PALM COAST
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 17, NO. 20
ARE WE A LACROSSE CITY? 7B
FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY JUNE 18, 2026
Crime is down. Calls are up. Sheriff makes his case. Requesting more deputies, Staly urges caution on property tax cuts, calling it a ‘political operation.’ PAGE 5A
Ray Stevens reclaims seat on City Council
Prepare for departure
Spreading wings, at Teens-inFlight summer camp. PAGE 9A
Former councilman ran unopposed. PAGE 4A INSIDE PUPPY LOVE
Flagler Humane Society, FCSO team up to give puppies and inmates a fresh start. PAGE 2A
NONDISCRIMINATION Flagler Schools to vote again on agreement after UNF removes ‘sexual orientation’ from nondiscrimination rule. PAGE 8A
SEAPERCH
Three Buddy Taylor Middle School underwater robotics teams make a splash. PAGE 3B
INDEX
Business..................... PAGE 6B Calendar..................... PAGE 2B Cops Corner................PAGE 2A Crossword.................. PAGE 2C Letters.......................PAGE 10A Public Notices............ PAGE 6C Schools....................... PAGE 3B Sports..........................PAGE 7B Tributes ...................... PAGE 4C Real Estate................. PAGE 4B
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Brant Tarsitano is ready to fly. Photo by Rachel Mills
FREE AT LAST Honoring Juneteenth, at the AACS PAGE 1B Volunteers reenact end of slavery, at the Juneteenth Freedom Day celebration. Photo by Rachel Mills
World Cup frenzy Flagler Palm Coast youth soccer camp featured World Cup-themed games and trophies.
PAGE 9B
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THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
NEWS BRIEFS Flagler Humane Society, FCSO team up to give puppies, inmates a fresh start The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office rolled out the red carpet and several puppy pads on June 11, welcoming an entire litter of puppies from the Flagler Humane Society into its Successful Mental Health
and Addiction Recovery Treatment (SMART) program at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. The 11 puppies have a new pack of seven handlers: male SMART Program inmates who are learning that a little puppy love goes a long way. In a short time, we have found a paws-itively perfect match where everybody walks away with wagging tails. SMART is an in-custody, evidence-based treatment program designed to help participating inmates work through mental health and addiction challenges. The program has earned national
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office SMART Program welcomed a litter of puppies into the jail.
COPS CORNER JUNE 4
SMELLS SUSPICIOUS 2:46 p.m. — 1000 block of Justice Lane, Bunnell Introduction of contraband into a detention facility. A woman already facing drug charges was arrested again after admitting she had concealed fentanyl inside her body while being booked into the Flagler County jail. Deputies responded to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility after jail
staff reported the inmate told a deputy she had been hiding narcotics since arriving at the facility. According to the arrest report, the woman went to a restroom and removed the drugs before turning them over to deputies. She told deputies she decided to remove the narcotics because they were causing an unpleasant odor. The substance tested positive for fentanyl and weighed approximately 19 grams. The narcotics were packaged and will be submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for additional testing.
Palm Coast | The Hammock | Ormond Beach | Daytona Beach
recognition for its innovative approach, which pair’s structure, accountability and hard work with the simple, steady companionship of animals who do not care about your past. For the men in the program, caring for 11 wiggly, hungry, occasionally mischievous puppies means feeding schedules, cleanup duty and practicing patience — the same daily routine, responsibility, and sense of purpose that research shows are key ingredients in lasting recovery. The arrangement is a win for the Flagler Humane Society, too. Housing the litter at the detention facility frees up kennel space at the shelter and sends the puppies back into the adoption pipeline well-fed, well-socialized, and ready to fetch their furever homes. This is not the first time male SMART program inmates have rolled up their sleeves for the Flagler Humane Society. The men’s program recently designed and constructed four large dog shelters, standing 12 feet tall and measuring 12 feet by 12 feet wide, to give shelter dogs shade and a safe, comfortable
The woman was charged with introduction of a controlled substance into a correctional facility and possession of fentanyl. The arrest came just two days after she was booked into the jail on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.
JUNE 5
GIFT CARD GAMBLE 9:54 p.m. — Palm Coast Fraud. A Flagler County couple lost hundreds of dollars after a scammer convinced a man with Alzheimer’s disease that he needed to purchase
for kittens around the clock. The kitten-fostering initiative has become one of the program’s most beloved features. We believe this initiative will work even better when it is raining both cats and dogs! Residents interested in adopting a puppy, kitten or pet of their own are encouraged to visit flaglerhumanesociety.org.
Daytona man charged after alleged exposure in Palm Coast
Puppies from the Flagler Humane Society are being cared for by inmates in the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office SMART Program. Photo courtesy of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office
place to play while their kennels are cleaned. Inside the women’s program, participants in the female SMART Program are currently fostering seven orphaned kittens. Inmates bottle-feed, socialize and care
gift cards to claim a vehicle. According to a Sheriff’s Office report, the victim received a phone call from someone claiming he needed to pay money in order to receive a new vehicle. Believing the story, he purchased approximately $1,000 in gift cards before his wife was able to intervene and end the call. Investigators said about $700 had already been spent from the cards before the scam was stopped. Two $100 Amazon gift cards remained unused, but a $500 Visa gift card had already been redeemed. The victim’s wife told deputies her husband has Alzheim-
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office obtained an arrest warrant for Craig Stevens Jr., 34, of Daytona Beach, after an investigation determined he exposed himself to a 15-yearold boy and attempted to enter the teen’s shower at a Palm Coast gym, the FCSO reported. Sheriff Rick Staly said: “I commend the teen victim for the way he handled this perverted encounter and immediately reporting it. He likely protected others from becoming victims of this predator.”
er’s disease and had previously experienced issues with scammers. Before contacting law enforcement, she deleted information related to the scammers from his phone and changed his phone number. Deputies were unable to identify a suspect, and the case was later classified as inactive due to a lack of evidence.
JUNE 9
DUG A DEEPER HOLE 1:56 p.m. — 400 block of Leeway Trail, Ormond Beach Criminal mischief. “Someone was illegally cutting through private property and got himself stuck in a ditch and is
Palm Coast man arrested after alleged home invasion
The Bunnell Police Department arrested Antonio Figueroa-Acevedo, 30, of Palm Coast, following a violent domestic incident reported at a Bunnell residence on the morning of June 12, 2026. At approximately 9:55 a.m., Bunnell Police officers responded to a report of a physical disturbance. Officers learned the suspect, who was known to the victim, allegedly entered the residence without permission, attacked the victim, prevented the victim from leaving, and used violence during the incident. Acevedo is being held on no bond at the St. Johns County jail. “This case reflects the kind of violence no person should ever have to endure,” said Chief David Brannon. “Our officers and detectives acted quickly, followed the evidence, and worked with our law enforcement partners to ensure the suspect was located and taken into custody. Domestic violence is not a private matter, and it will never be treated as one by this agency.”
now taking selfies in front of the stuck vehicle.” That was the call police received concerning a 17-yearold Ormond Beach boy, the latest in what a police report noted was a series of incidents where juveniles drive off local roads and create deep tire ruts within rights of way, causing significant property damage. When police arrived on the scene, the teenager and his truck were still stuck in the stormwater drainage ditch. As an officer approached, he overheard the teenager speaking with a roadside assistance service. According to the police report, during the investigation, the teenager asked the officer, “You’re not allowed to dig up here anymore?” He then followed up with, “If I knew it wasn’t allowed, I wouldn’t have done it.” He now faces a misdemeanor. The police report noted that the damage was valued at $888, as it would take six hours of labor to repair, at a rate of $148. The damage property is owned by the city.
JUNE 11
ANTISEMITIC LETTER 11:38 a.m. — 400 block of North Nova Road, Ormond Beach Non-reportable offense. A local synagogue received suspicious letters in the mail and contacted police. A synagogue employee showed the letter to police. The letter was enclosed in an envelope and contained a single white sheet of paper with a large red swastika, according to the police report. Police submitted the letter into its records.
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THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
Chief Oyster Ambassador Brian Hilgers; his wife, Becky Hilgers; and Coastal Conservation Association representative Rand Bennett show off their VOGs. Photos by Rachel Mills
Clean water, naturally A grassroots effort, which started in Volusia, is attracting oysters to clean local waters in Flagler. ABE MILLS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Flagler County teamed up with “Oysters for My Neighborhood” and the Coastal Conservation Association and installed 200 Vertical Oyster Gardens (VOGs) at three boat dock locations on Tuesday, June 16. Teams of Volunteers installed VOGs at Bings landing, the Moody Boat Launch at Flagler Beach, and at Herschel King Park in Palm Coast. Oysters for my Neighborhood collects shells from local restaurants and dries them out for at least six months, “in order to kill off any diseases, bacteria, invasive species — if they were to come from Texas, Virginia, or wherever they may have come from,” CCA representative Logan Kennovin said. Once the oyster shells are dried out, volunteers drill holes in them, put them on a rope, and then hang them on a dock. “Think of this as condominiums or apartments for little baby oysters,“ Brian Hilgers, chief oyster ambassador, said. “Little oysters are looking for a home right now, and they attach to this and they grow.” According to Hilgers,
Capt. Jim Kelly, of Flagler Beach Yacht Club and Fun Coast Yacht Services, and Logan Kennovin, a Coastal Conservation Association representative, work together to install a vertical oyster garden.
one oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day. “It cleans out all the algae, plankton, and other stuff in the water,” Hilger said. “With cleaner water, more fish and more habitats can survive.” “Every dock can use this. No permits needed. It’s a nobrainer,” Hilger said. Ormond Beach resident Chuck Gleichmann founded Oysters for My Neighborhood in 2024 after reading an article about the success of VOGs on the West Coast. He felt like it could be successful on the Eastern seaboard as well. “We started a grassroots effort in Ormond Beach to
help make our river better,” Gliechmann said. “Since then we’ve installed 1,700 VOGs.” Hilger hopes that they can continue working with Flagler County until every dock in Flagler County has VOGs. He also called on other cities to follow Flagler’s lead. “Ormond, Daytona, Edgewater, catch up to Flagler. You’re way behind. Let’s put these down there, OK?” Hilger said. For more information on how to get free Vertical Oyster Gardens installed on your dock, go to www.oystersformyneighborhood.com. See video on the Palm Coast Observer’s Facebook page.
“Think of this as condominiums or apartments for little baby oysters. Little oysters are looking for a home right now, and they attach to this and they grow.” BRIAN HILGERS, Chief Oyster Ambassador
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THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
Palm Coast | The Hammock | Ormond Beach | Daytona Beach
Q +A RICK STALY, FLAGLER COUNTY SHERIFF
Crime is down. But calls are up, so FCSO needs to grow, Staly says RICH CARROLL MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER
F
lagler County Sheriff Rick Staly recently joined Observer Now to discuss his budget request, and why calls for service continue to rise despite a significant reduction in crime. What follows is a transcript edited for length and clarity. You spoke to the Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday as city leaders begin preparing next year’s budget. What are your biggest needs, and what message were you trying to convey to council members?
I think what people need to remember is that when I was elected sheriff and came in 2017, to now, halfway through 2026, over 45,000 new residents have arrived, and by far the majority of them are in the city of Palm Coast. The city of Palm Coast does not have a police department. So we provide the service to them, which is a great deal for the city residents because they’re getting a full-service police department, if you will, for about $13 million a year. If they were to do that themselves and they staffed it properly, not including the capital cost, the building like the one you’re in, cars, guns, all that stuff, you’re talking $35 million to $40 million today, not including the capital. What I discovered when I was elected sheriff is, in 2017, I inherited an agency that had 170 deputies. I knew that was short. This agency was a reactive agency and not a proactive agency. We went out and got independent studies through a grant. They were conducted
by the University of North Florida. The 2020 study showed that in 2018, this agency was 31 deputies short just then. That was two years later, with the study being done. It was projected that we would need 248 total deputies by 2025, based on a population of 124,000. This is for the entire county. Well, the population today is 140,000 and climbing. So by far, the studies underestimated the actual number of deputies needed. Budgets are always difficult and challenging. I don’t set the tax rate, but this is about setting priorities by elected officials that do set those tax rates and the service level. That’s the decision point that other elected bodies, whether it’s the Board of County Commissioners, the city of Palm Coast, Flagler Beach or Bunnell, even though they have their own police departments, have to decide: What level of service do you want? I can make a recommendation. Usually, it is negotiated, and we land somewhere there. This year is probably a little more challenging because you have declining revenue, well, declining appraisal values. Flagler County, up until a year ago, was the third fastest-growing county in the state of Florida. Now
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly speaks with Observer Now during an interview in his office at the Operations Center in Bunnell. Photo by Richard Carroll
we’re the sixth. So it has slowed down a little bit on the population. But the study was replicated again in 2022, and the plan is to do it again in 2027. I can tell you right now that as long as people are coming here, you’re going to need deputies because you still have to handle calls, even though crime is down. Crime is down. Palm Coast has ranked as one of the safest cities in Florida, and residents have said they feel safe. How do you maintain that service? Is it just about new deputies?
No, it’s not just deputies. We have support staff. We use a lot of technology, which allows our deputies to be more efficient, cost-effective and proactive. If we become a reactive agency like it was prior to 2017, then you’re going to see crime go up. You’re going to see things that you see in other cities that don’t properly fund. That’s what this county and agency was. It’s not that way now.
I appreciate the support of the County Commission and the mayor and city of Palm Coast because those are the two funding sources for this agency. But how safe do you want to be? There’s a cost to safety. I’ll give you an example. In 2017, my first year as sheriff, 114,000 calls for service were handled by this agency. In 2025, over 126,000 calls for service. Even though crime is down, we’re the 24/7 operation that people call. A lot of things are not counted in crime stats. We’re regulated in what we have to report to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and ultimately the FBI on crime, and they changed all the definitions two years ago and what we have to report. But here’s what’s not included in crime numbers: vehicle crashes where there’s no crime, not a homicide; domestic disturbance calls that don’t rise to the level of a crime; barking dog complaints; traffic complaints; all the things that we deal with that are not counted in the crime stats. So even though the crime stat is provable that there’s a 54% reduction, the other calls keep going up. The question people may ask is: If crime is down, why do you need more deputies?
The calls for service are not down. The calls for service, in fact, are up. Everything that you don’t report as a crime, somebody has to handle that. We go to an unusual amount, in my opinion, of Baker Acts, which are involuntary mental health evalu-
ations, where a deputy will pick somebody up and take them to a facility because they’re having a mental health episode. That’s not a crime. But if we’re not doing it, who is? In fact, the law says we have to. Going through daily arrest reports, it seems like there are a lot of domestic violence incidents in Flagler County. You also mentioned Baker Acts, and shoplifting seems to be an issue. Are those issues, and how are we doing with those situations?
It absolutely is an issue. We made great progress on domestic violence before COVID. You may recall that in 2018, we had four homicides, all domestic-related. I pulled the community together, and we came up with a community plan specific for Flagler County in all the different aspects, whether it involved the Family Life Center, the hospital, the schools, the Humane Society, believe it or not, because that can be an indicator of violence in a home — how people treat their animals. We brought everybody together, and we made a plan, and we were driving domestic violence down. Then COVID came. When you have not a strong relationship and now you’re locked in a house, maybe got laid off from your job or your hours were cut back, now you have additional pressures in the home. Domestic violence had a significant increase. We’re still below 2017 levels when you look at it, which is pretty good, despite having 45,000 new residents since
2017. Some of those have come from other communities that maybe don’t have an initiative to reduce domestic violence. I’d love to end domestic violence, but that’s not realistic. So we have a pro-arrest policy. If the deputy can determine who’s the primary aggressor in that situation, one of you is going to go to jail because we’d rather put you in jail to de-escalate and separate the two parties than have a homicide. Domestic violence continues to be an issue in this community. I wouldn’t say any more than any other community. It’s just unfortunate. COVID kind of brought it back up. Last week, we had a stepdad stab a stepson with a pair of scissors in the leg. It is domestic violence-related, and there’s no need for that. De-escalate. Walk away. We do a lot of training in de-escalation, and we have been very successful. Probably since I’ve been sheriff, we could have legally used deadly force 15 or 16 times in about nine years. We had to use it once. That was a fugitive that never gave us an opportunity to de-escalate. He pointed a gun at a deputy sheriff. You point a gun at a deputy sheriff, you’re going to get shot. But all those other cases we were able to de-escalate. What I tell every deputy I hire is that just because you can legally use deadly force doesn’t mean that’s the right decision. You may recall I was shot on duty. So I get the dangers out there. I still go out on patrols.
