Manolito poses with his chalk portrait of Willem Dafoe at the 12th annual Granada Grand Art Festival on Saturday, Feb. 7. Photo by Michele Meyers
NEWS BRIEFS
13-year-old
Flagler student arrested for threats to kill
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 13-year-old Buddy Taylor Middle School student on Wednesday, Feb. 4, after an investigation revealed the teenager had sent written threats last year against Indian Trails Middle School students, along with two photographs of a gun, in a group message over Snapchat.
The juvenile was arrested for written threats to kill or do bodily harm to another person. He was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he was transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice, the FCSO said in a press release.
It was the second time in two days that a Flagler
COPS CORNER
11:00 p.m. — 100 block of Cypress Point Parkway
theft. A Palm Coast man walked out of a department store with a $368 espresso machine.
The store’s loss prevention officer saw the suspect, whom he knew from a previous attempted theft at the store, according to an arrest report.
The loss prevention officer found the suspect’s address through a personal Facebook post that included a photo with an Amazon package that had the delivery address vis-
County middle school student was arrested for making written shooting threats, which is a second-degree felony. An 11-year-old ITMS student was arrested on Feb. 3 after an investigation revealed she had written a shooting threat on a school bathroom wall, the FCSO said. The student said she was dared online to write the message. On Feb. 4, a BTMS school resource deputy spoke with the 13-year-old student. During the interview, the teen stated the messages were intended as jokes that got out of hand, according to the FCSO.
“We treat every threat with utmost seriousness, acting swiftly to ensure that the educational environment remains secure,” Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore said in the FCSO release.
“This collaboration between the FCSO and Flagler Schools enables immediate action and investigation of any threat reported within our district.”
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said one would hope the two incidents will deter other
ible, the report said. The deputy went to the address, and the suspect and his wife answered the door. His wife told the deputy the suspect had brought home an espresso machine that day.
She said she did not know it was stolen, and allowed the deputy in to see it, the report said. It was the exact one stolen from the store, and the suspect was placed under arrest. The machine was returned to the store.
BAD BACK
2:41 p.m. — 1500 block of West Granada Boulevard, Ormond Beach Petit theft. While investigating an incident where an 18-year-old Daytona Beach man was caught trying to shoplift at a big box store, police noted he had a large
students. “Let this be a reminder for parents to be the sheriff of your own home and to monitor your children’s activities online and teach them the consequences of their actions and how to properly handle disagreements,” Staly said.
“That education will last them for a lifetime. There is no gray area in the law and telling us it was a joke is not a defense. The defense is to not do it in the first place.”
Moore wrote a message to Flagler parents on Feb. 4 addressing the incidents.
“I want to emphasize that our students and both campuses remain safe for the education of all students,” she wrote. “At no point has the security of our school buildings been compromised.”
Daytona man found guilty of murder in 2023 carjacking case
After a three-day trial, a Volusia County jury found defen-
“bulge” under his camo jacket, near his back. Officers suspected it could be a backpack, but the teen told them it was his “deformed back.”
But he did not in fact have a deformed back. It was a new backpack he tried to steal from the store. Police also found a pack of undergarments hidden in his pants as well as drug paraphernalia. He was arrested.
FEB. 7
DANCING ON CRANES
3:57 p.m. — 200 block of Ocean Shore Boulevard, Flagler Beach Trespassing. A Daytona Beach man was arrested after he was caught dancing on a construction crane at the Flagler Beach pier. When a police officer arrived on scene, the officer saw
dant Latravius Jacobs guilty as charged of first-degree murder, vehicular homicide, carjacking and burglary of a conveyance.
On Dec, 14, 2023, Jacobs stole a vehicle from a man while in the parking lot of a Daytona Beach motel. About three minutes after the carjacking, Jacobs ran a red light at Mason and Ridgewood Avenue at 91 mph and crashed into another vehicle, a State Attorney’s Office press release said.
The vehicle launched into the air and flipped several times. The victim died from his injuries at the scene.
55-year-old woman killed in midnight crash
A 55-year-old Palm Coast woman was killed in a car crash near Mile Marker 279 on Interstate 95.
The crash happened just after midnight on Feb. 9. For unknown reasons, an SUV driving north on I-95 in the left lane crashed into the
the suspect still dancing on the crane, positioned at the end of the pier, which is under construction. As the officer walked up to the man, the suspect jumped off the crane to hide behind another structure one the pier, according to an arrest report.
The suspect was arrested. When asked why he was on the pier, the suspect said he stopped at the pier construction site to “get somewhere away from people.” He later admitted to the officer that he had smoked marijuana an hour and a half before.
The officer noted the suspect was “extremely cooperative and apologetic.”
MAN INTERRUPTS
PROTEST
4:25 p.m. — First block of John Anderson Drive, Ormond
guardrail, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. The SUV came to rest, disabled, facing south in the left, northbound lane. The 55-year-old woman was driving a sedan behind the SUV and collided head-on with the SUV. The SUV spun so it was facing northwest in the left shoulder while the sedan came to a stop against the left guardrails.
The 55-year-old woman, who was not wearing a seatbelt according to the report, died. The SUV driver, a 23-year-old woman also from Palm Coast, is in serious condition. The FHP is still investigating the crash.
Daytona police say Seabreeze parapro kicked student with Down syndrome
A Seabreeze High School paraprofessional was arrested on Feb. 5, after police say he kicked a 17-year-old student with Down syndrome during a
Beach
Battery touch or strike. A 43-year-old Ormond Beach man was arrested after witnesses say he tackled a woman.
Police report that the victim, a Holly Hill woman, was protesting with a group on the bridge when the man began arguing with them. After he tackled the victim, the man tried to get away on his bike but was restrained by witnesses. When police arrived, he was still trying to get away and resisted officers’ attempt to restrain him.
The victim suffered minor injuries to her neck and fingers. The man suffered an eye injury after he was restrained by citizens prior to the police’s arrival. Both were cleared on site by paramedics. The man was taken to jail.
behavioral incident. Daytona Beach Police report that 50-year-old Dontel Wright was arrested at 4:18 p.m. after an investigation by Seabreeze’s school resource officer, who was notified about the incident from the assistant principal. The incident happened in the school gym around 12:30 p.m., according to the police report. The victim was found to be running down school hallways, requiring staff members to follow and track them throughout the day, police report. The victim never showed physical aggression toward Wright.
DBPD said the victim ran and tried to hide from Wright behind the bleachers after they were kicked, and that Wright followed the student and “forcibly pulled” them from under the bleachers. The student did not sustain any injuries. The parents were notified and wanted to press child abuse charges. Dontel is being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail with no bond.
POLITICAL STABBING
6:29 p.m. — 1600 block of North U.S. 1, Ormond Beach
Aggravated battery. Police arrested a 69-year-old New York man who is suspected of stabbing a person outside a local pub after a verbal altercation over politics. According to an arrest report, a witness told police that a fight had broken out between three people, during which the man stabbed one of the people involved in the back. The fight was broken up by a bystander, who disarmed the man and tossed the knife into the bushes.
The victim was stabbed in his shoulder blade and was transported to the hospital. The man sustained a black eye during the fight. He was taken to jail.
Deputy Flagler Administrator Sayles to resign
‘His
Administrator Petito said. Sayles’ last day will be March 3.
SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
Deputy County Administrator Percy Sayles is resigning from the position after just under four months on the job. Sayles’ last day will be March 3. He was hired for the position in October after the death of previous Deputy County Administrator Jorge Salinas. Sayles stepped in from the Flagler County Fire Rescue where he served as deputy fire chief for four
years.
County Administrator Heidi Petito announced Sayles’ departure at the end of the Flagler County Commission’s Feb. 9 meeting. “His departure represents a significant loss to our organization as he has consistently demonstrated exceptional professionalism, dedication, and leadership throughout his tenure,” Petito said. “His contributions have had a lasting positive impact, and he’ll be greatly missed.”
In his resignation letter, submitted on Feb. 4, Sayles writes that it is “with mixed emotions” that he resigns from the position. Though he did not give a reason for his resignation, he writes that he leaves “with the assurance that the residents of Flagler
County are in good hands.
“I have often heard it said that you will know when it’s time to call it a day, and I now understand the truth in those words,” Sayles wrote. “There is a natural life for all things, and I feel confident that this is the right moment for me to step down.”
Commissioner Pam Richardson was one of only two commissioners to comment on Sayles’ resignation, saying she was sad to see him go.
“I’m sorry that he’s going, but I understand his rights to make his decisions and he’ll always be a part of my heart, as all of you are,” Richardson said. “Thank you for all you guys in the back of the room do. I can’t tell you how important you are to all of us.”
Petito also did not give a
reason for Sayles’ resignation. But several members of the Flagler County Commission have spoken about a lack of trust in current county leadership, particularly with Petito.
In January, Commissioner Kim Carney motioned for the board to fire Petito.
“I lack confidence in our administrator,” Carney said at the Jan. 12 meeting.
At the time, Carney suggested that the county could fill the position with a retired administrator while Petito’s position was filled with a more permanent person.
Her motion died without a second, but not because Carney was alone in her feelings — Commissioners Richardson and Leann Pennington said they had had their own issues with Petito and staff.
Sayles has 33 years of public service experience under his belt. He wrote that it was a privilege to work with the team of “dedicated public servants” at Flagler County.
“I have dedicated myself to making a positive impact on the communities I served,” Sayles wrote. “Each day, I came to work with the goal of improving the lives of those around me, and I am proud of the progress we have achieved together.”
Commissioner Andy Dance said that while the county will move on, the board will miss him.
Daytona commission agrees: No ‘toilet to tap’
In a unanimous vote, officials asked for an ordinance to ban reusing ‘blackwater’ for drinking water.
SIERRA
WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
The Daytona Beach City Commission has agreed: they want no toilet to tap water in their city.
The commission voted 7-0 at its Feb. 4 meeting to have City Attorney Ben Gross draft an ordinance that would support a Volusia County charter amendment banning blackwater, or wastewater from toilets, from being used in the city’s potable water and injected into the aquifer. The ordinance will return for adoption by the commission at its next meeting on Feb. 18.
The Volusia County Council is drafting a charter amendment, which may be placed on the 2026 ballot. The amendment would prohibit the use of blackwater — wastewater from toilets — from potable water reuse and being injected into the aquifer in Volusia County.
Gross said the city’s ordinance would be subject to the referendum and a preemption by the state.
“The difference being that your statement of intent and a resolution doesn’t bind future city commissions. A charter amendment would,” he said.
The suggestion for a city document against toilet to tap was brought up by Commissioner Ken Strickland and seconded by Commissioner Stacy Cantu. Strickland ini-
tially asked for a letter or resolution, while Cantu asked the city go a step further, based on the discussion at the Feb. 2 County Council meeting to amend the county charter.
Cantu said she personally doesn’t see toilet to tap happening anytime soon, but does not support it either way.
“I’m not in support. I don’t think any of us are,” Cantu said. “I don’t see what the problem is to let the people vote.”
Should the Daytona Beach ordinance pass, it would prevent blackwater from reaching any of its consumers through the city water utility. But, resident Fred Coulter said, the ordinance may not accomplish what the commissioners are looking for if just one
“We have one giant aquifer. If any one city says we’re going to put our poopy water in the aquifer, there’s no way we can keep it out of our drinking water.”
FRED COULTER, Daytona Beach resident
Florida city moves forward with blackwater reuse.
“We don’t have a Daytona Beach aquifer, a South Daytona aquifer, an Orlando aquifer,” Coulter said. “We have one giant aquifer. If any one city says we’re going to put our poopy water in the aquifer, there’s no way we can keep it out of our drinking water.” Email Sierra Williams at sierra@observerlocalnews. com
Flagler County Deputy Administrator Percy Sayles.
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Flagler settles in boat storage case
County Attorney did not have high confidence the county could win and faced paying millions.
SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
Flagler County has approved a settlement agreement with Hammock Harbour, avoiding a lengthy and costly federal lawsuit.
Hammock Harbour is a development located at on State Road A1A on the north side of the Hammock Hardware store. Flagler County and the property owner, Bob Million, have been in dispute over plans to develop the property for the last six years, and have been in a federal lawsuit since early 2025.
The settlement offer not only would allow Million to build the boat storage facility without changes to his submitted site plan, but would also pay Million $400,000 as the settlement payment and credit him an additional $50,000 in building permit fees, according to Flagler County Commission meeting documents.
The offer also includes a “non-transferable credit” on applicable impact fees of a maximum of $100,000.
County Attorney Michael Rodriguez said given the application’s history in Flagler County, he was not sure the county could win the lawsuit, and therefore it could be subject to multi-millions of dollars in a claim and attorney fees.
“The monetary amounts that are incurred in this settlement are far less than the exposure that the county was risking going forward to trial,” Rodriquez said.
Additionally, the claim was not covered by the county’s insurance, so the funds would have to come “out of pocket,” Rodriguez said.
“The costs that were going forward would have been significant, and for a case where the likelihood of success is — my confidence level was not high,” he said.
Though the Flagler County Commission ultimately approved the settlement offer in a 4-1 vote on Feb. 9. with District 2 Commissioner Greg Hansen voting no, it was with seeming reluctance. No one was willing, at first, to be the one to motion for approval. Instead, Hansen motioned to deny the settlement agreement, but that motion died without a second.
Reading through the history of the project, Commission Chair Leann Pennington said she felt the lawsuit should never have happened, and apologized to Million.
“It reads like a tragedy,” she said. “It’s a shame and I apologize to you [Million] that you had bought this forever [ago], that you were here in this situation, and it shouldn’t have happened, in my opinion.” Pennington added that not all of the history shows good faith on Million’s part, though. There were clear attempts on the county’s part to find a way forward, she said.
“I think, had you had gone through the process, there would have been a happy medium to be met here, and you would have already been built,” she said.
In 2019, Million submitted development plans to the county that outlined a 240unit, multi-story dry boat storage facility that would also have a restaurant and retail space. Also on the property, according to the previously submitted site plans, would be an above ground fuel storage tank.
The sticking point on the application was the argument that the dry boat storage was not an explicit use outlined in the county’s land use code. Million’s proposal went back and forth between Fla-
gler County’s Technical Review Committee, Planning Board and Commission. The Flagler County Commission initially approved the dry boat storage facility, but that was reversed by a Flagler County judge after the Hammock Community Association appealed it in court.
A magistrate at one point said the dry boat storage was an approved use, but would need to be reviewed under the criteria as a special exception.
In February 2025, Million filed a federal lawsuit against Flagler County. The lawsuit argued the county had placed an unfair burden on the property, according to federal court documents, by requiring the property be viewed under a special exception criteria when it was not explicitly outlined as such in the code.
Rodriguez said that staff had, under discovery for the lawsuit, testified that the proposal, as a public-use marina, falls under the commercial recreation designation in the county’s comprehensive plan, and is an approved use.
Flagler County Growth Management Director Adam Mengel said the last submission of the site plan met all of the county’s land development code requirements, as well as the A1A Scenic Overlay District requirements. The overlay is a special set of rules meant to preserve The Hammock.
“Had you had gone through the process, there would have been a happy medium to be met here and you would have already been built.”
LEANN PENNINGTON, Flagler County Commission chair
As part of the settlement agreement, Rodriguez said, the property will no longer need to meet the special exception requirement.
