PALM COAST
United Way launches $250,000 endowment, with passionate support from first two donors. PAGE 2A
former county commissioner
It took the City Council two tied votes and one failed motion. ‘I think this council dearly needs experience and centering,’ Council member Ty Miller said.
SIERRA WILLIAMS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Dave Sullivan has been appointed to the Palm Coast City Council District 3 seat after a 40-minute debate. It took two votes for Sullivan to be appointed at the April 15 meeting. The first vote failed after tying 2-2, with Vice Mayor Theresa Carli Pontieri and Mayor Mike Norris voting against Sullivan and the second vote prevailed in a 3-1 split with just Norris against it.
Sullivan is replacing former council member Ray Stevens, who stepped down in February, and will serve out the remainder of Stevens’ term. Norris wanted candidate Candace Stevens in the position, though his motion for her appointment also died with a 2-2 split. Council members Ty Miller and Charles Gambaro voted against Stevens.
During the council meeting, Norris did not make much comment about Sullivan filling the seat except to say that he felt “appoint-
ing Mr. Sullivan would be the same as appointing David Alfin into that seat.”
Resident Jeremy Davis agreed, saying that Sullivan “is not for the residents.”
“I really think y’all are missing, missing the point here,” Davis said. “The residents really want fresh eyes up there.”
According to the Palm Coast City Charter, a majority vote is needed to pass a motion, meaning a tie automatically fails. Since no motion was made to appoint the third finalist, Dave Ferguson, Pontieri motioned to reconsider the vote on Sullivan.
Several residents in attendance agreed with Norris. Sullivan has served two terms as a Flagler County commissioner, choosing to finish his term in 2024 rather than
run for reelection. His experience in government was a large factor in his consideration for the seat, according to comments made by Pontieri and Miller.
“As difficult as it is, I think this council dearly needs experience and centering,” Miller said, “so I would advocate that we should lean heavily towards experience.”
Though Pontieri’s flipped vote was ultimately the deciding factor for Sullivan’s installment, she did not come to the vote easily. In comments during the discussion of both Stevens and Sullivan, Pontieri noted that Stevens would bring a fresh perspective to the council while Sullivan had experience that the current council — herself included, she said — sorely lacked.
She said the council needed to consider what kind of analytical thinker the members want on the council.
“Is it somebody who’s been in the government for a really long time, and who we could probably predict a lot of decisions that there a lot of ways are going to vote, I don’t know,” she said. Of appointing Sullivan, Pontieri said: “My concern, in all candor, is that we will miss out on new, innovative approaches to solving problems in our city.”
Before reconsidering her vote on Sullivan, she proposed the council appoint Mark Stancel to the seat, though he did not make the top three candidates. Stancel, she said, lost to Ray Stevens by just
two votes in the 2024 primary and had experience serving on various boards. Her motion did not receive a second.
During the meeting, as the motion to reconsider Sullivan was going back to public comment, Norris interrupted the proceedings to state that Ray Stevens was trying to call him. He received consensus to call Stevens back from the dais.
“Did you want to say something, because we’re opening up for public comment?” Norris asked Stevens.
“No, I was returning your call,” Stevens said.
“OK, all right,” Norris said. To the room, he said: “I called earlier to check on him before I came in the council.”
Some residents in attendance urged the council to vote for Candace Stevens as a candidate. Resident Denise Henry said, regarding experience, the District 3 residents would prefer to have someone who represented them.
“We want fresh and new blood,” she said.
After swearing his oath of office, Sullivan said he acknowledged the decision was not an easy one. He said he guaranteed to the board and the residents that he would do the job the way he said he would: by the facts.
“I look at the facts, and then I make a decision,” he said. “I’m in nobody’s pocket. Never have been, never will be.”
David Sullivan is now the Palm Coast District 3 representative, to fill out the term vacated by Ray Stevens.
Photo courtesy of Palm Coast
Overnight sleeping in public spaces to be banned locally United Way’s $250K launches Flagler fund
A new ordinance is required for the cities — including Palm Coast and Ormond Beach — to comply with a state law passed in 2024.
SIERRA WILLIAMS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Palm Coast City Council and the Ormond Beach City Commission both unanimously passed the first of two votes to implement an ordinance banning overnight camping and sleeping in public spaces at their April 15 meetings.
The cities’ ordinances are meant to ensure they are in compliance with a 2024 law that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed that bans sleeping or camping overnight in public spaces or city-owned right of ways.
The law — Florida Statute 125.0231
— explicitly prohibits cities or counties from allowing “any person to regularly engage in public camping or sleeping on any public property, including, but not limited to, any public building or its grounds and any public right-of-way under the jurisdiction of the county or municipality.”
The law went into effect on Oct 1.
Palm Coast acting City Manager Lauren Johnston said the law allows the cities to follow their own processes for trespass.
“It really gives us an option of issuing a trespass warning and then following our [city’s] process,” Johnston said to the Palm Coast Council.
In Palm Coast, Code Enforcement Manager Barbara Grossman said a trespass is valid for two years in Palm Coast, unless it is appealed and repealed by a special magistrate.
Ormond Beach Commissioner Lori Tolland noted the law makes no provisions about camping or sleeping during the day. She asked city attorney Randy Hayes if it were nec-
essary to enact a further ordinances addressing the daytime issue.
“We have other ordinances that deal with camping, generally speaking other circumstances. This is not intended to address that specifically, but we do have public ways that we try to resolve those types of situations,” he said. “This is just getting us in line.”
But the law does not require municipalities to have a designated space to send those trespassed off of one public space. According to the Statute, it says counties may designate a space to send those impacted to. But the county would still need to follow additional regulations:
The space cannot be designated for camping or sleeping for more than one year. The property must be owned by a city or municipality and have a majority approval by the municipality’s governing body to use the land for that process. The county must then ensure the safety of the people using the space, maintain sanitation, provide behavioral health services and prohibit drugs and alcohol on the property.
Ormond Beach works with First Step Shelter, a nonprofit shelter that opened in 2019. The shelter partners with municipalities to help homeless men and women find jobs and permanent housing while connecting them to resources they need, such as mental health programs.
Flagler County has no shelter to send its homeless population.
It means the city is just displacing individuals to another area where it is also an issue, Palm Coast Council member Ty Miller said. He said the council and county need to look into what options are available to support the municipality’s residents who are in need of help.
“If we’re just displacing somebody, and we’re not helping them,” Miller said, “It’s just going to continue to be a problem and we’re just moving it down the street, so to speak.”
Intracoastal Bank and the Snyder family added $10,000 each.
BRIAN MCMILLAN PUBLISHER
A 5-year-old girl experiences terror for the first time in her life, when her dad comes home drunk and almost kills her mother. She and her sister are pulled from their home in the middle of the night, but Mom can’t afford to stay away for long, either, so they end up right back in danger. Abuse is a fact of life.
That was girl was Laura Gilvary.
How might her childhood have been different with more community resources to help?
That question motivates Gilvary to advocate for United Way. On April 14, at the Women United Flagler’s Power of the Purse, at the Hammock Dunes Club, she represented Intracoastal Bank, where she is senior vice president of consumer banking, to share her story. With tears in her eyes, she said: “I was raised in extreme, extreme conditions.”
One attempt to help provide resources to nonprofits in Flagler County was officially launched on April 14: the Flagler Endowment Fund. The first of its kind to be administered by United Way of Volusia and Flagler Counties, the first $250,000 for the endowment was donated by United Way, in partnership with the Community Foundation.
Intracoastal Bank donated $10,000 to the cause as one of the fund’s founding members.
Bob and Michele Ligon Snyder also donated $10,000 as founding members, bringing the total now to $270,000.
Bob Snyder told the crowd that he and his wife moved to Flagler County 27 years ago. During his career, Snyder helped oversee the planning and construction of the hospital that is now AdventHealth Palm Coast, on State Road 100, and was later the director of the Florida Department
of Health in Flagler County. Michele Ligon Snyder is a retired administrator of group homes for the developmentally disabled and currently a volunteer with Guardian Ad Litem.
When he met with United Way President Courtney Edgcomb and learned about the concept of the Flagler Endowment Fund, Bob Snyder said, “It just made great, great sense to us. Why would you not want to improve and benefit the place that you call home?”
Edgcomb explained to the crowed that the goal is to grow the endowment to $6 million in future years, giving the United Way about $250,000 in annual giving power — forever.
“Just imagine what that could mean for the Flagler County community,” Edgcomb said. “It could mean a new roof and safe shelter for a family fleeing violence. It could mean more mental health services for youth who are in crisis. It could mean fully funded classroom grants or weekend food packs for students who go home to empty pantries. It could keep the lights on for a small nonprofit doing mighty work. These organizations that are the heart and soul of Flagler County. That’s the kind of lasting, meaningful change we’re reaching for.”
The United Way Board of Directors (full disclosure: In my role as Observer publisher, I am also on the board) approved the Flagler Endowment Fund, as well as a $20,000 donation, to be distributed in 2025-
2026, all in Flagler County.
That is on top of the $2.6 million awarded to 105 nonprofits in the region, which includes Flagler.
“We’ve supported the Flagler Education Foundation, making sure students have what they need to succeed in and out of the classroom,” Edgcomb said of past donations in Flagler County. “We partnered with SMA Health Care to bring critical behavioral health services to those who need them most. We’ve empowered the Family Life Center, giving survivors of domestic violence a safe place to turn. We’ve stood with Flagler Cares, connecting residents with life-saving resources. We’ve helped the Flagler Beach United Methodist group pantry keep families fed, and we have built alongside Flagler Habitat for Humanity creating safe, stable homes, and brighter futures.
“These are not just programs,” she continued. “They’re lifelines, and your support is what makes them possible.”
Gilvary and Snyder both encouraged others to donate as well.
“There is somebody out there begging for that help,” Gilvary said. To donate, visit flaglerfund.org or contact Sheila Pillath at spillath@ uwvfc.org. Checks may be payable to: Community Foundation and United Way of Volusia-Flagler Counties, Inc., and can be mailed to 1530 Cornerstone Blvd. Suite 210, Daytona Beach, FL 32117.
United Way’s Sheila Pillath, Laura Gilvary, and United Way President Courtney Edgcomb. Photo courtesy of MoMo Photography
Mayor bashes ‘swamp peddlers’ Staff praises city’s strength, stability
In his State of the City speech, Norris said the city is ‘challenged’ and wants residents to chart the Palm Coast’s course, not builders.
BRIAN MCMILLAN PUBLISHER
In what was designed to be a positive event to promote the city’s accomplishments (see the story to the right on this page), Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris went off script to air his grievances and promote a bleak view of the city’s future during his State of the City address on April 10, at the Community Center. He indicated that he wants residents to control the city’s future, not developers.
‘CHALLENGED’
Norris started his April 10 speech by briefly praising the city’s employees, who had put together the presentation. “But,” he said, turning to his own notes instead, “it’s my duty as a mayor to give you what I think the state of our city is in.” The best word to describe the city is “challenged,” he said.
‘SWAMP BUILDERS’
“We are still under the mercy of the swamp peddlers,” he continued, referring to land owners. “We are facing a mounting debt, failed planning and economic development and growth to support the existing revenues. You know the ones that are footing the tax bills: us, the taxpayers of Palm Coast. And the answer from the swamp peddlers and landholders is urban sprawl.
“We have two major projects that are being proposed for the west side of the city. One is dependent on a sports facility being built, and the decision has already been made by the powers that be in our community for that venture, at our expense.”
Norris was referring to a proposed $110 million sports complex that had been presented in February 2024 to the City Council (before Norris was elected). A referendum failed in November 2024 that would have enabled the city to enter into a partnership to bring the sports complex to fruition. On April 7, 2025, it was proposed to the Flagler County Commission instead. “You will pay the tab for that sports facility on the west side to increase the profit margins of the swamp
peddlers,” Norris predicted in his April 10 speech. “We prevented that hundred million dollar indebtedness for the sports facility to our city in a referendum in November. They are just shifting it to the county’s debt, which we, the residents of Palm Coast, are by far the largest stakeholders in the county to pay that debt.
“It’s not about fulfilling a need for the community, it’s about creating an amenity that will attract more residents to fill the houses that they are hell-bent on building on the west side.
“Palm Coast cannot survive on residential housing and low-wage, service-sector jobs. We need to attract cutting-edge industry that will build a more balanced tax base within our city and county, and provide wages to our citizens.”
Community leaders of the past and present have agreed with Norris on this point — that the city must diversify its tax base or risk inevitable tax hikes in the future.
“It takes cooperation from our landowners to accomplish this meaningful change,” Norris said. “To date, I have not been approached by any major land owners that are willing to support broadbased industrial or manufacturing development.”
MORATORIUM
“The mere mention of a moratorium on residential housing a couple of weeks ago at City Hall was met by a blockade of our City Hall by elements of the Flagler County Homebuilders Association. Let that sink in: Our City Hall was blockaded by the building industry.
“That was quite astonishing and shows you who actually runs our city.”
To clarify: As a verb, “blockade” means to “seal off (a place) to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving.” The vehicles, organized as a protest by the FHBA, were by and large confined to marked parking spaces, allowing easy entry into the City Hall parking lot for the March 18 meeting.