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THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
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Staly urges caution, calls state property tax reform a ‘political operation’ Tax cuts would have unintended consequences for local governments, public safety, Staly says.
at least 60% of voters. The amendment would raise the exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and then to $250,000 in 2028, reducing property tax bills for many homeowners while lowering revenue collected by cities and counties. The measure is part of a broader effort by Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislative leaders to provide property tax relief to Florida homeowners. Supporters argue residents need relief from rising housing costs and growing tax bills, while critics have raised concerns about how local governments would replace the lost revenue used to fund public safety, infrastructure and other essential services. Staly acknowledged the appeal of property tax relief, noting that he has personally experienced a significant increase in his own tax bill
RICH CARROLL MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly used part of his budget presentation before the Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday to weigh in on Florida’s proposed property tax overhaul, urging local leaders not to assume the measure will automatically pass when it reaches voters this November. The proposal, approved for the ballot by state lawmakers during a recent special session, would significantly increase Florida’s homestead exemption if approved by
after moving into a new home. “My taxes are $8,000 a year after I moved,” Staly said. “I went from $3,000 because I was homesteaded and Save Our Homes and all that to $8,000.” Despite understanding homeowners’ frustrations, Staly argued that the proposal targets local government finances rather than state spending. “What they did was screw around with the cities and the counties,” Staly said. “In my opinion, it was politics.” The sheriff said he believes many voters may initially support the proposal because it promises lower tax bills, but he urged local officials not to assume its passage is inevitable. “I would encourage you to not jump off the cliff yet, because I’m not sure we’re there,” Staly told council
members. Staly pointed to Florida’s recreational marijuana amendment as an example of a proposal that received majority support but failed to meet the 60% threshold required for constitutional amendments. He said voter education could similarly play a major role in the outcome of the property tax proposal. A major concern for Staly is the potential impact on public safety funding. The legislation includes language intended to prevent local governments from reducing funding for law enforcement and fire services. However, Staly said the proposal lacks clear definitions that would determine exactly what agencies and services are protected. “I have looked at the bill myself that was passed, and it says you can’t basically defund
public safety,” Staly said. “But there’s no definition on what law enforcement is.” He noted that sheriff’s offices across Florida have vastly different responsibilities. Some agencies oversee corrections, fire rescue, emergency management and animal control in addition to traditional law enforcement duties. “Walton County Sheriff, he runs the fire department, too. Broward County Sheriff runs corrections, runs the bailiffs, runs law enforcement, runs fire rescue,” Staly said. “ ... Some of the agencies have emergency management, some of them don’t. So it’s all over the place in the state of Florida.” The sheriff also criticized the speed with which the proposal advanced through the Legislature. “In my experience, and y’all are elected officials, I’ve been
doing this a long time too, just like y’all have, anything that gets done in Tallahassee fast, and this was super fast, is never thought through,” Staly said. He warned that voters need to understand the broader implications before making a decision at the ballot box. “There’s going to be all kinds of unintended consequences, and that’s what the public needs to be educated for,” Staly said. As local governments throughout Florida begin evaluating how the proposal could affect future budgets, Staly said public education will be critical in the months leading up to the vote. For now, he remains optimistic. “I have faith in the voters that they will see through a political operation,” Staly said.
Flagler County leaders speculate: Will 60% of voters approve tax cuts? Commissioners review preliminary estimates and discuss how a proposed amendment could affect services.
ers approve the measure in November. During a June 16 budget workshop, Financial Services Director Brian Eichinger presented an initial analysis of the proposed constitutional amendment, which would increase the homestead exemption to $150,000 in the first year and $250,000 in the second year if approved by at least 60% of Florida voters. Eichinger stressed that the numbers presented were intended as a high-level exercise designed to help commissioners understand the potential effects on county finances. “We plotted out these are all based on FY26 budgets,”
RICH CARROLL MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER
Flagler County officials are beginning to grapple with what a proposed expansion of Florida’s homestead exemption could mean for local government budgets, with commissioners discussing potential revenue losses and the challenges local governments could face if vot-
Eichinger said. “Just for bigpicture discussion.” The presentation examined how reduced taxable values could affect county revenues and funding available for constitutional officers, public safety operations and other government services. Vice Chair Kim Carney referenced comments made by state Rep. Sam Greco during a recent public appearance. “The question on the table is, how did they arrive at those numbers?” Carney asked. Carney said local governments are being asked to evaluate a proposal that could significantly alter revenue streams without having access to the assumptions
and data used to develop the state’s projections. Chair Leann Pennington said county leaders should prepare for the possibility that voters ultimately approve the amendment. “Unfortunately — fortunate or unfortunate if you’re sitting here in the seat of making decisions — this is probably going to pass,” she said, Property Appraiser Jay Gardner offered a different perspective, noting that constitutional amendments now require 60% voter approval and that passage is far from guaranteed. Gardner pointed out that Florida’s Save Our Homes amendment, which limits
annual increases in assessed value for homesteaded properties, originally passed with just 53% support. “That wouldn’t have passed this time,” Gardner said. Gardner said one of the most common questions he hears from residents concerns how local governments would replace lost revenue if the amendment is approved. The proposal has generated significant discussion throughout Florida because property taxes fund many local government functions, including law enforcement, fire protection, parks, road maintenance and other public services. During the workshop, com-
missioners emphasized that the county’s responsibility is to understand the potential impacts and begin planning for various scenarios before voters make their decision. “Our job’s to prepare,” Pennington said. “Let’s see what we need to do now to get ready.” County staff indicated additional analysis will likely be conducted as more information becomes available from state officials and the Property Appraiser’s Office. For now, commissioners are treating the proposal as one of the largest financial uncertainties facing local governments as they continue work on the fiscal year 2027 budget.
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THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
Palm Coast | The Hammock | Ormond Beach | Daytona Beach
Ray Stevens regains his seat on the Palm Coast City Council Stevens ran unopposed for the District 3 seat. He will return to the council in November. BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Ray Stevens will return to the Palm Coast City Council in November. With the qualifying deadline passing on Friday, June 12, Stevens remained the only candidate in District 3. He was elected to the City Council in 2024 but resigned less than four months later because of a serious illness. After recovering from fungal pneumonia, the 77-yearold former New York police lieutenant announced last August that he would run again this year to serve the last two years of his four-year term. Former Flagler County Commissioner David Sullivan was appointed on April 15, 2025, to fill the seat until the 2026 November general election. “I feel as though I have a job to finish,” Stevens said on June 12 after the candidate qualifying period ended at noon. “I want to fulfill or attempt to fulfill the promises I made during the (2024) campaign. Unfortunately, due to health reasons, I stepped down from the council because I thought it was the ethical thing to do,
KEY DATES
PRIMARY ELECTION: Aug. 18. Early voting: Aug 8-15. GENERAL ELECTION: Nov. 3. Early voting: Oct. 19-31. VOTE BY MAIL: Requested mail-in ballots are sent 33-40 days before election. For more election information, go to flaglerelections.gov
because I’m laying on my back in the hospital, which turned out to be two months, collecting a paycheck, and the City Council is deadlocked on important issues to vote.” He said it has been a long recovery, but he is back riding his motorcycle, doing light calisthenics and riding a bicycle. “People say, ‘How do you know you’re not going to get sick again?’ Well, how does anybody know (they’re) not going to get sick again? Nobody can say for certain, or without equivocation, ‘I’m not going to be sick tomorrow.’ So what we do is we have to take care of ourselves the best we can. You get your shots, your inoculations and you carry on.” Stevens said the issues facing the City Council have not changed since he resigned on Feb. 28, 2025.
“I got elected because I was on point, I was on message,” Stevens said. “And that message is that we have to put the brakes on or pull the reins in on what I consider to be uncontrolled and/or poorly planned development. It’s taking a toll on our quality of life here, as far as traffic conditions, air quality, loss of green space. Infrastructure cannot sustain the rapid population growth.” He said he would also like to see the city government pared down through staff attrition. “I believe we should engage in consolidation of services,” Stevens said. “We are top heavy with too many levels of supervision. I don’t believe in mass layoffs, but it may come a point where attrition may not be able to handle the situation, and we may have to go to layoffs.” LOCAL RACES SET
The other local races are set with two or more candidates running for Palm Coast City Council, County Commission and School Board. Tony Amaral Jr., Jeani Duarte and Jimmy Hengy are running for the City Council District 2 seat, currently held by Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri, who is running for County Commission. Four candidates have qualified in the City Council District 4 race: Dylana “Dee” Galery, Ramon Marrero, Darlene Shelley and John Kvederis. For County Commission, two Republicans — Greg Feld-
Palm Coast City Council District 3 candidate Ray Stevens at the Flagler GOP Candidate Forum on Feb. 6, 2026. File photo by Brent Woronoff
man and Pontieri — are running along with independent Raymond Royer for the District 2 seat. That seat is currently held by Greg Hansen, who is stepping down after serving two four-year terms plus a partial term after he was appointed to fill a vacancy in 2017. Commission Chair Leann Pennington is running for reelection in District 4 against Ana Jones and Drew Moss. All three candidates are Republicans. There are three seats open on the School Board. Cathy Moon and former board member Jill Woolbight are running for the open District 1 seat. Incumbent Will Furry and Rob Wood are running in District 2. Commission Chair Christy
Chong, Ron Long and former board member Trevor Tucker are running in District 4. Kevin Porter (Seat 1) and George DeGovanni (Seat 5) are each running unopposed for the two open Dunes Community Development District seats. Gary David Garner is running unopposed for the Deer Run CDD Seat 1; and Jeanna James and Gary Marsten are running for Seat 2. Richard Mayor and Kathy Myers are running unopposed for Grand Haven CDD Seats 1 and 5, respectively; Joe Janukaitis, Ray Krov and Brian Unger are running for the District 3 seat. Patricia Thigpen (Seat 1) and John Ford (Seat 5) are running unopposed for Hunter Ridge CDD.
NEWS BRIEFS Flagler Leadership Academy’s historic class
Thirteen executives, managers, and professionals graduated from the Flagler County Local Government Leadership Academy during a ceremony held Thursday at the Sheriff Rick Staly Law Enforcement Center. This graduating class marks a historic milestone for the academy as the first class to include representatives from every major local
Graduating class. Courtesy photo
government organization in Flagler County. Participants came together from Flagler County government, all three municipalities — Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, and Bunnell — Flagler Schools, and every Constitutional Office, including the Clerk of Court
& Comptroller, Sheriff, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, and Supervisor of Elections. Now in its seventh year, the Flagler County Local Government Leadership Academy has earned national recognition through an Achievement Award from the National
Association of Counties and has graduated more than 125 public servants who serve as elected officials, senior administrators, managers, supervisors, and professionals throughout Flagler County. The academy is a partnership between Daytona State College, the Flagler County Tax Collector’s Office, and local governments throughout the County. Graduates receive a certificate of completion from Daytona State College. Michael Scheck, director of the Center for Business & Industry at Daytona State College, attended the ceremony and conferred certificates upon the graduates. “Leadership is not about position. It’s about influence, trust, vision, and elevating others,” said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. “My challenge to these graduates is to be the leaders you would want to follow.” Dr. Joe Saviak, who taught the academy, praised the graduates for their commitment to public service. He said: “The residents of Flagler County can be grateful and proud that they heard and answered the call to devote their lives and careers to public service.” Flagler County Tax Collector Shelly Edmonson, who coordinated the academy and hosted classes at the Tax Collector’s Office, said the program reflects a shared commitment among local governments to invest in their people and strengthen public service.
Flagler County gets ‘very good, clean audit’
Flagler County got good news when Zach Chalifour of James Moore and Company presented the audit findings for Fiscal Year 2025 to the Board of County Commissioners
The graduates Shannon Burnett, Flagler County Board of County Commissioners Jannet Dewberry, Flagler County Clerk of Court & Comptroller’s Office Brian Finn, Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Amanda Gilbert, Flagler County Board of County Commissioners Doug Glasco, Flagler Schools Tina Haney, Flagler County Tax Collector’s Office Leslie Jantzen, Flagler County Tax Collector’s Office Colleen Kuhn, City of Flagler Beach • Robert Martin, City of Palm Coast Joe Parsons, City of Bunnell Karen Sousa, Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Office James Walters, Flagler County Tax Collector’s Office Bryan Zuck, Flagler County Property Appraiser’s Office
at its workshop meeting this past Monday. “The short of it is this was a very good, clean audit,” said Interim County Administrator Adam Mengel. “We were told the Financial Audit Reports had an ‘unmodified opinion,’ – the best opinion – as the ‘financial statements present fairly, in all material respects.’” Federal and state single audits were performed on grants, and there were no findings. Six audits were completed: one for each of the five constitutional officers and the BOCC.
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THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
Palm Coast | The Hammock | Ormond Beach | Daytona Beach
‘Sexual orientation’ removed from UNF’s nondiscrimination provision Board member Janie Ruddy asked why the University of North Florida would ‘hone in on this group.’ BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR
In April, the Flagler County School Board approved an agreement with the University of North Florida for student teacher interns to serve in Flagler Schools. Now, the board is scheduled to vote again for approval due to UNF removing a protected class in the nondiscrimination provision. Originally, the provision stated, “During this agreement, neither party shall discriminate against any person on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability or veteran or marital status.” UNF has now removed the reference to sexual orientation. At the board’s June 9 agenda workshop, board member Janie Ruddy asked why they would make that change. “Quite frankly, I find it unsavory that they would hone in on this particular group,” Ruddy said. Board member Lauren Ramirez also asked if the change would impact Flagler Schools in enforcing its own policies? But the School Board’s policy under nondiscrimination and access to equal educational opportunity says “the board will not discrimi-
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Future projections continue trend of enrollment decreases which began with voucher program. ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The year 2023 was an inflection point for Flagler Schools as well as the state’s other school districts, Flagler School Planner Lisa Davina said. Davina presented the working group’s annual report to Flagler County’s Interlocal Oversight Committee on June 11. The committee and working group were established in 2022 with representatives from Flagler County, its cities and the school district to oversee public school facility planning.
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Flagler County School Board member Janie Ruddy. File photo
with this conversation when it doesn’t create an issue or a problem.” Earlier in the discussion, Board Chair Christy Chong said, “No. 1, there’s no reason why we should discriminate against anybody, right? No. 2, where do we draw the line? I could identify as Chinese, but that doesn’t make me Chinese. I don’t see an issue here. … We shouldn’t have discrimination anyway.” Ruddy said she agreed that “we shouldn’t have discrimination, but that’s why things like this are required in order to support that and protect our students or former students that may be participating in these programs.” In responding to Furry about why she initiated the conversation, Ruddy said, “In my view, the small things add up to large things, and if you’re not willing to stand for something that does not align with your ethos, however small, then you’re willing to be pushed over when big things do come.”
No new schools in Flagler’s plans
BRENT WORONOFF
Generations of Flagler County families have trusted us to honor special lives in our beautiful, modern facility.
nate nor tolerate harassment … on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, disability, pregnancy, marital status, age (except as authorized by law), religion, military status, ancestry, or genetic information, which are classes protected by state and/or federal law.” It does not include sexual orientation. Superintendent LaShakia Moore and board attoney David Delaney said the district would have to follow federal nondiscrimination law which would take precedent over policies and state law. “We can’t disciminate even if it’s listed or not listed if it’s in violation of federal or state law,” Moore said. Flagler Schools counsel Sven Smith said the agreement was drafted by UNF and the change was made due to a university policy update. He also said sexual orientation is not listed in nondiscrimination provisions in every agreement that the school district signs. Ruddy asked to see three other similar agreements in deciding whether she would vote to approve the agreement with UNF. Board member Will Furry said having the conversation was wasting the School Board’s time. “Our policy does not have this. This is their language. There is no contradiction on our policy side,” Furry said, adding, “I don’t know why we’re debating this. … I don’t have a problem with it being removed if that is what their board wanted and if it aligns with our existing discrimination policy. I don’t know why we’re wasting the board’s time
In 2023, the Florida Department of Education adopted the universal voucher program to distribute scholarships to families of K-12 students attending private schools or home schools regardless of income. According to the DOE’s annual October report, Flagler’s Full Time Equivalent enrollment peaked in 2023 at 12,643 students. It has dropped each year since then to 12,369 in October 2025, with a projected total of 12,221 in October 2026, reflecting the shift in enrollment patterns. Flagler Schools’ projections through 2035 continue to drop with a low of 10,383 in 2034 and a slight rise to 10,434 in 2035. The projections do not include future large developments that have not yet applied for reserved school capacity, Davina said. The numbers are more dependable
ENROLLMENT
12,643
Student enrollment in October 2023
12,221
Projects student enrollment in October 2026
in the first three years of the projections as assumptions become less dependable over time, she said. While most Flagler public schools are under capacity, the district is nearing its ability to absorb students from new developments at the high school levels, the report said. The district’s five-year facilities work plan does not include plans for new school construction or school expansion.