Million’s attorney Scott Thomas told the Flagler Commission that this was not “a sweetheart deal” for his client either. They estimate the damages on their side to be around $6.9 million, he said.
“I can assure you the dollar amounts we’re talking about
“I think you should realize by now, Hammock Harbour is not going to walk away from this.”
SCOTT THOMAS, attorney for Hammock Harbour
in this settlement are a fraction of the economic losses they’ve suffered while, for six and a half years, they’ve been denied what is simply a permitted principal use of their property,” Thomas said.
Thomas said this will be built — the question remaining is only how long will the delay continue.
“I think you should realize by now, Hammock Harbour is not going to walk away from this,” he said, “and I’m afraid I think events show it only gets more expensive.”
Once the settlement offer is accepted in the courts, the developer will be able to continue through the building permit process to build his storage unit.
It will not be reviewed by the Flagler County Commission, as it is not a rezoning or land use change, and site plan applications of this scale do not come before the board. Mengel said the Florida Department of Transportation will review the driveway connections.
NEWS BRIEFS
Volusia County joins schools for tornado drill
Volusia County’s Emergency Management Division joined several schools across the county this morning as they participated in the statewide tornado drill, offering on-site support, answering questions, and providing feedback to school administrators as part of Florida Severe Weather Awareness Week.
Emergency Management staff observed school drills as they occurred, working alongside administrators to review response actions and answer questions while supporting preparedness best practices. The visits continue a long-standing partnership with local schools that has supported the annual tornado drill for more than 15 years.
Severe Weather Awareness Week highlights a different hazard each day, with Wednesday’s focus on severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. To reinforce that message, the National Weather Service conducted a statewide tornado drill by broadcasting a practice warning on NOAA Weather Radio, allowing schools and organizations across Florida to practice their emergency procedures.
The division’s preparedness efforts extend well beyond schools and annual awareness events. Throughout the year, Volusia County Emergency Management works directly with hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities to review emergency preparedness plans, provide practical feedback, and assist with planning efforts tailored to each facility’s needs. The division also partners with homeowners associations,
businesses, and civic groups across the county to deliver presentations focused on local hazards and steps communities can take to strengthen their readiness before emergencies occur.
Organizations or groups interested in having their emergency preparedness plans reviewed, receiving assistance with plan development, or scheduling a preparedness presentation may contact Volusia County Emergency Management at 386-2541500 or EmergencyMgmt@ volusia.org.
Hurricane Expo set for April 18 at the Speedway
Volusia County residents, businesses, and community organizations are invited to take part in a Hurricane Expo scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, in the pavilion area at the Daytona International Speedway.
The event will focus on hurricane preparedness while also offering opportunities for organizations and businesses to participate as vendors or event sponsors. The Hurricane Expo is hosted by the Volusia County Organizations Active in Disasters in partnership with Volusia County Emergency Management.
The free, family-friendly event will help residents prepare for hurricane sea-
son by offering information on emergency alerts, property protection, and practical steps households can take before storms threaten the area. The event will also include live safety demonstrations, educational presentations, guest speakers, and a TouchA-Truck experience featuring fire, EMS, law enforcement, and utility vehicles.
Organizations and businesses interested in participating may reserve a 10-by10 vendor space for $100, which includes a table and two chairs. Vendor space is available on a first-come, firstserved basis, and sponsorship opportunities ranging from $500 to $2,000 are available through COAD for those interested in supporting the event and increasing visibility through event-related recognition. Nonprofit organizations and government entities that provide hurricane-related preparedness or response services may participate at no cost and are encouraged to inquire about table availability.
Visit www.volusia.org/hurricaneexpo, which includes an online participation form. For more information about becoming a sponsor or hosting a table, contact COAD at coadvolusia@gmail.com. Send news tips to jarleene@ observerlocalnews.com.
Emergency Management staff observed school drills. Courtesy photo
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly is overspending
JAMES MANFRE GUEST WRITER
Having spent 25 years in law enforcement, eight as sheriff of Flagler County, I am acutely aware of the importance of properly funding law enforcement efforts. Although the correlation is not perfect, for the most part adequately funded, efficient and well managed law enforcement agencies produce the best results for its citizens.
For the eight years I was sheriff, I had to beg every year for the proper funding of the sheriff’s budget of a wildly expanding population. I am sure the fact that I was a Democrat and the County Commission in every year I was sheriff had a Republican majority had nothing to do with the fiscal straight jacket I was placed under. Although the population increased by over 30% while I was sheriff, I was limited to a 25% increase. We managed, with Staly as my second in command, to be efficient and tightly control expenditures. The picture has changed dramatically, and some would say absurdly, under Staly as
sheriff in the last 10 years. The population has increased by 30%, but his budget has increased by over 120% (yes, 120%). The City of Palm Coast’s sheriff’s budget has increased over 200%. As a comparison, Volusia County’s population increased by 30% and their sheriff’s budget increased by 60%. In St. Johns County, the population increases and sheriff’s budget increases are similar to Volusia County over the same 10 years.
Digging into the statistical comparisons, both Volusia and St. Johns counties have student populations five times greater than Flagler. This is important because
crime is predominantly committed by school-age persons. Our student population has barely increased over the last 10 years while Volusia and St. Johns has increased by larger margins. Also the average age of Flagler’s population is 53. In Volusia and St. John’s it is almost 10 years younger. This is important because older adults commit much less crime than younger adults. There are no real pockets of poverty or concentration of population in Flagler as there are in the other counties. Crime rates and actual crime have been on the decrease for the past 15 years in the county and the nation as a whole, due to bet-
MY VIEW RICK STALY, FLAGLER COUNTY SHERIFF
Exceptional cost savings, extraordinary results
It has been the honor of my life to lead the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office since 2017. You can be immensely proud of all the historic, unprecedented, and nationally recognized achievements of your Sheriff’s Office.
Our team has ensured that Flagler County is one of the safest communities in America. Working with our citizens, we have cut crime by over 50% since 2017 to a 30-year low in one of the fastest growing counties in Florida. Ninety-two percent of Palm Coast residents reported feeling safe in their 2024 community survey. Palm Coast is now ranked the 39th safest town in America and second safest in Florida, while Flagler County is ranked 91st out of 3,143 counties in the United States for crime safety.
Fiscal discipline, transparency, and accountability have defined the Sheriff’s Office under my leadership. We have a top tier finance staff, model policies governing our budget, and the fiscal controls of the FCSO are regularly confirmed by external and internal audits. Innovation, increased efficiency, and continual cost savings have become the culture at the FCSO.
The Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility has achieved two accreditations and reaccreditation for the first time in a century. Since
March 2022, the Sheriff’s Office has saved taxpayers nearly $5.27 million in inmate medical costs.
The FCSO is now a Five Diamond Accredited Law Enforcement Agency. We have applied for and received almost $8 million in federal and state grants to help make your community as safe as possible.
An independent panel of experts with the Daytona News-Journal has twice named the FCSO one of the “Ten Best Places to Work” in Flagler and Volusia counties, and, unlike most agency’s today, we have no vacancies. The FCSO has met or exceeded all principles and policies for best practices in law enforcement to ensure citizen trust, transparency, and accountability recommended by the Florida Police Chiefs Association and major national organizations.
Community support is strong: 153,000 citizens follow the FCSO’s Facebook page; thousands of citizens call, email, and post to express their gratitude; and dozens of small businesses and families regularly bring meals to share their appreciation with the FCSO team.
The FCSO and individual members of our team have been recognized with over two dozen national, statewide, and regional awards since I became sheriff. The FCSO has won national, statewide, and regional awards for technology, victim’s services, traffic safety, innovation at our jail, and multiple members of our team have been singled out as the best statewide and nationally. This results in the FCSO team being continually
asked by others for advice on how to excel in community trust and accountability, analytics, accreditation, training, crime-reduction, and preventing domestic violence.
In 2016, I was asked by members of our community to run for sheriff, after they had previously fired Mr. Manfre and learned he was going to run again. He had also been fined several thousand dollars and publicly reprimanded by the governor and cabinet for serious ethical violations. This is the same governor and cabinet that honored me in 2015 for being shot three times while saving the life of a fellow deputy sheriff.
Mr. Manfre claims to have 25 years of law enforcement experience, but he has never attended even one police academy. He was elected sheriff twice and fired by the voters twice. During his trial testimony on his multiple Florida ethics law violations case, he stated he was an intern with the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. There is no other verified true “law enforcement” experience. I have 50 years of verifiable law enforcement experience.
Mr. Manfre also claims that crime is “predominately committed by school age persons” and “older adults commit much less crime.”
Let’s look at the facts. In 2025, a total of 3,318 people were arrested in Flagler County — 66% of those arrested were under age 40 and 70% of those arrests were under age 30. Only 11% of the total arrests were people aged 18 or younger and only 20% of arrests were people over age 51.
During Mr. Manfre’s disastrous years as sheriff (2001-2004 and 2013-2016), crime went up 22%. The only years that crime went down were when I served as his undersheriff between 2013 and 2014.
Under my leadership, and with support from the Board of County Commissioners and the City of Palm Coast, along with a motivated team, proper training, better staffing, technology and equipment, crime is down over 50%, despite being one of the fastest growing counties in Florida and amid a population increase of 43,353 new residents and a 14% increase in calls for service since 2017.
To accomplish this, we implemented innovative programs like deputies monitoring juveniles on probation, which ensures a 96% compliance rate preventing and reducing juvenile crime. We have hired and funded 90 new deputy sheriff and professional support positions and raised starting deputy salaries from $36,327 to $56,080 to remain competitive (and we are still paid lower than Volusia and St. Johns law enforcement agencies). And every year I’ve been your sheriff, the county reduced countywide ad valorem taxes, and, in many years, Palm Coast reduced its millage rate, including once a full rollback, while both governments were still able to fund public safety as a priority.
My job as an elected constitutional officer is to protect and serve our community and identify needs to make our community safer. Flagler County recently purchased a new helicopter at a cost of almost $6 million with no
ter recruitment, better training and the use of technology to reduce crime.
It is astounding with all of these over-the-top increases that Staly would accept a donation of a helicopter with all of the maintenance and pilot expenses without County Commission approval. Over 10 years, these sheriff’s budget increases have cost taxpayers over $200 million plus the $40 million cost to abandon the new sheriff’s operation and build a newer one.
No, I am not planning on running for sheriff again, but I would like to retire some day without tax increases forcing me from my home.
Where has all the money gone in the Sheriff’s Office?
There appears to be a dramatic increase in supervisors and what they are paid, lots of superfluous equipment. In addition, the county commissioners and City Council
increased service levels. (In fact, recently we learned the law enforcement technology had been removed, thereby reducing its capability.) I recognized a need for 24/7 coverage for medevac and police missions. This need could not be filled under the current structure, so I discussed a public-private partnership with a business owner. He agreed to sell the almost brand-new helicopter to FCSO for $575,000 in tax dollars and $125,000 of drug seized money with no strings attached. The helicopter is valued at $1.5 million. He donated the remaining value of $800,000 to the citizens of Flagler County. The payment came from non-reoccurring money saved by being fiscally conservative. Under Florida law, no approval of the BOCC was required. As to operating and staffing costs, we plan to operate and staff it within our existing budget.
There will be no change in the number of deputies serving you to do this. This helicopter will enable us to locate lost and missing senior citizens and children and aid in the safety of citizens and our deputies when finding and apprehending dangerous criminals. Sometimes, a sheriff must make hard and bold decisions. This was not a hard decision. It was a bold decision to improve emergency services at a fantastic deal for the taxpayer. When I took office in 2017, I inherited a building from Mr. Manfre which was making dozens of employees continuously sick, technology from the early 2000s, equipment that was old and run down, a chronically underfunded and understaffed law enforcement organization (confirmed by two independent studies and in Mr. Manfre’s opinion piece above), policies and programs which needed to be modernized, a talented but underpaid team lacking the
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to schedule a tour and learn about our anniversary special.
have abrogated their fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers by approving these budget increases without oversight. The answer from Staly and his supporters will be that I underfunded the agency while I was sheriff. The problem with that argument is that Staly was second in command and charged with budgeting requests to the commission in my second term, and, every year, the Republican County Commission reduced the budget requests that were made.
There is no solution to this dilemma, as the county remains solidly Republican and Staly is popular, but illumination of an issue is always important. Perhaps in the future, we will elect more fiscally conservative officials who care more about the taxpaying public, who are largely retirees on fixed incomes, than the budget demands of the sheriff.
leadership they needed — and a community craving to have pride and confidence in their Sheriff’s Office. I was never allowed to fix those problems in the two years I served as his undersheriff because Mr. Manfre would make political decisions instead of the right decisions. After you elected me in 2016, I could now make very positive changes as your sheriff — and I have! Nine years later, the results are in, and your Sheriff’s Office is now continually recognized both nationally and statewide for professional excellence in everything we do. Crime is down over 50%! The men and women of FCSO and I very much appreciate your support every single step of the way. Together, we have made Flagler County one of the safest communities in America.
Editor’s note: In response to Staly’s comments on Manfre making “political decisions instead of the right decisions,” Manfre said the following:
“I was in the renovated hospital, which became the Sheriff’s Operation Center, for almost a year and a half, and there were no instances of any illnesses. Some mold was found after they demolished the patient wings when Staly came into office. Mold can be remediated.
“Instead Staly moved out of the building and refused to reoccupy the building — a $14 million cost of the building, which taxpayers are still paying for was lost. It was sold for $750,000 to a buyer who turned around and sold it for $3.5 million. The present occupant found no air quality issues when they bought the building.
“Staly then convinced the Commission to build him a $26 million operation center. So now taxpayers are now paying for two operations centers.”
RICK STALY GUEST WRITER
Building community spirit
BRIAN MCMILLAN PUBLISHER
In both cases, the vibe was pure sunshine: People were in a good mood. I stopped by the exit tent
after Creekside and asked the organizers what they observed, since they had interacted with hundreds of people during the day.
Flagler Broadcasting DJ Laura Zublionis said she kept hearing the same thing: “Everyone is so nice here!”
David Ayres, president of Flagler Broadcasting, heard people say that events like this “restore their faith in America.”
Both events require incredible effort to execute. I’m grateful to the organizers; Granada Grand and Creekside are much more valuable to the community than just the money they raise.
MAKING TIME FOR FAMILY
Feb. 4
As a father of five, I’m often looking for ways to spend more quality time as a family. Sometimes, the answer is pretty simple.
Lately we’ve had a hard time aligning schedules for dinner: one eating cold cereal here, one eating leftovers an hour later. But today, my son Jackson put taco soup in the Crockpot earlier in the day. When food is prepared and ready, it’s amazing how easy it is to get everyone to the table at the same time. It takes planning and effort, but it’s all worth it: These are the moments we will remember.
A ‘VERY BRIAN THING’?
Feb. 5
Today, my wife, Hailey,
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Kudos to Hammock Community Association
Dear Editor:
Thank you for your coverage of the Hammock Community Association’s (HCA) January meeting. And congratulations to the newly elected and retained officers. This great organization works to preserve the history of Flagler County and, in particular, the area along A1A known as the Hammock. Historic preservation is often lost to the blade of a bulldozer. The HCA also works with the county and the state on safety issues affecting our stretch of A1A, a recognized scenic byway, from Painter’s Hill to Marineland. They advocate for speed limit reductions, crosswalks and other efforts designed to reduce crashes and create
more safety for residents and tourists using our amenities. They are always at the forefront of these efforts. These volunteers also coordinate beautification projects such as regular roadside litter clean ups to keep the area looking great. Kudos to these dedicated volunteers for their continued efforts.
