

FLAGLER WOMAN’S CLUB

TRIVIA

When: 6-8 p.m.

Where: Flagler Woman’s Club, 1524 S. Central Ave., Flagler Beach

Details: Join the Flagler Woman’s Club for an evening of trivia with Travis Thomas, of Thomas Media Solutions. A $10 per person donation is requested. Please bring an appetizer to share. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Debbie at 312-607-8200 or Mary at 386-569-7813.

This Brother and Sister Medical Team Know That Caring for Patients Runs More than Skin Deep

Siblings Beth McDonough, PA-C and William Bethea, DO bonded over a lot of things growing up. But it was their love for their family, their love for the practice of medicine, their love for caring for others and their love for Ormond Beach that resulted in the realization of their dream to come ‘home’ again, to work together to help others feel more confident about the skin they’re in.

Billy and Beth Go Gators…

“Billy and I are the youngest of four – we have an older sister and brother,” said McDonough. “We are third-generation Ormond Beach residents. Our late grandmother was a local artist who felt this was a great place to raise a family, and so do we. We have this wonderful

community. Access to gorgeous beaches. Why would you want to live anywhere else?”

McDonough, a former Miss Seabreeze and Miss Volusia County, struggled with skin problems as a teen. It piqued an interest in health which led her to the University of Florida in Gainesville to pursue a degree in nutrition. Following graduation, she became a nutritional counselor and a teacher, which was a good fit for someone who really liked helping people one-on-one. And while she enjoyed counseling and teaching, she learned she really liked everything to do with the skin, so back she went to the UF College of Medicine to earn her degree and certification as a certified physician assistant.

Meanwhile, Dr. Bethea earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and was then commissioned by the U.S. Air Force while completing medical school. Upon graduation in 2005, Dr. Bethea served meritoriously as an active-duty Flight Surgeon in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan’s Enduring Freedom campaigns. He then went

on to become chief of his dermatology residency and is currently a board-certified dermatologist.

…And Realize There’s No Place Like Home

Although she worked in dermatology in Naples for 15 years, McDonough always felt it was in the cards for her to move back to Ormond Beach. In 2021, she got the chance and returned to the area with her husband and kids. Her brother, who was working as a dermatologist for Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery’s Ormond Beach location, said, “Come work in dermatology with me”. They started working together in October.

“I really enjoy medical dermatology, helping patients from birth up to their 100’s with skin conditions including acne, rashes, mole checks, and skin cancer,” said McDonough.

“I also enjoy performing cosmetic procedures with BOTOX® Cosmetic, dermal fillers, lasers including the MedLite® for brown spots and V-Beam® for red spots, Xtrac® for vitiligo and psoriasis, and PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) treatments for facial rejuvenation and hair loss.”

Dr. Bethea concentrates on general dermatology and skin cancer detection and treatments. He also performs surgical procedures.

Patients Benefit from their Interaction

“We work collaboratively, and I consult with my brother on a number of cases during the day,” said Beth. “We find that two brains are better than one.”

“The most rewarding part of working together is what it means to our ability to help our patients. In a lot of ways, we can read each other’s mind at work.

Thinking back to special moments throughout her lifetime, Beth remembers back to her wedding day. “Both of my brothers were in full military uniforms for my wedding. It was stunning and I was so proud.”

McDonough has never stopped being proud of her family. And she takes that feeling to work every day.

YOUR SCHOOLS

VOLUSIA’S BALGOBIN UP FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR

Volusia County Schools Superintendent Carmen Balgobin has been named a finalist for the National Association of School Superintendents’ 2025 Superintendent of the Year award.

During her tenure with VCS, one of the state’s largest districts, Balgobin has led the district “through a period of unprecedented academic growth, innovation, and community engagement,” a press release stated. This includes celebrating the district’s first “A” grade in 16 years from the Florida Department of Education, achieving a 93.7% graduation rate and having no “D” schools in the district.

“I’m deeply humbled to be a finalist for the 2025 NASS Superintendent of the Year,” said Balgobin in the press release. “This honor belongs to our entire Volusia County Schools team, every superintendent across the country who champions public education, and organizations like NASS that provide crucial support and advocacy for superintendents. It truly takes a village, and this work is fully realized through the engagement of our students, parents, all staff, community partners, volunteers, mentors, School Board, and stakeholders.