ObserverLocalNews.com
THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
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Teens in Flagler County spread their wings at Teens-in-Flight camp Founder Jack Howell sponsored 20 students to help them toward FAA certification. ABE MILLS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Retired Col. Jack Howell had a vision. That vision is now benefiting a group of talented Flagler County teens who are experiencing the aviation industry like they never thought they
“Let’s help them progress, and that’s what we’re doing with this camp. Sometimes you have a kid that all [they] need to do is get hosed off with high pressure and there’s the diamond. We have diamonds!” JACK HOWELL, Teens-inFlight founder
“A lot of these students have never been in a prop plane before, or had family members that were a pilot. So, this experience is really exposing them to career paths.” JAMIE HANDY, camp director
could, thanks to the Teensin-Flight summer camp at the Flagler Airport. Howell started Teens-InFlight 32 years ago as a way to help teens who were dealing with the stress of having military parents on extended deployment. In the past, Howell ran summer camps where the students paid tuition, but this year he wanted to do something special: He wanted to sponsor 20 students with a budget of $3,500 each, so that they could attend the camp tuition free. He’s covering the fees for private pilot ground school, the FAA written exam and six hours of flight time to go toward FAA certification. “They’ll get three hours in the aircraft,” Howell said.
Instructor James Sorensen works with a student on the FAA Certified Flight Simulator. Photos by Rachel Mills
Teens-in-Flight camper Jared Williams makes final preparations for an instructional flight at the Flagler Airport.
Col. Jack Howell founded Teens-In-Flight 32 years ago as a way to help teens who were dealing with the stress of having military parents deployed for extended periods of time.
“They’ll get three hours on the simulator, which is an FAA approved simulator capable of giving them log book time.” The two-week summer camp experience has 16 active students, mostly from Flagler County. These are teens who are now able to have aviation experiences that they may not have had without this camp. “A lot of these students have
Students Trey Wood, Charlie Torrens and Vsevolod Tsyganov study together for the written FAA exam.
never been in a prop plane before, or had family members that were a pilot,” Camp Director Jamie Handy said. “So, this experience is really exposing them to career paths.” Homeschool student Brant Tarsitano is grateful for the opportunity and is serious about using this camp as a way to make it into the aviation industry. “The greatest benefit is how much I’ve learned, and then
now how much I can go and apply this,” Tarsitano said. “I hope to get my private pilot’s license, get my commercial license, maybe flight instructor. I could take it far. I never thought I’d be able to do this or be here right now.” Handy said that applicants for the program were selected using criteria including grades, grit and level of interest in aviation. This was what Jared Williams has been pre-
paring for his whole life. “I think through my application I showed that I had a deep desire to study aviation,” Williams said. “I think I proved I was able to learn and understand the material that we’re teaching here.” Howell has a continued vision for the program. “Let’s help them produce. Let’s help them progress, and that’s what we’re doing with this camp,” he said. “Sometimes you have a kid that all [they] need to do is get hosed off with high pressure and there’s the diamond. We have diamonds!” Parent Kelly Tarsitano couldn’t agree more and is grateful for her son, Brant’s transformation. “This is a life changing opportunity. It’s going to change the rest of his life, “ Tarsitano said. See the video on the Palm Coast Observer’s Facebook page.
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THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
Palm Coast | The Hammock | Ormond Beach | Daytona Beach
MY VIEW JAMES MANFRE
Now is the time to discuss consolidating services to increase efficiency If we are serious about lowering taxes ...
JAMES MANFRE GUEST WRITER
Now that it seems to be raining county and sheriff helicopters at exorbitant expense to the taxpayer, and property tax revenue may be
disastrously reduced by the state, we should be demanding that Flagler County, the cities and surrounding counties be discussing how to eliminate expensive services by consolidating resources. Before the hue and cry from elected officials begin, it has already been done to some extent in Flagler and in other counties. For instance, in Flagler in 2001, then City Manager Dick Kelton and I came to an agreement on the Sheriff’s Office providing law enforcement services to the newly incorporated city of Palm Coast. This agreement — even though Sheriff Rick Staly has recently increased the city’s contribution by 300% — has saved the city
millions of dollars in expense through this consolidated effort over 25 years. While I was sheriff, we merged the sheriff’s vehicle maintenance facility with the county, saving close to $1 million a year. In Duval County, the city merged with the county to lower administration costs and created efficiencies. With the City of Palm Coast accounting for close to 90% of the population of Flagler County and
most of the economic and population growth, consolidation of the city and county should be considered if we are serious about lowering taxes and bureaucracy. In Broward County, the Sheriff’s Office oversees law enforcement for the county and 14 separate municipalities, fire and rescue and emergency management. The savings have been dramatic. So here are some practical suggestions.
The issue is not whether government spending is too large or too small, but whether it is efficient. With the potential huge shortfall in tax revenues, delaying in making the tough decisions is no longer an option.
Combine all municipal law enforcement, fire and rescue and emergency management under the Sheriffs Office. With the 150% increase over 10 years in the sheriff’s budget, Rick Staly should have the administrative resources to oversee and integrate those operations into one comprehensive unit. We should enter into interlocal agreements with St. Johns and Volusia counties to provide combined helicopter, SWAT, K-9 and large incident command services. We already have such agreements for homicide, hazmat and regional drug interdictions. The reasons businesses merge are to save costs
through economies of scale and reducing administration expenses. We should think out of the box, like businesses, to stem the burdensome tax increases we are experiencing in this and every county in Florida due to growth, overspending and fiscal mismanagement. Ultimately, the issue is not whether government spending is too large or too small, but whether it is efficient. With the potential huge shortfall in tax revenues, delaying in making the tough decisions is no longer an option. James Manfre is a former Flagler County sheriff. Email letters to brent@ observerlocalnews.com.
MY VIEW THERESA PONTIERI, VICE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBER
‘Austerity’ is not reality. We need a better strategy to keep quality of life. Mayor’s idea is neither practical nor legal.
THERESA PONTIERI GUEST WRITER
I acknowledge the importance of maintaining a conservative and tightly
regulated, as well as fully transparent, budget. In concept, I fully support discussions on strategies that enhance our efficiency and eliminate wasteful spending. However, I must express my strong disagreement with the mayor’s proposed “austerity budget,” which, I believe, is ill-conceived, poorly written, and, frankly, legally impossible to implement. The proposed resolution fails to recognize the practical challenges we face each year when forming a municipal budget and does not adequately address the unique needs of our community. And how could it — being written
by AI? Furthermore, many of the items proposed neither make sense nor realistically present opportunities for savings. Here are just a few examples: It calls for the merging of finance and procurement. Procurement is already merged with finance. It recommends an administrative four-day work week, while at the same time, recommending those four days be 10-hour work days. I’m no math wizard, but whether we have five eight-hour work days or four 10-hour work days, our employees would still be working 40 hours a week.
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However, under the mayor’s proposal, we’d have one less day of being open and able to serve our residents, and our employees would be working longer—and thus likely less productive — days. I suppose those that have kids can decide whether they want to skip breakfast or skip dinner with their kids and families every Monday through Thursday, as a 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. work day, or an 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. work day (assuming we’re still allowing them to have a one-hour lunch break) doesn’t afford them the luxuries that a normal 8-5 work day allows. As a silver lining, I see the austerity budget does not explicitly take away their lunch hour, so I suppose we can rest easy there. The mayor’s budget calls for the elimination of nonmandated programs, all festivals, and all arts grants. And why wouldn’t an AIcreated budget take away these things? After all, it’s not human. Chatbots don’t recognize how important events like our 9/11 5K are; our favorite AI buddy, Claude, has no sense of what TouchA-Truck means to the community; and since the stories of our young authors in the Josh Crews writing program haven’t hit the internet yet, there’s simply no way Grok could know how disappointed our kids would be if we didn’t support that program. Next, this austerity budget calls for fixing roads using a “worst-first plus preservation” policy where we “shift budget to crack sealing and resurfacing vs. full rebuilds.” Well, Mayor, we’ve been doing that. I suggested we do that my very first year in office, and we’ve been setting aside $1 million each year to do just that. And we didn’t have AI nearly four years ago b— I got that idea from good, old-fashioned research and reading about ways to get
more infrastructure done with less money. Very vintage of me, I know. Moving on. Apparently, AI thinks saving a few bucks is worth sacrificing neighborhood safety, as this budget suggests turning streetlights off between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. So, if you work the night shift at Wawa, I hope your bright lights work well and that no deer are feeling risky — specifically in our L Section and S Section. And to our deputies patrolling the night shift and our firefighters responding to calls at 2 a.m., I pray your coffees stay full and your eyes wide open. No streetlights for you, either. The budget suggests an HOA park takeover program. I don’t know what that is, but it sounds terrible. And it suggests we auction surplus vehicles from our fleet. We already do that. And that’s far from the only thing this austerity budget suggests that we already do: It says we should have a dedicated stormwater fee, which we already have; it says we should move to full cost-recovery pricing for our waste pickup, which we already do; and — this is my favorite — increase impact fees and permit fees to 100% cost recovery for plan review, inspection, and infrastructure impact. Well, we’ve done that, and we’re being sued by the Homebuilders Association for it. So, apparently, either Grok, or Claude, or Chat AI didn’t get that memo either. Finally, I must address the illegalities and impracticalities with attempting to implement this. The proposed budget lists core services that must be prioritized, and while I don’t disagree with the priorities themselves, the fact is, property taxes have nothing to do with water, sewer,
road safety, and solid waste. Those are completely separate funds than what we use property taxes for. Therefore, you could “austerity” the heck out of our general fund budget, and it would quite literally have zero effect on those services. Additionally, while we as council give policy direction to staff as to how staff prioritizes city funds, including property taxes, the city manager and our directors have day-today spending authority, the threshhold limits of which you, Mayor, voted to increase rather unequivocally. In other words, city operations, like days of the week we are open and how many director-level positions we have, are not within this council’s purview. Those operational decisions sit with our city manager. To summarize, I find this proposal to be impractical, not legally enforceable, and out of touch — not just with reality, but also with the specific needs of Palm Coast. As we move forward, it is crucial that we take a realistic approach, ensuring that our budget reflects the realities of governing while effectively serving our residents. I welcome the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions with pinpointed strategies and solutions, rather than general ideas that look good on paper but are not workable in reality. This approach will lead to a budget that is both responsible and tailored to the specific needs of Palm Coast. For these reasons, I will not be supporting this resolution. I fully support taking a hard look at our budget, trimming down, spending less, and being more efficient. And I’ll be looking for ways to do this while maintaining the quality of life our residents have come to enjoy. But this is not the answer.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR FDLE report discards Palm Coast mayor’s bribery claim Dear Editor: As a “post-mortem” to the long running controversy and mystery regarding Mayor Mike Norris’ claim that he was bribed by a real estate developer, the takeaway is that our mayor had a very poor understanding of what constitutes a bribe. In reviewing the final report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which Norris referred the matter to back in June of last year, and is now public record, it seems there was
nothing for the assigned investigators to work with from the beginning. Their report quoted Norris, which was his interpretation of bribery, as saying that during a visit with the developer in January 2025 “Paul Rice (a Rayonier executive) made a statement that Rayonier would support him in his tenure as mayor and in the duration of his next election.” Rayonier, is a westside Palm Coast land owner interested in development in that area. The investigative report importantly clarified that “no goods, services or funds were promised or
exchanged.” And there was no mention of investigators even interviewing Mr. Rice. Offering nothing more than support clearly does not rise to the level of bribery. And the FDLE investigators agreed and concluded no evidence of criminality exists. We have to wonder what Mr. Rice is thinking now that his name officially appears in the public record and who in essence was accused of bribery by the mayor of Palm Coast. BOB GORDON Palm Coast
ObserverLocalNews.com
THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR How I lead Dear Editor: A recent letter made a thoughtful case for my qualifications. I am grateful to the writer, and I want to use the space her letter created to talk about something a resume does not capture: how I actually lead. I lead by three commitments: Relationships First, Commitment over Compliance, and Do No Harm. They came from real experience. Eleven years in the Air Force. Teaching GED at a maximum security prison after my family moved to Florida. Federal contracting work in leadership development, including becoming a certified executive coach. The last 10 years at Western Governors University, where I lead the leaders who serve more than 17,000 students. The lesson that completed my philosophy happened about a year into my WGU role. I had an employee whose work with students was good but whose followthrough was failing. After several coaching conversations, I told him the behavior needed to change. He took it hard, went to HR, and filed a complaint. The trust between us was broken. My senior manager could have moved the employee to another team. Instead, he told me I owned the broken trust, and my job was to rebuild it. That changed me. He understood what I did not yet: The people who lead leaders have a responsibility to grow them, not protect them. I did that work, and found three things to change. I had not honored the relationship in how I delivered the message. That is Relationships First. I had asked for compliance when I wanted commitment. They look the same on day one, not six months later
when the leader is not in the room. That is Commitment over Compliance. And I had walked in thinking about the outcome I needed, not the person in front of me. A leader delivers the hard message while leaving the other person’s dignity and next opportunity intact. That is Do No Harm. Boards of education exist to set the conditions in which educators serve students well. Every one of those responsibilities requires trust, and every one is harder if relationships are weak or leaders ask for compliance instead of commitment. I know I am fallible. Naming these principles is how I invite people to hold me accountable. I will bring them to this role, and I invite the people of Flagler to hold me to them, too. ROB WOOD Candidate for Flagler County School Board, District 2 Palm Coast
Dealership must suffer consequences Dear Editor: I am writing regarding the letter by former Palm Coast city architect Bill Butler concerning the recent destruction of mature, overstory oak trees that were lining Palm Coast Parkway in front of the Palm Coast Ford dealership. This action by Palm Coast Ford is a slap in the face of the environment, at our city government, and all residents who appreciate a roadway that contains an element of natural beauty. We do not need wall-to-wall pavement and concrete everywhere. This action was a direct and blatant violation of city ordinances that prohibit cutting down these large trees without a permit.
Do we get local representation or not? Dear Editor: At the May 19 Ormond Beach City Commission meeting, it was stated a special magistrate hearing was scheduled for May 27 regarding the vacant Makai Beach Lodge at 707 S. Atlantic Ave. That hearing was canceled — then, according to the city’s June 9 Facebook update, the May 27 session was treated as a Zoom meeting because the property owner’s LLC is based in Canada and could not appear in person on short notice. If it was a meeting and not a formal hearing, why was there no hearing agenda or exhibit packet made available to the public? That lack of documentation undermines transparency at a time when residents deserve clear, timely information about a deteriorating property in our beachfront neighborhood. The city’s update states the building had been vacant and declining for years and that the May 8 fire made it a safety concern; FPL has since disconnected power, and both a city assessment team and an independent engineer report the structure is not in immediate danger. The city also says the new owners — who only took title a few months ago — have local representatives on-site directing
These trees did not block the view of the dealership from the street. They enhanced the visual appearance of all businesses where we have these types of landscape buffers. Palm
cleanup: graffiti removed, debris cleared, fencing contracted, and work underway to secure the site. Code enforcement and the fire marshal are reportedly monitoring progress. These are positive steps, but they don’t excuse the procedural opacity. Residents need assurance that code enforcement actions are conducted consistently, that enforcement hearings are accessible and documented, and that delay or a change of format for hearings doesn’t become a substitute for public accountability. I urge the city to publish records for the May 27 session — agendas, exhibits, and any statements submitted by the owner or their representatives — and to clarify why the special magistrate hearing was not held in proper form, since it was stated that the Canadian owner has local representation. If Zoom was necessary for logistical reasons, an official hearing record should still be produced and made public. Continued updates on timeline and enforceable milestones for demolition or renovation would also help restore confidence that the property will be brought into full compliance without further delay. JENNIFER BRIGHT Candidate for Ormond Beach City Commission Zone 2
Editor’s note: The city was
Coast Ford did this on its own and so now must suffer the consequences. I hope the mitigation plan put in place by the city does not turn out to be another light slap on the wrists of
given a chance to respond. Deputy City Attorney AnnMargret Emery wrote: “The May 27 session was a staff coordination meeting, not a special magistrate hearing. It was convened to bring together the technical professionals with direct responsibility for assessing the property’s safety and security: police, fire, the building official, and neighborhood improvement and development. Those are the people who evaluate what building and fire codes require and determine what steps come next. The property owner participated via Zoom, a practical accommodation for a Canadian-based LLC. “Staff coordination meetings are a normal part of city operations. They happen daily, often on short notice, and they are not public proceedings. A staff meeting does not generate a hearing agenda or exhibit packet because it is not a hearing. The city does not open all internal staff coordination sessions to the public, and there is nothing unusual about that. “The special magistrate process is a separate and distinct proceeding. It remains available and will be used if circumstances warrant formal enforcement action. Code enforcement and the fire marshal continue to monitor the property. The city will provide public updates through official channels as milestones are reached.”
violators, no matter who they are. The law says they must replant with large trees, not the tiny sprigs builders plant in new homes’ yards. Let’s see.