Norris’ proposed moratorium did not receive support from any other member of City Council, although Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri had shown support in January 2024.
Norris continued in his April 10 speech: “How often have you heard our sheriff having to deploy a K-9s to ensure our City Hall is safe for residents and staff? This is what is called intimidation
“Are we as a community going to allow the same people that have failed our community for more than four years to chart that course for us? Or are we gonna do it?”
or coercion of a government body or a city population.”
In an interview with Ask Flagler and the Observer after the presentation, Sheriff Rick Staly said a K-9 did patrol City Hall prior to the March 18 City Council meeting. But, he said, it was a routine sweep, performed any time a controversial subject is expected to draw a crowd at a government meeting.
CONSPIRACY
Norris continued: “We have organizations within our community encouraging city employees to file trumped up HR charges to force a duly elected mayor out of office. Backed by politicians that were soundly defeated in November.”
He did not name the organizations or the past politicians, nor did he provide evidence during his speech. He did not return a call and text requesting clarification.
Three politicians were defeated in November: David Alfin, Ed Danko and Nick Klufas. Danko, in a phone interview with the Observer after the State of the City event, said Norris must not be talking about him because he wasn’t “soundly defeated.” “I only lost by 39 votes,” Danko said. Neither Klufas nor Alfin immediately responded to a request for comment. Klufas posted this as a comment on Facebook: “Nobody is conspiring against you, it’s your own actions that are leaving you isolated.”
Norris continued: “In closing, I’ll leave you with this: Our city’s theme for today’s State of the City is ‘charting a new course.’ Are we as a community going to allow the same people that have failed our community for more than four years to chart that course for us? Or are we gonna do it?
“It takes cooperation, and it’s not more residential housing without meaningful economic development in our community.
“Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the City of Palm Coast.”
ISOLATION
Norris’ remarks came at a time when, despite continued support from residents at City Council meetings, he is politically isolated. He is currently under investigation for City Charter violations. He received no support for his push for a building moratorium. He didn’t attend the City Council’s Tallahassee trip in March, which was celebrated in a slide at the State of the City presentation which followed his speech.
According to a source with knowledge of the situation but didn’t want to be named, Norris also has removed his personal belongings from his office at City Hall.
Email letters to brent@ observerlocalnews.com.
Palm Coast City Council and staff highlight infrastructure improvements and celebrate contributions of community leaders.
BRITTANY KERSHAW DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE CITY OF PALM COAST
The City of Palm Coast held its 2025 State of the City event April 10, at the Palm Coast Community Center. With the theme “Charting the Course: Strength and Stability for Palm Coast,” the evening showcased the city’s recent accomplishments and future initiatives.
The evening began with a welcome from Mayor Mike Norris, who led the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a performance of the National Anthem by Flagler Palm Coast High School student Lorelei Kilmer. Rev. Mark Schreiber delivered the invocation. Following the ceremonial portion of the event and Norris’ controversial speech, in which he stated that the best word to describe the city is “challenged,” he turned the microphone over to the vice mayor.
CITY TEAMWORK
Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri then highlighted the teamwork behind the city’s progress. She emphasized the critical role of city staff and the dedication of Palm Coast’s residents who volunteer their time and talents on boards and committees to help shape local policy.
“Our residents are the heartbeat of our community,” Pontieri said. “Your voices, your ideas, and your advocacy ensure that Palm Coast remains a place where people love to live, work, and raise their families.”
The first video of the night, Palm Coast Progress, featured key projects completed over the past year and honored the public servants who brought them to life.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston continued the program by thanking elected officials and introducing the evening’s core message: strength and stability across public safety, economic development, and infrastructure.
Johnston introduced Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly and Palm Coast Fire Chief Kyle Berryhill, both of whom shared updates on crime prevention, emergency response, and community safety initiatives.
TRAFFIC CALMING
Johnston also highlighted the City’s 2024 Traffic Calming Pilot Program, which imple-
mented speed cushions, chicanes, and lane narrowing in several neighborhoods in response to resident feedback.
“This is a perfect example of what community-driven government looks like: You spoke, we listened and put a plan in place to work towards a shared solution,” said Johnston.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
A second video spotlighted Palm Coast’s growing economic vitality. Johnston noted many investments from industries ranging from medical technology to hospitality and emphasized the city’s ongoing efforts to attract high-quality jobs in aviation, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing.
INFRASTRUCTURE
IMPROVEMENTS Infrastructure was another key focus of the evening.
Johnston outlined the city’s newly adopted Utility Strategic Plan and explained recent utility rate and impact fee adjustments aimed at supporting essential infrastructure improvements, such as upgrades to aging systems and the expansion of Wastewater Treatment Facility 1.
“Our infrastructure is the backbone of Palm Coast’s future,” said Johnston. “These projects are not just a testament to the incredible employees out there in the field, but also a reflection of the strategic vision guiding our city.”
Johnston highlighted projects such as the London Waterway Expansion, weir structure replacements, and drainage improvements in the K-Section and Colbert Lane. These projects enhance flood protection, improve resilience, and contribute to lower flood insurance rates for residents.
IN TALLAHASSEE
The program included an overview of the city’s advocacy efforts at the 2025 Florida Legislative Session. City leaders met with state representatives to champion funding for critical projects such as stormwater upgrades, advanced wastewater treatment, and road improvements.
“This year, we made sure Palm Coast’s voice was heard in Tallahassee,” said Johnston. “And we will continue
to advocate for the resources and support our residents deserve.”
COMMUNITY SPIRIT
Johnston also spotlighted the city’s community spirit and the connections forged through shared experiences.
“These aren’t just events— they’re traditions, they’re memories, and they’re proof that Palm Coast is more than just a city,” she said. Throughout 2024, Palm Coast celebrated the city’s 25th Anniversary Celebration, United Flagler 4th and the Starlight Parade. In addition to large-scale celebrations, the City of Palm Coast ramped up engagement through community meetings, town halls, office hours, and interactive surveys. New initiatives include the Financial Transparency dashboard
SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP AWARDS
The evening concluded with a celebration of individual service and leadership.
The Public Safety Award was presented to Chief Deputy Joe Barile of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
The Citizen of the Year award was presented to Bill Butler, a Rotarian who’s helped bring joy to Palm Coast for nearly 20 years through the Fantasy Lights Festival.
The Next Generation Award was given to Stephen Wilcox, an Eagle Scout who designed and installed Free Little Libraries across Palm Coast to inspire a love of reading.
And the Employee of the Year Award was presented to Wastewater Utility Systems Operator Daniel Niemann. These awards serve as a heartfelt reminder that it’s the people—residents, employees, and partners—who drive the success of Palm Coast forward.
Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston. Courtesy photos
Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri congratulates Chief Deputy Joe Barile.
MIKE NORRIS, mayor of Palm Coast
Paid-parking considered by Flagler Beach Commission Improved amphitheater preps for festival
Public reaction was mixed at a workshop, which the city said was only a preliminary discussion in a ‘very slow process.’
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
A representative of Passport Inc. told the Flagler Beach City Commission that the company could implement a digital paid parking system in the city in 60 to 90 days.
But the commissioners are a long way from making a decision on whether to adopt a paid system for public parking. At the end of a workshop in which Passport representatives Alexandra Wells and Michael Prince provided details on the company’s platform and how it would benefit the city, commissioners James Sherman and Eric Cooley emphasized that this was just the start of future discussions.
“I assume we’ll have further conversations about this,” Commission Chair Sherman said as he was closing the workshop. “I assume this will be a pretty big talking point at strategic planning as we plan out the next five years or so.”
Cooley then explained that “this is a preliminary, preliminary, preliminary discussion. There’s no decisions being made imminently, and when there is, there’s going to be multiple meetings on paid parking. So, I don’t want anybody thinking the sky is falling or there is going to be a decision made immediately. There will be a lot of public input and this is going to be a very slow process.”
None of the commissioners provided an opinion on the issue during the hour and a half meeting, but about 16 residents, business owners and out-of-town visitors provided their views during public comment.
While some of the visitors said the beach should be free for everybody, most of the residents and business owners agreed that the city has a parking problem that needs to be
Palm Coast Songwriters Festival begins April 30 with a kickoff show featuring Michael Ray, at the newly improved Daytona State College Amphitheater.
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Garry Lubi looked over the renovations to the Allen Smolen Amphitheater at the Daytona State College Flagler/Palm Coast Campus and was excited about how the improved facility will enhance the 2025 Palm Coast Songwriters Festival.
“The improvements are really awesome,” he said.
ing Flagler Beach is pretty much the only beach town between Miami and Jacksonville that does not have some type of charge. Bryan said revenue would provide discretionary funds could pay for beach upkeep. He said beach goers bring their own food and drink and park all day long and then leave their trash.
“If we’re not going help ourselves, no one else is going to help us,” he said.
Passport has 800 clients nationwide, said Wells, a regional director of the Charlotte, North Carolina, company. The company’s clients include several Florida coastal cities such as St. Augustine, South Miami, Key West, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Sarasota, Cape Coral, Cocoa Beach and Indialantic.
The main benefits to a paid parking system, she said, are increased parking turnover and efficiency. She said there is usually initial pushback from local merchants and residents, but after implementation merchants see increased foot traffic that leads to increased revenues.
“Forty percent of drivers avoid shops where parking is difficult,” Wells said.
With paid parking, more spaces become available which reduces congestion and increase road safety, she added.
The revenue would be reinvested into the community and could fund alternate transportation options,
The first event at the renovated amphitheater will be the festival’s kickoff show on April 30. The festival continues through May 4 with eight shows in all, five at the amphitheater. The kickoff is a separate ticketed charity show with three acts: songwriters Karen Staley and Ashley Estevez at 5 p.m., Wynn Varble and Matt Alderman at 6:05 p.m. and the featured act, recording artist and songwriter Michael Ray with Brock Berryhill and Josh Phillips, from 7:30 to 9 p.m.
“The kickoff show is going to be incredible,” said Lubi, the festival’s founder.
A portion of the proceeds from the kickoff will benefit the Flagler County Education Foundation’s scholarship program for students
attending DSC.
Lubi said each year the festival has gotten better and better with nine country music songwriters coming to town in the festival’s first year in 2018 to 49 songwriters this year who have collectively produced over 175 No. 1 hits.
The amphitheater provides an intimate setting in which the songwriters not only perform but also tell stories about how the songs came to be.
“Hearing the story behind the song touches you in a different way,” Lubi said. “You connect with it more. And sometimes (the songwriter) performs the song even better than the artist. It gives you a very unique experience.”
Among the improvements to the amphitheater, said Jim Graham, a DSC communications manager, is the roof over the seating area has been expanded to provide additional reserved seating space. The roof over the stage was extended to cover the rear of the stage, creating a sheltered backstage area for performers and staff.
A new service drive allows performers to unload equipment directly behind the stage. The stage has updated audio wiring and audiovisual capabilities. Performance lightning has been upgraded to LEDs and house lightning and controls have been modernized. One hundred portable seats have been added to the concrete seating.
The area outside the amphitheater was expanded to accommodate food trucks and outdoor dining. The internal campus one-way road was expanded to two lanes, which is expected to reduce event traffic on Palm Coast Parkway, Graham said. The total cost of the project, Graham said, was $3,310,026. The venue has seating for about 700. Lawn seating brings capacity to about 1,000, said Lubi, who is also a member of the DSC Board of Trustees.
“The great thing about the amphitheater is there isn’t a bad seat,” Lubi said.
The May 1-4 amphitheater shows are five hours long. Tickets are $55 for reserved seats under cover and $30 for general admission. A limited number of four-day passes, May 1-4, are still available at $175. There is also a free show at the Hammock Grill, 5224 N. Ocean Shore Blvd. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 1.
To buy tickets, see a complete festival schedule and read about the artists, go to https://www.palmcoastsongwritersfestival.com/
Passport regional director Alexandra Wells spoke about the benefits of paid parking and how the company’s digital system works. From Flagler Beach City Commission live stream
Renovations to the amphitheater at the Daytona State College Flagler/Palm
Brock Berryhill will perform with Michael Ray and Josh Phillips at the Palm Coast Songwriters Festival kickoff show on April 30.
Sensory Explorers
Palm Coast Little League travel team program under fire
Kevin Sosa, the president of the Alphas, resigned amid turmoil and distrust.
BRENT
WORONOFF
EDITOR
ASSOCIATE
The idea of an inexpensive travel baseball program, the Alphas, associated with Palm Coast Little League, sounded like a great idea. It still does for many families, but some have a bad taste in their mouths after what they said was a series of empty promises, questionable financial practices and an overall lack of communication.
Kevin Sosa was the president of the Alphas until he resigned on March 16 amid turmoil and distrust. He also resigned as vice president of the PCLL board. He said he had to resign because the situation was taking a toll on his health.
“People were not happy. That’s the bottom line,” said Peter Schoembs, the Florida Little League District 19 administrator and former PCLL president. About a week prior to Sosa’s resignation, Schoembs attended a meeting of Palm Coast Alpha parents to hear their complaints.