“Through collaborative partnerships and servant leadership, we’ve achieved remarkable progress with our first ‘A’ rating in 16 years. This recognition reinforces my commitment to the collective work we do to

transform public education for every student we serve.”

Balgobin also regularly shares scalable frameworks for instructional improvement, strategic alignment, and sustainable district transformation with other districts, the press release states. Under her guidance, initiatives such as “Synergy Walks” and clear instructional “look-fors” have strengthened instructional capacity and fostered a culture of shared accountability across more than 70 schools. Additionally, she has championed strategies to address teacher retention, safety and security, technology integration and chronic absenteeism.

The 2025 NASS Superintendent of the Year will be announced on Sep. 10.

200 BACKPACKS DISTRIBUTED AT ST. JOE PLAZA

The third annual St. Joe Plaza Back to School Block Party in Palm Coast was held Aug. 10, the day before students returned to school. The event was organized by Arah Williams, a veteran and owner of Toney’s Barbershop and Scoops & Subs.

Two hundred Backpacks were distributed. Each was equipped with school supplies.

Children, accompanied by parents or guardians walked around to the various stations, filling their backpacks. The stations offered treats and fire hats as well as Italian Ice samples and ice cream from Scoops & Subs. One of the main attractions of the event was a bounce house. Children

FOCUS ON FAITH

Palm Coast Methodist Church to host B-CU president and concert chorale

On Sunday, Aug. 24, Palm Coast Methodist Church will welcome back the BethuneCookman University Concert Chorale for their 30th annual visit.

“Their inspiring music fills our sanctuary with joy and harmony, and we look forward to sharing in this cherished tradition once again,” a press release stated.

The church will also host a guest preacher for the occasion, Rev. Albert Mosley, who is the newly appointed president of B-CU and member of the United Methodist Church. He will be giving a sermon at 8:30 a.m. and again at 10:30 a.m. The B-CU football team will attend the 10:30 a.m. worship. Attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite collegiate T-shirt or football jersey.

New series of sermons begins at Parkview Parkview Church of Palm Coast is hosting a new series of weekend sermons. The series started on Satur-

day, Aug. 16 and runs through Sunday, Sep. 7. According to the church’s Facebook page, the series “exposes how offense is Satan’s most subtle and deadly weapon to destroy relationships, poison hearts, and divide churches. Jesus calls His followers to live unoffended—not by ignoring pain, but by embracing the power of forgiveness, humility, and the cross.”

Saturday services are held at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday services are held at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Parkview is located at 5435 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast. Send faith story ideas to brian@observerlocalnews. com.

and adults also congregated around a Palm Coast fire truck, speaking with firefighters and posing for photos.

This year, the event included free haircuts at Toney’s Barbershop. The barbers, who volunteered their time, provided over 50 haircuts with no one turned away. A pop-up shop, provided by Thankful Harris, aimed to alleviate financial burdens by offering a wide range of clothing items at no cost.

Sponsors included Cathy Heighter Moore (Remembering Vets), Vance Scott (Approved Mortgage Source), Aleshia Bratcher (Firehouse Subs), Jon McDowell (Purdees Italian Ice), Target of Palm Coast and Staples of Palm Coast.

MATANZAS CHEERLEADERS TERRY, WIRT ARE TWO-TIME UCA ALL-AMERICANS

Two Matanzas High School senior varsity cheerleaders — cocaptain Madi Terry and captain Jada Wirt — became two-time All-Americans at Universal Cheerleaders Association camp this summer in Gainesville.

They both earned their first All-American titles as sophomores. Wirt also earned the “Varsity Pin It Forward” award at camp. As varsity All-Americans and senior captains, they qualify to perform at special events in London, Honolulu and Disney World. As members of an award-winning team at camp, they also quality to perform at the Citrus Bowl. Eight Matanzas varsity cheerleaders were selected as All-Americans this summer, qualifying to perform at select special events. The others are SummerLynn,

Kids enjoy Italian ice third annual St. Joe Plaza Back to School

In total, eight Matanzas varsity cheerleaders were selected as All-Americans this summer, qualifying to perform at special events: SummerLynn, Aubrey, Lilly, Ava, Hadley, Riley, Madi and Jada.

Rev. Albert Mosley. Courtesy photo

BUSINESS

JetBlue returns to Daytona airport after seven-year absence

JetBlue is returning to Daytona Beach International Airport after almost seven years.