GREG FELDMAN The Hammock Editor’s Note: Feldman is a candidate for Flagler County Commission.
Quick quiz: Who is your city commissioner?
Dear Editor: Most people know the quote from the former House Speaker, Tip O’Neill, who said, “All politics are local.” I like to expound on that and
say “Most all government that effects you is local.”
Your quality of life is greatly affected by your local government. Think about it. The road we drive on, the park we go to, the protections of our fire department, property taxes you pay, and growth are all local.
The feds fund rates, foreign policy and the Bureau of Weights and Measures really aren’t relevant to how we go about our day. Yes the state and federal government does affect us, but nowhere near as much as City Hall.
The point of this is: It’s an election year for Ormond’s City Commission, yet I would bet most people know little about those who we have given stewardship over our town. Not even their names.
I implore you to do your own research and develop an educated vote for these
brought the last bagel to work, for lunch. “See?” she said, holding up the lone bagel in a tall plastic bag. “I left it in the original bag, instead of putting it in a new Ziploc. A very Brian thing to do.” What was that supposed to mean? Should I be flattered? Insulted? Maybe that fine line of flattery and insult is what marriage to your best friend is all about? Maybe she is saying that she’s becoming more like me against her will? All I know is, it’s an efficient way to bring a bagel to lunch, OK?!?
JOY DEPENDS ON ...
Feb. 6
A lesson I learned from my mother: “If you can’t change your circumstances, change your attitude.” She heard it
important positions. They are the stewards of our town. I also ask you not be misguided by the various social media groups who generally are against most everything and do not present an unbiased opinion. And a note about the always controversial subject of growth. John Adam’s said, “A government of laws and not of men.” Our elected officials are bound to follow the law regardless if they personally like a project or not. All of us have vested property rights that can not be taken away. So when you see your commissioner’s vote on a development, whether for or against, understand the why. There are always laws and litigation as a component of any governmental decision. Unfortunately, many development projects end up in litigation wherein the elected officials are barred from publicly speaking with the voters. This leads to onesided social media claims
often from her mother and passed it along to the next generation.
A related bit of wisdom I gleaned from my mother: “Joy is dependent on our capacity to tolerate adverse conditions.”
WATCHING COMMERCIALS
Feb. 10
Last night, my family and I watched the Super Bowl commercials on YouTube. In the middle of the compilation, YouTube interrupted the commercials with a commercial of its own.
A commercial inside of a commercial.
“It’s like ‘Inception,’” my 19-year-old son, Grant, said.
But why in the world are we purposely watching commercials in the first place?!?
that go unchallenged or even blocked. So don’t mistake an official’s silence as agreement.
In reference to the legendary radio broadcaster Paul Harvey — find out the rest of the story.
Ormond is simply a nicer place to live and deserves your educated vote to protect it. Choose wisely and thank you for listening.
S.J. DRISCOLL Ormond Beach
The little boy in the photo
Dear Editor: The Feb. 5 Your Neighbors section of the Ormond Beach Observer, “Community readers,” shows a delightful feature photo of Pine Trails kindegartner Krishnav Patel hugging Deputy Mayor Lori Tolland. Just below and to the right of the embrace, the camera is graced by the sweet smile of an onlooking
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little boy. I believe he added as much pleasure to the scene, and should have been acknowledged. Don’t you agree?
BARBARA MORGAN Daytona Beach
Send letters up to 400 words to brent@observerlocalnews. com. Include first and last name, as well as city of residence. Editor may alter the letter for clarity and/or length.
LOCAL EVENTS
THURSDAY, FEB. 12
CONNECTING TO
When: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Where: Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE, Palm Coast
Details: Join the Palm Coast Citizens Academy Alumni Ambassadors for an expo featuring the unveiling of the
and
FRIDAY, FEB. 13
RUMMAGE SALE
When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13; and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14
Where: Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ormond Beach, 56 North Halifax Drive, Ormond Beach
Details: Browse through clothing, household items, collectibles and jewelry for sale. Free parking. Proceeds benefit local outreach programs. Visit uuormond.info.
GALENTINE’S ROOFTOP SOCIAL
When: 5:30-8 p.m.
Where: Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens, 78 E. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach
Details: OMAM invites ladies to enjoy sweet treats, bubbly
drinks, games, craft projects, music and more. Tickets cost $35 for museum members and $45 for non-members. Each ticket includes a fourdrink flight and fajita bar. Register at www.ormondartmuseum.org/classes-programs.
VALENTINE’S SWEETHEART DANCE
When: 6-9 p.m.
Where: Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE, Palm Coast
Details: Enjoy a night of fun at a family-friendly Valentine’s Sweetheart Dance. Open to all ages. Tickets cost $15 per person. Children 3 and under are free. Ticket includes food and drinks. Registeer at parksandrec.fun.
THE NY ROCKABILLY ROCKETS
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center, 399 N. U.S. 1, Ormond Beach
Details: The NY Rockabilly Rockets will present a new show, “Good Rockin Tonight,” nostalgic journey through vintage rock & roll. Tickets cost $49-$59. Visit https:// ormondbeachperformingartscenter.csstix.com.
SATURDAY, FEB. 14 14TH ANNUAL SPOONBILLS & SPROCKETS CYCLING TOUR
When: 7 a.m.
Where: Hammock Community Center, 79 Mala Compra
Road, Palm Coast
Details: Participate in the “We Love A1A” 14th annual Spoonbills & Sprockets cycling tour, which will start and end at the Hammock Community Center. Ride is limited to 100 participants. This is a fundraiser for the A1A Centennial Project. Registration starts at $70. Visit https://raceroster.com/ events/2026/109982/14thannual-spoonbills-andsprockets-cycling-tour.
COUNTRY MARKET
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Florida Agricultural Museum, 7900 Old Kings Road N., Palm Coast
Details: Shop local at the Florida Agricultural Museum. Free admission.
GENEALOGY IN THE LIBRARY
When: 1-4 p.m.
Where: Ormond Beach
Regional Library, 30 S. Beach
St., Ormond Beach
Details: This is a free, oneon-one research assistance program offered by Halifax Genealogical Society volunteers. Convenes in the Sand Piper Room. To register, contact halifaxgensociety@ gmail.com.
DAYTONA BEACH CONCERT
BAND CONCERT
When: 2 p.m.
Where: Daytona Beach
Regional Library, 105 Jackie Robinson Parkway, Daytona
Beach Details: Join the Daytona Beach Concert Band for a concert featuring classical music, Broadway favorites and marches. Free.
ITALIAN FESTIVAL DINNER AND DANCE
When: 5-9 p.m.
Where: St. Brendan Catholic Church Social Hall, 1000 Ocean Shore Blvd., Ormond Beach.
Details: The Father Eamonn Gill Council 13018 Knights of Columbus invites the community to this annual Italian Festival. Dinner costs $25 per person and will be served from 5-6:30 p.m. The Moonlighters will perform from 6-9 p.m. Reservations are required; no tickets sold at the door. Tickets available at the church. Call Vince at 386-4414713. Proceed will benefit the St. Brendan Catholic School scholarship fund.
MONDAY, FEB. 16
MARINE SCIENCE CENTER: SHARKS!
When: 1 p.m.
Where: Ormond Beach
Regional Library, 30 S. Beach St., Ormond Beach
Details: Explore the exciting mysteries of sharks, presented by The Marine Science Center. Free event.
SCHOOL’S OUT FOR ART YOUTH WORKSHOP
When: 2-3:30 p.m.
Where: Ormond Memorial
Art Museum and Gardens, 78 E. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach
Details: Ages 5-12 are invited to join youth curator Emma Dennison and create a story inspired by American multimedia artist and educator, Faith Ringgold. All supplies are included. Seats are limited. Costs $15 for museum members; $20 for non-members. Visit ormond artmuseum.org.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18
PROBUS CLUB OF PALM COAST
When: 11 a.m. to noon
Where: Cypress Knoll Golf & Country Club, 53 Easthampton Blvd., Palm Coast Details: This is a social club for retired and semiretired men and women who meet monthly with a guest speaker and hold social events. February’s guest speaker is Dr. Rossi, of St. Augustine Botanical Garden, Palm Trees in Florida. All are welcome. Join some members and stay for lunch. Explore the benefits of joining Probs, a worldwide organization with 345,000 members in 27 countries and 4,500 clubs. For more information contact Larry Wright at palmcoastprobusclub@gmail.com or at 386-597-3055.
THURSDAY, FEB. 19
FLAGLER TIGER BAY CLUB MEETING When: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Where: Hammock Dunes
FOCUS ON FAITH
The origins of Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is a global holiday celebrated every Feb. 14.
In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius I declared the priest Valentine a saint (over 200 years after his reported death). Pope Gelasius I also declared Feb. 14 as the day to honor St. Valentine, who was a martyr associated with heroics, sympathy and romantic legends.
The Valentine’s Day holiday replaced the ancient Roman pagan festival of Lupercalia, which was held annually in mid-February and originated around the 6th century B.C. Lupercalia was a festival that
was intended to guarantee fertility, health and purification. It featured animal sacrifice, ritual nudity and the peculiar ceremonial practice of priests (Luperci) wearing goat skins and roaming through the streets flogging women with strips of goat hide to boost fertility and ward off evil spirits. Lupercalia was dedicated to the Roman founders, Romulus and Remus, and the Roman god of agriculture, Faunus. Around 494-496
A.D., Pope Gelasius I officially banned Lupercalia reasoning that pagan traditions needed to be replaced with Christian ones.
LEGENDS SURROUNDING
ST. VALENTINE
St. Valentine himself is shrouded in mystery as there are at least three different legends about priests named Valentine or Valentinus (it is possible that two of them could actually be the same person).
One legend states that Valentine defied Roman Emperor Claudius II’s ban on marriage for young men and secretly performed Christian marriage ceremonies. On Feb. 14, 270 A.D., Emperor Claudius II had Valentine executed in Rome for failing to renounce his Christian faith.
A similar legend suggests
Club, 30 Avenue Royale, Palm Coast
Details: This month’s guest speaker is Dave Sanderson, author and survivor of US Airways Flight 1549, which made an emergency landing on the Hudson River in 2009. Costs $45 for members; $50 for guests. Register at flaglertigerbayclub.com/ event-6490411.
ORMOND BEACH AREA
DEMOCRATIC CLUB MEETING
When: 6:30-8:15 p.m.
Where: 56 N. Halifax Drive, Ormond Beach
Details: Attend the February meeting of the Ormond Beach Area Democratic Club. The guest speaker will be Marialana Kinter, candidate for District 7 in the U.S. House of Representatives. Like-minded guests are welcome. Visit ormondbeachdems.org.
FRIDAY, FEB. 20
RUMMAGE SALE
When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 221
Where: Flagler Woman’s Club, 1524 S. Central Ave., Flagler Beach Details: Browse items for sale including jewelry, home decor, clothing, toys, electronics and more. It will e held at the clubhouse. Call Barbara at 215-209-9332 for more information.
that Valentine might have been executed for attempting to assist Christians escape from Roman prisons, where they were harshly treated and often beaten and tortured. This legend states that while Valentine was imprisoned by the Romans he allegedly sent the first “Valentine” greeting to a young girl he fell in love with, possibly a jailor’s daughter, who visited him while incarcerated. He allegedly signed the letter “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still widely used today, especially on Valentine’s Day cards. He too was executed by the Romans.
Another legend states that a bishop named St. Valentine of Interamna (modern-day Terni, Italy), is the actual namesake of Valentine’s Day. It was reported that Emperor Claudius II had this bishop executed for converting people to Christianity and refusing to renounce his faith.
The origin of the widespread use of hearts on Valentine’s Day is surrounded by a legend that states St. Valentine gave hearts cut out of parchment to soldiers and persecuted Christians to remind these men of their vows and God’s love.
— RANDY JAYE
Brought
Stephenson, Wilcox and Associates
A painting depicting St. Valentine by Slovenian artist Matija Bradaska, circa 1900. Courtesy photo
YOUR SCHOOLS
After not reaching the semis last year, the Bulldogs took ninth this year
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The Flagler Palm Coast traditional competitive cheer team placed ninth out of 44 teams at the Universal Cheerleaders Association National Championships Feb. 5-7 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports.
“Last year, for the first time in school history, we went to the national championships and did not even make it to the semifinals,” FPC cheer coach Kim Isom said. “But we stayed and watched the the teams, and the girls said, ‘We want that feeling.’”
In their second year at the championships, the Bulldogs
were not only one of 22 teams to advance to semifinals on the second day of the event, they were also one of 12 teams to advance to the finals on Saturday, Feb. 7, and placed ninth among the elite field. To make it to finals, it’s such an accomplishment,” Isom said.
The Bulldogs don’t have competitive cheer tryouts until October, Isom said. “The girls condition, and we do a lot of clinics throughout our sideline program. They were working on all of their techniques throughout the summer.”
Then in October, the competitive team had daily 6 a.m.
practices. Having practices, so early, Isom said, they were able to see how serious the athletes were.
The team placed sixth in its division at the FHSAA state championship two weeks before nationals.
This year, for the first time, FPC also brought is Gameday competitive team to nationals. That team was eliminated after prelims.
“Hopefully, we’ll get the same reaction from them,” Isom said.
The Bulldogs have 27 athletes in their cheer program with four athletes in both the traditional and gameday competitions.
The Flagler Palm Coast competitive cheer team advanced to the finals at the Universal Cheerleaders Association national championships. Courtesy photo
Palm Coast to launch Beats & Eats, combining food trucks and concerts
near The Stage at Town Center.
SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
Palm Coast is ending its traditional Food Truck Tuesday in favor of a new event, mixing food and entertainment, called Beats & Eats.
The announcement of the new event series came as Palm Coast finalized a new ordinance that will allow food
truck vendors to operate in Palm Coast outside of special events. The ordinance, finalized on Feb. 3, will allow food trucks to work on commercial properties with permission from the property owners.
Cool Beans Barbeque and Catering owners Keith and Tanya Derstine were among the food vendors providing feedback to Palm Coast staff, helping to iron out the details of the new ordinance.
For now, Cool Beans will remain at their regular location in Bunnell Tuesday through Friday, but they’re looking forward to trying out new locations in Palm Coast.
“We have people that like
our food, that live on the northeast side,” Keith Derstine said. “If we did find a place in the center of town that would be happy to have us, we’d be happy to go there.”
The ordinance also requires food vendors meet state licensing requirements — which they had to do before to serve at special events. That means all their food and serving has to meet health and safety codes, Keith Derstine said, something most people may not be aware of.
Food trucks are not like they used to be, he said.
“The community needs to know that we’re under those guidelines,” Derstine said. “If
you came by and looked at our trailer and looked in it, you would say, ‘Wow, this is clean.’ And that’s how it’s supposed to be.”
Tanya Derstine said the council took the time to listen to the vendors’ concerns and input.
“They respected what the food trucks had to say as far as getting this moving forward and implementing it,” she said.