“I got there and I found out (Sosa) had canceled the meeting,”
YOUR TOWN
Ormond-by-the-Sea Lions Club outreach
The Ormond-by-the-Sea Lions Club kicked off their service in March by celebrating Mardi Gras on March 4. As the month went on, Lions Jean Cerullo, Bobbie Cheh and Jennifer Helmer assisted at the Christine’s Blankets Birthday Party for the Homeless at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on March 15. Christine’s
Schoembs said. “I said, ‘No way.’ I got a hold of two of the coaches and I said, ‘Get your parents again. They need to hear from somebody. They can’t be blown off anymore.’ Kevin kind of went rogue. So I had to talk to these parents.”
Among the complaints, uniforms that were supposed to be ordered in mid-December weren’t ordered until mid-to-late January and didn’t arrive until April 3. Now they may not get used at all because it looks like the Alphas program will be rebranded, coach Rob Levy said.
One parent who did not want her name used said the 9U uniforms arrived in adult sizes. The teams changed because of a lack of players in certain age groups. The 13U team dissolved, Levy said.
“We just got uniforms for a team that doesn’t exist anymore,” one parent said. Levy said monthly dues were supposed to go to tournament fees and equipment.
“But we really didn’t get any equipment,” he said. “I’ve been using my own personal baseballs and bats. The pitching machine is mine. Same with other coaches, they use their own stuff.”
GOOD INTENTIONS
The idea of the program is to give players a taste of travel ball and
Blankets offered a gift, blankets, a cupcake with a candle and ice cream, and members sang Happy Birthday to all in attendance, according to a press release.
Additionally, the club joined the Ormond Beach and South Daytona Lions Clubs in performing 111 blood sugar screenings at the Veterans Stand Down event at the Ocean Center on March 22. The Lions referred 40 people for follow up, based on their glucose readings. They also screened 156 people for vision and referred 61.
The Lions thanked the community for its donations during its White Cane weekend fundraiser at Publix
improve their skills, while making the league itself more competitive. Lake Mary, one of Palm Coast’s District 19 opponents, won the Little League World Series last summer.
The plan was for the Alphas to regularly play games with travel teams from other Little League districts. They wouldn’t have to pay insurance or field costs, since they were playing under the Little League umbrella with all of the players registered with the PCLL. But those games never materialized.
They were to also play in tournaments put on by other organizations. They were more expensive, and sporadic. Some age groups played more than others. The 13U team was supposed to play in five or six tournaments during the fall season, but they only played in two or three, Levy said.
The families paid monthly but didn’t always play monthly, one parent said.
Sosa said all the teams played in tournaments, counting up the numbers of tournaments and games the 9U, 11U and 12U teams played since January.
“We played in a ton of tournaments throughout the year,” he said.
Sosa said there was $1,920.43 in the Alphas’ account on March 1. When he left, he said, there was about $1,400 after all three teams
on March 28-29. Fourteen members participated.
OBTS Lions Club President Aleta Dick and Marcia Pizzimenti also conducted blood sugar screenings at the St. Brendan’s Food Pantry while Lions Bobbie Cheh and Mary Yochum distributed donated clothing for those in need. For more, call 386-441-4421.
Pilot Club stuffs Easter baskets for foster kids
The Pilot Club of the Halifax Area participated in an easter basket stuffing event with 1Ohana1 Community Inc. in Daytona Beach on April 3.
Celebrate National Social Work Month A Career That Changes Lives
The White House first proclaimed March as National Social Work Month in 1984, and social workers continue to impact countless lives today. In Florida’s child welfare system, they advocate for the well-being of vulnerable children and their families.
Case managers and other child welfare professionals in our community exemplify effective social work. They strive to strengthen families to prevent abuse before it starts whenever possible. When children must enter the foster care system for their safety, these professionals connect the youth with the resources needed to thrive. They also help parents whose children have been removed work toward reunification, help find forever families for children eligible for adoption, and much more. Truly, child welfare social workers are everyday heroes who deserve our thanks – this and every month.
If you would like to make a difference every day, National Social Work Month provides the perfect opportunity to consider a fulfilling career in child welfare. There is an urgent need for dedicated case managers and other social workers to help vulnerable children and families heal, flourish, and reach their full potential.
While working with vulnerable families, children who have experienced trauma, and the demands of the system bring real challenges, those who feel called to serve others find the job uniquely rewarding. The impact you can make extends far beyond individual cases, contributing to the well-being of entire communities and future generations. And for those driven by compassion, this career path can be a calling.
Your passion and commitment can create a brighter future for countless children and families.
Visit CommunityPartnershipForChildren.org today to learn more about local child welfare and browse open positions. The first life you change will be your own.
Community Partnership for Children is the nonprofit lead agency that cares for abused, neglected, and abandoned children in Volusia, Flagler, and Putnam Counties.
Learn more
Visit CommunityPartnershipForChildren.org today to learn about working in child welfare and explore open positions. Discover work that is truly worthwhile!
played in a tournament on March 8.
Sosa said Johanna Gutierrez, who was then a PCLL board member, handled the accounts. Gutierrez was voted out as parents were complaining about a lack of transparency regarding the finances.
Gutierrez said Sosa wouldn’t share information.
“Kevin left me to fend for myself. He didn’t tell me about meetings. He lied to parents saying there was no money in the account when there was money in the account,” she said.
Gutierrez said not all of the parents paid for uniforms. The uniforms cost over $4,000, she said, and they collected about $2,400.
“The full $4,000 was paid. It came out of whatever money we had in the accounts,” Gutierrez said.
BUILD IT BACK UP
When told of Schoembs’ remark that he “kind of went rogue,” Sosa said, “I could understand if we played zero tournaments. But I don’t agree with me going rogue. We had games. We played baseball. We practiced. The uniforms did take a little bit to come in. I ordered them when I got all the payments, and then it took seven weeks to get the order fulfilled.
“I don’t think the right people were involved with this to help,” Sosa added. “It was a new program trying to grow and develop. I tried my best.
People are upset with me. I’m OK with that. But I have no hard feelings for anybody. It’s unfortunate they feel the way they feel. I truly care for all of them and would never do anything to harm anybody over there. If those parents gave their hard earned money, I made sure it went to their children.”
Schoembs said they are deconstructing the program now so it can be built back up with the right people.
“It’s a work in progress,” he said. “Unfortunately, we’re not there yet. It’s just going to take a little bit longer. Some of the coaches that had been involved offered to help try to figure out financials. The parents, we’re keeping them in the loop.”
Schoembs wants to see the program go back to the original blueprint of playing games with travel teams from other Little League districts.
“It looks like they’re trying to evolve it into something good,” said Siegh Mariano, who has two kids in the Alphas program. “I’m heavily invested into the outlook of this program. I love this league. I love these fields. But it looks like everyone’s trying to spark a fire that doesn’t need to be lit. With Rob (Levy) helping, I think we can redirect the negativity.”
“We have
window
a
of
opportunity to have a positive impact on these children.”
The Pilot Club joined the Ormond Beach Lei-Dees Group for 50+, Progressive Black Men and the Black Gentlemen Society from Bethune-
Cookman University and the “BeeHives” to prepare over 275 Easter baskets for foster children in Volusia, Visit 1ohaha1communityinc.org.
Front row: Barbara Doliner, Hope Asterilla, Janet Bryant, Justine Robotham and Shirley Pyle. Back row: Marcie Pearle, Jeanette McAdoo, Cornelia Jones and Laurie Kaye. Courtesy photo
BRIEFS
FSCO deputies recover 625 grams of marijuana at Bunnell home
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies recovered 625 grams of marijuana while serving a narcotics-related search warrant in Bunnell.
The FCSO’s Special Investigations Unit and SWAT team served the warrant on April 9 to a home at 7 Third Court in Bunnell and arrested resident Kyle Ellis, 27, in the process, a FCSO press release said. Ellis has been charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of hashish with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia.
During the search, deputies also found 199 TCH cartridges, each with 2 grams of TCH oil, $9,470 in cash, multiple scales and packing materials
COPS CORNER
APRIL 5
BEACH BUSTED
2:27 p.m. - 600 block of North
The Beach, Daytona Beach
Disorderly intoxication. An Ormond Beach man was arrested in Daytona Beach after drinking rum on the beach, parking his SUV in the beach driving lanes and The suspect was reported to be stumbling around the beach, bothering other beach goers, according to the suspect’s arrest report. When Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived and began speaking to the suspect, the man was in his SUV with the vehicle in neutral.
The man initially refused to put his SUV in park when the
and a firearm. The home was on a “HighInterest Target” list after the FCSO received a tip from a member of the community, the press release said. The search warrant was obtained following an undercover operation.
While arresting Ellis, a second man - later determined to be Ellis’ cousin, Glenn Fletcher, 38 - ignored orders from deputies to stop and ran onto the property to yell at Ellis. Fletcher was arrested and charged with obstruction, the press release said.
Both Ellis and Fletcher were taken to the Flagler County jail, where they were later released on bond - Ellis on a $13,000 and Fletcher on a $500 bond.
Anyone with information on suspected narcotics activity or drug dealers in Flagler County are encouraged to contact FCSO by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277TIPS (8477), emailing TIPS@ flaglersheriff.com, or submitting a tip through the FCSO
deputies ordered it. When he finally did, began arguing with the deputies and refusing to exit the vehicle, the report said.
Eventually, a deputy pulled the door open, grabbed the man by the arm and pulled him out of the SUV, escorting him to the ground where he was placed in handcuffs. A search of the SUV found a 375 milliliter of rum that had been partially ingested, marijuana and several empty airplanesized bottles of liquor. The suspect was arrested and taken to the county jail.
APRIL 7
SWAT PARTY
9:26 - River Drive, Ormond by the Sea Cocaine possession. An Ormond by the Sea man was arrested and charged with felony cocaine possession
website or app, the press release said.
Micro-surfacing road work in residential neighborhoods to begin April 14
A series of residential roads in Palm Coast will be undergoing high-performance microsurfacing over the next three weeks, beginning April 14.
The work will include roads across multiple sections of the city, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the weekdays. Asphalt Paving Systems, Inc., the project contractor, will apply high-performance protective layer to help extend the life of the pavement, improve durability, and enhance the road’s appearance, a city press release said.
Residents will be notified with door tags on residential front doors and an email regarding these upcoming improvements.
Palm Coast asks resi-
after a search of his residence found several grams of cocaine.
A Sheriff’s Office SWAT team enacted a search warrant at the man’s home, according to his arrest report. During the search, the deputies found 22.6 grams of THC edibles, digital scales, bags and containers with cocaine and heroin residue 2.7 grams of cocaine, an electronic money counter and $1,000 in cash.
When asked about search, the suspect told the deputies on site that he “liked to party” and claimed the items found in the home were his. The suspect was arrested and taken to the county jail.
APRIL 10
BEHIND HANDLEBARS
3:30 p.m. - 1200 block of Palm Coast Parkway, Palm
dents to follow the following guidelines: expect minor delays, drive with care, avoid roadside parking during the work hours, keep roads clear of debris like garbage cans and yard waste, turn off irrigation systems beginning at midnight the night before the street is scheduled for work to begin. Irrigation can resume the following day.
The planned work schedule:
April 17: Bassett Lane, Barbera Lane
April 18: Ballard Lane, Ballenger Lane, Baltimore Lane
April 21: Faircastle Lane, Fairmont Lane
April 22: Fairbank Lane, Carr Lane, Cerrudo Lane
April 23: Collins Lane, Wood Clift Lane, Wood Crest Lane
April 24: Wood Center Lane, Royal Tern Lane
April 25: Royal Leaf Lane, Royal Palm Lane, Rosecroft Lane
April 28: Rosepetal Lane, Post Lane, Post Oak Lane
April 29: Post Tree Lane, Postman Lane, Eastman Lane
April 30: Eastmoor Lane,
Coast Grand theft. A Palm Coast man who was caught attempting to steal an electric bicycle from a department store was arrested while in possession of another bicycle he’d successfully stolen from the same store weeks earlier.
Loss prevention employees called Sheriff’s Office deputies when they noticed the suspect attempting to walk out the store with the E-bike, according to an arrest report. But instead of leaving with the bike, the man left it in the store’s entryway.
The employees told the deputy this was their fourth encounter with the man. Over the last six weeks, the man had successfully stolen two other bikes - totaling $646 - as well as $298 in miscellaneous merchandise. With the E-bike, the suspect had stolen
Eastgate Lane
ReGrow Volusia to host workshop on native landscape plants
Learn about Florida’s native landscape plants during a free workshop hosted by ReGrow Volusia from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, at Ormond Beach Regional Library, 30 S. Beach St.
Samantha West, sustainability and resilience manager for Volusia County, will share tips on protecting waterways and provide a live demonstration of various arrangements of native, non-native, and invasive plant species. She will also show participants how to make an effective bug repellent using Florida native beautyberry.
ReGrow Volusia is a countywide effort to promote sustainable landscaping and native planting. All ages are welcome, and reservations are recommend-
over $1,400 from the store.
Deputies later found the suspect at a local gas station where he admitted to taking the E-bike, the report said. As the deputy was arresting him, the suspect said he’d locked his bicycle at the gas station. One deputy recognized it as one of the two bikes the suspect had previously stolen from the store.