The airport announced on Thursday, Aug. 14, that the air line will service the airport with two daily, nonstop routes to New York City (JFK) and Boston (BOS). Service begins Dec. 4, and tickets are now on sale.

“These flights will enhance greater business, tourism, and family connections, while strengthening Daytona Beach International Airport’s role as a gateway to the world,” said Cyrus Callum, Volusia County Aviation and Economic Resources director. “Adding this service strengthens our route network, enhances connectivity for our passengers, and demonstrates the confidence major carriers have in DAB’s ability to deliver.”

The press release states that JetBlue’s return follows “years of discussions between the airline and the airport’s air service development team.” The airline stopped flying in and out of DAB in 2019.

With JetBlue back on board, DAB is now served by five commercial airlines — the others being Delta, American Airlines, Avelo, and Breeze. Together, they offer 11 nonstop destinations and connections to cities around the nation and worldwide.

According to a study by the Florida Department of Transportation, DAB’s annual economic impact was measured at $3.2 billion in 2023.

“Each time more flights are added, the effect grows exponentially, benefiting the entire community,” the press release

newly renovated Epic Theatres of Palm Coast

The newly renovated Epic Theatres of Palm Coast in Town Center will hold a grand opening and ribbon-cutting on Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 6 p.m.

The event will include a special $2 screening of Angel Studio’s new film “Sketch.” Concessions will also be $2 concessions.

According to a press release, the updated theatres at 1185 Central Ave. include an Epic XTS experience with laserprojected, wall-to-wall screen, thunderous 24-channel audio system and zero gravity recliners with imbedded shakerseat audio. The LUX theatre, exclusively for age 17 and up, features massaging recliners, charging ports and a premium adults-only atmosphere.

Adams Cameron hosts mid-year market update, announces promotions

Adams, Cameron & Co., Realtors hosted a mid-year market update in July.

According to a press release, the meeting featured a panel of top-performing real estate agents and President John Ad-

“provide immediate support, business-building strategies, and creative insights” to help agents. The team is made up Chrissy Royce, Kaley Maycomber and Renee Rau.

The meeting also highlighted summer interns Bobby Adams and Anderson Welch for their roe in enhancing Adams, Cameron’s social media outreach.

Adams Cameron adds new agent

Adams Cameron and Co. Realtors has added a new agent.

Alexandra Latoria comes to Adams Cameron with a background in business and communication and a master’s from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

“I’m incredibly enthusiastic about guiding individuals and families through one of life’s most significant decisions –finding their home,” Latoria said. “My goal is to make the process as seamless and enjoyable as possible, always putting my clients’ needs first.”

Originally from the Chicagoland area, Latoria moved to Florida four years ago. She is an active member of the Port Orange community and volunteers as a softball coach.

We want your news! Send business press releases to sierra@observerlocalnews.com.

REAL ESTATE

Flagler Beach home tops sales list at $1.1M

Ahouse at 2534 Lakeshore Drive in the Morningside Subdivision in Flagler Beach was a recent top real estate transaction in Flagler County and Ormond Beach. The house sold on Aug. 8, for $1,150,000. Built in 1992, the house is a 5/4.5 and has a pool, a hot tub, a fireplace, a boat dock, a boat house and 4,259 square feet. It sold in 2024 for $1,500,000.

ALEXIS MILLER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

JARLEENE ALMENAS

MANAGING EDITOR

ORMOND BEACH

A riverfront home at 3128 John Anderson Drive was the top sale was the top real estate transaction in Ormond Beach and Ormond-by-theSea for the week of July 26 to Aug. 1. The house sold on July 28, for $1,047,500. Built in 1988, the house is a 4/5 and has a fireplace, a pool, a boat dock, a boat lift and 3,050 square feet. It last sold in 2021 for $795,000.

Alcott

The house at 1317 Northside Drive sold on July 31, for $300,000. Built in 1983, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace and 1,468 square feet. It last sold in 2018 for $249,900.

Breakaway Trails

The house at 6 Leisure Wood Way sold on July 28, for $650,000. Built in 1988, the house is a 4/3.5 and has a fireplace and 3,014 square feet. It last sold in 1999 for $236,000.

Forest Grove

The house at 92 S. Orchard St. sold on July 30, for $255,000. Built in 1956, the house is a 3/1 and has 1,102 square feet. It last sold in 2024 for $185,000.

Fountain View

The house at 1332 Lawndale Court sold on July 31, for $415,990. Built in 2025, the house is a 5/3 and has 2,601 square feet.