LAUNCHING BEATS & EATS
Beats & Eats will launch in May 2026, according to a Palm Coast press release. Working on the framework established in the city’s newly-approved food truck ordinance, Palm Coast is building a dedicated food truck pad that will have space for eight food trucks, with room for another four in the grass.
These improvements are funded through a $55,000 donation made to Palm Coast on Feb. 3 from the Town Center at Palm Coast Community Development District.
The intent behind Beats &
Eats is to combine the food truck lineup residents enjoy on Food Truck Tuesdays with the Palm Coast Concert series, taking place monthly from May through October.
Parks & Recreation Director James Hirst and Marketing Director Brittany Kershaw, in an email to the Observer, said the response from food vendors has been overall positive.
Feedback from residents over the years has been to request more community events with entertainment, Hirst wrote.
Depending on the weather and band organized for the concert series, attendance at the concerts and Food Truck Tuesdays typically ranges between 800-1,000 people, Hirst wrote.
The Derstines were concerned, though. Food Truck Tuesdays has built a strong reputation after almost a decade in operation, Derstine said, and draws a larger crowd than they have experienced at the concerts.
“People really like the Food Truck Tuesday event,” he said.
During the events for Food
Truck Tuesday from March to October, Tanya Derstine said, they earned between $12,000 and $18,000 on average, depending on the weather. The Beats & Eats events will be an hour shorter, with two less event days. That’s not accounting for any event dates that could be cancelled because of weather.
“We’re taking a huge financial loss this year without Food Truck Tuesday,” she said. Keith Derstine encouraged residents and vendors who also had concerns about the merging events to reach out to the city. Ideally, he said, they would like to have both events available.
“We’re ... trying to enhance the abilities for the food trucks that are available in the city of Palm Coast,” he said. Beats & Eats will occur on the following dates: May 28, June 25, July 30, Aug. 27, Sept. 24 and Oct. 22. All the dates are on Thursdays, except Oct. 22, to avoid conflicts with Halloween and the Palm Coast Fire Department’s Hall of Terror events.
BIZ BUZZ
Local attorney donates $10K to Seabreeze theater
Seabreeze High School’s Theatre Department recently received a $10,000 donation from local attorney Jack T. Cook, co-founder of Halifax Repertory Theatre. The funds will support the school’s upcoming production of “Mamma Mia,” to open in the
Seabreeze auditorium at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20, with additional performances at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22. Cook graduated from Seabreeze in 1995 and was a member of the school’s American Musical Theatre program, an experience he credits with helping shape his confidence, discipline, and lifelong passion for the performing arts.
“This program gave me opportunities that had a lasting impact on my life,” Cook said in a press release. “Supporting Seabreeze’s arts department is incredibly meaningful to me, especially knowing how powerful theatre education can be for students today.” Cook serves as the primary donor to HRT, helping to elevate and expand access to the arts throughout the county, the press release states. The donation will help provide students with a professional-quality theatrical experience while ensuring the arts remain accessible and thriving within the school community.
Tickets to “Mamma Mia” can be purchased directly through Seabreeze High School at https://our.show/mammamiaseabreeze.
Attorney Jack Cook presents Seabreeze with a $10,000 donation. Courtesy photo
A food truck at Palm Coast’s Food Truck Tuesday event. Courtesy photo
Flagler Beach pool home sells for $2M
Ahouse at 1640 Lambert Ave. in Flagler Beach was the top real estate transaction for Jan. 31 to Feb. 6 in Palm Coast and Flagler County. The house sold on Feb. 5, for $2 million. Built in 1982, the house is a 6/5.5 and has a pool, a fireplace, a dock, an outdoor kitchen, a boat house and 4,821 square feet. It sold in 2025 for $1,050,000. The house was listed by Lisa Smith, of Ocean City Realty.
Indian Trails A house at 103 Burroughs Drive sold on Feb. 5, for $285,000. Built in 2000, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool, a hot tub and 1,827 square feet.
A house at 118 Bird of Paradise Drive sold on Feb. 5, for $440,000. Built in 2018, the house is a 4/2 and has a pool and 2,208 square feet. It sold in 2018 for $226,300.
A house at 111 Bird of Paradise Drive sold on Feb. 3, for $385,000. Built in 2024, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,992 square feet.
$262,500.
Hammock Beach
A house at 161 Aspen Way sold on Feb. 6, for $990,000. Built in 2022, the house is a 3/3.5 and has a pool, a hot tub, an outdoor kitchen and 2,922 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $779,300.
Pine Grove A house at 16 Pinelynn Drive sold on Feb. 6, for $329,000. Built in 1999, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 1,728 square feet. It sold in 2013 for $125,900.
A house at 27 Postman Lane sold on Feb. 6, for $332,500. Built in 2020, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,857 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $244,400.
A house at 21 Point Pleasant Drive sold on Feb. 2, for $359,900. Built in 2023, the house is a 5/3 and has 1,984 square feet.
A house at 19 Prince Kaarel Lane sold on Feb. 2, for $309,900. Built in 2025, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,211 square feet.
A house at 11 Princess Kathleen Lane sold on Feb. 4, for $270,000. Built in 1999, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,678 square feet. It sold in 2008 for $167,000.
Pine Lakes A house at 39 Wood Cedar Drive sold on Feb. 6, for $490,000. Built in 2023, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,353 square feet. It sold in 2023 for $565,000.
A house at 30 Webwood Place sold on Feb. 4, for $320,000. Built in 1987, the house is a 2/2 and has a pool and 1,244 square feet. It sold in 2003 for $119,000.
A house at 38 Mount Vernon Lane sold on Feb. 6, for $355,000. Built in 2001, the house is a 4/2 and has a fireplace and 2,710 square feet. It sold in 2018 for $282,500.
A house at 34 Woodhollow Lane sold on Feb. 6, for $199,000. Built in 1991, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool, a hot tub and 2,306 square feet. It sold in 1999 for $165,000.
Toby Tobin, of gotoby.com, contributed to this report.
BIZ BUZZ
Palmer Chiropractic opens clinic at Halifax Health
Palmer Chiropractic Clinics celebrated the grand opening of its newest location at Halifax Health Medical Center with a ribbon cutting on Jan. 28.
The new clinic will serve the greater Daytona Beach area, including Halifax Health patients and staff. According to a press release, services offered at the Halifax Health location include chiropractic adjustments, decompression therapy and passive modalities. Additional services such as X-ray, shockwave therapy and chiropractic rehabilitation are available at Palmer Chiropractic Clinics –Port Orange.
“The addition of Palmer Chiropractic Clinic to our Lohman Building is a significant step in expanding Halifax Health’s continuum of care, especially for those patients struggling with back and spine pain,” said Jeff Feasel, president and CEO of Halifax Health. “By bringing chiropractic services together with our neurosurgical, pain medicine, and rehabilitation programs, we’re able to provide a truly comprehensive approach to spine health. This
collaboration ensures patients have access to the full spectrum of care they need to move better, heal faster and return to the life they love.”
Palmer Chiropractic Clinics – Daytona Beach at Halifax Health will be staffed by Amanda Vozar, D.C. and Samantha Wunder, D.C., along with students completing their clinical training at Palmer College of Chiropractic.
Ormond Beach’s Paradise Pointe to celebrate three years in business
Paradise Pointe Assisted Living and Memory Care in Ormond Beach is celebrating its third anniversary.
In recognition of this milestone, Paradise Pointe will host a free community event from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22. The event — Models and Milestones — will feature residents and their family members taking center stage as models, styled in partnership with Peppers Boutique Ormond. The event will also include fundraising efforts in support of Paradise Pointe’s Alzheimer’s Association campaign. The show will start at 2:30 p.m. RSVP by calling 386-868-0505.
Led and operated by CEO Darlinda Copeland, a registered nurse, Paradise Pointe was inspired by her parents, who Copeland lost as she brought
her idea of a new kind of assisted living to life. Her father, Don Gammon, died in 2022 and her mother, Barbara, in 2025. Copeland, a former chief operating officer of a hospital, worked with local physicians, nurses, healthcare professionals and community business for the creation of Paradise Pointe.
Following the death of her mother, Copeland established the Barbara Gammon Nursing Scholarship Fund, an initiative to support current and future nursing staff as they further their education.
“As Paradise Pointe approaches three years of serving the Ormond Beach community this February, the dates remain deeply symbolic — celebrating the license approval on Feb. 14, the first resident move-in on Feb.15, and the beginning of a legacy built on love, leadership, and locally rooted care,” the press release states.
FLAGLER COUNTY
Darlinda Copeland, founder and CEO of Paradise Pointe stands alongside her mother, Barbara Gammon, in the main lobby with the care team on the community’s first day of opening.
Palmer Chiropractic Clinics hosted a ribbon-cutting for its new location at Halifax Health on Jan. 28.
Courtesy photos
Halifax Plantation school site to be sold, under contract with developer
The school site is located on the north side of the intersection at Acoma Drive and Monaghan Drive.
JARLEENE ALMENAS
The Volusia County Council unanimously approved an amendment to the Halifax Plantation development plan on Tuesday, Feb. 3, that will allow the Volusia County School Board to sell an 18-acre property previously set aside for a future school site. The school site, located on the north side of the intersection at Acoma Drive and Monaghan Drive, was deeded
to the School Board in 2005 in exchange for cash and school impact fee credits. Based on Halifax Plantation’s Development of Regional Impact and Planned Unit Development agreement, the site was originally slated for a future elementary or middle school. However, in May 2025, the School Board declared the school site unnecessary and indicated a desire to surplus it.
The amendment doesn’t change the use of the property, according to the county. If and when it is sold, the future owner would need to seek a major amendment to the PUD for a different use. It would come before the County Council for approval.
“So it will come back to us,” County Chair Jeff Brower said after the unanimous vote.
“Don’t lose hope.”
Halifax Plantation residents brought their concerns over the future sale of the land to the council.
The property is a “hole in the donut” in the center of the community, said Peter Hartman, board president of the HOA for Halifax Plantation Phase 2 and 3.
“What happens in that piece of property is going to be a reflection on the rest of the community that’s there,” Hartman said. “It is imperative that the HOA and its residents are a part of the continuing development formula that’s set forth in the original DRI, to be consistent with the language and intent of that DRI when it was developed.”
Hartman said that residents were unaware of the potential
When you hire Quest Construction, you get weekly updates on the
himself, Juan Henao.
By Jamie Cuzzocreo,
sale of the school site until they read about it in the newspaper.
Halifax Plantation is nearing build-out of its 2,415 units. Currently, the community encompasses about 1,800 homes with about 4,200 residents. Hartman said the HOA simply wanted an assurance that it would have some governing process over the sale.
Halifax Plantation resident John Maurer expressed concern about a map showing the school site with a future land use of “Urban Low Intensity.”
“While this designation may be compatible with single-family uses, it also indicates compatibility with business uses and manufactured housing,” said Maurer, a retired planner and architect. “These last two classifications are wholly inappropriate and inconsistent with the community design and the original intent of the DRI.”
As it stands today, the property has limited uses. Other than a school, it can be a library, park, recreational playing fields or a community center. Any other use would need council’s approval.
Some residents asked the council to help ensure that the property, if sold, would remain undeveloped or be turned into a park. Pam Crowell said she
bought her home in 2003 thinking the property, which borders her backyard, would remain green. She found out it was a school site years later.
“We do not want any more development,” she said. “We don’t want homes. We don’t want a recreational sports field. We don’t want a community center. We don’t want a library. The developers are chipping away at the beauty of our neighborhood.
Representing the School Board, attorney Alex Ford said the HOA was given notice of the amendment. While the School Board was not seeking to change the property’s use today, the property is under
contract with Serenity Capital Management, Ford said.
Serenity Capital Management is a real estate development company based in Tampa. According to the company’s website, its projects are currently focused on single-family homes, builtto-rent communities, multifamily units, mixed-use developments and retail.
“I don’t know what they would do with it,” Ford said. “... If I were them, I would be looking to do something compatible with the neighborhood because if you don’t do that, you’re going to be facing 20 times the number of folks that are here right now.”
Daytona’s Industrial Market: Growth, Stability, and a National Spotlight
for Daytona’s industrial
A Value-Driven Industrial Market Gains Relevance
A Market Entering a More Mature Phase Daytona Beach’s industrial sector is entering a new phase of maturity—balancing high-profile completions, strong leasing activity, and long-term economic tailwinds. With vacancy tightening, absorption spiking, and major commitments from companies like Amazon and Aura Aero, the market continues to gain national relevance.
Amazon Delivery Drives Absorption Higher
The most significant event of 2025 occurred in March with the delivery of Amazon’s 2.8-million-square-foot robotics fulfillment center in South Daytona Beach. The project, under development since early 2022, was fully preleased, preventing any adverse impact on vacancy. Instead, it propelled absorption sharply higher. Trailing 12-month net absorption reached 3.2 million square feet, most of which was attributable to this single asset. Vacancy, meanwhile, declined by 0.8 percentage points yearover-year to 2.6%, driven largely by a 1.6% decline in logistics space that offset a modest rise in flex vacancy.
Leasing Activity Remains Strong
Leasing activity remained strong throughout the year, rising nearly 70% from the prior 12-month period. More than 930,000 square feet of space was leased across 110 new deals. The largest lease of the year was signed in October, with a 203,000square-foot commitment at 1094 South Williamson Boulevard. Looking ahead, the vacancy outlook appears stable, with only modest upward pressure expected through 2026 as new development moderates and demand levels off.
A Measured Construction Pipeline Takes Shape Daytona Beach's construction pipeline now totals approximately 530,000 square feet across fewer than 10 projects. Activity is largely concentrated in Edgewater and Port Orange, where development remains steady but measured.
Two warehouse buildings at Space Coast Commerce Park are scheduled for March 2026 delivery—one measuring 116,000 square feet with 24-foot clear heights, and another totaling 176,000 square feet with 32-foot clear heights. Four additional buildings ranging from 91,000 to 181,500 square feet are planned within the park. Meanwhile, Karis Cold Storage is advancing a 217,384-square-foot facility along South Williamson Boulevard, also slated for March 2026 completion, with no preleasing announced.
Advanced Manufacturing Adds a New Dimension
Another significant development is taking shape near Daytona Beach International Airport. French electric aircraft manufacturer Aura Aero has selected the region for its U.S. headquarters, committing $172.5 million to a new manufacturing campus expected to generate approximately 1,000 jobs at an average annual salary of $70,000.
The company has already begun construction on a 10,000square-foot hangar at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, reinforcing the area’s growing presence in advanced manufacturing and aerospace.
R ent Growth Remains Above National Averages
Rents continue to rise, though at a slower pace. Asking rents increased by 2.8% over the past year, outperforming the national average of 1.4% to 1.5%. Specialized facilities led all categories with 3.2% rent growth, while logistics and flex properties posted mid-3% gains.
Forecasts suggest that rent growth will ease into the mid-2% range by early 2026 before stabilizing later in the year.
P opulation and Employment Support Long-Term Fundamentals
Population growth continues to support market fundamentals. Oxford Economics projects just under 1% average annual population growth through 2030, adding roughly 55,000 new residents to the region through net in-migration.
Economic growth is expected to moderate, with local GDP projected to expand at an average annual rate of 1.8%.