The man was arrested and the stolen bike was returned to the store.
APRIL 11
DOUBLE TAPPED-OUT
12:01 p.m. - 6100 block of State Road 100, Palm Coast Fraudulent use of a credit card. A woman at a local fast food restaurant is facing three felony charges after a customer caught the woman double-tapping her credit card at the drive through
ed. Sign up online on Green Volusia’s Eventbrite page or contact Samantha West at 386-736-5927, ext. 15850, or swest@volusia.org.
Palm Coast collaborates with state DOGE team
The City of Palm Coast was contacted by the Executive Office of the Governor’s newly established DOGE Team in response to Executive Order 25-44. This initiative aims to identify and address unnecessary spending within local governments, enhance efficiency and promote fiscal responsibility across Florida.
As part of its mission, the EOG DOGE Team is also assessing compliance with Florida’s financial management requirements under section 218.503, Florida Statutes. This provision determines whether a local government is in financial emergency or distress based on certain criteria.
check out.
According to an Sheriff’s Office press release, the customer saw the suspect tap the car twice - once at the register and once on the the suspect’s own phone. Later in the day, the victim noticed a second charge to her card of $311.90 and called law enforcement. The $311 charge was a commissary payment for an inmate in a Florida jail, the press release said. The employee was later arrested at the fast food restaurant and is facing three felony charges: fraudulent use of a credit card, fraudulent use of identification information and unlawful use of a cell phone. The woman was later released from the county jail on a $7,500 bond.
BUSINESS OBSERVER
Security First: 20 years in business
Flagler Parade of Homes now open
JARLEENE ALMENAS
MANAGING EDITOR
Security First Insurance celebrated its 20th anniversary at its Ormond Beach headquarters on Saturday, April 5.
The company’s celebration event was attended by over 600 people — including employees and their families — and featured food and activities such as pony rides, a petting zoo, face painting and live music by The Spazmatics.
“We’re very proud of reaching the milestone of be in business for 20 years,” said Melissa Burt DeVriese, president of Security First Insurance. “It’s a huge accomplishment for any business, but especially in the Florida homeowners market, which has been very difficult the last couple of years. We’re really proud of our teammates and all they’ve done and all they’ve accomplished, and how they’ve been there for our customers after storms.”
Security First was founded by CEO Locke Burt in 2005, and its original headquarters were located on the beachside before moving to the new Ormond Crossings building in 2019.
And while is Security First is celebrating 20 years, the company is part of an over 100year family history of working in the insurance industry, dating back to the 1917.
According to a press release,
over the past two decades, Security First has grown from employing a small team to a having a 400-employee workforce, making it one of the largest homeowner’s insurance providers in Florida.
“There was a time, maybe 10 years ago, when we weren’t sure if we would be able to get the employee base to support a large insurance operation here in Ormond, but that hasn’t been a problem,” DeVriese said. “We’ve really enjoyed building and growing the company in our hometown.”
DeVriese was born and raised in Ormond Beach. Her father Burt, a former U.S. senator, is also a longtime resi-
dent, as his parents moved to the area in 1959.
“Our journey over the past 20 years has been extraordinary,” Burt said in the press release. “From binding our first policy on April 5, 2005, to becoming a leading provider in Florida, our unwavering focus has always been on delivering exceptional service and protection to our customers.”
DeVriese said the company insures about 140,000 homes in the state.
“We’re looking forward to the next 20 years, and how we’re going to continue to bring products to Floridians that help them protect their homes,” DeVriese said.
Flagler Home Builders Association features showcase home by Intracoastal Construction.
OBSERVER STAFF
The Flagler Home Builders Association’s 31st annual Parade of Homes is under way. A tour bus of real estate agents stopped first at the Intracoastal Construction showcase home on Tuesday, April 15, where owners Robbie Richmond and his wife, Alesha, celebrated the completion of their new vacation rental.
“We’re testing out a higher end vacation rental market that hasn’t previously existed in Flagler Beach,” Robbie Richmond said, adding that he has plans for two more on the same corner, at Ninth Street South and Oceanshore Boulevard.
So far, so good: The home
just became available for rent, and there are already three bookings. Depending on the time of year, the price ranges from about $1,200 to $2,000 per night.
The third floor features walls of windows allowing visitors to see the ocean, the Flagler Beach Pier and the State Road 100 bridge from one room.
The home is called the Sunkissed Sands, at 904 S. Oceanshore Blvd. It also features a poolside putting green and Mario Kart-themed play area.
The Parade of Homes is a scattered site tour of new homes. Home entries are open from April 11-19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Visit FlaglerParade ofHomes. com.
Showcase Community for the Parade of Homes is Veranda Bay – a waterfront community with access to the Intracoastal Waterway, one mile from the beach. It also features four Parade entries.
Alesha and Robbie Richmond, owners of Intracoastal
rental, during the bus tour of the Parade of Homes. Photos by Brian McMillan
The Ormond Beach company celebrated its annivesary April 5.
Security First Insurance CEO Locke Burt, President Melissa Burt DeVriese and Eric DeVriese. Photo courtesy of Security First Insurance
The showcase home, at 904 S. Oceanshore Blvd., Flagler Beach, by Intracoastal Construction.
William Bosch Mark Hall
REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS
Ocean Hammock house tops Flagler sales list
Ahouse at 15 Northshore Drive, in Ocean Hammock, was the top real estate transaction for March 29- April 4 in Palm Coast and Flagler County. The house sold on April 4, for $1,815,000. Built in 2013, the house is a 4/4 and has a pool, an outdoor kitchen, an elevator and 4,362 square feet.
ALEXIS MILLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Condos
A condo at 45 Riverview Bend South, Unit 1936, sold on April 4, for $499,000. Built in 2006, the condo is a 3/3 and has 2,007 square feet. It sold in 2018 for $310,000.
A condo at 504 Ocean Marina Drive, unit 504, sold on April 3, for $280,000. Built in 1987, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,140 square feet. It sold in 2006 for $290,000.
A condo at 60 Surfview Drive, unit 210, sold on April 1, for $585,000. Built in 2004, the condo is a 3/2.5 and has 1,640 square feet.
FLAGLER BEACH
Fuquay
A house at 1515 South Central Ave., sold on April 3, for $499,000. Built in 1954, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,056 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $450,000.
Mobbs A house at 2237 South Central Ave., sold on April 1, for $995,000. Built in 2016, the house is a 5/4.5 and has an elevator, an outdoor kitchen and 3,804 square feet. It sold in 2016 for $650,000.
Sunrise Beach A house at 2097 North Central Ave., sold on April 3, for $1,350,000. Built in 2023, the
Beachfront home top Ormond sales list
Ahouse on the beach at 7 Ocean View Drive was the top real estate transaction in Ormond Beach and Ormond-by-the-Sea for the week of March 22-28. The house sold March 28, for $1,150,000. Built in 1956, the house is a 3/3.5 and has 1,380 square feet. It last sold in 2001 for $237,500.
JARLEENE ALMENAS
MANAGING EDITOR
Condos
The condo at 1575 Ocean Shore Blvd., Unit 205, sold on March 24, for $450,000. Built in 1974, it is a 2/2 and has 1,227 square feet. It last sold in 2023 for $405,300.
The condo at 5500 Ocean Shore Blvd., Unit 40, was sold on March 25, for $60,000. Built in 1973, it is a 2/2 and has 1,214 square feet. It sold in 1991 for $45,000.
ORMOND BEACH
Breakaway Trails
The house at 72 Circle Creek Way sold on March 25, for $424,900. Built in 1998, the house is a 3/2 and has a fire-
place, a spa and 2,282 square feet. It last sold in 2018 for $300,000.
Chelsea Place
The house at 1212 Draycott St. sold on March 26, for $515,000. Built in 2016, the house is a 3/2 and has 2,029 square feet. It last sold in 2020 for $361,500.
Crossings
The house at 8 Pine Shadows Trail sold on March 28, for $400,000. Built in 1993, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool, a spa and 2,252 square feet. It last sold in 2004 for $232,500.
Halifax Plantation
The house at 2701 Kinsale Lane sold on March 24, for $297,990. Built in 2024, the
house is a 4/3 and has 2 half baths, an elevator and 3,009 square feet.
PALM COAST
Aspire at Palm Coast
A house at 28 Birchbark Lane, sold on April 4, for $371,650. Built in 2024, it is a 4/3 and has 2,094 square feet.
Hammock Beach A house at 41 Ocean Oaks Lane, sold on April 4, for $1,245,000. Built in 2007, the house is a 3/3 and has 2 half baths, a pool, a hot tub, a fireplace, an outdoor kitchen and 3,830 square feet.
A house at 101 Aspen Way, sold on April 1, for $790,000. Built in 2022, the house is a 3/3 and has a pool and an outdoor kitchen.
Indian Trails A house at 11 Burrel Place, sold on April 4, for $269,000. Built in 2003, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,367 square feet. It sold in 2010 for $61,714.
A house at 99 Persimmon Drive, sold on April 4, for $335,900. Built in 1997, the house is a 4/2 and has a pool and 1,896 square feet. It sold in 2021 for $344,900.
Toby Tobin, of gotoby.com, contributed to this report
house is a 2/2 and has 1,608 square feet.
Hunter’s Ridge
The house at 44 Foxcroft Run sold on March 24, for $590,000. Built in 2003, the house is a 3/2 and has a spa, a pool and 2,158 square feet. It last sold in 2020 for $405,000.
Ormond Oceanside Estates
The house at 186 Ormwood Drive sold on March 25, for $359,000. Built in 1963, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace and 1,839 square feet. It last sold in 1972 for $32,900. Rio Vista
The Trails
The townhome at 1 Morning Dew Trail sold on March 25, for $250,000. Built in 1980, the townhome is a 3/3 and has a fireplace and 1,852 square feet. It last sold in 2014 for $85,000.
ORMOND-BY-THE-SEA
Oakview Heights
The house at 25 Valhalla Ave. sold on March 26, for $443,390. Built in 1970, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,796 square feet. It last sold in 1983 for $71,500.
John Adams, of Adams, Cameron & Co. Realtors, contributed to this report.
Amid declining enrollment, budget loss is our own fault
Boards should make the policies and administrators implement them, not the other way around.
Only in government is lack of growth considered a cut.
The House, Senate, and governor’s budgets all increase both student spending and teacher pay. On April 8, the Volusia County School Board spent the day discussing our budget cuts. The theme was that we are victims of Tallahassee politicians, but it isn’t their fault. Our budget loss is our fault. We are now in our fourth year of declining enrollment. We have fewer students now than we had 10 years ago, but our $1.5 billion budget is twice the size it was then. At the meeting, we were promised that solutions would be welcomed — as long as they came from “experts,” of course. After listening to everyone’s comments throughout the day, I told them what my experts — teachers and principals — have told me that they know will work. The board responded strongly. Not in a good way.
I was angrily lectured for being “negative,” and for voicing ideas that weren’t cleared first with district administrators.
When money is tight, the district goes straight to the front lines, with pink slips to teachers, yet our sole purpose
is to provide first for that front line: teachers, principals, transportation, food service — the basics needed in each school.
I described what should be our priorities:
• Calm the classrooms.
Other districts have done it. We could too if we enforced our own policies, and added such provisions as in-school suspension, which has been repeatedly requested. Classroom conditions are the primary reason parents withdraw their kids. Stop catch and release. Stop canceling discipline referrals.
Putnam County is one of the poorest counties in the state. Their middle-high (7-12) school was out of control, with gangs and general chaos.
Two years ago, a new principal implemented a series of changes that have calmed their school, and have already increased their enrollment. Their 7th grade alone is up by 1/3 in that short time. I asked the principal how she accounted for that growth. She said flatly that now parents trust them, and they’re re-enrolling their kids.
• Expand our academic offerings to include magnet schools. Almost half the state’s school districts offer math/science, and arts magnet schools. We offer two magnet programs. Both are IB. Our district wants to close small elementary schools.
Ormond Beach Elementary is a Title 1 school, and yet has the highest proficiency rates in all of District 4. Based on FDOE numbers, it was one of the schools VCS mentioned as not “breaking even.”
OBE’s principal has long wanted to have an arts magnet school. Volusia County doesn’t have one. It sounded like a great way to improve
LETTERS
our offerings, and attract more student enrollment by bringing to Volusia County something the public has made clear it wants.
I told the board about Palm Beach County, where two failing high schools were merged 20 years ago to create the highly successful Dreyfoos School of the Arts. Likewise, the goal for OBE is for it to become, instead of closing, an arts magnet school, in the next 2-3 years.
Oops. Board members aren’t supposed to have ideas or plans that have not been appropriately blessed by those who work for us.
• Reset our priorities with a zero-based budget. Start by seriously trimming the district non-instructional staff that has ballooned over the last several years.
Grading policies and practices also cost us public trust, such as:
• Using grade floors, which means no one can earn less than 50%, or 65% (or whatever the principal decides), so no one gets a zero, even if no work is ever turned in. That inflates grades, and teaches a lack of accountability.