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Spirit of America To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, we are asking our readers to submit a short essay, anything from 100 words to 400 words, to answer this question: What does the Spirit of America mean to you? Responses may be published online or in print.
JEFFERY C. SEIB Palm Coast
Send letters up to 400 words to brent@observerlocalnews. com.
HALIFAX REPERTORY THEATRE
1776 PRESENTS
AMERICA’S PRIZE WINNING MUSICAL
Music and Lyrics by SHERMAN EDWARDS · Book by PETER STONE BASED ON A CONCEPT BY SHERMAN EDWARDS
Original Production Directed by PETER HUNT ORIGINALLY PRODUCED ON THE BROADWAY STAGE BY STUART OSTROW NEWS JOURNAL CENTER | 221 N. BEACH STREET | DAYTONA BEACH, FL
Show Times:
FRI 6/26 7:00 PM FRI 7/3 7:00 PM SAT 6/27 7:00 PM SAT 7/4 2:00 PM SUN 6/28 2:00 PM SUN 7/5 2:00 PM
Tickets 386-290-9963
1776 Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com
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THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
Palm Coast | The Hammock | Ormond Beach | Daytona Beach
The Flagler County Cultural Council announces 2026-2027 City of Palm Coast Cultural Arts Grants The City of Palm Coast and the Flagler County Cultural Council are pleased to announce a new round of grants for arts, culture, and history organizations and events taking place in the City between October 1, 2026, and September 30, 2027. The window for FY2026-2027 grant applications opens on June 1, 2026, and closes on August 21, 2026. All applications must be submitted through the Flagler County Cultural Council website at https://flaglerartsandculture.org/granting-program/. Workshop Dates: July 17 at 2 PM and July 20 at 9:30 AM Location: Flagler County Tourism Office 120 Airport Road, Suite 3 Palm Coast, FL 32164
Grant application is available at: flaglerartsandculture.org/granting-program Questions? Email info@FlaglerArtsandCulture.org
Congratulations to our 2025-2026 City of Palm Coast Cultural Grant awardees. Look for these events and organizations this year as they make an impact on the arts, culture, and history of Flagler County! Organization • City of Palm Coast Historical Society • City Repertory Theatre of Palm Coast • Community Chorus of Palm Coast • Flagler Auditorium/Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center • Flagler County Education Foundation/Josh Crews Writing Project • Hispanic American Cultural Society • Palm Coast Songwriters Festival
JUNE 18, 2026
YOUR NEIGHBORS
Attendees stand to sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the Juneteenth Freedom Day celebration.
Honoring Juneteenth Palm Coast celebrated at Juneteenth Freedom Day at the African American Cultural Society. ABE MILLS
Michael Robb, Karen Duncan, and Adrian Worsley display Duncan’s creation So’Ka Punch at their vendor booth
Naseema Maat of Nefertiti Book & Gifts displays her African inspired clothing, art, and jewelry.
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Palm Coast residents celebrated at Juneteenth Freedom Day at the African American Cultural Society on Saturday, June 13. The AACS building was packed with members of the community and featured a program that included skits, musical performances, singa-longs, interactive dancing, a fashion show, prize drawings, and a scholarship presentation inside. Outside there was a bounce house, food trucks, drink, clothing, and food vendors and a Mayo clinic bus. “Each year it gets bigger and bigger,” AACS Membership Committee Chair Mamie Godfrey said. Juneteenth is a federal holiday to commemorate the
day that slavery ended in the United States. On June 19, 1865, U.S. troops marched into Galveston, Texas, to enforce President Abraham Lincoln’s executive order known as the Emancipation Proclamation. Gen. Gordon Granger declared that the remaining 250,000 slaves in Texas were officially free. Prior to then, those slaves spent two years without knowing that they had already been declared free. As part of the program, volunteers reenacted the moment that slaves were read the announcement. The audience Annesah Hunter and her baby and the actors cheered when the announcement was made. “[Juneteenth] is a celebra- to see everybody come togethtion of all of our culture and our er and act as a family together,” freedom; and it’s just amazing attendee Karlie Williams said.
Ralph and Agnes Lightfoot volunteered.
“[Juneteenth] is a celebration of all of our culture and our freedom; and it’s just amazing to see everybody come together and act as a family together.” KARLIE WILLIAMS, attendee
Drummers take part in the Juneteenth Freedom Day celebration at the African American Cultural Society in Palm Coast. Photos by Rachel Mills
THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
LOCAL EVENTS THURSDAY, JUNE 18
BEATS AND EATS When: 6-8 p.m. Where: The Stage at Town Center,1500 Central Ave. Palm Coast Details: Beats and Eats is a new monthly community event that combines the familiar Food Truck Tuesday experience with live concert entertainment from the Palm Coast Concert Series. The band is Soul Fire and the beneficiary will be the Hispanic American Cultural Association. ORMOND BEACH AREA DEMOCRATIC CLUB MEETING When: 6:30-8:15 p.m. Where: 56 N. Halifax Drive, Ormond Beach Details: Attend the June meeting of the Ormond Beach Area Democratic Club. The guest speaker will be Barry Powell, a candidate for Volusia County Council at-large. Likeminded guests are welcome to attend. Visit ormondbeachdems.org. DSC MUSIC PRESENTS SUMMER JAZZ CONCERT When: 7-9 p.m. Where: News-Journal Center, 221 N. Beach St., Daytona Beach Details: Attend this free concert. For more information, contact the box office at 386226-1888 or at boxoffice@ daytonastate.edu.
FRIDAY, JUNE 19
GOPHER TORTOISE: SUPERHERO OF THE SCRUB When: 10-11 a.m. Where: Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreational Area, 3100 S. Oceanshore Blvd., Flagler Beach Details: Discover the world of the gopher tortoise. After the talk, stick around for an optional stroll through the
park to spot active burrows. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Program open to all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Register at https:// www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/gopher-tortoise-superhero-of-the-scrub. FLORIDA HEAT, COOL WATER FAMILY PADDLE When: 5-7 p.m. Where: Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreational Area, 3100 S. Oceanshore Blvd., Flagler Beach Details: Learn about the estuary and marine life during this paddle program, which includes a kayak, paddles and personal flotation devices. Ages 6-13 are $20 per person, in a tandem vessel with adult. Single vessel, ages 14 and up are $30 per person. Bringing your own vessel? ages 14 and up are $20 per person. Park entry fee is separate. Space is limited. Call 386-517-2086.
SATURDAY, JUNE 20
OCEAN TO ESTUARY GUIDED NATURE WALK AND CITIZEN SCIENCE When: 9-11 a.m. Where: River to Sea Preserve, 9805 N. Ocean Shore Blvd, Marineland Details: Take a free guided walk with a master naturalist. Meet at the pavilion. There will also be a hands-on citizen science activity. Register at http://gtmness.org/calendars. PERSONAL PROPERTY APPRAISALS AND INSURANCE When: 2 p.m. Where: Ormond Beach Regional Library, 30 S. Beach St., Ormond Beach Details: Roger Ponn, founder of Roger Ponn Associated Appraisers, will explain what a personal property appraisal is, how it helps insurance and why an appraisal is important after hurricanes and other natural disasters. Free program.
Palm Coast | The Hammock | Ormond Beach | Daytona Beach
SUPERSAXX AND JAZZ FORTE When: 2 p.m. Where: Daytona Beach Regional Library, 105 Jackie Robinson Parkway, Daytona Beach Details: Supersaxx, aka Warren Stephens Jr., and Jazz Forte will play jazz standards dating back to the 1930s, along with pop, R&B;, jazz funk, and blues. BUNCO When: 6-9 p.m. Where: Flagler Woman’s Club, 1524 S. Central Avenue, Flagler Beach Details: Enjoy an evening of Bunco and a “June Jamboree Themed Bunco Buffet” with the Flagler Woman’s Club. The Clubhouse will provide pulled chicken, sloppy joes, lemonade, water and iced tea. Feel free to bring a summer side dish or dessert to share. All are welcome, even men. A $10 donation at the door is requested. Call Debbie at 312-607-8200 or Beth Ann at 407-506-6585 for more information.
SUNDAY, JUNE 21
PADDLE INTO ADVENTURE! When: 8:30-10:30 a.m. Where: Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreational Area, 3100 S. Oceanshore Blvd. Flagler Beach Details: Take this two-hour guided kayak tour, presented by the Friends of Gamble Rogers State Park. All skill levels over the age of 12 welcome. Registration is a donation of $50 per person; $25 if bringing your own kayak. Space is limited. Call 3866-517-2086 to register.
TUESDAY, JUNE 23
AMERICA250 — MEET THE ANIMALS When: 10:30 a.m. Where: Daytona Beach Regional Library, 105 Jackie Robinson Parkway, Daytona Beach Details: This program will be presented by the CARE
Foundation, a nonprofit exotic animal and wildlife education facility. Free. WATER SAFETY FOR CHILDREN WHEN: 1 P.M. Where: Ormond Beach Regional Library, 30 S. Beach St., Ormond Beach Details: The American Red Cross will present Longfellow’s Whale Tales, which introduces children ages 2-8 to basic guidelines and rules to help them be safer in, on and around the water. The program features animated videos and activities. Registration is not required. Free. TAYLOR ROAD BAND When: 2 p.m. Where: Daytona Beach Regional Library, 105 Jackie Robinson Parkway, Daytona Beach Details: Experience a performance of mix favorites – including pop, oldies, and dance – performed by the Taylor Road Band.
THURSDAY, JUNE 25
ART OF HEALING WORKSHOP When: 2-3:30 p.m. Where: Ormond Memorial Art Museum, 78 E. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach Details: This workshop focuses on self-expression, growth and relaxation. A professional art facilitator will offer instruction appropriate for all artistic skill levels. All materials are provided. Free. Registration is required. Visit www.ormondartmuseum.org/ classes-programs. FLAGLER TIGER BAY CLUB 2026 CANDIDATE FORUM When: 5-8 p.m. Where: Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE, Palm Coast Details: The Flagler Tiger Bay Club will host its 2026 Candidate Forum featuring qualified candidates for the Flagler County Commission and Palm Coast City Council.
The forum will begin with a meet-and-greet from 5-6 p.m., followed by a moderated Q&A; session. Free. MID SUMMER WINE WALK When: 6-9 p.m. Where: European Village, 101 Palm Harbor Parkway, Palm Coast Details: Support Vincent’s Clubhouse by taking part in this wine walk event, featuring wine tastings, vendors and live music. Tickets cost $25. Visit https://www.zeffy. com/en-US/ticketing/midsummer-wine-walk.
FRIDAY, JUNE 26
PADDLE INTO ADVENTURE! When: 10 a.m. to noon Where: Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreational Area, 3100 S. Oceanshore Blvd. Flagler Beach Details: Take this two-hour guided kayak tour. All skill levels over the age of 12 welcome. Registration is a donation of $50 per person; $25 if bringing your own kayak. Call 3866-517-2086 to register. ACOUSTIC JAM When: 2-5 p.m. Where: Mala Compra Road Beachfront Park, 115 Malacompra Road, Palm Coast Details: Jam with your neighbors every fourth Friday of the month. Audience and singers are welcome. Visit flaglerjam. com. NEFJA BARBECUE, JAZZ AND BLUES When: 4-7 p.m. Where: Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE, Palm Coast Details: Join the North East Florida Jazz Association for live music and a buffet barbecue dinner. The featured artist is the Amy Hall Quintet. Tickets are $55. Visit nefja.org. ‘FROM SEED TO SOUL’ EXHIBITION OPENING When: 6-8:30 p.m. Where: African American Museum and Cultural Center
of Florida, 4422 U.S. Highway 1 N., Palm Coast Details: The African American Cultural Society presents the grand opening of “From Seed to Soul: African, Indigenous and Cultural Foodways of Flagler County,” a Smithsonian Museum on Main Street exhibition in partnership with Florida Humanities. Free and open to the public. CMTW PRESENTS ‘BETWEEN THE LINES JR.’ When: 7 p.m. Friday, June 26; 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, June 27 Where: Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center, 399 N. U.S. 1, Ormond Beach Details: Children’s Musical Theatre Workshop will present its 2026 Summer Musical Theatre Camp Show, “Between The Lines, Jr.” This is a new Broadway junior show based on the novel by author Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer. Tickets cost $15 for ages 4-12; $20 for 13 and up. Children 3 and under are free. Visit https://ormondbeachperformingartscenter.csstix. com. ‘1776’ When: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 26, 27 and July 3; 2 p.m. Friday, July 3; and 2 p.m. Sunday, June 28 and July 5 Where: News-Journal Center, 221 N. Beach St., Daytona Beach Details: Step into the summer of 1776, when a handful of bickering, brilliant, and very human delegates gathered in a Philadelphia chamber to argue, compromise, and ultimately change the world. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical, “1776” brings John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and the Continental Congress vividly to life through wit, song and stirring drama. Presented by Halifax Repertory Theatre. Tickets cost $40 for adults; $35 for seniors. Visit https:// www.halifaxrep.com.
galleries goodies artists pop-ups
first saturday
Facebook.com/OrmondBeachArtsDistrict
A better future, one child at a time. Helping Your Child Grow, Learn & Thrive Help Me Grow is a free program that supports families with young children.
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ObserverLocalNews.com
THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
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YOUR SCHOOLS Three underwater robotics teams make a splash at SeaPerch Challenge The Oranges team of Alexander Mangal and Zachary Selic placed eighth out of 88 middle school teams. OBSERVER STAFF
Alexander Mangal and Zachary Selic scored the first-ever top-10 finish at the International SeaPerch Challenge for the Buddy Taylor Middle School underwater robotics club. The duo’s team, The Oranges, placed eighth overall out of 88 middle school teams in the international competition May 30-31 at the University of Maryland. Mangal and Selic earned a perfect score of 100 and a ninth-place finish in the Mission Course, which entails transporting objects from one underwater platform to another within a time limit with their remotely operated vehicle. They placed a second over-
CLASS NOTES Lauren Ramirez appointed co-chair of FSBA Know & Grow committee Flagler County School Board members Lauren Ramirez and Janie Ruddy attended the Florida School Boards Association/ Florida Association of District School Superintendents Annual
all with a score of 92.33 in their Technical Design Report that describes their ROV and their engineering and design process. And they placed 29th in navigating the Obstacle Course with a time of 1:02. The BTMS club, under the guidance of adviser Tracy Jones and assistant coach Michael Bozzo, brought three teams with a total of nine students to the international competition which included 210 middle school, high school and open-class teams from six countries and 44 states. The other teams also finished among the top 55. The Ammonites team of Lucas Strunk (captain), Nathan Cabrera Delombard and Noah Johnson) placed 37th overall and The Great Whites team of Levente Beregszaszi (captain), Ashton Barnes, Alexander Dattolico and Robert Peters placed 55th. “The results reflect much more than standard rankings,” Jones said. They represent a triumph of critical thinking, teamwork and resilience
Summer Conference on June 10-12 in Tampa. Ramirez earned her FSBA Master Board Member certification and was appointed co-chair of the FSBA’s Know & Grow Committee where she will help onboard and support the upcoming new School Board members across the state. Ramirez wrote on Facebook that discussions on data, governance and the 2026 legislative update “are so important as we work together as a board to ensure our decisions remain student-focused, fiscally re-
Nine students from the Buddy Taylor Middle School SeaPerch underwater robotics club competed at the International SeaPerch Challenge in Maryland. Courtesy photo
under pressure. The achievements of The Oranges, The Ammonites, and The Great Whites [show] our commitment to fostering excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.” Mangal and Strunk were competing at internationals for the second time. Mangal, the captain of The Oranges, placed 22nd overall last year with a different teammate. Selic and the entire Great Whites team were first-year club members, advancing to internationals despite this being their first year build-
Lauren Ramirez and Janie Ruddy. Courtesy photo
sponsible, and aligned with the evolving educational landscape in Florida and Flagler Schools!”