Employment growth is anticipated to remain in line with national trends, driven primarily by hospitality, education, and healthcare.
Daytona Beach remains a value-driven market for industrial users and developers alike. Competitive land and labor costs, access to major transportation infrastructure, and strong quality-of-life factors continue to attract a diverse range of employers. Established organizations such as NASCAR, the LPGA, Halifax Health, and Brown & Brown Insurance anchor the local economy, while targeted growth sectors include logistics, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and professional services.
Recent industrial deliveries—including three Amazon fulfillment centers and a 700,000-square-foot Trader Joe’s distribution facility—have collectively added more than 1,000 jobs. Together, these investments reinforce Daytona Beach’s rising industrial profile and signal long-term strength for the market.
What Does This Mean For You?
Whether you're an owner, developer, or investor, Daytona’s industrial market is entering a new chapter. Vacancy is low, demand is steady, and tenant expectations are shifting. The window for strategic moves—before pricing and competition recalibrate—is now.
Well-positioned assets and smart timing will define the next wave of winners.
The school site in Halifax Plantation. Courtesy of Volusia County
Pairings
Playoff Pairings Playoff
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
With 14 seconds left in triple overtime and Seabreeze down by 1 point, Sandcrabs coach Ray Gaines didn’t bother calling time out. Christian Simmons already knew what he had to do.
“I’ve told him all year, I need you to be the dude,” Gaines said. “And that’s what he did.”
The dude abides.
Simmons drove the lane, hitting a layup with eight seconds left, and Seabreeze held on to defeat Orlando Jones 70-69 in three overtimes in a District 7-5A semifinal on Thursday, Feb. 5, at the Seabreeze gym.
Two days later, the Sandcrabs defeated Pine Ridge 58-54 to win the district championship and earn a trip to the regional playoffs. Seabreeze,
seeded seventh, will travel to No. 2 seed Auburndale (19-8) for a Region 2-5A quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14.
The Sandcrabs improved to 21-8 with the win against Pine Ridge. It has been 20 years since the last time Seabreeze had won 20 games in a season.
“It’s been a long time since Seabreeze has won any kind of championship,” Gaines said.
FPC’S SANDERS SINKS CREEKSIDE
On the same night that Simmons came through in the clutch for the Sandcrabs, Siah Sanders did the same for Flagler Palm Coast in a District 1-7A semifinal at St. Johns Creekside.
With FPC down by one with less than 10 seconds left, the Bulldogs’ senior center calmly sanked two free throws. FPC forced Creekside into taking a deep 3-pointer as time ran
out, and the Bulldogs beat the team that had ended their season the past two years, 62-61.
FPC fell to Atlantic Coast 40-36 two nights later in the district final. But the Bulldogs (17-10) have done enough to earn a spot in the playoffs.
FPC, seeded seventh, will travel to Atlantic Coast (206) again in the Region 1-7A quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Feb. 14.
Mainland, the top seed in Region 1-6A, will host Ocala Forest in a quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Feb. 14. The Bucs (223) lost to Lake Howell (22-5) 73-61 in the District 4-6A championship game on Feb. 7. But the loss didn’t affect the Bucs’ seeding when the playoffs were announced on Monday, Feb. 9. Mainland could again face Lake Howell, the region’s No. 2 seed, in the regional final on Feb. 28.
Jeremiah Outler scored 26 points for Seabreeze in the tri-
ple-overtime victory. Brown added 22 points before fouling out. Simmons, who is averaging 7.4 points, scored eight against Jones, including the biggest bucket of the game.
“He went left and drove to the lane,” Gaines said. “They tried to take a charge, but he jump stopped and finished off the backboard. We’ve been able to see that in him. I was happy for him that he took the shot.”
The Sandcrabs overcame a 33-point performance by Pine Ridge four-star recruit Henry Robinson Jr. to win the district title.
They say it’s hard to beat any team three times in a season. FPC hopes that’s the case on Saturday. Atlantic Coast also defeated the Bulldogs in the third game of the season, 45-40.
“That was a back-andforth game,” FPC coach Greg Shirley said. It has been seven years and four coaches ago since the Bulldogs last made the playoffs.
Bulldogs, Sandcrabs fall just short in soccer playoffs
Seabreeze girls lost 2-1; FPC girls and Seabreeze boys fell 1-0.
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
All three teams came so close to upsetting a No. 2 seed in the girls and boys soccer playoffs. All three lost a heartbreaker by one goal in the regional quarterfinals to end their season.
The Flagler Palm Coast girls fell to 2024 state champ Creekside 1-0 on Thursday, Feb. 5, in the Region 1-7A playoffs. The Knights’ Camila Adame scored on a set piece off a corner kick for the only goal of the game.
The Seabreeze girls lost 2-1 in double overtime to Cypress Creek in the Region 2-5A playoffs. The Coyotes scored the winning goal on a header with about 2 1/2 minutes left in the second overtime.
The Seabreeze boys lost
1-0 to Orlando Innovation in Region 2-5A on Friday, Feb. 6. “We were unlucky,”
Seabreeze boys coach Alex Perez said. “They were a great team — their size and the way they play. We fought to the end. We played very good defensively, and we almost got two goals. We just couldn’t connect on a last touch.”
Perez said senior goalkeeper Chandler Klepper had three or four saves that looked to be sure goals.
FPC senior goalkeeper Natalie Neal, had another 20-plus save game against Creekside.
She had 24 saves a week after collecting 25 saves in the Bulldogs’ 5-0 loss to Creekside in the district championship game to put her over 500 saves for her career. Neal will continue playing close to home. She has committed to twotime junior college national champ Daytona State College.
“The defense played really well,” FPC coach Pete Hald said. “Natalie had a tremendous game, and Eva Sites, our
centerback, played outstanding.”
Katherine Ouellette had a couple of chances to tie the score, including on a breakaway late in the first half in which Creekside keeper Sarah Dresback made a huge save, Hald said.
The Bulldogs finished the season with a 14-3-5 record. They won the Five Star Conference championship. They were undefeated through their first 17 games, and they made the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
“We accomplished a lot,” Hald said. “I think we checked all the boxes. We were hoping for some more, obviously, and it would have been nice if we got to play somebody different, but we put in a great performance. I can’t ask any more from them.”
Seabreeze’s girls took a 1-0 lead with about 15 minutes left in the game, coach Eli Freidus said. A pair of sophomores teamed up on a set piece for the Sandcrabs. Ava Arnold
scored off Hunter Byers’ cross from the left sideline. The home team tied it with less than six minutes left.
Seabreeze goalkeepr Kaia McFarland made a lot of big saves during the game, Freidus said.
“She was a big reason it was a close game. And our defense played well most of the game,” he said.
The Seabreeze girls (9-81) have made the playoffs six years in a row. They reached the regional final in 2023 and 2024.
“Injuries derailed us this year,” Freidus said.
Senior striker Liv Chase, who scored 26 of the Sandcrabs’ 58 goals this season, missed five games with a leg injury.
“She toughed her way (back) starting with districts,” Freidus said.
With just two senior starters, most of the team will be returning next year.
In the boys game, Innovation broke a scoreless tie late
“I think we checked all the boxes. We were hoping for some more ... but we put in a great performance. I can’t ask any more from them.
PETE HALD, FPC girls soccer coach
on a set piece.
“One of their players came from behind; we weren’t expecting that,” Perez said.
“We were marking everybody.”
The Seabreeze boys finished 7-9-5 but finished the season with three wins and a tie in their final five games, including a 1-0 upset of Region 2-5A top seed New Smyrna Beach to win the district championship.
From flag football to basketball
Nereyda Campos provides football toughness to girls basketball team as FPC heads to playoffs.
BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Nereyda Campos knew her basketball career was on borrowed time.
The Flagler Palm Coast senior has been a standout on the Bulldogs’ flag football team since her freshman year. She didn’t start playing basketball until last season.
In the District 1-7A semifinal against Jacksonville Sandalwood on Feb. 4, Campos knew she this could be her final game with the FPC girls basketball team. She wasn’t going to go out without a fight. Campos had the best game of her short career, scoring 12 points and pulling down 10 rebounds, and supporting leading scorer Ava Works, who poured in a game-high 27 points, in the Bulldogs’ 74-40 victory at the FPC gym.
“I just had the mindset that we had to start out strong and finish,” Campos said. “And if this was my last game, then just push to the end. But it wasn’t.”
Two days later, the Bulldogs lost to St. Johns Creekside 67-47 in the district final, but on Monday, Feb. 9, they still received a ticket to the state playoffs. The seventh-seeded Bulldogs (18-5) will visit No. 2 Orlando Colonial (20-5) on Friday, Feb. 13, in a Region 1-7A quarterfinal. Tipoff is 7 p.m. FPC is making its first trip to the playoffs since 2020. When veteran coach George Butts took over the team in 2023, he knew he had to find players who could help change the program. That’s how he found Campos, playing against boys in a flag football game at Indian Trails Sports Complex.
“I went out there to watch somebody else,” Butts said. “And I saw her running and guarding boys. I said, ‘I need her.’ She was just what I was looking for. I knew I had to have that type of player here to kind of change the program. If I had one, then the rest of them would catch on.” Campos became a starter during her first year on the team.
“It was tough,” she said. “But I said if I want to get the starting spot, I have to work as hard as anybody else on the court.”
“She’s just a great person,” Butts said. “She’s a hard worker, she runs fast, she’s disciplined, focused and tough.”
Campos’ strength on the basketball court is her defense, a role she hopes to provide against Colonial, which has won eight of its last nine games and is ranked fifth in Class 7A.
Seabreeze’s Willie Tucker Jr. (5) goes up for a shot.
Seabreeze’s Jeremiah Outler (0) drives to the basket. Photos by Keishia McLendon
Seabreeze’s AJ Brown (2) puts up a shot.
FPC boys weightlifters tie with Spruce Creek in Olympic lifts
Tied in Olympic competition in first meet; Spruce Creek won in traditional competition.
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The Flagler Palm Coast boys weightlifting team had a strong showing in its first meet of the year, tying perennial state title contender
Spruce Creek in the Olympic competition. The teams tied at 45 points apiece in Olympic, while Creek won the traditional competition 61-29 at FPC on Wednesday, Feb. 4. “I don’t think we’ll see a better team than this the rest of the year,” FPC coach Duane Hagstrom said. “They’re obviously in our district. It’s a good way to start — set the bar high, and then after that it’s easy sailing.”
Hagstrom said the Bulldogs were focusing on consis -
tency with none of the lifters attempting max lifts. He said the team’s goal is to hit 85% of its lifts at each meet. In this meet, the Bulldogs hit about 90%.
“We did really well. We just have to keep building on that,” Hagstrom said. “Our goal is to get to the end of the season hoping we’ll be in the hunt for a state title. I don’t really care about the wins and losses so much in the regular season.”
Four FPC lifters won both competitions against the Hawks.
Cody Strawser won at 129 pounds with a 440-pound Olympic total and a 470-pound traditional total. He lifted a 190-pound snatch, a 250-pound clean and jerk and a 220-pound bench press.
Jackson Fedun won at 169 pounds with a 505-pound Olympic total and a 520-pound traditional total.
Landon Gates won at 183 pounds with a 485-pound Olympic total and a 505-pound traditional total.
Matthew McFall won at unlimited with a 605-pound Olympic total and a 660-pound traditional total.
McFall had best lifts of 275 pounds in the snatch, 330 pounds in the clean and jerk and 330 pounds in the bench press.
Anthony Giacobbe won Olympic at 119 pounds with a 320-pound total.
Gavin Battaglia won the 219-pound Olympic competition with 410-pound total.
Two of the FPC varsity starters didn’t lift for points because they weighed in heavy for their weight classes, Hagstrom said. “I wouldn’t let them bump up a class. So we were without two of our point lifters. I let JV guys lift in their place, because the JV guys made weight,” Hagstrom said.
FPC wins third straight Five Star wrestling championship
The Bulldogs won seven individual titles, while Mainland and Seabreeze each won one.
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
All 13 wrestlers that Flagler Palm Coast entered at the Five Star Conference championships advanced to the finals, and seven claimed individual titles as the Bulldogs won their third straight conference wrestling championship on Saturday, Feb. 7, at FPC’s Anderson Athletic Center.
The Bulldogs won by nearly 100 points, defeating secondplace New Smyrna Beach 244.5 to 149.0. DeLand (87) was third, followed by University (67) and Seabreeze (63). Mainland finished eighth with 34.5 points.
Seabreeze and Mainland each had one champion.
The Bulldogs also held a Senior Day ceremony before the finals, honoring seniors Michael Fries, Doyvonne Leadon and Aidan Korth.
Two FPC freshmen won their first conference titles. Jacob Hald won the 106-pound championship with a dramatic 13-12 decision over Deltona’s Javonni Carra-
turo. After Carraturo racked up eight third-period points on an escape, a takedown and a near fall to take a 12-11 lead, Hald scored on a reversal with 14 second remaining to collect his 30th victory in 34 matches.
Freshman JoJo Foalima won the 165-pound title with a pin of NSB’s Logan Dailey at 3:42. FPC’s other champs were Braden Dailey at 113, Kevin McLean at 120, Trey Twilley at 132, Gabriel Moy at 144 and Ronden Ricks at 157.
Mainland’s Isaac Strozier won the 175-pound title with a pin of FPC’s Leadon at 3:33.
Seabreeze’s Zane DePaula won the 215-pound title with a pin of FPC’s Brian Veal in 1:58. With the postseason fast approaching, beginning with district tournaments on Feb.
Bulldogs sprinters lead at Pinnacle
Jordan Haymon and Logan Jacobelli led the way in preseason track meet.
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Fresh off setting new school indoor track records, Flagler Palm Coast sprinters Jordan Haymon and Logan Jacobelli finished first and second in two events in the first outdoor meet of the season on Friday, Feb. 6, at FPC’s 13th annual Flagler Pinnacle Preseason Classic.
Running into a fierce headwind of negative 4.4 meters per second on a chilly February day, Haymon won the 100 with a time of 11.25 seconds with Jacobelli finishing right behind in 11.35 seconds. Being a preseason meet, the times do not count. The season begins this weekend with the Bulldogs competing in the Louie Bing Invitational in Miami on Feb. 13-14.
FPC will host the 22-school East Coast Classic on Feb. 20. Bulldogs coach David Halliday adds running events at the Pinnacle that are not run at meets throughout the season, including the 300, 600 and 1,200 meters.
“Preseason doesn’t count, so I like to throw the kids in weird events,” Halliday said. “I put my younger kids in the (regular races) and the older kids in the odd races. It’s a little more fun for them,” Halliday said. Haymon and Jacobelli finished first and second in the 300 with times of 36.68 and 36.72 seconds, respectively, while FPC’s Will Roberts was third in 36.94.
FPC senior Arianna Slaughter won the girls 600 and (1:42.68) and 1,200 (3:57.14), while FPC freshman Douglas Seth won the boys 1,200 meters (3:22.03) with Seabreeze senior Hunter Shuler (3:26.55) placing second and Matanzas senior Blaine Vogel (3:26.66) finishing third.
Haymon broke FPC’s indoor record in the 200 with a time of 22.26 on Jan. 31 in his first indoor race. Jacobelli broke the school’s 60-meter indoor record earlier with a time of 7.0 seconds.