Halifax Plantation

The house at 3428 Saltee Circle sold on July 31, for $560,000. Built in 2019, the house is a 4/2 and has a pool and 2,234 square feet. It last sold in 2023 for $425,000.

Hunter’s Ridge

The house at 112 Pergola Place sold on July 31, for $350,000. Built in 2016, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,913 square feet. It last sold in 2016 for $221,700.

Not in subdivision

The house at 794 E. River Oak Drive sold on July 28, for $326,500. Built in 1981, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace and 1,772 square feet. It last sold in 2016 for $175,000.

Oak Forest

The house at 11 Eileen Terrace sold on July 31, for $300,000. Built in 1981, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace and 1,434 square feet. It last sold in 2019 for $180,000.

The house at 1568 Poplar Drive sold on Aug. 1, for $559,000. Built in 1990, the house is a 4/2.5 and has a fireplace and 3,160 square feet. It last sold in 1989 for $46,500.

Ortona Park

The house at 913 Stanford Ave. sold on July 29, for $353,883.19. Built in 1959, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 1,275 square feet. It last sold in 1985 for $88,500.

Royal Dunes

The house at 175 Royal Dunes Circle sold on Aug. 1, for $600,000. Built in 1963, the house is a 4/2.5 and has a fireplace, a pool and 2,648 square feet. It last sold in 2022 for $485,000.

Tomoka Park

The house at 35 Whippoorwill Lane sold on July 31, for $375,000. Built in 1977, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace, a pool and 2,119 square feet. It last sold in 1982 for $78,000.

PALM COAST

Condos

A condo at 3580 S. Ocean Shore Blvd., Unit 905, sold on Aug. 7, for $490,000. Built in 1982, the condo is a 3/2 and has 1,695 square feet. It sold in 2023 for $510,000.

A condo at 100 San Juan Drive, Unit A202, sold on Aug. 6, for $170,000. Built in 2002, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,113 square feet. It sold in 2002 for $126,900.

A condo at 80 Surfview Drive, Unit 408, sold on Aug. 4, for $510,000. Built in 2003, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,455 square feet. It sold

in 2011 for $219,500.

A condo at 7 Avenue De La Mer, Unit 702, sold on Aug. 4, for $975,000. Built in 2003, the condo is a 2/2.5 and has 1,944 square feet. It sold in 2018 for $575,000.

Belle Terre

A house at 8 Buffalo Grove Drive sold on Aug. 7, for $295,000. Built in 1985, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 1,247 square feet. It sold in 2016 for $125,000.

Palm Harbor A house at 34 Clermont Court sold on Aug. 5, for $807,500. Built in 2000, the house is a 4/2.5 and has a pool, a hot tub, a boat dock, a boat house and 2,748 square feet.

A house at 104 Foxhall Lane sold on Aug. 8, for $335,000. Built in 1981, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,815 square feet. It sold in 2025 for $275,000.

Pine Grove

A house at 75 Pepperdine Drive sold on Aug. 8, for $320,990. Built in 2025, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,504 square feet.

A house at 14 Princess Luise Lane sold on Aug. 8, for $399,900. Built in 2024, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,992 square feet.

Pine Lakes A house at 35 Woodhollow Lane sold on Aug. 7, for $434,000. Built in 1993, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 2,086 square feet. It sold in 2023 for $493,000.

A house at 52 Woodworth Drive sold on Aug. 7, for $295,000. Built in 1988, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,543 square feet. It sold in 2023 for $210,000.

A house at 63 Wellstream Lane sold on Aug. 7, for $560,000. Built in 1993, the house is a 4/3.5 and has a pool, a hot tub, a fireplace and 3,196 square feet. It sold in 2024 for $330,000.

A house at 7 Wayman Place sold on Aug. 5, for $315,000. Built in 1991, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,614 square feet.

Quail Hollow A house at 3 Karas Trail sold on Aug. 7, for $375,200. Built in 2025, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,265 square feet.

Town Center 8 Juniper Lane sold on Aug. 8, for $421,000. Built in 2025, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,806 square feet.

Toby Tobin, of gotoby.com, and John Adams, of Adams, Cameron & Co. Realtors, contributed to this report.