DRIVE FOR A DIFFERENCE
Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS presented by Circle K is excited to welcome fans to Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa, October 9-11, 2026, in Palm Coast, Florida. This PGA TOUR Champions event combines world-class golf with music, food, and entertainment, all in support of local charities. In an effort to raise more money for our community, Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS presented by Circle K has teamed up with Flagler County Education Foundation to donate Saturday and Sunday general admission ticket proceeds to support the program’s mission of generating financial support and awareness to enhance educational programs that benefit students, families, and teachers in Flagler Schools. 100% of your Saturday and Sunday general admission ticket proceeds for Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS presented by Circle K will go directly to Flagler County Education Foundation. Scan the QR code below to purchase your tickets and support Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS presented by Circle K and Flagler County Education Foundation!
LINK: https://am.ticketmaster.com/pgafuryk/buy/bu ytickets?promocode=RURVQ0FUSU9O PROMO CODE: EDUCATION
ing and operating the remote vehicles. All nine of the international competitors were eighth graders, and they all want to start
up SeaPerch clubs at their high schools in the upcoming school year. Selic, the lone Indian Trails Middle School student in the BTMS club,
wants to get a club started at Matanzas High School, while the others are planning to start a SeaPerch Club at Flagler Palm Coast.
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THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
Palm Coast | The Hammock | Ormond Beach | Daytona Beach
REAL ESTATE ORMOND BEACH
John Anderson Drive home sells for $800K A
house on the Halifax River at 2565 John Anderson Drive was the top real estate transaction in Ormond Beach and Ormondby-the-Sea for the week of May 23-29. The house sold on May 28, for $800,000. Built in 1963, the house is a 5/5 and has two fireplaces, a pool, a boat dock and 3,801 square feet. It last sold in 2017 for $500,000. The house was listed by Sandra Cencerik, of RE/MAX Signature.
JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR
Assessors Ormond Beach The house at 102 Ellsworth Ave. sold on May 27, for $227,500. Built in 1962, the house is a 2/1.5 and has 1,012 square feet. It last sold in 2016 for $140,000. Breakaway Trails The house at 3 Double Branch Way sold on May 28, for $765,000. Built in 1994, the house is a 5/3 and has a fireplace, a pool, a spa and 3,078 square feet. It last sold in 2019 for $390,000. Breakers The house at 30 Longfellow Circle sold on May 28, for $350,000. Built in 1970, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,500 square feet. It last sold in 2025 for $322,000. Castlegate The house at 5 King Edward
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Fountain View The house at 1343 Lawndale Court sold on May 28, for $429,651. Built in 2026, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,336 square feet. Il Villaggio The house at 77 Apian Way sold on May 26, for $565,000. Built in 2015, the house is a 3/2 and has 2,401 square feet. It last sold in 2022 for $508,700. Ormond Lakes The house at 110 Lakebluff Drive sold on May 26, for $385,000. Built in 2005, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,714 square feet. It last sold in 2013 for $170,000. Ormond Terrace The house at 609 Andrews St. sold on May 28, for $330,000. Built in 1986, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace and 1,737 square feet. It last sold in 2004 for $193,500. Plantation Bay The house at 1229 Sunningdale Lane sold on May 27, for $595,000. Built in 2002, the house is a 4/2 and has a fireplace, a pool, a spa and 2,389 square feet. It last sold in 2013 for $299,900.
The house at 607 Moss Creek Drive sold on May 28, for $715,000. Built in 1996, the house is a 3/3 and has a fireplace, a pool, a spa and 2,450 square feet. It last sold in 2022 for $630,000. Ridgehaven The house at 175 Parkhaven Drive sold on May 27, for $286,800. Built in 2025, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,454 square feet.
Shaker Way sold on May 27, for $412,000. Built in 2024, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,464 square feet. It last sold in 2024 for $371,000.
WEST DAYTONA BEACH
A house in LPGA at 3188 Legends Preserve Drive was the top real estate transaction in Daytona Beach’s 32124 zip code for the week of May 23-29. The house sold on May 28, for $1,070,000. Built in 2024, the house is a 5/4 and has 4,635 square feet. It last sold in 2024 for $868,200. The house was listed by Andy Kalcounos and Anthony Lombardo, of Coastal Gateway Real Estate Group.
The house at 524 High Tide Lane sold on May 27, for $370,000. Built in 2022, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,308 square feet. It last sold in 2022 for $264,200.
Grande Champion The townhome at 101 Langston Drive sold on May 27, for $250,000. Built in 2015, the townhome is a 3/2.5 and has 1,508 square feet. It last sold in 2019 for $181,000.
The house at 1052 Morfontaine St. sold on May 27, for $395,000. Built in 2025, the house is a 5/3 and has 2,490 square feet. Latitude Margaritaville The house at 307 Cheeseburger Drive sold on May 26, for $335,000. Built in 2021, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,160 square feet. It last sold in 2021 for $221,600.
The house at 631 Lost
Tomoka Oaks The house at 80 S. St. Andrews Drive sold on May 28, for $340,000. Built in 1977, the house is a 4/2.5 and has a fireplace, a pool and 1,846 square feet. It last sold in 2015 for $164,400. University Circle The house at 12 University Circle sold on May 27, for $550,000. Built in 1963, the house is a 4/2 and has 2,201
The townhome at 866 Margaritaville Ave. sold on May 28, for $440,000. Built in 2023, the townhome is a 2/2 and has 1,563 square feet. It last sold in 2023 for $390,600. The house at 794 Jollymon Way sold on May 28, for $665,000. Built in 2019, the house is a 2/2.5 and has a pool, a spa and 2,067 square feet. It last sold in 2019 for $498,800. The house at 672 Hang Loose Way sold on May 29, for $747,000. Built in 2024, the house is a 3/3.5 and has 2,542 square feet. It last sold in 2024 for $592,200. LPGA The house at 202 Catriona Drive sold on May 26, for $420,000. Built in 2018, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 1,538 square feet.
square feet. It last sold in 2025 for $400,000. Woodmere The house at 871 Lindenwood Circle E. sold on May 28, for $435,000. Built in 1976, the house is a 4/2 and has a pool and 1,728 square feet. It last sold in 2017 for $215,000.
John Adams, of Adams, Cameron & Co. Realtors, contributed to this report.
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Drive sold on May 27, for $420,000. Built in 1997, the house is a 4/2 and has a fireplace and 2,292 square feet. It last sold in 2015 for $215,000.
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THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
Outlying Flagler County Faces a Critical Multifamily Test
PALM COAST
Ocean Hammock home sells for over $2 million A
house at 46 Ocean Oaks Lane, in Ocean Hammock, was the top real estate transaction for May 30 to June 5, in Palm Coast and Flagler County. The house sold on June 4 for $2,015,000. Built in 2007, the house is a 4/4 and has a pool, a hot tub, an outdoor kitchen, a fireplace and 4,538 square feet. It sold in 2023 for $1,692,000. The home was listed by Bill Navarra, of Realty Pros Assured. ALEXIS MILLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Condos A condo at 100 Bella Harbor Court, Unit 103, sold on June 4, for $274,000. Built in 2006, the condo is a 3/2 and has 1,745 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $198,900.
A condo at 200 Ocean Crest Drive, Unit 317, sold on June 3, for $600,000. Built in 2003, the condo is a 3/3 and has 1,676 square feet. It sold in 2023 for $565,000. A condo at 25 Riverview Bend N., Unit 111, sold on June 4, for $244,000. Built in 2006, the condo is a 3/2 and has 1,159 square feet. It sold in 2006 for $365,900.
A condo at 1300 Canopy Walk Lane, Unit 1313, sold on June 3, for $215,000. Built in 2004, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,238 square feet. It sold in 2013 for $139,000. A condo at 200 Ocean Crest Drive, Unit 151, sold on June 1, for $1,075,000. Built in 2007, the condo is a 3/3.5 and has a private elevator and 2,588 square feet. It sold in 2024 for $875,000. A condo at 3580 S. Ocean Shore Blvd., Unit 102, sold on June 1, for $312,500. Built in 1982, the condo is a 3/2 and has 1,545 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $325,000.
FLAGLER BEACH
Kanaha Beach A house at 3303 N. Ocean Shore Blvd. sold on June 5, for $1,078,000. Built in 2018, the house is a 5/4.5 and has an elevator, a dunewalk and 2,460 square feet. It sold in 2019 for $995,000.
Vacancy remains below historical averages today, but a wave of new supply could reshape the market by year-end. By Jamie Cuzzocreo, Global Real Estate Advisor | ONE Commercial Real Estate 12 Mo Delivered Units
PALM COAST
Hidden Lakes A house at 6 Arena Lake Drive sold on June 3, for $510,000. Built in 2018, the house is a 4/2 and has a pool and 1,845 square feet. It sold in 2020 for $350,500. Marina Del Palma A house at 77 Del Palma Drive sold on June 1, for $641,000. Built in 2024, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,158 square feet. It sold in 2024 for $123,000. Palm Coast Plantation A house at 51 S. Riverwalk Drive sold on June 5, for $1,175,000. Built in 2022, the house is a 3/3 and has an office, a pool, a hot tub, a dock, a boat lift, an outdoor kitchen, a boat house and 2,629 square feet. Seminole Woods A house at 13 Slowdrift Turn sold on June 3, for $640,000. Built in 2004, the house is a 6/3.5 and has a pool and 2,908 square feet. It sold in 2013 for $103,800.
Toby Tobin, of gotoby.com, contributed to this report.
5B
0
12 Mo Absorption Units
299
Vacancy Rate
9.6%
12 Mo Asking Rent Growth
-4.2%
From a commercial real estate advisor’s perspective, the latest multifamily data out of Outlying Flagler County tells a story that deserves closer attention. At first glance, the market appears relatively healthy. Vacancy stood at 9.6% in the second quarter of 2026, improving nearly 14% year over year as 300 units of net absorption offset a period with no new deliveries. Vacancy now sits well below the submarket's fiveyear average of 12.6%. But the headline number only tells part ofCourtesy the story. photo The more important question is what happens next. Vacancy is forecast to rise sharply to 17.6% by year-end, suggesting today's stability may prove temporary rather than lasting. For investors, developers, and local stakeholders, that forecast deserves attention. Outlying Flagler County currently contains roughly 2,200 multifamily units, yet another 818 units are under construction. That figure is nearly three times the submarket's 10year annual average of 281 units underway. For a market of this size, that is not a modest expansion—it is a meaningful test of demand. Rent performance is already showing signs of pressure. Average asking rents currently sit at $1,590 per month, slightly above the Daytona Beach metro average of $1,540. However, rents declined 4.2% over the past year, compared with a 2.3% decline across the broader market. For a submarket that has historically averaged 1.7% annual rent growth over the past five years, that reversal is significant. While Outlying Flagler County benefits from a relatively high-quality inventory base—with approximately 1,700 units classified as 4- and 5-Star properties—it is not immune to the realities of increased supply and tenant price sensitivity. Forecast rent growth remains negative through the end of 2026, with rents expected to decline another 1.2%. The market is gradually shifting from one that favored landlords to one where renters hold greater leverage. Investment sales activity paints a similarly mixed picture. Only one multifamily property traded during the past year, totaling 12 units and approximately $2.0 million in sales volume. That falls well below the five-year average of $7.8 million and the 10-year average of $10.7 million, suggesting many investors remain cautious.
OSPREY LOT COVE 10-ACRE
JOHN ADERSON DAYTONA BEACH
Yet pricing has remained relatively resilient. Estimated values average roughly $210,000 per unit, compared with $180,000 per unit across the broader market. Cap rates are also higher, averaging approximately 7.1%, versus 6.4% marketwide.
Remarkable waterfront estatesought-after currently owned an in awardWelcome to one of the most floor by plans the winning musician offers a harmonious blend of opulence and building—spacious and rarely available. 3-bedroom, 3-bath functionality. Presently used as a second home and a music residence spans the largest single-level floor plan in the studio, this property a unique to own community, with no presents stairs. Inside, the opportunity layout includes twoa truly exceptional residence. 4-bedroom, 4-bath, 2 half-bath primary-sized bedrooms, each with its own ensuite, plus . a$2,200,000 guest suite, dining room, and a flexible den/office that Call Billserve Navarra could as a 386-334-9991. 4th bedroom. $350,000 Call Grace Barbeiro 386-334-9997.
DAYTONA COUNTRY BEACH ACRES
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Instead, success will depend on disciplined underwriting, careful market selection, and realistic expectations. The next chapter for Outlying Flagler County's multifamily market will likely be defined less by momentum and more by execution.
Strategize Your Next Smart Move. Thinking of buying, selling, or repositioning a multifamily asset? Contact me, Jamie Cuzzocreo at ONE Commercial Real Estate for insight-driven guidance backed by real market data. Get the same information today’s top investors are using to make smarter moves.
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Oceanview condoHome. in Oceans wateracres. views from 4-BR, 2-BA, 2-CG SereneSix oasiswith on 2.34 Kitchen most roomsupdated and abundant natural light. Theand openhasliving has been with new countertops an area flows toofa cabinet large private balcony overlooking ocean abundance and countertop space. Split the bedroom and Features include a separate spacious plan.river. Master bedroom features trey dining ceiling,area, private bath kitchen, and in-unit laundry. Enjoy resort-style amenities, and spacious closet. Home also features enclosed Florida including and patio outdoor a fitness center, room and aindoor screened-in with pools, a hot tub. MLS#1112983 and sauna—ideal as a primary home or vacation retreat. $675,000 $375,000. Call Buzzy Porter 386-405-1000. Call Buzzy Porter 386-405-1000.
That spread sends an important message. Investors continue to assign value to Outlying Flagler County's long-term growth potential, but the margin for error is narrowing. This is no longer a market where optimism alone can support aggressive assumptions.
Welcome to your dreamwaterfront home on the mostinsought-after street Experience elevated living this extensively in Ormond Beach! This riverfront offersatanMarina unparalleled remodeled 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathhouse residence Point, living experience withonbreathtaking the riverdirect from perfectly positioned the 5th floorviews with ofsweeping every room. 3views. bed 3.2 new dock, boathouse andfeatures lift. Intracoastal Thisbath. beautifully updated condo Call Bill Navarra 386-334-9991. tile flooring throughout the main living areas and offers stunning river vistas from multiple rooms. The spacious owner’s suite is a true retreat, complete with a tastefully renovated bathroom and serene water views. $539900. Call Grace Barbeiro 386-334-9997.
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Extraordinary riverfrontcondo estate byfloor architect Sam Completely remodeled from to ceiling withZamiri highand Construction, overocean 5,100views. square end Pralle upgrades! 16th flooroffering with direct Newfeet AC with five bedrooms four-and-a-half baths. Features unit (2019) and waterand heater (2016). The community offers include renovated chef’s kitchen with Wolfgame and room, Subaccess toatheir 20th-floor penthouse/clubhouse, Zero appliances, luxurious primarysauna, suite,in-ground resort-style exercise room, indoor jacuzzi, tranquil pool pool, outdoor deep-water dock, smart-home and grilling area.kitchen, MLS#1110461 $475,000 technology, whole-house generator, and stunning Call Buzzy Porter at 386-405-1000. waterfront views. Meticulously upgraded for luxury and entertaining.$3,000,000. Call Buzzy Porter 386-405-1000.
HOMES ARE SELLING FAST! WE NEED MORE LISTINGS TO SELL!
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All third-party market data referenced in this article is sourced from CoStar Group, a global leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, online marketplaces, and 3D digital twin technology.
6B
THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
Palm Coast | The Hammock | Ormond Beach | Daytona Beach
BUSINESS Frozen Frog: cool treats, warm smiles Mother and daughter duo Kryste and Debbie Gainey teamed up to open Ormond Beach’s newest ice cream shop. ABE MILLS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Mother and daughter duo Kryste and Debbie Gainey teamed up to open Ormond Beach’s newest ice cream shop, The Frozen Frog, located in Ormond Towne Square at 1498 W Granada Blvd. The shop features Hershey’s ice cream flavors, milkshakes, sundaes, shaved ice, and they have an option that is gluten free. The words displayed on their storefront, “Cool Treats. Warm Smiles,” represent their hope for the shop to be a place where families can come and
Young missionaries Riley Boyce, Connor Ladd and Keila Brouse. Photo by Brian McMillan
Co-owners and mother and daughter duo, Debbie Gainey and Kryste Gainey pose in front of the array of ice cream at their new shop.
feel free to enjoy each other’s company. “You need to live your life with your gift,” co-owner Kryste Gainey said. “For me, that is finding reasons and ways to bring families together.” According to Kryste Gainey, the road to building their dreams was not easy. “I was going through a hard time in life and working several jobs, raising kids,” said Kryste Gainey. “A couple of years ago, my mom came to me with the idea about starting a snow cone business, and I thought she was crazy.” They purchased a snow cone food trailer and did that for a while, until, one day, a revelation came to Debbie. “I was out there in this parking lot one day, and I literally looked over here at this empty spot, and I saw a vision of an ice cream shop,” Debbie Gainey said. Then, she called her daughter and said, “We’re gonna open an ice cream shop.” At the time, “You’re crazy,
FOCUS ON FAITH Teens to embark on mission trips to Brazil for Church of Jesus Christ Keila Brouse, Riley Boyce and Connor Ladd will represent The Church of Jesus Christ in Brazil.