• Social promotion Teachers can’t hold back kids who aren’t ready for the next grade level. That puts an increasing burden on the next teacher, who is under pressure to pass her students, and makes it more likely that the child will fall further behind.
• Stop short-changing gifted students. Gifted teachers have been told that gifted students can get to levels 4 and 5 on their own, so the district teaches only to level 3 proficiency.
Current conditions are the result of current policies. Boards make policies. Administrators implement
them.
It’s past time to ditch the stock answers — “we’re already doing that,” “we don’t have enough time/ staff/money,” or above all, “that’s not how it works.”
Boards are not props. We drive progress with new ideas. Bureaucrats implement them. That is exactly how it works.
We are projected to lose 10,000 students next year. What we’re doing now clearly isn’t working. Our successes can’t be celebrated at the expense of our challenges. We can face facts and take action, or we can continue to decline until we circle the drain.
“Positive emotions are nice to have. Negative emotions are critical to keeping us alive.” — Arthur Brooks Our success or failure is in our hands.
District response: Over 100 specialized programs, no ‘grade-floor’ policy
Editor’s note: The following is a statement from the Volusia County School District in response to Donna Brosemer’s “My View.”
Volusia County Schools’ current budget reflects necessary investments, including state-mandated safety requirements following the Parkland tragedy, essential services, compliance costs, and inflation-driven increases, not discretionary spending. These requirements exist regardless of enrollment fluctuations, and our responsibility to provide safe, effective learning environments has expanded significantly as mandated by
state law.
Superintendent Balgobin stated, “No discussions about closing any schools, including Ormond Beach Elementary, have occurred at the district level.” Financial data presented at the workshop was informational context only, not a plan for closures. Any such significant decision would require extensive community engagement and formal board consideration.
Regarding specialized programs for students, VCS offers French Immersion, Spanish Dual Language, gifted programs, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) and over 100 middle and high school Career and Technical Education programs. The district follows a comprehensive process for establishing such programs that includes formal planning, resource allocation, and board approval. Additionally, VCS is already looking to expand magnet program opportunities for the upcoming school year.
The Student Progression Plan, (Policy 307), clearly outlines VCS grading practices, including specific protocols for assessments and clear guidelines that do not include “grade floors”; or “social promotion.” Policy 307 permits zeros for missing work and establishes specific protocols for assessment.
VCS’s gifted education provides challenging instruction at all levels, including to a level 3 proficiency and beyond.
The School Board functions as a governing body where decisions require collective action. VCS welcomes all board members’ ideas when presented through proper channels that allow
for thorough consideration. Our commitment to work collaboratively towards student safety and success remains our highest priority. We encourage all stakeholders to work collaboratively through established channels as we address our district’s opportunities together, ensuring every decision advances the educational opportunities for the students we all serve.
Send letters to jarleene@ observerlocalnews.com.
Coast
Fuel storage should be a good fit for Palm
Dear Editor:
I’m a retired mechanical design engineer who worked for a major chemical company for over 40 years designing facilities with similar large volume storage tanks that contained flammable materials.It would appear to me that most people for and against this project do not have any knowledge about such a facility. There are existing storage tank farms all along the Gulf Coast. If I remember, the weather is somewhat worse there than here. The articles written in the April 3 Observer and April 6 Sunday Journal were very good. They talked about security, fire protection, environmental abatement system and others. When was the last time you read or saw on TV anything about a major incident? Let me say, incidents do happen, but I would say from experience that the facility design as written in the paper took into account my personal concerns. Would I like to see this kind of a facility in my backyard? No, but remember the builder of the proposed homes knew he was building close to land that is zoned for industrial development. I would suggest that people take a breath. I think the proposal has been well described and should be a good fit for the proposed land. If a better piece of land is available that would be good. Personally, I’m more afraid of being injured or killed on our highways than a tank farm incident.
ROBERT BRANIN Palm Coast
Time for Palm Coast mayor to step down
Dear Editor: There really is no delicate way to put it. It’s time for the mayor to stand down. After his shocking “State of the City” speech, which was mostly a litany of irrational grievances, the disparagement of city workers, false statements and the perpetuation of unfounded conspiracy theories, it became clear that the City Council and Palm Coast is faced with an insurmountable challenge with his continued presence. His ability to lead is irreparably damaged, with his judgment and ability to be guided by reason in question. His speech performance, disingenuously playing the victim card, was the last straw in a string of controversies, puerile name calling, flip-flops, missteps and on-going investigations that have plagued his few months in office. It seems he has single-handedly thrown the council into chaos, division and unwelcome controversy. By now he has surely lost the respect of the council, as well as city staff. It’s imperative for the council to now call him out for his behavior and voice a loss of confidence.
ROBERT GORDON Palm Coast
How can Palm Coast mayor carry on after divisive speech?
Dear Editor: Unhinged, was the takeaway from the mayor’s State
of the City speech last week. It was an astonishingly divisive firehose of grievances, unfounded allegations and absurd conspiracy theories while denigrating city staff.
Sadly, his State of the City speech became more of a tribute to irrationality.
How can he ever garner the respect of the city employees, including the City Council after such a performance and with such a mindset?
How can he effectively carry on in the role of mayor and foster the vital teamwork necessary to run our town? Unfortunately, the answer is, he can’t.
SARAH BRINKLEY Palm Coast
Hard questions about a Flagler sports complex
Dear Editor:
About this sports complex that some are pushing for, I have a few questions:
1) Have there been any studies with regard to other cities the size of Palm Coast with similar sports complexes?
2) If this is to be county run why do we think this would make so much money compared to the municipal golf courses that fail to turn a profit?
3) Why should anyone believe the projected figures from the people that want to build it? And where do they come up with these crazy figures? Make around $70 million, a year? Really! Lacrosse and soccer tournaments will bring in over a million dollars a week?
4) I’m also against spending money (bonds/loans) that we don’t have, in the hope this will all work out. But my biggest reason against it is Palm Coast has
wastewater/stormwater/ drinking water facility issues that must be addressed before we spend on a pipe dream. Our present system is over capacity.
Today especially with all the trace chemicals (PFAS), pharmaceuticals, and other contaminants in our water, supply we need a state-ofthe-art water facility; we owe this to our children so they can drink clean water.
If we took care of the necessary stuff first, I’d love to see a well-thought-out sports complex, sized for our area. Again, we need common sense and realistic governance.
DON BRENNAN Flagler Beach
Editor’s Note: On an annual average, the city’s wastewater treatment system is not over capacity. But, during storms, there are spikes in demand that led to the Florida Departent of Environmental Protection issuing an order for Palm Coast act now to expand capacity.
Volusia ECHO/ Forever funds to purchase motocross site?
Dear Editor: On April 15, the Volusia County Council was scheduled to OK the purchase of 356 acres of land for a motocross track and an adjoining conservation area for $4,628,000. They are prepared to use Volusia ECHO and Volusia Forever funds to make this acquisition.
Spending taxpayer dollars on dirt bike racing does not raise the quality of life of most Volusia County residents. Since improving the quality of life is the foundation of the ECHO and Forever
programs, this is an expensive, irresponsible project.
JACK SURRETTE Ormond Beach
We need more local news
Dear Editor:
I’m a subscriber to the Ormond Beach Observer. I think it’s worth the cost, but I noticed that over half of the content, including ads, are about Palm Coast and Flagler.
I know, I counted them. Around 70 for Flagler and only around 30 for Ormond. I know Ormond is close by, but I’m not really interested in what’s happening north of me. I would like to see more about Ormond.
JOHN MULFORD Ormond Beach
Editor’s Note: Thank you for subscribing! And thank you for your feedback. Yes, we have been including content from Palm Coast in the Ormond Beach Observer, and vice versa. For some, that’s a welcome addition, but I imagine that most readers prefer that the Observer is about one community only, not two. The way we increase the number of stories is simple: We increase the number of advertisers. For every half page of advertising, we can produce a half page of news content. And we are working hard to do so! One way readers can help is to encourage local businesses to spend their marketing dollars with
CORRECTION
the Observer. As they do so, they reach a large, loyal, engaged audience, and they also know that their marketing dollars are doing double duty: They are making a free community newspaper possible. Thank you, Mr. Mulford, for your patience, as we grow. Sincerely, Brian McMillan, publisher.
Fuel depot won’t help bring other companies here
Dear Editor: Fuel leaks? For anyone who thinks it couldn’t happen here I would refer them to the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility leap in Oahu, and Coeur D’Alene fuel spills in Idaho, both contaminating the local water supply. To think that building a fuel depot here will “elevate” our status as far as bringing more companies here, I can’t think of any type of company that would list that as a reason for bringing their operations here. Good schools, good roads amenities, access to major airports, available labor force, yes. ... fuel depots, not so much. Has anyone asked all those people living in the new developments along U.S. 1 how they feel about big oil tanker trucks driving along their homes day and night? And lastly, just how many permanent job will this bring? How many high paying jobs, how many minimum wage jobs?
EDITH CAMPINS Palm Coast
The story on Flagler Beach’s centennial in the April 10 edition of the Observer reported that Charles Lindbergh stayed for a week in Flagler Beach during his unplanned visit in 1931. According to local historian Randy Jaye, Lindbergh stayed for three days and two nights.
BIZ BUZZ
University Women of Flagler donates $2,500 to Early Learning Coalition
The University Women of Flagler donated two checks totaling $2,500 to the Early Learning Coalition of Flagler and Volusia’s Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
The checks - one for $1,500 and one for $1,000 - were donated on April 8 in memory of Dr. Charles Hall, a UWF press release said. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library sends a
free book monthly to children under the age of 5. Currently, 1740 children receive this service in Flagler County, the press release said.
Halifax Health and partners launch falls prevention program
Halifax Health has launched a comprehensive Falls Prevention and Assessment Program, available at local YMCA locations. This program is designed to help older adults prevent falls that can lead to serious injuries or deaths, according to a press release. The program consists of three parts: a free online assessment, an in-person comprehensive assessment and then community offered
interventions.
Halifax Health has partnered with Palmer Chiropractic Clinic, Brooks Rehabilitation, Atlantic Hearing and the Volusia Flagler YMCA to bring this program to the community.
“At the YMCA, we are dedicated to providing classes and interventions that support our members in leading healthy, active lives,” said Maddi Scheipeter, Halifax Healthy Living coordinator at the YMCA.
To take the online Fall Risk Assessment or to learn more about the program, visit https://halifaxhealth.org/fallprevention or call 386-4254224.
Green Volusia announces recognition
program
Green Volusia has announced a new recognition program that will honor the local businesses taking action to reduce waste and use less energy and water.
The Green Volusia Business Recognition Program rewards qualifying businesses with a Green Volusia logo and certificate for display, a listing on the Green Volusia map, and a free waste assessment and energy audit, a Volusia County press release said.
To qualify, businesses must: Attend four educational sessions that cover sustain-
ability, reporting requirements, and other topics
Implement at least 12 best management practices related to energy efficiency, waste reduction and landfill diversion, and water use reduction and conservation
Schedule a visit with Green Volusia staff, who will conduct audits on energy, waste, and water consumption
Commit to yearly tracking and reporting of metrics
For more information about the program, those interested can visit https://volusia.info/ gvbr or contact Sustainability and Outreach Coordinator Sergeneno Rankin at srankin@ volusia.org or 386-736-5927, ext. 12099.
Trish Le Net, Kelsey Avignon and Robin Hall. Courtesy photo
YOUR NEIGHBORS
Kilts, cabers and clans
MICHELE MEYERS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Kilts, cabers and clans were all part of the shenanigans at the 14th annual Ormond Beach Celtic Festival held at Rockefeller Gardens, Fortunato Park and the North Lawn of The Casements on April 12-13.
Ormond Beach MainStreet executive director Becky Parker, board members and a bevy of volunteers organized yet another successful festival which welcomed well over 10,000 revelers to the sun-soaked weekend of activities and approximately 54 professional Highland Games athletes.
For the second consecutive year, the competitors had two days of competition instead of one. Each athlete signed up for one or more of the eight divisions to compete in— men’s light weight, intermediate, advanced, masters 40+, masters 50+ and masters 60+ or women’s open and 40+. Highland Games consist of nine events—hammer throw, caber toss, sheaf toss, Braemer and open stone put, light and heavy weight for distance and light and heavy weight for height. Dawn Schull, Foundation of Scottish Athletics president, said she was grateful for the athletes.
“We don’t have games and we don’t have a board if we don’t have athletes,” she said. “You guys are family and we are so thankful for each and every one of you. It’s an honor to have you guys as our athletes.”
The festivities kicked-off at Fletcher’s Irish Pub on Friday, April 11 with a night of music and traditional Irish fare. Pub owner Bill Fletcher and his family continued the celebration in the Celtic Village where a multitude of food vendors and local restaurants setup for the weekend. Festival goers could grab some fish and chips then wash it down with a Guinness or opt for a hot dog and soda. At the end of the day, Fletcher’s hosted a céildh (pronounced kālē)—a gathering where there is Scottish or Irish folk music, singing, dancing, and storytelling.