SPORTS

Team mash up

There will be a lot of familiarity, energy and excitement in the 17th annual Potato Bowl

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The Potato Bowl has not exactly been a competitive rivalry. Matanzas has won just three of 16 games against Flagler Palm Coast, its more established and larger rival — and one of those wins, in 2022, was a forfeit.

There haven’t been many edge-of-your-seat nailbiters, either. The only times the game has been decided by fewer than 17 points was when Matanzas won in consecutive years in 2015 (by a score of 14-7) and 2016 (14-8).

But when the teams line up for the kickoff at the Pirates’ stadium on Friday, Aug. 22, it will likely be standing room only on both sides of the field.

“It’s a rival game,” Matanzas coach Matt Forrest said.

“There’s a lot of energy. There’s a lot of excitement. They got guys on that side that we know, and we got guys on our side that they know. We’re going to have a great crowd. It’s a great event for the county.”

CHANGING UNIFORMS

New FPC coach Patrick Turner will be on the sideline for his first Potato Bowl, but he has coached in a lot of rivalry games over the years, and he knows the drill.

“It’s a big week. We tell

the players, ‘Control your emotions and stay off social media,’ Turner said. “It’s less about them, and more about us, because the team that makes the fewest mistakes usually wins.”

Staying off social media will be easier said than done. Kenneth “KJ” Robinson transferred from Matanzas to FPC this year.

“I love everybody over there. It’s definitely a game I’m looking forward to — just playing my old guys, my old coaches, and having fun with them afterwards,” the twoway player said.

Matanzas starting quarterback Cole Walker played at FPC as a freshman and sophomore. He played with Bulldogs quarterback LaDarius Simmons when both were sophomores at FPC two years ago and were part of a threeway quarterback battle. But their history together goes back even further.

“Cole and I have been friends since we were like 12 years old,” Simmons said.

Back then, they trained together with quarterback coach Matt Johnson. “Him and I had a lot of quarterback training together when we were 11, 12, 13 years old,” Walker said. “LaDarius and I are pretty close friends.”

Both quarterbacks are welltraveled. Simmons played at Father Lopez as a freshman and Halifax Academy last year. Walker was the backup quarterback at Mainland last year and played with Nease during the spring of his sophomore year. He said he’s learned dif-

Seabreeze ties Astronaut

Luke Zboch boots two field goals, Cash Kurz grabs an interception.

BRENT WORONOFF

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Seabreeze kicker Luke Zboch barely missed a field goal from about 45 yards that would have given the Sandcrabs a win over Titusville Astronaut in their kickoff classic.

POTATO BOWL

WHO: Flagler Palm Coast at Matanzas

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11

TICKETS: $12, Go to http:// bit.ly/4fT09B2; Cash, $11.

GATES OPEN: 5:30 p.m.

RADIO: WZNF 94.9 FM or Flaglerbroadcasting.com. Listen to Rich and Mike Show, 7:30 a.m. Saturday on WNZF or on the podcast on the website or app.

ferent things at the different schools, but all of the offenses have been similar.

“In my opinion, I think in high school, a lot of plays are honestly universal, like passing concepts, run concepts, (run-pass options) off the run plays, and stuff like that,” he said.

Simmons never played at Matanzas. But another Bulldogs quarterback, Caden Burchfield, was the Pirates’ starter last season. Turner said Simmons will likely start against the Pirates, but he plans to rotate the two QBs.

Simmons said Turner’s offense is custom-made for his skill-set.

“It’s running, running and passing it,” he said. “My dual-threat ability comes out because we throw and I run, so it’s pretty good for me. A lot of RPOs and deep action plays to throw the ball to receivers down the field where they can make the plays.”

OPENING THE SEASON

For the first time since 2020, the Potato Bowl will open the season. But that was the COVID year when the season started a month late.

Neither team had the preparation it expected in last week’s kickoff classics. While Matanzas’ game with Jackonsville Episcopal was called at halftime because of lingering lightning in the area, FPC had just one offensive possession and went just a couple of plays into its second defensive possession when the game at Palatka was called.

“With the kickoff classic the No. 1 goal is to get out healthy,” Turner said. “This week it’s for real.”