Beginning in August 2025, Brouse began taking classes to go toward her bachelor’s degree at Brigham Young University, in Utah, and she Nova Weston smiles big with returned home from school her favorite ice cream at The about a month ago, as she Frozen Frog. prepared for the upcoming mission. ABBIE PACE She plans to finish her Mom,” were the words that CONTRIBUTING WRITER degree at BYU following her came from Kryste Gainey’s 18-month mission. Brouse is Three local young adults will a biology pre-med major, and mouth. Debbie Gainey just told her soon be embarking on mis- also plans to attend med school daughter, “I see it. I know sion trips through The Church to study ophthalmology or eye that’s what we’re supposed of Jesus Christ of Latter-day surgery. Saints: Keila Brouse, 19; Riley to do.” Speaking of her mission, FROG in The Frozen Frog is Boyce, 17; and Connor Ladd, she said: “I’m not going there an acronym for Fully Rely On 18. for my benefit; I’m going there Each received a letter from to help them in any way that God. “That’s what we do. We the president of the church, they need.” fully rely on God around here,” letting them know their Boyce attends the Daytona assigned areas. Opening the Beach Ward of The Church Debbie Gainey said. Alyssa Argitis lifts her son at Kryste Gainey added, letters was a dramatic moment of Jesus Christ of Latter-day The Frozen Frog. Photos by “That’s what it’s about in life for each, as they knew they Saints. He will soon begin his Rachel Mills could be assigned anywhere MTC experience at home, and everything.” in the world. As it turned out, on Sept. 16, and will move to each was assigned a different Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Oct. 1, mission in Brazil. to continue his training, in Prior to the missionaries Portuguese. Boyce will then serving in their assigned areas, embark in the mission field they will be spending time at on Oct. 28. 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Adam’s partnership hasa Real Insurance solution forsoon Home,begin Flood,her Business and Health. solution for Home,Agent Flood, Business and Health. with a Real Insurancewith Agent training in of people about their lives and helped us further our mission.” helped us further our overtime mission.” We work to protect the enterprise Weyouwork overtime to protect the enterprise Utah. In July, she will then you their hardships that they’re have worked so hard to build. report tosothe have worked hardmission to build. in going through and how to help Maceio, Brazil, where she will them,” Boyce said. 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Father Jose Panthaplamthottiyil, lead pastor at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, recently wrote about Antoni Gaudí. “In 1883, when he was only 31 years old, Gaudí was entrusted with the Sagrada Familia project. ... “Gaudí’s spiritual life deep-
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them that there’s a God and Jesus Christ that loves you on this earth forever,” Boyce said. “They’re the same yesterday as they are today and tomorrow, and they will forever love you; that will never change, nothing you do can change that.” Boyce says he is extremely eager to begin assisting others through his mission. Ladd is in the Palm Coast Ward of the church and begins his MTC training on Aug. 26. He will be embarking to Brazil on Sept. 10, and his mission will last for two years. The city he has been assigned to is Recife, Brazil. When asked what Ladd hopes to get out of his mission the most, he said, “I really hope that it leads me to be less of a procrastinator; I don’t want to procrastinate as much, and want to be more focused and driven with the stuff I do.” Ladd is a 2026 graduate from Flagler Palm Coast High School. When he returns from his mission, he plans on attending college to study engineering. Ladd has thought about possibly attending the Arizona or Daytona Beach EmbryRiddle campus. “When I get to Brazil, I think I’m going to try to entirely focus on being as obedient as I can to the Lord, and then I’ll allow him to put the people in my path who need me at that moment,” Ladd said. “My parents have really cool stories from their missions and learning languages and everything; I’ve always wanted to be able to go off on an adventure that will teach me a lot of great things.”
“One of his famous observations was: ‘My client is not in a hurry.’ By ‘client,’ he meant God. Gaudí understood that he would never see the basilica completed. Yet that fact did not discourage him. He often said, ‘My successor will continue the work.’ His concern was not personal glory but fidelity to the task God had entrusted to him.’”
JUNE 18, 2026
SPORTS Growing lacrosse The sport has a rich history and four high school teams in Flagler County, but no youth programs. BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Palm Coast will become the state’s epicenter of lacrosse this weekend (June 20-21) when over 150 boys and girls teams of all ages (8 and under through high school) will gather at the Indian Trails Sports Complex for the 18th annual Father’s Day Invitational, organized by Florida United Lacrosse. The tournament is the largest in Florida, and Florida United also hosts two other super-size tournaments here — the Great Pumpkin Shootout and the Veterans Day Invitational. But don’t expect to see a lot of locals in uniform, because Flagler County does not have a youth sports program. “The tournament runs from sunrise to sunset,” Indian Trails Middle School Principal Ryan Andrews said. “It’s a great opportunity to bring kids together and see other competition. It certainly sparks interest here, but then it quickly fades away. I haven’t put my finger on the exact cause, but it’s an expensive sport and you need a lot of players and someone who has the knowledge and passion and free time to run it.” Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas high schools have boys and girls lacrosse teams, but they have no feeder program. Many of the players who join the high school teams in ninth grade have never even seen a lacrosse game let alone played in one. Andrews coached FPC’s boys team from 2006 to 2013. When he started, Flagler had a boys club prgoram called Lizards Lacrosse, but there was no girls program. Katie Kastner, who is now FPC’s girls head lacrosse coach, had no choice but to join the Lizards after her family moved down here. But it was a tough sell.
“One of the dads, Steve Noble, ran it,” Kastner said. “He was from Long Island and moved down just like us. After pleading with him, my mom finally got him to let me come out and play keeper. I played keeper with him and then made the transition back to women’s lacrosse my freshman year of high school. But my parents — I was very fortunate. I drove to Jacksonville two, three times a week for club practice. I would go to Jacksonville twice a week, Orlando once a week, wherever I could play.” Kastner went on to play at Jacksonville University for a year, and she has coached several future college players at FPC, but many other players she’s had to start by teaching the basics, passing and catching. “It’s hard when you’re trying to coach somebody who’s going to the collegiate level, and then you’re coaching the girl next to her who’s brand new. So that’s what makes this area hard,” she said. EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT
Kastner calls the county a dry zone for lacrosse. Volusia County does not have any high school lacrosse. The only nearby high school teams for both the boys and girls games are in St. Johns County. Travel is one problem. The overall expense is the largest stumbling block, coaches say. “It’s hard nowadays, with how expensive the gear is,” said Dominic Tavolacci, who played for both Matanzas and FPC, graduating at FPC in 2023 before playing a year at Nassau Community College on Long Island, New York. Tavolacci is now the head coach at Matanzas. “With basketball tryouts you just bring shoes and water,” he said. “To play lacrosse, you need a helmet at close to $300, pads are close to $400 total, cleats on top of that are $100 if not more, and the stick is $150 to $200. If you buy cheaper sticks, they’ll snap. Nobody wants to pay close to a grand just to get on the field and see if you like it.” Dewey Schoenfelder, who grew up playing lacrosse in
SIDELINES DeLand hires former Flagler Palm Coast baseball coach Kyle Marsh
DeLand High School has hired Kyle Marsh to be its new baseball coach, a week after Marsh resignedafter four seasons as Flagler Palm Coast’s baseball coach. DeLand announced the hire on June 10 in a press release. Marsh’s FPC teams won one district championship and a Five Star Conference
title and advanced to the regional playoffs three times in four years. “We are excited to welcome Kyle Marsh to the DeLand High School community,” DeLand athletic director Lance Jenkins said in the press release. “Kyle has demonstrated a remarkable track record of success both as a player and as a coach. He comes from a tremendous coaching pedigree with strong baseball bloodlines, and his experiences have prepared him to lead one of the premier programs in our area.”
Putting in the work Mainland coach Joe Giddens hosts eighth annual summer basketball league. PAGE 8B
Maryland and went on to play college lacrosse, is finding that out. He’s trying to start youth programs in Flagler County under the Zingos name, which was his club team in Maryland. So far he’s been doing some personal training. “The numbers are hard to come by here,” he said. “Just to play the sport is expensive. I have four or five kids ready to play. That’s not enough for a team. I’ve been working on growing it here. It’s a slow process.” Tavolacci is leading a twicea-month pick-up game this summer at Wadsworth Park. The opening week, on June 7, drew nearly 40 players from current high school players to older players. The oldest player was close to 50, he said. They will play again at 10 a.m. June 28. There’s more information on Instagram at pc_pickup_lax. Lacrosse has a long history in Flagler County. FPC’s program is over 30 years old. Tom West coached at FPC and started the program at Matanzas. He created travel programs so the players could play all year long, Andrews said. He was instrumental in luring the Father’s Day tournament here, Andrews said, adding, “It doesn’t hurt that we have amazing facilities.” West left Flagler County to coach at Ponte Vedra High School, where he won eight district titles and one state championship before moving on to the Bolles School in Jacksonville. GETTING STARTED IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
There have been other youth programs after the Lizards, which lasted several years as Noble’s sons moved up through the ranks. There were Blue Skies, the Wave and Goatlax, which Efrain Gutierrez ran. Gutierrez was an assistant coach at Matanzas for several years and then was the Pirates’ head coach from 2016 to 2018. He left to help Flagler College in St. Augustine start its lacrosse program. Gutierrez, who was recently hired as an assistant principal at ITMS, signed the Goatlax program over to Matanzas parents when he left. The program wound up merging with Lions Lacrosse in St. Augustine, he said. Matanzas girls lacrosse coach Brandie Alred agreed with Kastner about the difficulty of melding girls brand new to the sport with experienced high school players.
Marsh took over the FPC baseball program after Anthony Campanella stepped down in 2022. Campanella, who is now the athletic director at Seabreeze High School, also left FPC to coach at a west Volusia school. Campanella moved to Deltona High School, where he coached for two years.
Pirate Pride Golf Classic The Pirate Pride Booster Club, supporting the Matanzas High School football program, is hosting the 2026 Pirate Pride Golf Classic on Sunday, Aug. 2, at The Conservatory
FPC goalie Aiden Commendatore makes a spectacular save in a high school lacrosse game earlier this spring. Photo by Keishia McLendon
Alred said new players can be drill killers, dropping the ball so much that ball movement can’t be sustained. So she took her team to ITMS to work with middle school kids in their PE classes on passing and catching using a tennis ball. “If we can start getting middle school involvement, when we get them they can be learning strategy and not just learning the basics,” Alred said. Andrews said the Indian Trails kids were having a lot of fun and showing surprising athleticism with the new skills they were learning. ITMS has 20 to 30 lacrosse sticks for the PE department to utilize, he said. “Plans are in the works to continue it as a lesson in PE,” Andrews said. “It’s a very downsized version of what the sport can be. But the essential fundamentals are passing and catching, and if the PE teachers can incorporate that, it can give the kids a starting point. Brandie’s initiative is not just to expose the students to lacrosse, but the PE teachers as well. There’s a lot reluctance [by the teachers], not because they don’t want to, they just don’t know how.” Andrews can get passionate when talking about the sport
Course in Palm Coast. The event will begin with a putting contest and coffee/ breakfast station, followed by golf. Walk off the course into the clubhouse for lunch, catered by Hammock Beach, with prizes and a silent auction. The winning team will be awarded a foursome at The Ocean Course at Hammock Beach. An Ocean Course foursome will also be included among the items in the auction. Registration is $200 per person, $800 per foursome. To register, go to https://bit.ly/4a1fdee or piratepridefootball.com/ category/fundraising-events.
he grew up playing in New York State. “It could take off here,” he said. “It’s a wonderful sport. As soon as any kids I have ever coached learn lacrosse, they fall in love with it. They learn that all the things they loved about their old sport is included in lacrosse — the physicality, the hand-eye coordination. The athleticism is unmatched in my opinion — the side to side agility of a free safety, the endurance sprints of a receiver, all while someone is trying to beat you with a stick. The ballet-like choreography of offense and defense, it’s a beautiful thing.”
Matanzas’ CJ Schouten (right) comes up with the ball after a faceoff with FPC’s Zane Dailey in a lacrosse game this past season.
Astro skate team fundraiser
Summer surf workshops
Astro Skate of Ormond Beach is having a fundraiser for four inline speed skaters — Isabella, 7; Violet, 10; Myla, 10; and Zayvian, 7 — who will be competing at the USA Roller Sports National Championships July 7-15 at Speedway Sports Complex in Lincoln, Nebraska. The fundraiser is 6-8 p.m. Friday, June 19, at Astro Skate of Ormond Beach. Admission is $10 per person, which includes regular skate rental. All proceeds go to Team Astro Skaters heading to nationals.
Philosurfers Summer Surf Workshops for ages 7-17 are offered Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to noon on Flagler Beach. The workshops, curated by former pro surfer Will Tant, leader of the Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic, combine elite surf coaching with daily conversations on character development. To learn more and to register, go to craeftsurfstudio.com/ training/philosurfers/.
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THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
Palm Coast | The Hammock | Ormond Beach | Daytona Beach
Bigger than basketball Mainland coach Joe Giddens hosted eighth annual summer basketball league. MICHELE MEYERS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Mainland High School students celebrated as the final bell rang out the school year on May 28. Some looked forward to family vacations, a summer job or just relaxing following a year of deadlines. But on June 1, coach Joe Giddens’ basketball players jumped right onto the courts to play ball in Mainland’s summer basketball league. This is Giddens’ eighth year organizing the nearly fourweek event held at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. “I think the basketball league helps kids stay out of trouble,” Giddens said. “If kids are in the gym, they stay out of trouble. I think that as a community, it’s something positive, because little kids come in (to watch) and they’re looking at the future stars of the area, looking at what their futures might be. They get a chance to come see it up close. I think it’s a great, great thing.” As a kid, Giddens lived in subsidized housing with his family while his mother, Joanne, drove a bus for Volusia County and worked a second job at a nursing home. Sports were a means for Giddens to extricate himself from poverty. He continues to provide opportunities for his studentathletes to do the same. He earned a full scholarship to play football at Virginia Union University before transferring to Bethune-
Cookman University to play football and basketball. “I played football and basketball in high school and in college,” he said. “I’ve always used sports as my way to get out of poverty. I lived in assisted housing, so sports were my way out. I’m just passionate about it.” In addition to participating in Mainland’s summer league this June, his team has already attended Embry-Riddle’s Men’s Basketball Weekend Shootout, is currently attending ERAU’s team camp, and played five games against elite Florida teams at the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches boys showcase in Gainesville. Multiple final four teams participated in the showcase, including Bartow, Belen Jesuit, and Santa Fe Catholic. Giddens said he knows his team is in the right place if teams of that caliber are involved. “Summertime is when you get a chance to see (player) growth — seeing your kids grow, make mistakes, learn from them, get in close game situations, so you can get better when the season comes,” Giddens said. “It’s not about wins or losses.” This year, eight girls teams are hitting the courts every Monday and Wednesday night and playing an average of six to seven games, along with 12 boys teams that play on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Twelve JV teams play games simultaneously on the upstairs courts. Local teams include Atlantic, Calvary Christian, Flagler Palm Coast, Halifax Academy, Matanzas, New Smyrna Beach, and Seabreeze. Teams also traveled from as far away as Cocoa and Melbourne. Seabreeze JV player Rigsby Wile said the summer league helps build confidence. He said his friend Matthew Meek made a game-winning 3-pointer against University. “I think it helps the coaches to get to know the players,” Wile said. “There’s no pressure. You can work on stuff that you’ve been working on, and try things that you might not be able to try in an actual game.” Flagler Palm Coast head coach Greg Shirley said the Bulldogs won their first four games of the summer league even though
A Mainland player (center) and Florida Vultures players fight for the ball at Mainland’s summer basketball league.
they were missing their only returning starter, guard Tony Coates, who was on vacation. Eight players graduated this year, including top scorers Anthony Hampton and Nate Perry. Hampton hit 1,000 points during his career at FPC, and Perry was the FACA District 6-7A Player of the Year. Both signed to play at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. “We have a bunch of guys that work hard, they represent the school well in the classroom and on the basketball court, and they’re fun to coach,” Shirley said of his summer league team. “It’s all a process, so our goal is to be the best FPC team we can be. We still have a long way to go to reach that, but I am very proud of the effort and proud of how they are being coachable and being good teammates.” Shirley said JV coach Johnny Hampton did a great job with the underclassmen, who finished the season 12-3.