Celtic music permeated the air along the Halifax River where people strolled the grounds and listened to
mandolins, the bodhrán, a tin whistle and a variety of traditional instruments. The Piper Jones Band was the headliner and performed with 24 different musical groups on five different stages located throughout the venue. The Daytona Beach Pipe and Drums led the Parade of Tartans on Saturday and the City of Mount Dora Pipe Band led the Kirkin’ of the Tartans dedications on Sunday.
At the Clan Village located on the North Lawn of The Casements, attendees could witness a tussle between rival clans Campbell and Donald or learn the history of their own clan at the New World Celts tent. The NWC organization is dedicated to promoting Celtic history and supporting Celtic culture in the new world, according to their website.
This year, Ormond Beach Mayor Jason Leslie judged the shortbread competition and the dog parade.
Nauti Pet co-owner Wendi Fernandez and Steven McDaniel with Clan Donald were also judges. Fourteen dogs and Chico the Goat participated in the competition. Baldur the Husky won for best performance, Roo the Chihuahua took home first for best dressed and Cooper the Berger Picard stole the most unique award.
Nauti Pets supplied the prizes for the winners.
Jade Faber is Ormond Beach MainStreet’s newly hired event and community relations manager. She was the marketing and advertising manager at One Daytona before she applied for a job at Ormond Beach MainStreet. She said she grew up in Ormond Beach and is very passion-
ate about the community.
“It’s like a passion project so I decided to go that way with my life,” she said. “When Becky told me (I got the job), I was so happy—best day ever. I thrive off of moving around and getting things done so an event like this is hard but very rewarding. I think this is a great outcome (for the Celtic Festival) and everything that we will be doing toward the future is going to be even better. ”
14th annual Ormond Beach Celtic Festival a success
Highland Games athlete Jeffrey Kean competes in the men’s advanced division at the 14th annual Ormond Beach Celtic Festival. Photo by Michele Meyers
Clan Maclaren is represented at the Parade of the Tartens during the Ormond Beach Celtic Festival
Nine-year-old twins Liam (left) and Luke Davenport (center) join their 11-year-old brother Logan (right) at the McCarthy Farms petting zoo
Roo hangs out with her human Karen Kirk after she wins the bast dressed award in the dog parade
Friends Esmee Carter (left) and Sofia Barrio (right) get their faces painted by Brittani Giles, owner of Florida Face Painting
Clan Murray members from left to right-Robert Lawson, Kenneth Furtaw, Ken Furtaw, Dave Yahn (back) and Wayne Cooper.
Newly hired Ormond Beach MainStreet event and community relations manager Jade Faber (left) and her mom, MainStreet board member Robin Faber touch bases at the Celtic Festival merchandise and information tent.
LOCAL EVENTS
SATURDAY, APRIL 19
EARTH DAY AT THE EDC
When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Environmental Discovery Center, 601 Division Ave., Ormond Beach
Details: Celebrate Earth Day with the city of Ormond Beach. There will be guided nature walks, games and crafts, environmental exhibitors, native plant vendors and guest presentations,. There will also be a tree giveaway for Ormond Beach residents.
SPRING FLING 2025
When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Joanne King Park, 150 Sawgrass Road, Bunnell
Details: Presented by Charming Sisters, this free event will have over 100 vendors, food trucks, music by a DJ, a kids zone and a visit from the Easter Bunny.
EGG SPLASH EVENT
When: 1-2 p.m.
Where: Palm Coast Aquatics Center, 339 Parkview Drive, Palm Coast
Details: Dive into the pool and hunt for floating or underwater eggs. Open for all ages. Registration costs $8. Visit parksandrec.fun.
CELEBRATE JAZZ
APPRECIATION MONTH WITH NEFJA
When: 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Where: Palm Coast United Methodist Church, 6500 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast
Details: Join the Northeast Florida Jazz Association for an afternoon of jazz featuring the Melvin Smith Quintet. Tickets cost $40. Order online at NEFJA.org or purchase in person at Chez Jacqueline in Palm Harbor Village.
EASTER AT THE TRAILS 2025
When: 3-5 p.m.
Where: The Trails Shopping Center, 216-348 N. Nova Road, Ormond Beach
Details: Celebrate Easter at The Trails. Take a photo with the Easter Bunny and enjoy treats, bounce houses and other activities. Get a ticket for a free ice cream cone at Dairy Queen. Visit Five Star Pizza for a free slice of pizza.
STEELN’ PEACHES:
CELEBRATING THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center, 399 N. U.S. 1, Ormond Beach
Details: Celebrate 55 years of the Allman Brothers Band with Florida tribute band, Steeln’ Peaches. Tickets cost $40-$69. Visit ormondbeachperformingartscenter.csstix. com.
THE OLIVIA SHOW
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center, 5500 E. Highway 100, Palm Coast
Details: See this tribute to Olivia Newton-John. The show features live vocals,
costumes, chart-topping hits, video graphics and a singalong section. Tickets cost $54-$64. Visit flaglerauditorium.org.
BULOW NIGHTTIME TOUR
When: 7:30-9 p.m.
Where: Bulow Plantations
Ruins Historic State Park, 3501 Old Kings Road, Flagler
Beach
Details: Join the Friends of Tomoka State Parks for an after-hours tour of the Bulow Sugar Mill Ruins. Led by a park ranger, attendees will be guided through the ruins, specially illuminated for the occasion, and learn about the night in 1836 when the Seminole tribe set fire to the mill. Only 13 spots available. Bring your flashlight or battery/solar operated lantern, insect repellent and water. Tour costs $25 per person. Call 386-793-8300.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23
SPRING BIRD WALKS
When: 8-10 a.m.
Where: Environmental Discovery Center, 601 Division Ave., Ormond Beach
Details: Join Master Naturalist Joan Tague, of the Halifax River Audubon, for a casual bird walk along the trails of Central Park. Bring water. Walking shoes and sunscreen recommended. Free event.
THURSDAY, APRIL 24
SWING INTO SPRING
When: 6:30-8 p.m.
Where: The Casements, 25 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach
Details: Attend this free spring concert on the north lawn of The Casements, featuring Diego & Co. Bring a chair or blanket. For more information, call 386-676-3216.
FRIDAY, APRIL 25
TURTLE TALK When: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Where: Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreational Area, 3100 S. Oceanshore Blvd., Flagler Beach
Details: Learn about the role sea turtles play in Florida and how your actions can help preserve these animals for generations. All ages welcome. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. Park entry fee applies.
VOLUSIA COMMUNITY
ARTS SYMPHONY AND JAZZ ENSEMBLE
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center, 399 N. U.S. 1, Ormond Beach
Details: See live music performed by the Volusia Community Arts Jazz Ensemble and full symphony orchestra. This is a community driven nonprofit. Tickets cost $35. Visit ormondbeachperformingartscenter.csstix.com.
SATURDAY, APRIL 26
YOUTH PICKLEBALL
TOURNAMENT
When: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27
Where: Southern Recreation Center, 1290 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast Details: Take part in this
youth pickleball tournament, played in double-elimination style and will feature singles, doubles and mixed-doubles. T-shirts will be available for a limited time, so early registration is recommended. Registration costs $20. Visit parksandrec.fun.
FLAGLER WOMAN’S CLUB CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT
When: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Cypress Knoll Golf & Country Club, 53 Easthampton Blvd., Palm Coast
Details: The Flagler Woman’s Club invites the community to take part in this tournament, where net proceeds benefit local charities. Registration costs $100 and includes greens fees, cart, contest passes, range balls and lunch with unlimited soda and beer. Call Mary at 386-569-7813.
ANNUAL WATERSAFE
EVENT When: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club, 73 Patricia Drive, Palm Coast
Details: This is a free water and sun safety event. Swim with mermaids,
CLASS NOTES
Joe Rizzo Memorial Golf Tournament benefits Flagler Schools’ Classroom The Flagler County Education Foundation held the fourth annual Joe Rizzo Memorial Golf Classic on April 7 at Grand Haven Golf Club in Palm Coast. The event raises money for Flagler Schools’ Classroom to Careers programs and honors the enduring legacy of former Ed Foundation executive direc tor Joe Rizzo.
tinues to inspire the community to come together and invest in their future,” the Ed Foundation said in a press release. Participants enjoyed a perfect day of golf that included games, food and drink at every hole, a silent auction and 50/50 raffle. A highlight of the
such a memorable and impactful day, the press release said. “This year’s Classic built upon the success of previous years, continuing
HISPANIC
Volusia, Flagler agreement would allow students to attend schools in neighboring county
The Flagler and Volusia county school districts have reached a tentative interlocal agreement that would allow students in extreme regions of the counties to attend schools in the neighboring county if they choose. According to the agreement, which will have to be approved by the two school boards, Volusia County students in the northern border of the district would be allowed to attend Old Kings Elementary School, Buddy Taylor Middle School and Flagler Palm Coast High School, all in Flagler County. Students in the Southeast portion of Flagler County could choose to attend Volusia County’s Pathways Elementary School, Hinson Middle School
and Mainland High School.
The school choice changes would begin next school year with nine annual automatic renewals. The changes would reduce transportation times for students in the affected zones, according to school documents.
The Flagler County School Board discussed the proposed agreement at its April 8 workshop. The Volusia County School Board is scheduled to discuss it at its May 13 workshop.
According to a Flagler Schools slide presentation at the April 8 workshop, about 93 students — 58 elementary, 16 middle and 19 high school — will be affected by the zoning changes based on September 2024 counts.
Families would be required to file a school-choice application each year. Enrollment would be dependent on availability of capacity on a grade-by-grade basis.
HARVESTING RICH REWARDS
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Volusia County schools adds learning opportunities for homeschooled students
Volusia County Schools is expanding its online learning options for the 2025-2026 school year, including the VFlex+ program, which provides homeschooled students access to Career and Technical Education courses, electives and arts programs.
“These programs are designed to provide flexible and comprehensive educational options for students and families seeking alternative learning environments,” a VCS press release stated.
The VFlex+ program allows homeschooled students to enroll in up to six courses, as well as offers academic counseling and support. VCS provides computers, tech support and all services for free. Additionally, VFlex+ helps students stay on track for a diploma, though they will need to transition to a full-time program — such as Volusia Online Learning or another VCS high school — during their senior year to graduate with a diploma. The goal of VFlex+, the district stated on its website, is for students to eventually return to VCS as full-time students.
The district currently offers a VFlex program for traditional students in sixth through 12th grade which allows them to supplement their schedule with virtual CTE courses, electives and arts programs.
VCS also offers Volusia Online Learning, an online public school option.
Information sessions will be held at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. on April 10, April 24, May 8, May 22, June 5, June 26, July 10 and July 24. To learn more or register for a virtual information session, visit k12.vcsedu.org/online-learning.
FBCA cheer teams headed to Show of Champions
First Baptist Christian Academy’s Sparklers and Spark cheer teams won first place in their divisions at the Daytona Dazzler competition. The titles secured their spot at the Show of Champions on April 26 at the University of Central Florida. This year the two FBCA cheer teams have combined forces to compete as one team with 18 girls, ages 7 to 15. The elementary school-aged Sparklers were led by head coach Christina Udell and assistant Nikki Neal. Spark Cheer, the middle and high school team is led by head coach Holly Herne and assistant Aubrey Thomas.
The teams are raising money for travel expenses, uniforms and competition fees. They are looking for team sponsors and donations. For more information, call Holly Herne at (386) 446-0094 or email hherne@ crusadersonline.org.
The interlocal agreement will allow students in the Southeast portion of Flagler County to attend Volusia schools and students in Volusia County’s northern border to attended Flagler schools. Flagler Schools image
Hearing connects us. It makes us feel a part of our world. Whether it’s laughter at the family dinner table, a rousing debate at work, the eclectic energy of a live concert or even the quiet rustling of leaves on a warm summer night, hearing is so much more than a simple sense. It is simply part of who you are.
At AudioNova, we want to restore your sense of hearing so that you can get back what you’ve been missing. So you can feel like you again. If you’ve been putting off getting your hearing checked for another day, there’s never been a better time to take that important first step.
a
ORMOND BEACH
(386)327-7326
1474 W Granada Blvd #420
(In Publix Plaza corner of Williamson and Granada)
NEW SMYRNA BEACH (386)327-7332 111 N Orange St
(1 Block Noth of Canal St, 1 Block East of US-1)
PORT ORANGE (386)327-7327
1665 Dunlawton Ave #107 (Next To Monterey Grill)
JACKSONVILLE BEACH (904)913-9880
1017 3rd St South (Next to Starbucks)
ORANGE CITY / DELAND (386)327-7329
921 Town Center Dr, Ste 300
(Left of Clock Tower) Nosotros Hablamos Espanol!
TAVARES (352)423-8285
500 W Burleigh Blvd (In betweeb CVS and Bank of America)
PALM COAST (386)327-7330
2 Pine Lakes Parkway N. Ste 4 (Next to First Baptist Church on Palm Coast Pkwy)
PALM BAY (321)286-7978
1150 Malabar Rd SE, Ste 112 (Publix Super Market at Shoppes of Palm Bay - Next to UPS Store)
Flagler County Fair raises $4,000 from dessert auction for local family
‘We have a pretty close-knit community,’ Fair board President Penny Buckles said.
SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
The Flagler County Fair & Youth Show always hosts a dessert fundraiser during the annual 4-H and FFA Youth livestock show and sale.