Matanzas and Episcopal played to a 7-7 first-half tie. Forrest was pleased with his team’s first possession, which ended with a long touchdown run by running back Wiley

MAKING THE MOST OF ROBINSON

Flagler Palm Coast senior Kenneth “KJ” Robinson returns to Matansas where he played football as a freshman, sophomore and junior. In the Potato Bowl, his former teammates will be seeing a lot of him. Robinson will play on defense at his primary position of safety. He will also get a lot of playing time at slot receiver on offense, and he’ll likely get a chance to return kicks and punts. FPC coach Patrick Turner compared Robinson to some of the great two-way players he coached at Menendez — Kenny Logan, DeMario Douglas, Darian Oxendine and Tye Edwards — all of whom went on to play college ball and two who are playing pro ball. Douglas is a receiver with the NFL’s New England Patriots, while Logan is playing in the Canadian Football League.

Conner. After that, the Pirates had some lapses, Forrest said.

“Our guys realize that opportunities aren’t guaranteed,” he said. “I feel bad that we couldn’t get our JV guys in, because they’ve been working really hard.”

The JV players will get their chance at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 21, when FPC and Matanzas will meet in the Spud Bowl at FPC’s Sal Campanella Stadium.

But the big game is Friday.

“Within the community, it’s definitely a really big game, so it’s exciting to play, and especially in Week 1,” Walker said.

“It’s rare you can find a special per son who can do that. And Kenneth’s in that realm,” Turner said. Robinson will back up Nolan Caliendo in the slot.

And there will be packages where both will be on the field together, Turner said.

“Obviously you’ll have to take the tight end off the field,” he said. “It makes us a true speed team, makes us two-dimensional. It’s something we’ll try to conditioned I feel like always playedtunities. I think

“It sets the tone for the season.” Forrest said he doesn’t have a preference for when the two teams play. Last year the Potato Bowl was played in the final week of the regular season.

“Whether you play Week 1, Week 4 or Week 11, it’s a game, you’re going to play every year,” he said. “But I think it’s good to kind of kick off the season with it. It gets everybody ready for a new football season. It kind of gets everything rolling.”

Email brent@observer localnews.com.

“It

gets everybody ready for a new football season.”

MATT FORREST, Matanzas High School football coach

Seabreeze wound up tying the War Eagles 6-6 at Astronaut’s Storey-Taylor Stadium on Friday, Aug. 15. Zboch booted two field goals from about 30 and 40 yards, Sandcrabs coach Mike Klein said, to account for all of Seabreeze’s scoring.

The 6-foot-6 senior also had a 60-plus-yard punt and three kickoffs for touchbacks. He went 2 for 4 on field goals for the night, showing off a strong leg on every attempt.

The fact that Zboch got four field-goal attempts shows that the Sandcrabs were able to move the ball but weren’t able to finish drives with touchdowns. The fact that the score was 6-6 shows that the defense also played well to keep Seabreeze in the game.

“We were solid,” Klein said. “We just made too many mistakes. We played good on defense. And the offense was able to move the ball; we just shot ourselves in the foot.”

The ’Crabs put together an 18-play, time-consuming drive on their first possession before settling for Zboch’s first field goal. On defense, Cash Kurz had an interception, and their only major miscue was giving up a 40-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep.

“We had too many penalties and mistakes like drops and missed assignments,” Klein said. “But all these things we can clean up.”

The Sandcrabs open the

season on Friday, Aug. 22 at Spruce Creek in their annual Week 1 rivalry game.

“This game means something to the guys,” Klein said. “We always play Creek in Game 1 and end the season against Mainland. We’re excited for it. The guys are locked in. They want to play well this year.”

Spruce Creek reached the second round of the playoffs last year and humbled an inexperienced Seabreeze team

50-0 in Klein’s first game as the Sandcrabs’ head coach. This year, the ’Crabs are much more prepared, Klein said. “We had a great summer,” he said before preseason camp. “This will be an exciting year.” Seabreeze will play nine of its 10 games close to home: An Oct. 17 game at Viera us the only contest outside of Volusia and Flagler counties.

Quarterback LaDarius Simmons runs for a touchdown in FPC’s spring Green and White scrimmage on May 16. File photo by Brent Woronoff

Matanzas linebacker Nick Yacano (18) and teammates close in on Episcopal’s quarterback. Photos by Brent Woronoff

SIDELINES

DSC athletes excel in classroom

Daytona State College had 89 student-athletes named to the National Junior College Athletic Association All-Academic Teams –more than any other junior college in Florida, according to statistics released by the NJCAA.

“Our student-athletes excel on the field and in the classroom,” DSC President Tom LoBasso said in a news release.

The NJCAA recognizes studentathletes who complete at least 24 credit hours and maintain a grade point average of 3.6 or higher.