“The combination of a JV team finishing with one of the better records ever, and a couple of guys that just did not get as much time behind some of the seniors last year, has resulted in good young men playing hard,” Shirley said. “All I want is perfect effort. Can’t be perfect, but you can get perfect effort and personal excellence.” Matanzas lost 66-61 in overtime against University in their second game on Thursday, June 11. Head coach Eric Guerrero said he is proud of his players’ efforts during back-to-back games following their daily workouts and skill drills. “It was a scrappy game,” he said. “They have really good guards over at University, so it was a good test for us. I told the boys, these are the teams that we want to see to make sure the moves we make when we’re tired are the moves we’re going to make late in the game when it comes to the playoffs.
Matanzas’ Jayden McCoy drives to the basket.
We’re getting everything we need here at this league.” Two of Guerrero’s standout players are rising juniors and learning to take on leadership roles—his son, Jamel Guerrero, and Jayden McCoy. Jamel and McCoy have each played basketball since they were 4 or 5 years old and started playing together in the eighth grade. Jamel starts his day at 6 a.m., putting up 500 shots followed by a weight room workout. “(This league) helps me personally get ready for these close-game situations, and try to help my team the best I can,” Jamel said. “For the team, same thing, you got to learn how to play in these hard situations late in the game.” McCoy also plays cornerback and slot receiver for the Pirates’ football team. He is currently doing morning football workouts and playing in the evenings in the basketball league. “We have good chemistry already,” McCoy said of he and Jamel. “So we can see that look, and we know what to do. This [summer league] helps us come together as a team. We’ve got some of the young guys coming up, so it helps us build team chemistry.” Giddens said while he was shopping for shoes at the mall, a former Deltona High School player approached him and asked if he ever got tired of winning. Giddens said he smiled and told him others might think it is because Mainland has good players, but it is not. “We win because I love my players,” he said. “It’s bigger than basketball over here. I love them, and I appreciate them. I call them, and we talk all the time. If they need me, I’m there. I win more basketball games by doing that than by doing Xs and Os. It’s about showing love. I love my kids, so I treat my players the same. I discipline them when they need to be and hold them accountable. They’ll work hard for me, because I love on them.”
FPC’s Justin Goings shoots against a Halifax Academy player. A Seabreeze player (right) blows past a University player. Photos by Michele Meyers
“We win because I love my players. It’s bigger than basketball over here. I love them, and I appreciate them. I call them, and we talk all the time. If they need me, I’m there. I win more basketball games by doing that than by doing Xs and Os ...” JOE GIDDENS, Mainland basketball coach
ObserverLocalNews.com
THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
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PLAY BALL! Palm Coast Little League 12U softball all-stars’ Adalynn Alvarez takes a cut. Photos by Brent Woronoff
T
12U softball all-stars’ Delilah Gomez plays third base.
Palm Coast Little League 12U All-Stars pitcher Arielle Mahony (42) takes the throw as a DeLand player slides home with the first run of the game on June 10.
he Palm Coast Little League Hurricanes 12U softball all-star team hosted Lake Mary on June 8 and DeLand on June 10 at the Indian Trails Sports Complex to kick off Little League all-star season. Both visiting teams were victorious with
DeLand winning 10-0 to eliminate the Hurricanes from the tournament. Lake Mary went on to defeat DeLand with a perfect game on June 11 to win the District 19 championship and advance to sectionals. –OBSERVER STAFF
Palm Coastshortstop Jazzlyn Hayden.
Palm Coast Little League 12-U softball all-stars’ Nora Rivers.
Flagler Palm Coast youth soccer coaches, campers and FPC players. Photos by Brent Woronoff
FPC youth soccer camp features World Cup-themed games and trophies Each day of the camp ended with mini 3v3 tournaments with players picking countries to represent. BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Flagler Palm Coast’s youth soccer camp, June 8-12, had a World Cup theme to mark the beginning of the quadrennial world soccer tournament. Each day of the camp ended with mini 3v3 tournaments
with players picking countries to represent. Eleven campers participated. Each day featured a different skill set — dribbling, passing, first touch and shooting, with the last day a fun day. “A good chunk [of the campers] were seventh and eighth graders who will be future Bulldogs and played at a decent level, so it was cool to see what the future looks like, and the future looks bright,” said FPC boys soccer coach Ramtin Amiri, who ran the camp with help from assistants and FPC girls and boys varsity players. “We also got
kids from all levels and ages and we made sure they had a good experience and learned something before they left us at the end of the week.” Four campers won World Cup facsimile trophies. The campers collected medals based on points for games and drills they won or performed well in. Ivan Chen and Kason Davis each won a World Cup trophy for collecting the most medals. The other trophy winners were Shawn Mochizuki, who was named Camper of the Week, and Roman Pappano, who was named Most Improved Camper.
HEAR YOUR BEST
Award winners at Flagler Palm Coast’s youth soccer camp — Ivan Chen, Shawn Mochizuki, Kason Davis and Roman Pappano — won World Cup facsimile trophies.
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Most couples do not come in because they have stopped loving each other. They come in because they are tired. Tired of having the same argument in different forms. Tired of feeling misunderstood. Tired of watching a simple conversation turn into distance, hurt feelings, or silence. One person feels ignored and pushes harder to be heard.
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10B
THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
Palm Coast | The Hammock | Ormond Beach | Daytona Beach
Flagler Technical College
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THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
Palm Coast | The Hammock | Ormond Beach | Daytona Beach
Cleaning
Concrete
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ELIZABETH JONES
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TIRED OF COMING HOME TO A MESSY HOUSE? NEED YOUR ROOMS/CLOSETS ORGANIZED?
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Metal • Shingle • Tile • Slate • Flat
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ObserverLocalNews.com
THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
Dentist
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THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
Palm Coast | The Hammock | Ormond Beach | Daytona Beach
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PLANT LADY HAS ASSORTED PLANTS FOR SALE!!! Elephant Ears, Snake Plants, Plus Many Other Types of Plants. Call for Appointment. Starting at $1 (PC) 814-574-6387 MOVING SALE Computer Printer Cart Still In Box $30 obo. 386-346-5117 / C-239-671-2580 2 Full Size Mattresses. $100 Each. Gently Used, Must Go! 386-446-0099
24” Insignia Color TV w/ Metal Table & Cover $35.00. Charbroil Performance Double Burner Gas Barbecue w/ 2 Tanks $55 386-445-0584
Automotive
Cash Buyer for ALL Classic and Antique Cars Call or Text 407-366-0000 Sell me your car! Cash money. All makes, any condition. Stop calling junk yards. Your car isn’t junk. We pay the most. Call 386-359-2460
TRIBUTES
CBC ROOFING COMPANY
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2016 Fleetwood Excursion 33D. Recently Serviced, New Tired 24,000 mi. All New Vinyl, Washer/Dryer, Outside Entertainment Center, 300 Diesel HP Motor, Generator 250hrs, Air Ride, Tow Bar. Owned by Mechanic. $110,000 386-4051869
Cleaning Services
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Employment
Medical Laboratory Scientist II sought by AdventHealth Palm Coast in Palm Coast, FL, to conduct laboratory pro-
cedures in designated areas. Analytical testing of blood & human biological specimens, req theoretical & practical knowl & expertise. Complex diagnostic & analytic assessments of specimens, interpreting data w/ precision & accuracy. Facilitate selected aspects of laboratory processes, incl workflow mgmt, qlty control, performance imprvmnt activities, & maintenance of eqpmt. Assist lab leadership in meeting goals across various areas. Conduct laboratory procedures, performing diagnostic assessments & laboratory processes, & assisting lab leadership. Reqmts: Bachelors deg (or foreign equiv) in chemical, biological, clinical or medical laboratory sci, or medical technology. In the alternative, a Bachelors deg (or foreign equiv) in chemical, biological, clinical or medical laboratory sci, medical technology, or functional equiv is acceptable. State of Florida Clinical Laboratory Technologist license. Mail resume to Elizabeth Przybysz at 900 Hope Way, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714.
For Rent
Shared Room and House in P Section (PC) Furnished with All Amenities. Preferred Single Men. 386-503-0097
For Sale
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Home Services Construction Cleanup Derrick The Clean Up Man. Haul Trash, Clean Flower Beds, Honey Do’s, Pressure Wash, Construction Cleans. No Job Is TOO BIG or TOO SMALL. Licensed. Insured 386-5035536
SOD Removal and installation $650 per pallet Cash Price $625 Cash Price, sod labor prep work and taxes included No fees upfront no hidden charges Call Joe 904-868-7602 Farm fresh Sod every time 7 Days a week License and insured
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Call/Text Jeff Salm 386-793-1787
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THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
The Phoenix and the Dove J.J. Graham
Add a local master to your collection. To see this and the rest of the Observer collection, contact Brian McMillan at 386-864-1003.
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PUBLIC NOTICES
THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
Additional Public Notices may be accessed on ObserverLocalNews.com and the statewide legal notice website, FloridaPublicNotices.com
FLAGLER COUNTY LEGAL NOTICES IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION IN RE: ESTATE OF ROBERT ALEXANDER DEL MAURO, DECEASED. FILE NO. 2026CP000301 NOTICE TO CREDITORS (summary administration) TO ALL PERSONS HAVING CLAIMS OR DEMANDS AGAINST THE ABOVE ESTATE: You are hereby notified that an Order of Summary Administration has been entered in the estate of ROBERT ALEXANDER DEL MAURO, deceased, File Number 2026CP000301; by the Circuit Court for Flagler County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 1769 E. Moody Boulevard, Bunnell, FL 32110; that the decedent’s date of death was January 5, 2026; that the total value of the estate is $11,314.25 and that the names and addresses of those to whom it has been assigned by such order are: Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, P.A. 2101 Indian River Boulevard Suite 200 Vero Beach, FL 32960 Steven P. Del Mauro 94 New Leatherwood Drive Palm Coast, FL 32137 Mt. Sinai Hospital c/o R.T. R Financial Services, Inc. P.O. Box 30306 Staten Island, NY 10303-0306 Texas Digestive Disease Consultants P.O. Box 25127 Overland Park, KS 66225 Kim F. Del Mauro 228 War Admiral Way Havre De Grace, MD 21078 Department Of The Treasury Internal Revenue Service Kansas City, MO 64999-0025 Con Edison Of New York c/o Penn Credit Corporation 2800 Commerce Drive P.O. Box 69703 Harrisburg, PA 17106-9703 Labcorp Tampa 5610 W. Lasalle Street Tampa, FL 33607 ALL INTERESTED PERSONS ARE NOTIFIED THAT: All creditors of the estate of the decedent and persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent other than those for whom provision for full payment was made in the Order of Summary Administration must file their claims with this court WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702. ALL CLAIMS AND DEMANDS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER APPLICABLE TIME PERIOD, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS
OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The personal representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent’s death by the decedent or the decedent’s surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in ss. 732.216-732.228, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes. The date of first publication of this Notice is June 25, 2026. Attorney for Person Giving Notice: MICHAEL J. SWAN, ESQ. Florida Bar No. 509116 LOWNDES, DROSDICK, DOSTER, KANTOR & REED, P.A. 2101 Indian River Boulevard Suite 200 Vero Beach, FL 32960 Telephone: (772) 2310-4440 Michael.swan@lowndes-law.com Carmen.medina@lowndes-law.com Person Giving Notice: STEVEN P. DEL MAURO 94 New Leatherwood Drive Palm Coast, FL 32137 7763-349807 Jun. 25, Jul. 2, 2026 NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Go Store It 4601 E. Moody Blvd Suite A7 Bunnell FL, 32110 hereby gives NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE of the storage space(s) listed below, containing household and other goods will be sold for cards on July 14, 2026 at 1:00pm with the contents being sold to the highest bidder. Owner reserves the right to bid. The sale is being held to satisfy a landlord's lien, in accordance with Florida Statutes Section 83.801-83.809, and will be held online at www.storagetreasures.com 27 Wesley Brown 39 Carol Gettel Mathis 45 Frank Dias 80 Carol Gettel Mathis 93 Carol Gettel Mathis 108 Carol Gettel Mathis 129 Ashley Bennett 152 Xiondra Williams 154 Michael Matanic 176 Wayne Fultz 187 Emelda Carmen Dinopol 220 minority racing association Minority Racing Association 234 Gregory Egger 275 Brian McGuinness 298 Martin Nunez 7763-348334 Jun. 25, Jul. 2, 2026 NOTICE OF ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE Pursuant to Section 125.66, Florida Statutes, the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners hereby gives notice of a proposal to adopt an
Ordinance titled similar to: AN ORDINANCE OF THE FLAGLER COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ESTABLISHING A TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON THE ACCEPTANCE, PROCESSING, REVIEW, AND ISSUANCE OF DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS, DEVELOPMENT ORDERS, DEVELOPMENT PERMITS, BUILDING PERMITS, AND OTHER COUNTY APPROVALS FOR LARGE-SCALE DATA CENTERS AND LARGE LOAD CUSTOMER FACILITIES WITHIN THE UNINCORPORATED AREA OF FLAGLER COUNTY; PROVIDING FOR FINDINGS; PROVIDING DEFINITIONS; PROVIDING FOR APPLICABILITY; PROVIDING FOR EXCEPTIONS; PROVIDING FOR VESTED RIGHTS AND HARDSHIP RELIEF; DIRECTING COUNTY STAFF TO REVIEW AND PREPARE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE AMENDMENTS; PROVIDING THAT THE ORDINANCE DOES NOT REGULATE MATTERS WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE FLORIDA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Public hearings on the ordinance will be held in the location listed below at the dates and times provided: BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS – First Reading – Monday, July 13, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. or as soon thereafter as possible in the Flagler County Government Services Building, Board Chambers, 1769 E. Moody Boulevard, Building 2, Bunnell, Florida, 32110. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS – Second Reading and Adoption – Monday, August 3, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. or as soon thereafter as possible in the Flagler County Government Services Building, Board Chambers, 1769 E. Moody Boulevard, Building 2, Bunnell, Florida, 32110. All interested persons are urged to attend the public hearing and be heard. Anyone wishing to express their opinion may attend, telephone 386-313-4009 or write to: Flagler County Planning and Zoning Department, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Building 2, Bunnell, FL 32110vor email to planningdept@flaglercounty.gov. Copies of the proposed ordinance, supporting data and analysis, staff reports and other pertinent information are available for review at the Flagler County Planning and Zoning Department, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Building 2, Bunnell, Florida 32110, Monday through Friday (except holidays) from 8:00 am to
5:00 pm. IF A PERSON DECIDES TO APPEAL ANY DECISION MADE BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WITH RESPECT TO ANY MATTER CONSIDERED AT THE MEETING, A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS MAY BE NEEDED AND, FOR SUCH PURPOSES, THE PERSON WILL NEED TO ENSURE THAT A VERBATIM RECORD IS MADE, WHICH RECORD INCLUDES THE TESTIMONY AND EVIDENCE UPON WHICH APPEAL IS TO BE BASED. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, PERSONS NEEDING ASSISTANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY OF THESE PROCEEDINGS SHOULD CONTACT THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION AT (386) 313-4001 AT LEAST 48 HOURS PRIOR TO THE MEETING. 7763-349394 Jun. 25, 2026 IN THE COUNTY COURT, SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR FLAGLER, COUNTY, FLORIDA VICTOR ADAMOVICH, PLAINTIFF, VS. DIANE RUSCHE A/K/A DIANE RUSHE, UNKNOWN SPOUSE OF DIANE RUSCHE A/K/A DIANE RUSHE; UNKNOWN TENANTS IN POSSESSION; ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING INTEREST BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST A NAMED DEFENDANT TO THIS ACTION, OR HAVING OR CLAIMING TO HAVE ANY RIGHT, TITLE OR INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT PROPERTY, DEFENDANTS. CASE NO.: 2025 CC 000030 DIVISION 61 NOTICE FORECLOSURE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to the Final Judgment of Foreclosure, entered in Case No. 2025 CC 000030 of the County Court of the SEVENTH Judicial Circuit, in and for Flagler County, Florida, wherein VICTOR ADAMOVICH is the Plaintiff and DIANE RUSCHE a/k/a DIANE RUSHE, UNKNOWN SPOUSE OF DIANE RUSCHE a/k/a DIANE RUSHE; UNKNOWN TENANTS IN POSSESSION; ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING INTEREST BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST A NAMED DEFENDANT TO THIS ACTION, OR HAVING OR CLAIMING TO HAVE ANY RIGHT, TITLE OR INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT PROPERTY, are the Defendants, that Tom Bexley, Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, will sell to the highest
and best bidder for cash at, www. f lagler.realforeclose.com, beginning at 11:00AM on July 31, 2026 the following described property as set forth in said Final Judgment, to wit: LOT 15, BLOCK 9 OF PALM COAST, MAP OF SEMINOLE PARK, SECTION 58, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT RECORDED IN MAP BOOK 19, PAGES 26 THROUGH 40, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER, COUNTY, FLORIDA. PARCEL ID#07-11-31-7058-000900150 Address: 1 Senate Court, Palm Coast, FL 32164 Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from the sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the lis pendens must file a claim before the clerk reports the surplus as unclaimed. REQUESTS FOR ACCOMMODATIONS BY PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES If you are a person with a disability who needs an accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact Court Administration, 101 N. Alabama Ave., Ste. D-305, DeLand, FL 32724 (386)257-6096, at least 7 days before your scheduled court appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the appearance is less than 7 days; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711. THESE ARE NOT COURT INFORMATION NUMBERS SOLICITUD DE ADAPTACIONES PARA PERSONAS CON DISCAPACIDADES Si usted es una persona con discapacidad que necesita una adaptacion para poder participar en este procedimiento, usted tiene el derecho a que se le proporcione cierta asistencia, sin incurrir en gastos. Comuniquese con la Oficina de Administracion Judicial (Court Administration), 101 N. Alabama Ave., Ste. D-305, DeLand, FL 32724 (386) 257- 6096, con no menos de 7 dias de antelacién de su cita de comparecencia ante el juez, o deinmediato al recibir es a notificacion si la cita de comparecencia esta dentro de un plazo menos de 7 dias; si usted tiene una discap cidad del habla o del oido, llame al 711. ESTOS NUMEROS TELEFONICOS NO SON PARA OBTENER INFORMACIONJUDICIAL 7763-349168 Jun. 18, 25, 2026
Dantini's office staff will provide patient records upon request. Please contact the office at 386-627-8330 to start the record request process. This service is available until June 30th, 2026 at 4pm. The practice has retained Morgan Records Management LLC as the official records custodian. Morgan Records Management will provide medical records upon request after June 30th 2026. Patient records will be securely maintained for 7 years since last date of service, in compliance with applicable laws. Once the records are transferred, patients must submit a records release form with Morgan Records Management at www.MorganRecordsManagement. com. For additional help email Medical@ morganrecords.com or call 1-833-8880061. Please note a fee may be applied for copying and sending records. There may also be a delay in record access during the transition of records to the Morgan Records Management. 7763-349596 Jun. 18, 25, Jul. 2, 9, 2026 NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR TAX DEED NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that DAVID DIBARTOLOMEO the holder of the following certificate(s) has filed said certificate(s) for a tax deed to be issued thereon. The certificate number(s) and year of issuance, the description of the property, and the names in which it is assessed are as follows: Certificate No:2024 / 373 Year of Issuance:2024 Description of Property: LOT 3, BLOCK 31, DAYTONA NORTH SUBDIVISION, A SUBDIVISION ACCORDING TO THE PLAT OR MAP THEREOF DESCRIBED IN PLAT BOOK 10, AT PAGE(S) 1-15, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. Name in which assessed: VICTORIA DEL VALLE All of said property being in the County of Flagler, State of Florida. Unless such certificate or certificates shall be redeemed according to law the property described in such certificate or certificate(s) will be sold to the highest bidder via an electronic auction accessible from https://flaglerclerk.gov/ TaxDeedAuction on the 14th day of July, 2026 at 9 a.m. Tom Bexley Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller of Flagler County, FL By: Tiffani Smith, Deputy Clerk File # 26-002 TDC 7763-345560 Jun. 4, 11, 18, 25, 2026
PUBLIC NOTICE This is a public notice of the immediate closure of the medical office of Daniel C Dantini, MD PA located at 29 Old Kings Rd N, #6a Palm Coast Florida 32137. Dr. Dantini passed away on June 6, 2026. Dr.