“Their fitness and technique are really good for this time of year,” Halliday said. “Jordan never had the chance to do a full preseason for us before because he played basketball as a sophomore and junior.”
19, FPC coach David Bossardet said the Bulldogs have work to do.
“I think we dropped some matches that we let get away from us,” he said. “With the district tournament 10 days away we got to wrestle a lot better than we did today. We just didn’t look sharp. We weren’t finishing our attacks in particular, and that concerns me. We want to be wrestling our best at district, region and state, and I don’t think we showed that today, so we got to go back, make some adjustments and do a better job coaching.”
FPC’s runners-up included Leadon, Veal, Asher Struhar at 126, Lenny Fries at 138, Michael Fries at 150 and Korth at 285 pounds.
Seabreeze’s Cash Kurz was the runner-up at 157 pounds. Christian Vicole of Mainland (113) pounds) and Jayce Gainer of Seabreeze (165) placed third. Seabreeze’s Kaleb Locke (132) and Gavin Getz (175) placed fourth.
Other local boys winners were: Seabreeze’s Drayton Brackett with a time of 1:00.54 in the 400 hurdles and FPC’s 4x400 relay team of Jacobelli, Haymon, Michael Najpaver and Rhett Opalewski (3:30.62). Brackett finished second in the 110 hurdles in 17.08 seconds. Seabreeze’s Aidan O’Brien was second in the 200 with a personal-record time of 22.67 seconds. Seabreeze’s Alex Shargen (1:05.21) was second in the 400 hurdles. And FPC’s Conner Haysbrook (5 feet, 3.75 inches in high jump) and La’Darius Simmons (151 feet, 6 inches in javelin) also placed second.
Other local girls winners were: FPC’s Karina Marcelus in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.22 seconds, Seabreeze’s Tabitha Hick (1:15.43) in the 400 hurdles and FPC’s Taylor Jones (16 feet, 1/2 inch) in the long jump.
FPC’s Anna Grigoruk (3:58.10) placed second in the 1,200. FPC’s Ella Rose Mballescube (15 feet, 3.25 inches) placed second in the long jump.
FPC’s Ronden Ricks (top) pinned Seabreeze’s Cash Kurz in the 157-pound title match. Photo by Rachel and Abe Mills
Jackson Fedun clean and jerks 280 pounds. Fedun won both competitions in the 169-pound weight class.
Cody Strawser clean and jerks 230 pounds. His best clean and jerk at the meet was 250 pounds. The junior won both competitions in the 129-pound weight class. Photos by Brent Woronoff
Mainland’s Isaac Strozier (right) wrestles FPC’s Doyvonne Leadon in the 175-pound championship match. Strozier won by pin in 3:33.
FPC’s Five Star champs: Jacob Hald, JoJo Foalima, Ronden Ricks, Braden Dailey, Trey Twilley, Kevin McLean and Gabriel Moy. Photo by Brent Woronoff
BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Italy’s Compagnucci wins Palm Coast Open men’s singles title
Tommaso Compagnucci of Italy earned a check of $2,160 for winning the singles championship at the $15,000 Palm Coast Open men’s tennis tournament on Sunday, Feb. 8, at the Southern Recreation Center.
Compagnucci defeated Ryan Colby of the United States, 6-3, 7-6, in the final.
Compagnucci, 26, is ranked 509 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. Colby, 22, who is from Alexandria Virginia, played tennis collegiately at the University of Southern California and the University of Georgia. He has a current ATP ranking of 931.
Compagnucci also advanced to the doubles final on Saturday, Feb. 7. Ignacio Monzon and Fermin Tenti of Argentina defeated Compagnucci and Manuel Mouilleron Salvo of Argentina, 7-6, 6-4, to win the doubles championship.
About 300 spectators were on hand Saturday and about 200 watched the
SEAS wins
The
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School of Palm Coast won the Diocese of St. Augustine volleyball championship by defeating Blessed Trinity of Jacksonville, 27-25, 21-25, 15-13 in the finals. Tied 25-25 in the first game, Izabel Agostinho served two aces to win the game 27-25. Down 11-13 in the tie-breaker, SEAS won four straight points to win the championship. The girls team finished the season and playoffs
final on Sunday, according to a City of Palm Coast press release. The Palm Coast Open women’s tournament begins on Feb. 13 with a wild
undefeated (13-0). Agostinho was named the tournament MVP. Sophia Girgus, team captain Catelina Estinvil and Samantha Collins were named to the All-Conference team. Team members: Francesca DelBonis, Vivian Vadurro, Annalyn Puntillo, Marleigh Manimbo, Ariana Alicea, Simone Garcia, Agostinho, Girgus, Estinvil, and Collins. SEAS has won two tournament championships in five years, with a record of 56-6. The team is coached by Jody Marolf.
Palm Coast Open singles finalist Ryan Colby. Courtesy photos by Jeff Davies
Palm Coast Open singles champ Tommaso Compagnucci.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School won the Diocese of St. Augustine volleyball championship. Courtesy photo
CHALK IT UP TO TALENT
The 12th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts brings splash of culture to New Britain Avenue.
MICHELE MEYERS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Ormond Beach Mainstreet and the Ormond Beach Arts District sponsored the 12th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts along New Britain Ave. on a sunny day on Saturday, Feb. 7.
A crowd gathered to enjoy the works of 80 artists and craftsmen, while listening to live music provided by The Locals Mix, including a lineup of Holy Human, Sammy Rose, Late Drop, Crow Moon, Les of a Human, and Fylo Zoet. People could grab a bowl of smoked Gouda mac and cheese or lobster bisque at the 31 Supper Club tent or some Pump House BBQ.
The poetry slam returned with Eddie Figuero winning $750 and qualifying for the Blackberry Peach National Poetry Slam in July.
Nine artists participated in the ArtHaus Foundation Chalk Art Competition. Patrons purchased tokes throughout the day to vote for the People’s Choice award. Funds received from those purchases go towards programming for at-risk special needs and underprivileged youth in Volusia County schools.
The winners
JURIED ART
Best in Show: Jen Kirk (jewelry)
First place: Mary Wentzel (pin & Ink/ watercolor)
Second place: Jesse Kraker (photography)
Third place: Elzbeta Weron (photography)
POETRY SLAM
First place: Eddie Figueroa
Second place: Dennis Rodney
Third Place: Dove Dupree
Fourth Place: Arjun Govindan
CHALK ART
People’s Choice (professional): Nikki Owens
People’s Choice (junior): Gisel Bianco
Best in Show (professional): Manolito
Best in Show runnerup (professional): Rachel Gancitano
Best in Show (youth): Eden Ulishaw
Executive Director Cameron Vintson thanked Ormond Beach MainStreet and their sponsors for putting on a great art festival.
“It’s always such a privilege and such a joy to chalk at this event,” Vintson said. “It is community here, and we feel so welcome every time we come. Thank you to Becky (Parker), Julia (Truilo), and Jade (Bowling), the patrons and the community members. You guys rock.”
Artist Mary Wentzel is awarded first place for her pen and ink/watercolor pieces.
Skittles (left) poses with his human Ray Hinz (center), and Ormond Beach MainStreet executive director Becky Parker (right).
Artist Jesse Kraker wins a second place ribbon for his photography.
Angie Tucker (left) and Lenarde Wilson (right) add their flair to the community poster at the 12th annual Granada Grand Art Festival on Saturday, Feb. 7. Photos by Michele Meyers
Dove Dupree places third in the poetry slam.
ArtHaus Executive Director Cameron Vintson shows the casualties of creating chalk art.
Christopher Barth chalks the character Franky from the show One Piece.
Volusia School Board members voice opposition to SB 1620
School Board members cited lack of ‘safeguards’ for student, staff personal information.
JARLEENE
ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR
Volusia County School Board members were in Tallahassee on Tuesday, Feb. 3, speaking against a bill that has put the school district in the middle of a discussion in the Legislature concerning public records, budgets and attorney representation.
Senate Bill 1620, filed by Sen. Tom Leek, seeks to establish a “District School Board Member’s Bill of Rights,” which dictates that officials be given free and timely access to requested school district documents, including those not deemed as public records; be able to see a budget by line item; and have an attorney not employed by the district represent the board, among other provisions.
“What I’m trying to do is strike some balance between the superintendent’s authority and a policy-making board’s rights,” Leek said. “... You have seen where school board members come on and the district is not necessarily aligned with them, and they’re doing everything they can to thwart that school board member from doing their job — which is being the policy-making board for the district.”
Volusia County School Board member Donna Brosemer said the bill made its way to the session after she spoke with Leek last summer about concerns and problems she was facing. Its companion bill, House Bill 1073, recently advanced in the Education & Employment Committee after a unanimous vote.
The bill did pass the Education Pre-K committee with a 12-6 vote, but notably, Brosemer’s counterparts on the School Board spoke before lawmakers in opposition.
School Board Chair Ruben Colon said SB 1620 doesn’t “simply refine oversight.”
“It shifts Florida’s governance model in ways that will be felt immediately in the day-to-day operations of our schools,” he said. “Three of my fellow school board members and superintendent are here to share their thoughts on the bill being advanced by a single member of our board, which has portrayed this as an issue in Volusia County. In my eight years of service, to be clear, I’ve received every single document I have ever requested, and the superintendent has always facilitated every conversation with staff that I’ve ever needed.”
Colon added that the bill lacked safeguards and guardrails to protect confidentiality, preserve accountability and keep the focus on students.
Colon was asked about the non-disclosure agreements the district asked about 110 employees to sign last August. Brosemer opposed the NDAs under the opinion that they
“What I’m trying to do is strike some balance between the superintendent’s authority and a policy-making board’s rights.” TOM LEEK, FL Senate
were unconstitutional under Florida’s public record laws. The district argued they were valid; though, they did sunset in December.
Colon said the NDAs were a result of conversations between board members and staff being leaked on social media.
“All of the sudden, board conversations start getting leaked,” he said. “Conversations that were in process, conversations that were had with the board in its appropriate manner... We really, truly could not hold staff accountable. That’s why we’ve had to do that in Volusia County.”
School Board member Krista Goodrich said the bill needed some “minor clarifications to avoid some unintended consequences.” She agreed with most of the bill’s provisions, like ensuring school board members received public records at no charge, clarifying the attorney rules and the removal of the NDAs.
As the only School Board member with children in VCS, Jessie Thompson said she was concerned with student and staff’s personal information being distributed under the new provisions, as well as create confusion if board members can seek information from staff directly without the superintendent’s knowledge.
School Board member Jamie Haynes shared the same concerns.
“I need to ensure our children are protected,” she said. “I need to ensure our employees are protected, because what if someone has an issue with a principal and they ask to see private information about that principal. They don’t need that to do their job.”
A representative of Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, who read a statement on
his behalf, also voiced opposition to the bill. The sheriff sided with ensuring superintendents continue to manage day-to-day operations, while school board members provide policy directions.
“The current governance model, where the school board provides oversight while the superintendent manages daily operations, has proven to be the most effective structure for both staff accountability and student outcomes,” Chitwood’s statement read. “Volusia County serves as a strong example of what effective leadership can achieve.”
Brosemer said the testimony was “surprisingly personal” and that was never the intent of the bill.
“Most of the provisions in the bill have been assumed to be logical, and there’s been some surprise expressed that we even need a bill that makes these provisions,” she said.
She spoke about the NDA conflict, saying she was charged $76.10 from the district when she requested to see copies of all 110 NDAs signed. Sen. Rosalind Osgood, a former Broward County School Board member, said she understood the bill’s intent — but that it sounded like “there’s some leadership decisions that need to be made” in Volusia County.
“There are a lot of dynamics within school districts that happen,” she said. “I don’t want to perhaps help Volusia and then cause more chaos and corruption in other school districts.”
Bill co-sponsor Sen. Don Gaetz said he joined in not to get into a “food fight” with Volusia County — or solve a problem for that specific school district.
“There is nothing in this bill that, in my judgment, would interfere with the superin -
Volusia County School Board member Ruben Colon speaks before the Education & Employment Committee on Feb. 3. Screenshot of Florida Channel livestream
tendent of schools being able to operate as the chief administrator of the district,” said Gaetz, a former Okaloosa County School Board member and schools superintendent.
“But there is plenty in this bill that ensures that school board members have access to the information that they need in order to make decisions that govern the school district.
Gaetz said the bill is helpful for a school board member who finds themselves in the “minority” regarding governing issues and denounced the recent NDAs.
Leek said reiterated that the bill did not target the district. Though, he noted, he was offended by the NDAs.
“I’m sorry Volusia County has internalized all of this,” Leek said. “But it’s a bill that takes into account things that are happening across the state — makes sure that the members of the school boards across the state have the information that they need, or at least access to the information that they need, to do the jobs that they were elected to do.”
City Commissioner asks for LED lighting, signage at Ormond Beach Sports Complex
Does the Ormond Beach Sports Complex need more lighting and signage for fields?
Last December, the City of Ormond Beach submitted a $300,000 grant request to the Daytona Beach Racing and Recreational Facilities District to add LED lighting to fields 11 and 12 at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex. The project is estimated to cost $413,800, and the city planned to use money from its Recreation Impact Fee Fund to cover the portion not covered by the grant. In light of an incident that occurred in the sports complex on Jan. 24 where multiple teens were involved in a fight, Commissioner Kristin Deaton asked her fellow commissioners if they were interested in moving forward with the lighting project anyway, using Recreation Impact Fee funds.
“They’re moving flag football there from the Wendelstedt fields, so this is going to be imperative,”
Former Planning Board member files to run for Ormond City Commission
Barry du Moulin, a retired inspector for the U.S. Coast Guard, filed to run for office on Jan. 22.
JARLEENE ALMENAS
MANAGING EDITOR
A past candidate for Ormond Beach City Commission has entered the race for the 2026 election to represent Zone 4. Barry du Moulin, a retired inspector for the U.S. Coast Guard, filed to run for office on Jan. 22. A previous member of the Ormond Beach Planning Board, du Moulin currently serves on the city’s
NEWS BRIEFS
School upgrades move forward, VCS welcomes new CFO
Instead of a $21 million project to add 20 classrooms to Pine Ridge High School, the Volusia County School Board approved an amendment on Tuesday, Feb. 10, that will allow seven other projects — including two at Ormond Beach area schools — to move forward.
Municipal Firefighters’ Pension Trust Fund advisory board. He is originally from Massachusetts but has lived in Ormond Beach since 2016 and Volusia County since 2012. During his 24 years in the Coast Guard, du Moulin spent 12 years in search and rescue and the remaining 12 years in marine safety. After retiring from the Coast Guard, du Moulin worked as an assistant deepwater port manager and deputy harbormaster. His last assignment was a contractual team mission to work with the FBI, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard to assess port security.
“I’d like to utilize what I have at this time in my life
In May 2025, the School Board approved bonds to finance classroom additions in two schools: Pathways Elementary and Pine Ridge. While the Pathways project, which will add 11 classrooms, remains on track, the Pine Ridge project has been delayed, said George Smith, bound counsel for the School Board.
Rather than having the money sit, the IRS indicated to Volusia County Schools that the money should be used to finance other projects, Smith explained. The district’s facilities team identified the following projects to replace the classroom addition:
An extension of the Pine Trail Elementary parent loop An upgrade to the HVAC in
to make the community better,” du Moulin said. “That’s always been in my DNA.”