Honorees are named to one of three academic teams: Third Team, GPA between 3.6–3.79; Second Team, GPA between 3.8–3.99; First Team, GPA of 4.0

All 11 of Daytona State’s athletic programs were represented.

DSChad 28 athletes named to the Third Team, 34 to the Second Team and 27 to the First Team.

DSC teams also excelled with nine of 10 eligible programs earning a spot on the NJCAA All-Academic Teams of the Year list. Women’s golf led the nation with a 3.87 team GPA, while baseball ranked second with a 3.80 GPA.

Spikes and Spurs

Classic: Aug. 23

Flagler Palm Coast’s 14th annual Spikes and Spurs Classic cross country meet at the Flagler County Fairgrounds is scheduled for

Saturday, Aug. 23, with the first race starting at 7:30 a.m. To buy tickets in advance, go to http://bit. ly/4mUajDN.

Disc golf tourney for Flagler OARS

Golf tournaments are a common fund raiser. Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services (Flagler OARS) and Discover & Recover St. Johns County have added a twist. The two nonprofits will host the Second Chance Open — a charity disc golf tournament on Sept. 20 at Moccasin Creek Golf Course in Elkton in St. Johns County.

This inaugural event will support recovery services for individuals and families impacted by substance use disorder throughout Flagler and St. Johns counties.

The tournament, presented in partnership with Discover & Recover St. Johns County and St. Augustine Disc Golf Club. Check-in begins at 9 a.m. with activities including the”Ring of Fire” challenge.

“Whether you’re an experienced disc golfer or just learning the sport, this event is about coming together to support recovery in our community,” said Brock Birtolo, the project’s lead.

For sponsorship opportunities, call 386-233-3444 or email hello@ flagleroars.org. To register for the tournament, go to https://www. discgolfscene.com/tournaments/ and search for “second chance open.”

PUZZLED

Daytona State College flag football quarterback Ava Colubiale, a Mainland High grad, was one of 27 DSC athletes named to the NJCAA All-Academic First Team with a 4.0 GPA. Courtesy photo

Mainland bucks Kowboys by one point in kickoff classic

The Buccaneers Osceola 1413 with two touchdowns and a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter.

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Mainland’s offense doggedly drove for three quarters with no touchdowns against Kissimmee Osceola before scoring two touchdowns and a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter. The Buccaneers wrapped up the kickoff classic with a 14-13 win on Friday, Aug. 15, at DaySeconds into the fourth quarter, Bucs wide receiver Chris Butler caught a long pass from quarterback Sebastian Johnson in the back end zone. One minute later, wide receiver Zydarian “Hot Rod” Martin caught a quick pass just inside the end zone followed by a successful two-point conversion catch by Jaden “Melo” Parks. Last year, Osceola was the District 6A-5 champion and finished with a 12-3 record.

The Kowboys advanced to the Class 6A state championship game against West Boca Raton. The Bulls won 26-7 and the Kowboys finished as state runners-up. Mainland won District 4-5A last season to advance to the playoffs for the 31st consecutive season.

The Bucs finished with a 5-6

Bucs head coach Jerrime Bell said the rivalry between Mainland and Osceola spans “They are well coached and it’s a rivalry,” he said. “It’s a friendly rival, but it’s a

rivalry, so they’re not going to lay down. Their uncles came here and played. Our kids, uncles and brothers and older cousins went down there and played. It’s four decades worth of rivalry and we know they’re going to battle. We’re going to battle.”

Both teams were hampered by penalties, multiple fumbles and interceptions throughout the game. Mainland defensive back Marcus Day grabbed an interception within the first few minutes of the game and two more by the final buzzer.

In the second quarter, Osceola running back Jaxson Hardnett forced his way through defenders for a touchdown. Jose Perdomo’s kick brought the score to 7-0.

“We have got to stop the run better,” said Bell, adding that the Kowboys have a good stable of running backs. “We

had them down to (their own) inch line and they broke like a 57-yard run. Then the very next play, they got a pass on us. So two plays going 99-plus yards, but that’s a good football team.”

Wide receiver Alijah Jenkins put the Kowboys up 13-0 in the third quarter.

Mainland linebacker Dennis “Tank” King III is in his fourth season with the Bucs and is a leader on the defense. As the Bucs remained scoreless through three quarters, King said he encouraged his teammates to keep their heads up and keep fighting.