Normally, Fair board President Penny Buckles said, the funds raised at the auction go back into the fair. This year, the funds were instead gifted to Keaton Shamp and Abigail Cody for their baby Kolter’s pediatric therapy.
Kolter was born with health issues and Shamp and Cody must take him to specialized therapy treatments in Cary, North Carolina. This year, Buckles said, the dessert auction raised $4,050 for Kolter’s treatments. Not only will that cover the therapy cost, but the hotel and fuel needed for the trip.
“We have a pretty closeknit community,” she said. She said that not only did the community pull together to raise more money than it
normally does for the dessert auction, but more people donated baked goods for the auction in the first place. In general, she said the 2025 auction performed better than in past years. The live-
stock show and sale highlights the youth in the local FFA and 4-H groups who have raised various livestock to then sell at auction, ranging from rabbits and pullets (female chickens), to goats, swine and steer.
Buckles said the board won’t know the final totals for the auction for a few days yet as the add-ons - donationsmade to each child still need to be totaled, but she knows that the sale prices were higher than the average and more people attended the Fair than usual.
“It exceeded my expectations,” she said.
Lacey Weber’s 91-pound goat, for example, sold for $20 per pound - the typical price being $4 per pound for the goats, Buckles said. Graduating senior Laci Westbrook’s 1,314-pound steer went for a
typical $5 per pound, but fellow senior Madison Myers’ 1,399-pound steer sold for $7.50.
Buckles said the auction is
really for the kids, but the buyers are also getting a good deal.
“Even when they pay $5 a pound, it’s a steal,” Buckles
said, comparing the grocery store prices to that of auction’s. A lot of people, she said, “want that locally grown meat.”
Graduating senior Madison Myers shows off her 275-pound swine. Photos by Sierra Williams
Mason Herr’s four pullets — female chickens — won Best of Show and Best of Breed awards.
Eva Robinson leads her steer into the arena.
Avery, Robert, Ava and Kristy Hatten. Ava Hatten, 16, won grand champion in the swine division. Courtesy photo
Eggs mark the spot: Egg’Stravaganza delivers
Families swarmed Palm Coast’s Central Park in Town Center for a variety
OBSERVER STAFF
A long line of families waited to greet and take photos with the Easter Bunny at Palm Coast’s annual Egg’Stravaganza on April 12 at Central Park in Town Center.
From egg relay races to a pirate ship, fun activities for children of all ages also included arts and crafts, face painting and a variety of carnival games. The city announced in a press release that more golden eggs were hidden around Town Center this year, each containing special prizes.
One of the highlights of the event, according to Leanne Eubanks, was the people.
Tomoka United Methodist Church hosts Easter Party
Activities included meeting the Easter Bunny, games, snacks and the egg hunt.
OBSERVER STAFF
An Easter Party and Egg Hunt was held at the Tomoka United Methodist Church on April 12.
The event was free and open to children from kindergarten through fifth grade. The children were divided into three age groups for the egg hunt.
There were multiple activities including the egg hunt, meeting
Above: Kids locate Easter eggs on the playground at Tomoka United Methodist Church. Left: Kids collect eggs at the Easter Party and Egg Hunt at Tomoka United Methodist Church. Photos by Connor McCarthy
Above: A child packs his basket at the Easter Party and Egg Hunt.
Ayla Rivera plays Jenga.
Palmer Rosencrans admires the Easter Bunny. Photos by Hannah Hodge
Seawolf Privateers co-founder Tim Brinegar talks to the kids.
the Easter Bunny, free snacks, story time, coloring tables and games.
Jaxon Weiss carries his egg in the relay race.
Shining Stars
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Long before Flagler Palm Coast’s Colby Cronk was cleared to toss a shot put or discus this season, he was working on getting back to the state track and field championships.
Competing in his third meet of the year after returning from November shoulder surgery, Cronk won the shot put title and finished second in discus at the Five Star Conference championships on April 10 at Spruce Creek High School.
FPC’s Ayden Peterson (800-meter run), Corinthians “R.J.” Watson (triple jump) and Tanner Cauley-Bennett (pole vault) also won events as the Bulldogs captured the boys team championship with 176 points. Spruce Creek was second with 131 points. The host Hawks won the girls title with 208.5 points, with FPC second with 164 points.
Last season, Cronk won the Class 4A state championship
in shot put and was runner-up in discus. At Five Star, he threw the shot 17.30 meters (59 feet, 9.25 inches) to win the event over New Smyrna Beach’s Tim Beauchamp by 11 inches. Cronk placed second in discus behind Beauchamp with a throw of 48.02 meters (157 feet, 6 inches). Those throws are well behind his 2024 state marks of 19.22 meters in shot — the 10th-best shot put in Florida high school history — and 56.06 meters in discus, both school records. But he was happy with his distances a week before the district meet.
“I still have some work to do, but I’m feeling pretty good where I am,” Cronk said. “It’s all due to Coach Speegs (throws coach Paul Spegele) helping me. He’s been coaching me, working on my footwork before I was holding weights,” Cronk said. It didn’t take long for Cronk to get back on top. His shot put throw of 18.35 meters at the Florida Relays on April 5 ranks first in the state in Class 4A. His discus throw at Five Star ranks sixth.
“I can’t give enough credit to Colby and Coach Speegs for the work they’ve put in,” FPC coach David Halliday said.
“I’m super happy about where he is right now.”
MAINLAND, SEABREEZE WINNERS
Mainland placed fourth among boys teams at conference, while Seabreeze was sixth. The Bucs won three events. Houston Cadette won 110 hurdles in 16.42 seconds. Ethan Figueroa won long jump at 6.49 meters (21 feet, 3.5 inches) and also placed second in high jump. And the 4x100 relay team of Javon Estes, Eddie Lake, Javaris Estes and Kyle Moore won with a time of 42.35 seconds.
The Bucs’ 4x400 and 4x800 relays placed second. And Moore was the runnerup in the 100 with a personal record 11.05 seconds.
Seabreeze sophomore Dominic Dowell won the 400 hurdles with a personalrecord time of 59.18 seconds.
“I came into the race really confident,” Dowell said. “I’ve been trying to break that minute mark for a while, and I finally got it.”
Seabreeze junior Rhett Opalewski won the 400 meters with a PR of 49.96 seconds. He was also fourth in the 200. Opalewski heads into
the District 6-3A meet with a No. 1 ranking in the 400 and is closing in on school record times in both events.
The Sandcrabs’ Hunter Shuler placed second in both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs. The junior set a PR in the 1,600 with a time of 4:37.62. Teammate Drayton Bracket placed second in the 110 hurdles with a PR of 16.45 seconds.
BULLDOGS SOLID IN FIELD EVENTS, SPRINTS
FPC senior Cauley-Bennett improved his PR at Five Star with a vault of 4.27 meters (14 feet) which ranks third in the state in Class 4A.
The Bulldogs were solid in field events and consistent on the track. FPC finished 1-2-3 in the triple jump with Watson setting a PR at 13.51 meters (44 feet, 4 inches), Kenneth Robinson placing second and Lucas Campbell third. Stacy Mitchell placed third in shot put and fifth in discus. Jacob Stevenson was third in javelin and Ladarius Simmons placed fifth.
Logan Jacobelli ran a PR of 22.19 seconds to place second in the 200. He was also fourth in the 100 and helped the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams place third. Jordan Haymon took home third-place medals in the 100, 400 and 4x100. William Roberts was second in the 400 meters.
“We’ve got a young group of sprinters,” Halliday said. “They did like four events today. I loaded them up. When we get ready for districts, regionals and state they’ll probably be doing two events, and we’ll back off from
the training. I expect a 4x1 and 4x4 and a couple of those guys in the 100 and 200 to do well.”
TYSON, MARCELUS SWEEP
FPC senior Maya Tyson won the Five Star Conference girls shot put title for the fourth year in a row. She also won discus for the second year in a row.
Tyson broke her own school record in the discus with a throw of 37.52 meters (123 feet, 1 inch). She threw the shot 11.27 meters (36-feet-11.75) after breaking her own school shot record the previous week with a 11.78-meter toss.
FPC junior Karina Marcelus won three events with a PR in the long jump at 5.35 meters (17 feet, 6.75 inches), a triple jump of 11.16 meters (37 feet, 7.75 inches) a 100 hurdles time of 14.81 seconds. She qualified for state last year in triple jump. This season, she broke a 45-year-old school record in 100 hurdles with a time of 14.45 seconds and broke it again at the Florida Relays with a 14.23.
“Hurdles have been great this year,” she said. “I broke my school record. I broke 15s. I’m in the 14s right now, and by the end of the season, I’m looking for 13s at states. This year has been my year definitely — mentally and physically.”
Leilany Rosa broke FPC’s school record in girls pole vault by 11 inches with a 10-foot, 11.75-inch vault (3.35 meters). Rosa placed third. Other third-place finishers for the Bulldogs were Arianna Slaughter (800 with a PR), Jayden Wright (400 with a PR), Makaylla Williams (high jump) and Madison Hambly
(javelin). Wright, Slaughter, Cassidy De Young and Hazel Hutchison won the 4x400 relay. The Bulldogs placed second in the 4x800.
SEABREEZE’S HICK WINS GIRLS 400 HURDLES
Seabreeze sophomore Tabitha Hick won the 400 hurdles with a PR time of 1:08.04, which is just .38 of a second behind the school record. She was also third in the 100 hurdles. Hick ranks first in District 6-3A in the 400 hurdles. Seabreeze senior Emma Uneda placed second in triple jump and third in long jump. Mainland’s Amyah Watlington was second in long jump and second in 100 hurdles. She was also on the Bucs’ first-place 4x100 relay with Symiah Gillon, Kiana Joseph and Gabreille Lett. Sydney Noelien was third in shot put. Mainland’s girls placed fourth at the meet with 65.5 points. Seabreeze was fifth with 60 points.
FBCA’S ARNEAUD HAS TOP LONG JUMP
The athlete who actually had the best girls long jump at Five Star was not eligible for the title. Sophomore Sanigh Arneaud of First Baptist Christian Academy requested to compete to give her a fifth meet to be eligible for districts. She jumped 5.45 meters (10 feet, 7.5 inches) on her third attempt. That was better than her best jump coming into the meet over a foot.
“We made a few adjustments this meet,” said her mom, Sharelle Arneaud, who is one of her coaches. “She was ecstatic when she jumped to 5.45.”
Weightlifters Sao, Strawser among state’s best at 129 pounds
Matanzas’ Jayden
Sao (third) and FPC’s Cody Strawser (third and fourth) and Matt McFall (fourth) placed at the state meet.
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
It was Jaden Sao’s last chance at the state boys weightlifting championships. Cody Strawser may have two more shots.
Sao, a senior at Matanzas, placed third at 129 pounds in the Class 3A traditional competition on April 12 in Lakeland. Strawser, a sophomore at Flagler Palm Coast, finished fourth in the same
weight class and also took home the third-place medal in the Olympic competition. FPC junior Matt McFall placed fourth in Olympic in the unlimited weight class with a 535-pound total. McFall matched his best snatch lift at 235 pounds.
Strawser went 9-for-9 on his lifts and matched all his best numbers. Strawser had his best meet of the year, FPC coach Duane Hagstrom said. The sophomore completed a 175-pound snatch, a 235-pound clean-and-jerk and a 215-pound bench press for a 450-pound traditional total and a 410-pound Olympic total.
Sao lifted a personalrecord 460 pounds with 215-pound clean-and-jerk and a 245-pound bench press,
which was also a PR.
“He took a shot for second (place) on his last bench attempt and missed it,” Matanzas coach Matt Forrest said. “He got his personal best on his second attempt and then tried 260 to get silver. Jayden puts in a lot of work and he’s very humble.”
Sao placed fifth last year in Class 2A with a 425-pound total.
“We were bumped up to 3A this year, so he was going against all new competition,” Forrest said. “He performed really well in the largest division and had his best performance.”
Forrest said Sao plans to continue lifting competitively after graduation.
“I think he has potential, and he’s also gaining a follow-
ing on social media through his (weightlfiting) content. He does a really good job with it.”
The top four 129-pound lifters in the Region 1-3A traditional competition were also the top four at state.
Three out of the top four schools in both competitions were Region 1 teams including Pace which won the team trophy in both competitions. Spruce Creek was second in Olympic. FPC placed 11th in Olympic.
Sao also placed 10th in Olympic.
FPC had seven lifters qualify for state. McFall also qualified in traditional and finished 17th. FPC’s other lifters all qualified in Olympic. Anthony Giacobbe was 17th at 119 pounds, Jackson Fedun was 17th at 154 pounds, Dylan Ben-
nett was 10th at 169 pounds, Landon Gates was 11th at 183 pounds and Joe Casanova was 17th at 238 pounds.