He previously ran to represent Zone 4 in the 2018 elections, losing to then-incumbent Rob Littleton, and du Moulin said he decided to run again after he was approached by some residents asking him to file.
“A group of people really convinced me to get back into the race, no pun intended,” du Moulin said. “I was on the fence for a while, and then a couple of issues that took place here in Ormond pushed me over the edge.”
Namely, du Moulin said, a recent Planning Board meeting where members discussed the Tomoka Commerce proj-
building 3 at Seabreeze High School
Modifying the bus loop entrance to Osteen Elementary
Upgrading the condenser water loop at Silver Sands Middle School
An extension of the Sugar Mill Elementary parent loop
An extension of the University High School parent loop
Upgrading the kitchen and dining HVAC, ceilings and lighting at Pine Ridge High School.
These projects have been in the district’s to-do list.
“This will allow those to be accelerated, and you’ll be able to use the funds that were intended for those, or that you would identify in the future, for your other projects,” Smith said.
At the School Board meeting, the district also welcomed its new chief financial officer, Deidra Whittenberger.
Whittenberger replaced Todd Seis, who retired last month. He had been with VCS since 2022.
ect, and he wondered if term limits for advisory board members would benefit the community.
“There’s never any new blood injected into these boards,” du Moulin said. “It’s always the same people over and over and over again. I figured, ‘Let’s start putting term limits and getting a variety of other people in here.’”
He has similar thoughts about the City Commission. Voters have hired, he said, “the same commissioners that are connected to the same people.” He added that he believes his diverse professional background would be an asset to the commission, as he has experience working with the military, law enforcement, businesses and energy.
Whittenberger will start on Feb. 16, announced Superintendent Carmen Balgobin. She was promoted from her last position with the district as the director of budget. Whittenberger has been working for the district for almost eight years.
“I’m truly honored and grateful for the trust you have placed in me,” she said.
“Serving as the chief financial officer is a responsibility that I accept with humility and a strong commitment towards stewardship, transparency and the sound financial planning in support of our students and staff.”
School Board member Krista Goodrich commended Whittenberger for taking on the chief financial officer role.
“It takes a tremendous amount of bravery,” Goodrich said. “This is an extraordinarily important job. It’s one that carries immense responsibility, intense scrutiny and very little public reward.”
Additionally, as an avid bike rider, he’s seen an increase in the city’s homeless population, as well as people living in RVs and cars and using public parking lot. He’d also like to see a more proactive code enforcement and work to attract larger businesses for economic growth, particularly at the Airport Business Park.
Ormond man killed after he was hit by a pickup truck west of I-95
A 32-year-old Ormond Beach man was killed after he was hit by a pickup truck on Friday, Feb. 6, near Booth Road in Ormond Beach.
Florida Highway Patrol reported that the victim was walking westbound on the eastbound outside paved shoulder at around 5:59 p.m. when the pickup truck — driven by a 44-year-old Daytona Beach man — drifted in his direction. The front right of the pickup truck hit the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
After the crash, the driver briefly stopped at a nearby parking lot. When FHP contacted him, the man said he thought he had struck an animal in the road and then drove home. The crash remains under investigation.
“I always believe that you want to leave the place better than the way you found it, and that’s always been my agenda — the only agenda I’ve ever had,” du Moulin said.
Tanger Outlets to host appearance by NASCAR driver
Casey Mears
Tanger Daytona Beach will host an appearance by NASCAR veteran Casey Mears, driver of the No. 66 car, on Friday, Feb. 13 from 2-3 p.m. The community is invited to attend a meet-and-greet with the race car driver as part of a special event at the outlets in advance of the DAYTONA 500 weekend. Event wristbands are required and available for pick-up on a first-come, firstserved basis beginning at 1 p.m. at the on-site check-in table near Columbia at Tanger Daytona Beach. Space is limited. Tanger encourages people to arrive early. Tanger is also partnering with Mears and The Gracie Foundation, and as part of the collaboration, Tanger will donate $10,000 to The Gracie Foundation, supporting women undergoing cancer treatment.
ORMOND’S ONLY OCEANFRONT RESTAURANT
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Barry du Moulin. File photo by Jarleene Almenas
Volusia County School’s new Chief Financial Officer Deidra Whittenberger. Courtesy photos
Running on positivity
MICHELE MEYERS
WRITER
CONTRIBUTING
Before Ormond Beach resident Christina Moore donated a kidney in 2021, she was asked what her “non-negotiable” was.
Moore told Orlando transplant surgeon Dr. Lawrence Thomas Chin that it was running — she had to be able to run after the surgery.
On Saturday, Feb. 7, Moore raced in the Clash Endurance half-marathon at the Daytona International Speedway. She finished with a time of 2:33:21 and placed 17th in the women’s 50-54 age group. The race drew a total of 624 half-marathon runners and 636 5K participants this year. Ninety-one runners entered from Ormond Beach, and thirty-eight from Palm Coast.
Her journey to becoming a kidney donor began in 2020, when Moore took on the role of director of assimilation at Tomoka Christian Church in Ormond Beach after working on staff for seven years. Her new position required her to manage the guest service and hospitality teams, making it essential for her to lead, train, and organize approximately 300 volunteers.
As she began to get to know the individuals who made up her first team, she learned that three of them needed kidney transplants.
That is when Durst taught Moore that becoming a living kidney donor is possible. A blood test is needed initially to determine blood type (O, A, B, or AB) compatibility with the recipient. Moore weighed her options. She knew her daughter, Megan Blair, was independent, and she and her husband, Jim, were emptynesters.
“I have a job that’s understanding, and Jim, hopefully, would be understanding,” Moore said. “I didn’t tell anybody, not even my husband. I went to a lab and made an appointment. I thought I was taking a blood test, and they took 16 vials of blood, then shipped them off.”
Two months later, she received a letter in the mail.
After overcoming her fears, Moore opened it and discovered she was a match for Durst. The two headed to the AdventHealth Medical Group Transplant at Orlando to meet with Chin and a team who helped them navigate the living organ donor process.
Moore was notified of her legal responsibilities, given a psychological evaluation, and catapulted into a year-long medical testing adventure. Toward the end of testing, Moore and Durst were called in to give blood samples. Moore was no longer a match.
Because she was so far into the organ donation process and a positive candidate, Moore said if she were willing to remain a donor, she would open up a chain, and there would be a match for her kidney. Durst would also remain at the top of the transplant list. If she said no, Durst would be put at the bottom of the list.
“So my yes stayed yes, and that opened a chain,” Moore said. “Sarah got her kidney a month before I donated mine, and then mine
“That made me curious about their situation, their needs, and how they live,” Moore said. “Through the process of getting to know them, one of them passed away because her health was failing fast. A second one got off the kidney transplant list through lifestyle changes, and then there’s Sarah Durst, who had tried many times to get a kidney donor and failed.”
“Anyone can do this. You can donate a kidney and still thrive. I’m not going to qualify for Boston tomorrow, but I’m dedicated to the sport. I’m dedicated to the runner’s high. It’s a way of life, and it’s positivity. We need positive examples for our own mental clarity. I’m 50 years old, and I want to run until I’m 99.”
CHRISTINA MOORE, living kidney donor
went in a little box on a plane to New Orleans. I don’t know who received my kidney, but eight people’s lives were saved because a chain opened up. We believe Sarah wouldn’t be alive today if I had said no. I did this because of the ability and God allowing me and my body to do this. I think it’s incredible what the body can do.”
The surgery happened in 2021 and within six months, she was up on her feet.
But she struggled. She felt defeated mentally — her body forced her to walk. She went to see Chin for her six-month checkup and expressed frustration with her lack of progress.
“Dr. Chen told me I was perfectly healthy,” she said.
“He said, ‘We invaded the space, we cut all the things, we had to reroute everything that went to the first kidney that we took, and then we closed you back up, and your body is like, you know, I wanted that.’ The messages to the brain are that we’re broken. He told me to be patient and give myself a year.”
In 2022, she ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon, her first major race after the surgery.
“I did well,” she said. “I didn’t do the speed that I did today in the Clash Endurance race, but it’s a special race to me. You get to run through the castle, it’s pretty, it’s fun, it’s whimsical — it’s Disney.”
Salty Souls is a running club Moore started with her friend Jeannie Gibb in Ormond Beach. Moore said she wanted to offer an activity that would increase mental stability and enhance physical health. They recently ran the Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World, which includes four days of
running events—a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon.
“There are a lot of ladies with just anxiety of life and raising kids in today’s world, and running has been very healthy for us,” Moore said. “It brings us all together. We live in a beautiful community. We live in such a place that why wouldn’t you go outside and stay active? You don’t even have to run. You can walk.”
Moore said even a 5K walk in your neighborhood stimulates the heart. Running a half-marathon or marathon is not necessary to become physically active and healthi-
er overall. Elevated health also means improving your odds of becoming an organ donor. Even if being a living kidney donor is not possible, make sure you are marked as an organ donor on your driver’s license and donate blood.
“Anyone can do this,” she said. “You can donate a kidney and still thrive. I’m not going to qualify for Boston tomorrow, but I’m dedicated to the sport. I’m dedicated to the runner’s high. It’s a way of life, and it’s positivity. We need positive examples for our own mental clarity. I’m 50 years old, and I want to run until I’m 99.”
Clash Endurance 5K runners head into Daytona International Speedway.
Pace crew Joe and Naomi Ventura (left) hang out with runners Angelika Grubel (second from right) and Dinesh Arab (right) before the Clash Endurance half-marathon at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 7.
Living kidney donor Christina Moore, of Ormond Beach, thrives on the run.
Clash Endurance 5K athletes run as the sun rises over Daytona International Speedway. Photos by Michele Meyers
Port Orange resident Rebecca Moore emerges from the turn four tunnel during the Clash Endurance half-marathon.
Ormond Beach resident Christina Moore (349) gives Jonathan Rubin (627) a run for his money at the finish line.
REAL ESTATE
ORMOND BEACH/WEST DAYTONA
Halifax Plantation pool home is top sale
Ahouse in Halifax Plantation at 1452 Kilrush Drive was the top real estate transaction in Ormond Beach and Ormond-by-the-Sea for the week of Jan. 17-23. The house sold on Jan. 23, for $712,000. Built in 2004, the house is a 4/2 and has a fireplace, a pool and 2,613 square feet. It last sold in 2016 for $450,000. The house was listed by David DeAngelis, of RE/MAX Signature.
JARLEENE ALMENAS
MANAGING EDITOR
ORMOND BEACH
Archer’s Mill
The house at 3357 Arch Ave. sold on Jan. 21, for $369,990. Built in 2025, the house is a 4/2 and has 2,034 square feet.
Forest Grove
The house at 471 Hammock Lane sold on Jan. 22, for $279,999. Built in 1987, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace and 1,527 square feet. It last sold in 2019 for $180,000.
Fountain View
The house at 1375 Morning Walk Drive sold on Jan. 21, for $399,990. Built in 2025, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,020 square feet.
The house at 1619 Houmas St. sold on Jan. 23, for $364,990. Built in 2025, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,828 square feet.
Halifax Plantation
The townhome at 3217 Bailey Ann Drive sold on Jan. 21, for $330,000. Built in 2019, the townhome is a 3/2 and has 1,695 square feet.
The house at 3787 Carrick Drive sold on Jan. 22, for $560,000. Built in 2000, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace and 2,459 square feet. It last sold in 2020 for $389,900.
Misners Branch
The townhome at 25 Misners Trail sold on Jan. 20, for $307,750. Built in 1988, the townhome is a 3/2 and has a fireplace and 1,806 square feet. It last sold in 2016 for $158,500.
Plantation Bay
The townhome at 1300 Hansberry Lane sold on Jan. 22, for $300,000. Built in 2005, the townhome is a 2/2 and has 1,542 square feet. It last sold in 2011 for $130,000.
The house at 920 Brookdridge Lane sold on Jan. 23, for $425,000. Built in 1998, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 1,627 square feet. It last sold in 2022 for $420,000.
The townhome at 1127 Hansberry Court sold on Jan. 23, for $279,900. Built in 2005, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,308 square feet. It last sold in 2011 for $130,000.
Ridgehaven
The house at 576 Brookhaven Trail sold on Jan. 21, for $415,000. Built in 2025, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,190 square feet.
Rio Vista The house at 926 S. Beach St. sold on Jan. 22, for $625,000. Built in 1957, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace and 1,876 square feet. It last sold in 2024 for $545,000.
Riviera Oaks The house at 113 Fiesta Circle sold on Jan. 23, for $239,000. Built in 1980, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,140 square feet. It last sold in 2014 for $79,000.
Woodmere The house at 874 Lindenwood Circle N. sold on Jan. 19, for $312,500. Built in 1978, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,505 square feet. It last sold in 2014 for $175,000.
ORMOND-BY-THE-SEA
Not in subdivision
The house at 55 Azalea Drive sold on Jan. 21, for $280,000. Built in 1956, the house is a 2/1 and has 1,015 square feet. It last sold in 1983 for $42,500.
Ormond Oceanside
Estates
Tymber Creek The house at 64 Ravenwood Court sold on Jan. 20, for $305,000. Built in 1977, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace and 1,354 square feet. It last sold in 2022 for $335,000.
Village of Pine Run The house at 120 Oak Lane sold on Jan. 22, for $588,000. Built in 1979, the house is a 3/3.5 and has a fireplace, a pool and 2,978 square feet. It last sold in 2022 for $267,500.
WEST DAYTONA BEACH
A house at Latitude Margaritaville at 148 Six String Drive was the top real estate transaction in Daytona Beach’s 32124 zip code for the week of Jan. 17-23. The house sold on Jan. 20, for $650,000. Built in 2023, the house is a 2/2.5 and has 2,347 square feet. It last sold in 2023 for $535,400.
The house was listed by Kelley Sarantis, of Bob Hodges and Sons Realty.
Bayberry Lakes
The house at 199 Boysenberry Lane sold on Jan. 17, for $370,000. Built in 2008, the house is a 3/2.5 and has 2,648 square feet. It last sold in 2016 for $248,000.
Grand Champion
The house at 118 Grande Belfly Way sold on Jan. 23, for $440,000. Built in 2014, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,983 square feet. It last sold in 2023 for $412,500.
Latitude Margaritaville
The house at 929 Bama Breeze Drive sold on Jan. 20, for $580,000. Built in 2023, the house is a 2/2.5 and has 2,139 square feet. It last sold in 2023 for
The house at 26 Sunny Beach Drive sold on Jan. 20, for $415,000. Built in 1971, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 2,124 square feet. It last sold in 1979 for $57,500.
The house at 191 Ellicott Drive sold on Jan. 21, for $650,000. Built in 1963, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace, a pool and 1,890 square feet. It last sold in 2023 for $535,000.
John Adams, of Adams, Cameron & Co. Realtors, contributed to this report.
$485,700.
The house at 317 Gypsy Palace Lane sold on Jan. 21, for $360,000. Built in 2024, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,321 square feet. It last sold in 2024 for $355,400.
The house at 557 High Tide Lane sold on Jan. 20, for $384,400. Built in 2022, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,308 square feet. It last sold in 2022 for $300,700.