“Before we came into the game, we already had our mindset — defense is going to play all night and offense is going do what they’ve got to do to score,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if they go to (the) fourth quarter — 00 on the

clock — we’re going to school and we’re going to play ball regardless — four quarters for four downs. That’s all I can see.”

Bell said it felt good to have his players overcome adversity in front of the home crowd. He said as the team wins and city support increases, he wants to pack the stadium out.

“The kids deserve it because they work so hard,” Bell said. “A win like this early in the season against an opponent that everyone in Central Florida knows — everyone in the state knows — hopefully, it says the message that this isn’t the same Mainland team as last year. We want to finish.” Mainland was not able to replace its Week 1 opponent after University canceled, so the Bucs will open its season on Aug. 29 at Cocoa — another state powerhouse.

Mainland’s Lady Bucs Dance and Drill Team, majorettes, color guard and band perform.

Mainland defensive back Marcus Day catches his first interception of the game.

Mainland fans cheer for the Bucs. Photos by Michele Meyers

Mainland Air Force JROTC color guard posts the colors.

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Cabinet shop closing Friday August 22, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM - Saturday August 23, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM - Rain or Shine 2 Market Place Owner retiring. Everything for sale shop and showroom to include displays, bits, saws, materials, all tools. Open house 8/22/25 & 8/23/25, 9:00AM - 4:00PM, or call 386-445-9627 to set up an appointment to come in & browse.

Moving sale 81 Freemont Turn -8/23-24 8am-4pm.Everything must go Tables, Display Cases, Fishing Equipment, Beds, Couches, Electronics, lamps, TV Cabinets, Clocks, Sewing Machine and More

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NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 2024 12472 CICI

TRUIST BANK, formerly known as BRANCH BANKING AND TRUST COMPANY, Plaintiff, vs. JOSHUA LYON, KAREN EMMONS, DARREN EMMONS, UNKNOWN SPOUSE OF JOSHUA LYON, UNKNOWN SPOUSE OF KAREN EMMONS, UNKNOWN SPOUSE OF DARREN EMMONS, THE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION OF THE HAMMOCKS, INC., UNKNOWN TENANT #1, UNKNOWN TENANT #2, and all unknown parties claiming an interest by, through, under or against any Defendant, or claiming any right, title, and interest in the subject property, Defendants.

NOTICE is hereby given pursuant to the Final Judgment of Foreclosure, entered August 13, 2025, and entered in Case Number: 2024 12472 CICI of the Circuit Court in and for Volusia County, Florida, wherein TRUIST BANK, formerly known as BRANCH BANKING AND TRUST COMPANY, is the Plaintiff, and JOSHUA LYON, KAREN EMMONS, DARREN EMMONS, THE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION OF THE HAMMOCKS, INC., are the Defendants, the Volusia County Clerk of the Court, Laura E. Roth, will sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, by electronic sale on-line at www. volusia.realforeclose.com, beginning at 11:00 o’clock A.M. on the 12th day of November, 2025 the following described property as set forth in said Final Judgment of Foreclosure, to-wit: Property Address: 903 Deer Springs Rd, Port Orange, FL 32129

Property Description: Lot 3, Block K, THE HAMMOCKS SUBDIVISION PHASE I, as per map

in Map Book 41, Page 37, and 38, Public Records of Volusia

Primary E-Mail: jdlaw@orlando-law.com

Notice is hereby given that the Board of Supervisors (“Board”) of the Walkers Green Community Development District (the “District”) will hold a regular meeting on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at 908 Taylor Rd, Port Orange, FL 32127. The meeting is open to the public and will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Florida law. The meeting may be continued to a date, time, and place to be specified on the record at the meeting. There may be occasions when Board Supervisors or District Staff may participate by speaker telephone. A copy of the agenda for the meeting may be obtained at the offices of the District Manager, PFM Group Consulting LLC, located at 3501 Quadrangle Boulevard, Suite 270, Orlando, Florida 32817 or by phone at (407) 723-5900 (“District Manager’s Office”), during normal business hours, or from the District’s website at https://walkersgreencdd.com/ Any person requiring special accommodations at the meeting because of a disability or physical impairment should contact the District Manager’s Office at least fortyeight (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 1-800-955-8771 (TTY) / 1-800955-8770 (Voice), for aid in contacting the District Manager’s Office. Any

August 21, 28, 2025 25-00397I