In Class 2A, Seabreeze’s Ezra Williams placed seventh in Olympic at 183 pounds with a 485-pound total. Williams also finished 13th in traditional. The Sandcrabs also qualified a pair of 139-pounders with Dean Hayes placing 11th in Olympic and 18th in traditional and Vincent Pedersen placing 13th in Olympic. Mainland’s Ray Tatro finished 13th in traditional and 14th in Olympic in Class 2A 129 pounds. At the Class 1A meet, Father Lopez had a pair of state runners-up. Joseph Abrantes placed second in 139 pounds in both Olympic with a 410-pound total and traditional with a 450-pound total. Maverick Grimm was second in Olympic in 169 pounds with a 510-pound total. Grimm placed third in traditional with a 550-pound total. Lopez’s Teddy Loach was 14th in 169-pound Olympic.
FPC wins Five Star boys track championship
FPC’s Colby Cronk, competing in his third event of the season, won shot put and finished second in discus at the Five Star.
Karina Marcelus won the long jump with a personal record leap of 5.35 meters (16 feet, 6.75 inches).
The FPC junior also won the triple jump and the 100 hurdles. Photos by Brent Woronoff
Seabreeze’s Tabitha Hick won the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:08.04, which is just .38 of a second off the school record.
FPC sophomore Cody Strawser won two medals, placing third in Olympic and fourth in traditional competition in the Class 3A 129-pound weight class. Courtesy photo
Tennis veteran Tom Kelly steps out of retirement
Former Florida Tennis Center manager wanted Seabreeze to have a good coach, so he took the job.
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Tom Kelly remembers what it was like to play tennis at
DeLand High School in the 1970s. He quit the team his junior year, he said, because the tennis coach didn’t know anything about tennis.
“He would just hand us the balls and make the schedule. That was disappointing,” Kelly said.
In fact, even when Kelly played tennis at Division I Tulsa University, the coach was an administrator, not a coach, Kelly said.
So when he was asked this year if he was interested in coaching Seabreeze High’s tennis teams, Kelly knew he couldn’t say no.
“I wanted to, to make sure that Seabreeze had good
coaching available,” he said.
There are few people more qualified to coach tennis in Volusia County. Kelly, 68, had been a tennis coach and director in Daytona Beach for 30 years. He spent 10 years running the City Island courts and 20 years at the Florida Tennis Center off LPGA Boulevard. He was the manager of the FTC for 10 years before retiring in 2022.
Over the years, Kelly has coached hundreds of children. On the day he met his Seabreeze players, some of them said they had lessons with him five or six years ago.
Asked if he remembered them, Kelly said, “I taught a
lot of kids, so I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t.”
But lessons from other coaches have made his job with the Sandcrabs easier.
“The Seabreeze Sandcrabs have been successful this year,” he said. “But it’s not me, it’s more the coaches in the Volusia County area that are bringing them up, and I get them when they’re fairly accomplished and have the technique and the skills to play at a high level. So that’s where the credit belongs.”
But Hunter Shuler, the Sandcrabs’ No. 3 boys’ singles player said Kelly has made a difference.
“I think Coach Kelly has provided us with amazing opportunities,” Shuler said. “It’s definitely a different approach considering the age difference between him and (former coach Trishna Patel). I think the approach has worked out in many different ways. He’s a lot more handson. He helps us out a lot with technique and game play. We work a lot more in doubles in our practices and I think we’ve improved a lot.”
The Sandcrabs’ boys team is 5-4 and the girls are 7-3 heading into the District 6-3A tournament April 16-17 at Red Bug Lake Park in Casselberry. In their final regular-season match on April 11 at Flagler
Palm Coast, the girls won 4-3, while the boys lost to the Bulldogs 6-1 with Shuler collecting the Sandcrabs’ lone win. Shuler was the only junior among four sophomores in the boys’ lineup.
AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK
Although, Kelly has spent 30 years as a coach and administrator, his path to the game he loves was circuitous. He thought he wanted to follow in the footsteps, of his father, Thomas C. Kelly, Volusia’s first county administrator.
The Volusia County Administration Center in DeLand is named after him. But after working in the Fort Lauderdale city manager’s office as a budget analyst, Thomas A. Kelly decided that wasn’t the profession for him.
“My friend there, who was the assistant city manager, came up to me one day, and said, ‘Hey, Tom, let’s quit our jobs and go traveling.’ And I go, ‘Bob, that’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard of.’ And so we did.”
Kelly traveled through Asia and Europe for a year. Then he traveled for two more years through Latin America, ending up in Chile. As he began his swing back he met his wife. They got married in Uruguay. And Kelly returned home
with his bride, looking for a job. And so began his 30-year career with the city.
“I said, ‘Well, I know how to play tennis. And (former Daytona Beach Recreation Director) Owen Davidson hired me, and I basically collected court fees (at the six-court facility at City Island). So I’m forever grateful to Owen.” Kelly is just as competitive as a high school coach as he is as a player. He said he would like to see more pressure placed on him to win. But he knows his players have other priorities. Shuler also runs track. Freshman Madison James is on the girls weightlifting team. Several players are in the AICE program and are dual-enrolled.
“It’s been a challenge,” he said. “I want to practice hard, but they also have other things they do after school.” Kelly plans to be back next season. He’s not ready to retire again.
Seabreeze’s Riya Arab serves in the girls No. 1 singles match April 11 at Flagler Palm Coast.
Photos by Brent Woronoff Seabreeze’s Hunter Shuler won his match at No. 3 singles.
Seabreeze tennis coach Tom Kelly watches his players during a match at Flagler Palm Coast.
Inter-United 2009 girls win USYS Commissioner’s Cup
The Inter-United Soccer Club of Palm Coast 2009 girls team (16U) won the United States Youth Soccer Commissioner’s Cup championship on April 6 in Auburndale.
The Inter-United team won the Region B championship to advance to the Commissioner’s Cup state championship. They won the title over the other region winners — Orlando, North Port, Cape Coral..
Seabreeze to host district championship
Seabreeze will host Belleview in the District 5-5A baseball championship on Thursday, April 17, at 7 p.m.
The Sandcrabs defeated Matanzas 13-1 in the semifinals on April 15.
The Pirates defeated Gainesville 5-3 on the road in a quarfinal game on April 14
for just their second win of the season.
Seabreeze had defeated Matanzas twice during the regular season but by one run each time, including a game that went extra innings. This time, the Sandcrabs knocked out 10 hits in the five-inning game. Tommy Hayes gave up one run on three hits.
FPC upsets No. 1
seed Creekside
Flagler Palm Coast upset No. 1 seed Creekside in the District 1-7A baseball tournament on April 15 to advance to the district championship game.
The Bulldogs, seeded fourth in the tournament, defeated the Knights 9-4 on Creekside’s home field.
Adam Kleinfelder went 3-for-4 with a double and scored two runs for the
Bulldogs. The senior also pitched 2.2 shutout innings in relief of starter Reggie Bass. Carson Flis went 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Logan Shudy also haad two hits. Brenin Striplin drove in two runs.
The Bulldogs (10-16) scored five runs in the third inning. They were scheduled to travel to No. 2 seed Atlantic Coast on Wednesday, April 16 for the district championship.
Cordes wins two golds and a silver at World Masters Athletics Championships
Suzanne Cordes of Daytona Beach won two gold medals and a silver at the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships March 22-23 in Gainesville. She earned a gold medal win the women’s 65-69 age group in the 8K cross country championship. Sharing the United States team gold in
the event with Cordes were Kitty Musante of New Smyrna Beach and Diane Rothman of New Jersey. Cordes placed first in the age group in the event with a time of 39:56 to secure a second gold medal. She won silver in the 3,000-meter indoor race in the 65-69 age group and placed fourth in the 1,500-meter race.
“I’m so proud to be part of this amazing event and to represent our country and community on the world stage,” Cordes said.
PUBLIC NOTICES
WITH THE CLERK NO LATER THAN THE DATE THAT THE CLERK REPORTS THE FUNDS AS UNCLAIMED. IF YOU FAIL TO
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THE
TO PLAT THEREOF, RECORDED IN MAP BOOK 6, PAGES 59 THROUGH 67, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. PROPERTY ADDRESS: 12 BERKSHIRE LANE, PALM COAST, FL 32137 IF YOU ARE A PERSON CLAIMING A RIGHT TO FUNDS REMAINING AFTER THE SALE, YOU MUST FILE A CLAIM
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LIS PENDENS MAY CLAIM THE SURPLUS. IMPORTANT If you are a person with a disability who needs an accommodation in order to access court facilities or participate in a court proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. To request such an accommodation, please contact Court Administration in advance of the date the service is needed: Court Administration 125 E. Orange Ave., Ste. 300 Daytona Beach, FL 32114 (386) 257-6096 Hearing or voice impaired, please call 711. Dated this 09 day of April, 2025. By: /s/ Lindsay Maisonet Lindsay Maisonet, Esq. Bar Number: 93156 Submitted by: De Cubas & Lewis, P.A. PO Box 5026 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310 Telephone: (954) 453-0365 Facsimile: (954) 771-6052 Toll Free: 1-800-441-2438 DESIGNATED PRIMARY E-MAIL FOR SERVICE PURSUANT TO FLA. R. JUD. ADMIN 2.516 eservice@decubaslewis.com 24-02107 April 17, 24, 2025 25-00103G
NOTICE OF ACTION IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 7TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA CIVIL DIVISION CASE NO.: 2025 CA 000110 TOWNE MORTGAGE COMPANY, Plaintiff, vs. PETRA HUBBARD A/K/A PETRA SZEMAK, et al., Defendants. TO: PETRA HUBBARD A/K/A PETRA SZEMAK 19 PALERMO, PALM COAST, FL 32164 YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action for Foreclosure of Mortgage on the following described property: LOT 6, OF BLOCK 71, OF PALM COAST, MAP OF PINE GROVE, SECTION 25, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF, AS RECORDED IN MAP BOOK 9, PAGE 17, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. has been filed against you and you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it, on De Cubas & Lewis, P.A., Attorney for Plaintiff, whose address is PO BOX 5026, CORAL SPRINGS, FL 33310 on or before 30 days after first publication, a date at least thirty (30) days after the first publication of this Notice in the (Please publish in BUSINESS OBSERVER) and file the original with the Clerk of this Court either before service on Plaintiff’s attorney or immediately thereafter; otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint. If you are a person with a disability who needs an accommodation in order to access court facilities or participate in a court proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. To request such an accommodation, please contact Court Administration in advance of the date the service is needed: Court Administration 125 E. Orange Ave., Ste. 300 Daytona Beach, FL 32114 (386) 257-6096 Hearing or voice impaired, please call 711. WITNESS my hand and the seal of this Court this day of 4/7/2025. TOM W. BEXLEY As Clerk of the Court (SEAL) By /s/ Margarita Ruiz As Deputy Clerk De Cubas & Lewis, P.A. Attorney for Plaintiff PO BOX 5026 CORAL SPRINGS, FL 33310 25-00582 April 17, 24, 2025 25-00104G
FIRST INSERTION NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION File No. 2025-CP-000149 IN RE: ESTATE OF MARJORIE JEAN WISSE, Deceased. The administration of the Estate of Marjorie Jean Wisse, deceased, whose date of death was February 1, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Flagler County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Building 1, Bunnell, Florida 32110. 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. 732.216732.228, Florida Statutes, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes.
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 date of first publication of this notice is April 17, 2025.
Personal Representative: Jeanne Marie Peel 280 Osprey Lane Flagler Beach, Florida 32136
Attorney for Personal Representative: Ashly Mae Guernaccini, Esq. Florida Bar Number: 1022329 At Cause Law Office, PLLC 314 S. Missouri Avenue, Suite 201 Clearwater, Florida 33756
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FIRST INSERTION NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT, SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION CASE NO.: 2024-CP-0380 DIVISION 48 IN RE: ESTATE OF CYNTHIA SCHWAB, Deceased. The administration of the estate of CYNTHIA SCHWAB, deceased, whose date of death was April 3, 2024, is pending in the Circuit Court for Flagler County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Bldg. #1, Bunnell, FL 32110. 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 WITHIN 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 SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA STATUTES 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 first publication of this notice is April 17, 2025. LISA ROBERTS, Personal Representative KOLAR LAW, P.A. Eric S. Kolar, Esquire Florida Bar No: 961220 4035 Atlantic Boulevard Jacksonville, FL 32207 (904) 396-0009 (904) 396-8700(facsimile) Attorney for Personal Representative Lisa Roberts service@kolarlaw.com eric@kolarlaw.com mk@kolarlaw.com April 17, 24, 2025 25-00109G
FIRST INSERTION NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION File No. 2024 CP 000592 Division 48 IN RE: ESTATE OF STEVE J. CERRETA, SR Deceased. The administration of the estate of Steve J. Cerreta, SR., deceased, whose date of death was October 22, 2023, is pending in the Circuity Court for Flagler County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which Kim C. Hammond Justice Center, 1769 E Moody Blvd, Bldg 1, Bunnell, FL 32110. 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 SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA STATUTES 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 first publication date of this notice is April 17, 2025. Signed on the 3 day of April, 2025.
The Inter-United Soccer Club of Palm Coast 2009 girls team (16U) won the United States Youth Soccer Commissioner’s Cup championship on April 6. Courtesy photo by Keri Sammons
Suzanne Cordes won two gold medals and a silver medal at the World Masters Athletic Championships in Gainesville. Courtesy photo