Lennar at Preserve at LPGA
The house at 2215 Green Valley St. sold on Jan. 21, for $345,990. Built in 2025, the house is a 6/3 and has 2,463 square feet.
The house at 5118 Magnolia Palm Drive sold on Jan. 22, for $327,990. Built in 2025, the house is a 4/2 and has 1,824 square feet.
The house at 2235 Green Valley St. sold on Jan. 23, for $389,490. Built in 2025, the house is a 6/3 and has 2,463 square feet.
LPGA
The house at 121 Sedona Circle sold on Jan. 23, for $224,000. Built in 2005, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,335 square feet. It last sold in 2021 for $200,000.
The house at 148 Six String Drive sold on Jan. 20, for $650,000. Photo courtesy of Kelley Sarantis/Bob Hodges and Sons Realty
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Palm Coast 1/4 and 1/2 Acre Lots For Sale, Low Prices 386437-7058
Yard Sale
St Mark By The Sea Lutheran Church 303 Palm Coast PKWY Annual Bizarre, Bake Sale, & Silent Auction. We Will Be Open Fri 2/13 8:00AM-2:00Pm & 2/14 8:00AM-2:00PM. Women’s Clothing, Household Items, Pictures, Bikes, Desks, & Jewelry. Silent Auction Will Be Going On As Well as Delicious Baked Goods for Sale. Proceeds Benefit Local and County Charities.
8 Capistrano Dr Ormond Beach Yard sale Cleaning out and downsizing! Great prices Feb. 13 11:00 AM-3:00 PM, Feb. 14 9:00 AM-2:30 PM
Multi House Garage Sale: Women’s Clothing, 2001 Harley Davidson Motorcycle and accessories, & household items. 8 Slingshot Court (PC)
Classifieds - Monday at Noon; Service Directory - Friday at 3PM
INFORMATION & RATES: 386-447-9723 • info@observerlocalnews. com • classifieds.palmcoastobserver.com
FIRST INSERTION
1, LAUDERDALE MANOR HOMES, ACCORDING TO THE
OR PLAT THEREOF, AS RECORDED IN MAP BOOK 23, PAGE 128, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA.
TAX ID: 421106010130
Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from the sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the lis pendens must file a claim before the clerk reports the surplus as unclaimed.
REQUESTS FOR ACCOMODATIONS BY PERSONS WITH DISABILTIES If you are a person with a disability who needs an accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at not cost to you, to the provision of certain as-
sistance. Please contact Court Administration, 101 N. Alabama Ave., Ste. D-305, DeLand, FL 32724, (386) 257-6096, at least 7 days before your scheduled court appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the appearance is less than 7 days;if you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711. THESE ARE NOT COURT INFORMATION NUMBERS SOLICITUD DE ADAPTACIONES PARA PERSONAS CON DISCAPACIDADES Si usted es una persona con discapacidad que necesita una adaptación para poder participar en este procedimiento, usted tiene el derecho a que se le proporcione cierta asistencia, sinincurrir en gastos. Comuníquese con la Oficina de Administración Judicial (Court Administración), 101 N. Alabama Ave., Ste. D-305, DeLand, FL 32724, (386) 257-6096, con no menos de 7 días de antelación de su cita de comparecencia ante el juez, o de inmediato al recibir esta notificación si la cita de comparecencia está dentro de un plazo menos de 7 días; si usted tiene una discapacidad del habla o del oído, llame al 711. ESTOS NUMEROS TELEFONICOS NO SON PARA OBTENER INFORMACION JUDICIAL Dated this 3rd day of February 2026. BROCK & SCOTT, PLLC Attorney for Plaintiff 4919 Memorial Hwy, Suite 135 Tampa, FL 33634 Phone: (954) 618-6955 Fax: (954) 618-6954 FLCourtDocs@brockandscott.com By /s/Justin J. Kelley Justin J. Kelley, Esq. Florida Bar No. 32106 File # 25-F00436 February 12, 19, 2026 26-00093I
claiming an interest in the surplus from the sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the lis pendens must file a claim before the clerk reports the surplus as unclaimed.
Si usted es una persona con discapacidad que necesita una adaptación para poder participar en este procedimiento, usted tiene el derecho a que se le proporcione cierta asistencia, sinincurrir en gastos. Comuníquese con la Oficina de Administración Judicial (Court Administración), 101 N. Alabama Ave., Ste. D-305, DeLand, FL 32724, (386) 257-6096, con no menos de 7 días de antelación de su cita de comparecencia ante el juez, o de inmediato al recibir esta notificación si la cita de comparecencia está dentro de un plazo menos de 7 días; si usted tiene una discapacidad del habla o del oído, llame al 711. ESTOS NUMEROS TELEFONICOS NO SON PARA OBTENER INFORMACION JUDICIAL
Dated this 9th day of February 2026. BROCK & SCOTT, PLLC Attorney for Plaintiff 4919 Memorial Hwy, Suite 135 Tampa, FL 33634 Phone: (954) 618-6955 Fax: (954) 618-6954 FLCourtDocs@brockandscott.com By /s/Justin J. Kelley Justin J. Kelley, Esq. Florida Bar No. 32106 File # 25-F00415 February 12, 19, 2026 26-00114I
REQUESTS FOR ACCOMODATIONS BY PERSONS WITH DISABILTIES If you are a person with a disability who needs an accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at not cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact Court Administration, 101 N. Alabama Ave., Ste. D-305, DeLand, FL 32724, (386) 257-6096, at least 7 days before your scheduled court appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the appearance is less than 7 days;if you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711. THESE ARE NOT COURT INFORMATION NUMBERS SOLICITUD DE ADAPTACIONES PARA PERSONAS CON DISCAPACIDADES
NOTICE OF SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA CIVIL DIVISION Case No.: 25CA012955 BCL-CRE 3, LLC, a foreign limited liability company, Plaintiff, v. ARKAGAS, LLC, a Florida limited liability company, WORLD FUEL SERVICES, INC. d/b/a WORLD FUEL, INC., a foreign corporation, CITY OF PORT ORANGE, and ALL UNKNOWN PERSONS IN POSSESSION, Defendants. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, pursuant to the Default Final Judgment of Commercial Foreclosure entered on November 7, 2025, in the Circuit Court of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, in and for Volusia County, Florida, Case No. 25CA012955, Laura E. Roth, as the Clerk of the Circuit Court, will sell to the highest bidder for cash, on March 18, 2026 starting at 11:00 a.m.by electronic sale at www.volusia.realforeclose.com (website), the property situated in Volusia County, Florida, described on Exhibit A attached hereto. EXHBIT A A portion of Lot One (1), PLAT NUMBER TWO OF CRAIG FARMS, as recorded in Map Book 11, Page 90, Public Records of Volusia County, Florida, being more particularly described as follows: For a Point of Beginning commence at the Southwest corner of said Lot 1; thence North 89° 42’ 45” East along the South line of said Lot 1, the same being the Northerly Right-of-Way line of Journeys End Drive (a 50 foot right of way formerly known as Herbert Road and/or Taylor Road), a distance of 228.09 feet to its intersection with the Southwesterly Rightof-Way line of Taylor Branch Road (a 70 foot Right-of-Way formerly known as Taylor Road and/or Access Road);
NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION File No. 2025 12761 PRDL Division: 10 In Re: Estate of Paul M. Tinozzi A/K/A Paolo Massimo Tinozzi A/K/A Paolo M. Tinozzi, Deceased, Patrick Westbrook, Petitioner, v. The Intestate Heirs of Paul M. Tinozzi a/k/a Paolo Massimo Tinozzi a/k/a Paolo M. Tinozzi, Respondents. The administration of the estate of Paul M. Tinozzi a/k/a Paolo Massimo Tinozzi a/k/a Paolo M. Tinozzi, deceased, whose date of death was May 9, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Volusia County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 101 N. Alabama Avenue, 2nd Floor, DeLand, FL 32724. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. The personal representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent’s death by the decedent or the decedent’s surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in ss. 732.216-732.228, Florida
thence North 29° 39’ 29” West along said Southwesterly Right-of-Way line of Taylor Branch Road, a distance of 247.87 feet to its intersection with the Southeasterly limited access Right-ofWay line of State Road 421 or Dunlawton Avenue (a variable width Right-ofWay as shown on Florida Department of Transportation Right-of-Way maps, Section 792302504, and formerly known as Herbert Street and formerly being a 200 foot wide Right-of-Way); thence in a Southwesterly direction along the arc of a curve in said Southeasterly limited access Right- of-Way line of Dunlawton Avenue, said curve being concave Northwesterly and having a radius of 1116.47 feet, through a central angle of 09° 53’ 00”, an arc distance of 192.59 feet to its intersection with the West line of said Lot 1, PLAT NUMBER TWO OF CRAIG FARMS, said arc being subtended by a chord bearing and distance of South 29° 03’ 53” West, 192.35 feet; thence South 13° 54’ 49” West along said West line of Lot 1, also being the Easterly Rightof-Way line of a 50 foot road as shown on said PLAT NUMBER TWO OF CRAIG FARMS, a distance of 49.88 feet to the Point of Beginning. Property Address: 5784 Taylor Branch Road, Port Orange, Florida 32127 Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from the sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the lis pendens must file a claim before the clerk reports the surplus as unclaimed.
Dated this 3rd day of February 2026. HAHN LOESER & PARKS, LLP 2400 First Street, Suite 300 Fort Myers, FL 33901 Phone: (239) 337-6700 Fax: (239) 337-6701 /s/ Gary D. Rhodes, Esq.
GARY D. RHODES, JR., ESQ. Florida Bar No. 121653 grhodes@hahnlaw.com knweatherington@hahnlaw.com FL-eservice@hahnlaw.com 21263675 February 12, 19, 2026 26-00095I
Statutes, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes. The written demand must be filed with
FIRST INSERTION NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 7TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 2025 11904 CIDL THE SECRETARY OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, an agency of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff, v. WILLIAM G. TAVERNIER; UNKNOWN SPOUSE OF WILLIAM G. TAVERNIER; ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING INTERESTS BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST A NAMED DEFENDANT TO THIS ACTION, OR HAVING OR CLAIMING TO HAVE ANY RIGHT, TITLE OR INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY HEREIN DESCRIBED; UNKNOWN TENANT #1; UNKNOWN TENANT #2, Defendant. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment dated 1/20/2026 entered in Civil Case No. 2025 11904 CIDL in the Circuit Court of the 7th Judicial Circuit in and for Volusia County, Florida, wherein THE SECRETARY OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, an agency of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff and WILLIAM G. TAVERNIER are defendants, Laura E. Roth, Clerk of Court, will sell the property at www. volusia.realforeclose.com beginning at 11:00 AM on March 10, 2026 the following described property as set forth in said Final Judgment, to-wit:. LOT 12, BLOCK 526, DELTONA LAKES UNIT 16, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF AS RECORDED IN MAP BOOK 25, PAGES 234 THROUGH 240, INCLUSIVE, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA. Property Address: 1880 North Merrick Dr, Deltona, FL 32738 ANY PERSON CLAIMING AN INTEREST IN THE SURPLUS FROM THE SALE, IF ANY, OTHER THAN THE PROPERTY OWNER AS OF THE DATE OF THE LIS PENDENS MUST FILE A CLAIM BEFORE THE CLERK REPORTS THE SURPLUS AS UNCLAIMED. THE COURT, IN ITS DISCRETION, MAY ENLARGE THE TIME OF THE SALE. NOTICE OF THE CHANGED TIME OF SALE SHALL BE PUBLISHED AS PROVIDED HEREIN.
Kelley Kronenberg 10360 W State Rd 84 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33324 Phone: (954) 370-9970 Fax: (954) 252-4571 /s/ Jordan Wainstein Jordan Wainstein FBN: 1039538 Service E-mail: ftlrealprop@kelleykronenberg.com File No: 3305.000127 February 12, 19, 2026 26-00096I
FIRST INSERTION NOTICE OF ACTION IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF FLORIDA IN AND FOR VOLUSIA COUNTY GENERAL JURISDICTION
December 2, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Volusia County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is Post Office Box 6043, DeLand, FL 32721. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. The personal representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent’s death by the decedent or the decedent’s surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in ss. 732.216732.228, Florida Statutes, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes. The written demand must be filed with the clerk. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is February 5, 2026.
Personal Representative: Mark C. Andersen
c/o Legacy Law Associates, P.L. 313 S. Palmetto Ave. Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Attorney for Personal Representative: W. Denis Shelley
Attorney Florida Bar Number: 273872 Legacy Law Associates, P.L. 313 S. Palmetto Ave. Daytona Beach, FL 32114 Telephone: (386) 252-2531 Fax: (386) 868-5371 E-Mail: shelley@legacylaw313.com Secondary E-Mail: linda@legacylaw313.com February 5, 12, 2026 26-00081I
SECOND INSERTION
NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION File No. 2026 10097 PRDL Division 10 IN RE: ESTATE OF LARRY P NELSON, aka LARRY PHILLIP NELSON Deceased.
The administration of the estate of LARRY P NELSON, also known as LARRY PHILLIP NELSON, deceased, whose date of death was October 14, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Volusia County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 101 N. Alabama Ave, DeLand, , FL 32724.
The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate, on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served, must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.
All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.
The personal representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent’s death by the decedent or the decedent’s surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in ss. 732.216-732.228, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIOD SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.
The date of first publication of this notice is: February 5, 2026. Heidi S. Webb
Personal Representative
Heidi S. Webb
Attorney for Personal Representative Florida Bar No. 73958 Law Office of Heidi S. Webb 210 South Beach Street, Ste. 202 Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Telephone: (386) 257-3332
Email: heidi@heidiwebb.com
Secondary Email: filing@heidiwebb.com February 5, 12, 2026 26-00088I
SECOND INSERTION NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 2025 13938 PRDL DIVISION: Probate IN RE: ESTATE OF CAROL HALL SHAW Deceased. The administration of the estate of Carol Hall Shaw, deceased, whose date of death was July 18, 2025, is pending in the Seventh Circuit Court for Volusia County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 101 North Alabama Avenue, Deland, FL 32724. The names and addresses of the Personal Representative and the Personal Representative’s attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.
All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.
The Personal Representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent’s death by the decedent or the decedent’s surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in Florida Statutes Section 732.213-732.228 applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under Florida Statutes Section 732.2211.
Personal Representative: Gilbert Petit-Frere Joanna J. Payette, Esq. Attorney for Gilbert Petit-Frere
Florida Bar Number: 1048864 Orange Blossom Law PLLC 1133 Louisiana Avenue, Suite 116 Winter Park, FL 32789 Telephone: (407) 748-4887
E-Mail: joanna@orangeblossomlaw.com
Secondary E-Mail: info@orangeblossomlaw.com February 5, 12, 2026 26-00085I
SECOND INSERTION NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION File No. 2026 10099 PRDL Division: 10 IN RE: ESTATE OF SEAN A. LIBECCO Deceased.
The administration of the estate of Sean A. Libecco, deceased, whose date of death was December 2, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Volusia County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is Post Office Box 6043, DeLand, FL 32721. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. The personal representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent’s death by the decedent or the decedent’s surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in ss. 732.216732.228, Florida Statutes, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes. The written demand must be filed with the clerk. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.
The date of
Secondary E-Mail: linda@legacylaw313.com