Front page advertising. You pick the neighborhood. Direct mail, but better — the most powerful marketing tool The Hammock has ever seen. THE HAMMOCK
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 1, NO. 37
RUNWAY RACERS PAGE 1B
FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026
Flagler County hopes bill will help fund the beach
Call April Koehler today! april@observerlocalnews.com (386) 447-9723
With one last remaining Senate Bill in play, Flagler officials say there’s a ‘slim’ chance for state’s help. PAGE 8A
At Petito’s exit, staff wears black
What projects are ongoing in the Hammock?
County leader’s last day will be July 14.
SIERRA WILLIAMS
PAGE 3A INSIDE NEW WALMART
Walmart confirmed as new retailer for SR 100, west of BJ’s Wholesale. PAGE 5B
CARNEY’S TAKE
Flagler County Commissioner calls controversial Veranda Bay development an ‘illegal annexation.’ PAGE 6A
ELECTION RESULTS R.J. Santore, Scott Spradley take home Flagler Beach Commission election. PAGE 6A
INDEX
Business .................... PAGE 5B Calendar .................... PAGE 2B Cops Corner ...............PAGE 2A Crossword ................PAGE 10B Letters ......................PAGE 12A Public Notices ........... PAGE 5C Schools ...................... PAGE 4B Sports ........................ PAGE 8B Tributes ..................... PAGE 4C Real Estate ................ PAGE 6B
Hammock Community Association hosts Q+A with county employees. STAFF WRITER
Hammock residents had an opportunity on March 3 to talk to county employees about projects going on in The Hammock. The Hammock Community Association invited HCA members and Hammock residents to the MalaCompra Community Center on March 3 to hear from Flagler County employees about projects ongoing in The Hammock. HCA President Lora Stillman said this was a great opportunity for Hammock residents to get to know who works for them at the county and to ask questions. “A lot of the residents in The Hammock either don’t have time and the capability to get into the County Commission meetings,” Stillman said. “And at the County Commission meetings, you don’t generally get the department heads speaking.” Three department heads came out to the HCA meeting to answer questions: Parks & Recreation manager Denny Bobik, Public Lands and Natural Resource and Environmentally Sensitive Lands manager Erick Revuelta and county engineer Hamid Tabassian. Commissioner Greg Hansen was scheduled to attend but had to cancel at the last minute. Tabassian’s department deals with construction projects and the beach management projects.
In The Hammock, his department is working on a road improvement project in Jungle Hut Road that will begin construction in 2029 and he is working on submitting a grant for a pedestrian hybrid signal at MalaCompra Road and A1A. The drainage improvement project for First Avenue is now in the permitting phase, and is anticipated to send the project to bid over the summer and construction completed “by the end of the year.” The MalaCompra Canal expansion is still in the design phase, he said. Once the design is finished, he said, they will likely have another public workshop with Hammock residents. The Hammock falls into Reach 3 of the county’s beach renourishment plan, Varn Park to Washington Oaks State Park, which is still in the design phase. “That work is going to be challenging, to be honest, to get that done, because we have a lot of hardbottom in this area,” Tabassian said. In the meantime, the county has submitted paperwork to designate Reach 3 as critically eroded. If approved, that will give the county more state funding for the renourishment of that area of shoreline. “We are very optimistic that that is going to go through,” Tabassian said. “Out of the 18 miles of the coast, a little bit over 10 miles is already designated as critically eroded.” Revuelta said the Land Management Office was recently moved over to the River-to-Sea Preserve. Their office manages invasive species on conservation lands in the county, and works on procuxring
“A lot of the residents in The Hammock either don’t have time and the capability to get into the County
FREE
Commission meeting, and at the County Commission
ON NEWSSTANDS.
meetings, you don’t generally get the department
$1/WEEK
heads speaking.”
ON YOUR DRIVEWAY.
YOUR AD HERE
LORA STILLMAN, President of the Hammock Community Association
County engineer Hamid Tabassian speaks to the Hammock Community Association about local projects. Photo by Sierra Williams
more conservation land for the county. The ESL program has acquired around 6,000 acres of conservation land. In The Hammock, he said, they are working on buy land from JDI Marineland and 40 acres of land between the Intracoastal and S.R. A1A near the Beach Haven development on the north end of the county and the 21-acre Cedar Point property. In the case of the 40 acre property and the Cedar Point property, the county is not looking to turn those into a park, Revuelta said, but instead place a conservation easement. Conservation easements limit the type and amount of development that can occur on a property and are less expensive while still preserving land. “So it stretches your money while still having some protection, but it’s not going to be a park,” he
said. Parks and Recreation maintains the trails and parks across the county, including the 32 parks, with a crew of just 12. Bobik said he gets a lot of emails from The Hammock residents and it helps his team tremendously. “There are times where we need y’all’s eyes on to let us know this has happened or a tree has fallen,” Bobik said. Stillman said listening to the projects under the county’s eye, she is always thinking of other areas of improvement, especially when it comes to land conservation. For every oak tree cut down, she said, the environment and wildlife on the barrier island is impacted. “It’s just something that we on the board of directors feel really, really committed to making sure that we try to preserve the nature, try to preserve the lifestyle,” Stillman said.
OBSERVER 50 LEANNI WAY, UNIT C3 PALM COAST, FL 32137
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PALM COAST, FL PERMIT 175
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SOLD
SOLD Fully updated Portofino condominium offers an open floor plan, multiple balconies, and sweeping ocean and golf views. 4 / 3.5 / 2,840 sq. ft. SOLD $1,525,000
judy barnes
rich hottinger, sr.
krista libby
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Rich@HammockDunesFL.com
Krista@HammockDunesFL.com
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17 Rue Grande Mer
Exceptional residence on the 18th fairway of the Fazio Links Course featuring breathtaking golf and ocean views. Designed for effortless indoor-outdoor living, the home features soaring ceilings, elegant architectural details, and expansive gathering spaces ideal for entertaining. 4 / 4 / 4,686 sq. ft. SOLD $2,749,000
612.298.4040
2 Camino Del Mar | Palm Coast CoastalProsFL.com
The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county records and the Multiple Listing Service, and it may include approximations. Site plan is artist rendering, not to scale. Prices, plans and specifications subject to change without notice or obligation. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warranted and you should not rely upon it without personal verification.
ObserverLocalNews.com
THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
FIRST INSERTION
FIRST INSERTION NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 7TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA CIVIL DIVISION: 53 CASE NO.: 2026 CA 000192 LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC, Plaintiff, vs. RONALD JAMES KONOPASEK JR A/K/A RONALD JAMES KONOPASEK; LISA MICHELE KONOPASEK A/K/A LISA KONOPASEK Defendants. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to an Order or Final Judgment entered in the above styled cause now pending in said court and as required by Florida Statute 45.031(2), TOM W. BEXLEY as the Clerk of the Circuit Court for FLAGLER County shall sell to the highest and best bidder for cash electronically at www. flagler.realforeclose.com at, 11:00 AM on the 17 day of July, 2026, the following described property as set forth in said Final Judgment, to wit: LOT 21, BLOCK 41, EASTHAMPTON - SECTION 34, SEMINOLE WOODS AT PALM COAST, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF, AS RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 11, PAGE(S) 30 THROUGH 49, INCLUSIVE, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. PROPERTY ADDRESS: 14 EASTERLY PL, PALM COAST, FL 32164 IF YOU ARE A PERSON CLAIMING A RIGHT TO FUNDS REMAINING AFTER THE SALE, YOU MUST FILE A CLAIM WITH THE CLERK NO LATER THAN THE DATE THAT THE CLERK RE-
PORTS THE FUNDS AS UNCLAIMED. IF YOU FAIL TO FILE A CLAIM, YOU WILL NOT BE ENTITLED TO ANY REMAINING FUNDS. AFTER THE FUNDS ARE REPORTED AS UNCLAIMED, ONLY THE OWNER OF RECORD AS OF THE DATE OF THE LIS PENDENS MAY CLAIM THE SURPLUS. 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 15 day of June 2026. 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 26-00145 June 18, 25, 2026 26-00180G
NOTICE OF ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE ORMOND STATION COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
FIRST INSERTION
Pursuant to Section 190.005(1)(c) and Section 190.046(1)(b), Florida Statutes, the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners hereby provide notice of consideration of a petition submitted by Jere Earlywine, Esq., seeking the amendment of the Ormond Station Community Development District and possible adoption of the following Ordinance titled similar to: AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA, AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 202308; AS AMENDED BY ORDINANCE NO. 2024-01; AMENDING THE ORMOND CROSSING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 190, FLORIDA STATUTES; AMENDING AND EXPANDING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE DISTRICT TO INCLUDE A 21.24 ACRE PARCEL AND A 14.39 ACRE PARCEL; PROVIDING FOR FINDINGS; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Public hearing on the above-captioned matter will be held as follows: BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS - Monday, July 13, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. or as soon thereafter as possible in the Flagler County Government Services Building, Board Chambers, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Bunnell, Florida. All affected units of general-purpose local government and the general public shall be given an opportunity to appear at the hearing and present oral or written comments on the petition. Anyone wishing to express their opinion may attend, telephone 386-313-4009 or write to: Flagler County Planning Department, 1769 E. Moody Blvd, Building 2, Bunnell, FL 32110 or email to planningdept@flaglercounty.gov. Copies of the proposal, supporting data and analysis, staff reports and other pertinent information are available for review between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Flagler County Planning & Zoning Dept., 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Building 2, Bunnell, Florida 32110. IF A PERSON DECIDES TO APPEAL ANY DECISION MADE BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WITH RESPECT TO ANY MATTER CONSIDERED AT THE MEETING, A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS MAY BE NEEDED AND, FOR SUCH PURPOSES, THE PERSON MAY NEED TO ENSURE THAT A VERBATIM RECORD IS MADE, WHICH RECORD INCLUDES THE TESTIMONY AND EVIDENCE UPON WHICH APPEAL IS TO BE BASED. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, PERSONS NEEDING ASSISTANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY OF THESE PROCEEDINGS SHOULD CONTACT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AT LEAST 48 HOURS PRIOR TO THE MEETING.
7763-349576 Jun. 18, 25, Jul. 2, 9, 2026
FIRST INSERTION Fictitious Name Notice Notice is hereby given that 2 Flamingo Drive LLC, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name The Festive Flamingo located at 2 Flamingo Drive, Palm Coast, Florida 32137, intends to register said name in Flagler County with the Division of Corporations, Florida Department of State, pursuant to section 865.09 of the Florida Statutes. June 18, 2026 26-00179G
NOTICE OF ACTION Constructive Service of Process IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA Case No. 2026 CA 000020 Honorable Judge: UPCHURCH, SANDRA C. PLANET HOME LENDING, LLC Plaintiff, vs. JASON THOMAS ANDERSON; UNKNOWN SPOUSE JASON THOMAS ANDERSON; SAWMILL CREEK AT PALM COAST PARK HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.; UNKNOWN TENANT OCCUPANT #1; UNKNOWN TENANT OCCUPANT #2; Defendants, TO: JASON THOMAS ANDERSON and UNKNOWN SPOUSE JASON THOMAS ANDERSON Last Known Address: 2 FAWN HAVEN TRL, ORMOND BEACH, FL 32174-118. YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action to Foreclose a Mortgage on the following property, commonly known as 2 FAWN HAVEN TRL, ORMOND BEACH, FL 32174-118, and more particularly described as follows: LOT 208, SAWMILL CREEK AT PALM COAST PARK, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF, AS RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 39, PAGE(S) 36 THROUGH 43, INCLUSIVE, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. Tax ID: #2110305410000002080 COMMONLY KNOWN AS: 7 Ridge Road, Palm Coast, FL 32137 has been filed against you and you are required to serve of a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on Matthew T. Wasinger, Esquire, the Plaintiff ’s attorney, whose address is 605 E. Robinson Street, Suite 730, Orlando, FL 32801 on or before, 30DAYS AFTER THE 1ST PUBLICATION, 2026, but not less than 30 days from the first proof of publication of this Notice, and file the original with the clerk of this court either before service on the plaintiff ’s attorney or immediately thereafter; otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint or petition. DATED ON: June 2, 2026 Tom W. Bexley Flagler County Clerk of Court and Comptroller /s/ As Deputy Clerk June 18, 25, 2026 26-00177G
NOTICE OF SALE PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 45 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 7TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 2025 CA 000325 PLAZA HOME MORTGAGE, INC, Plaintiff, vs. CHRISTOPHER R. SMITH; MICHELE ROSE-SMITH A/K/A MICHELE ROSE; HIDDEN LAKES OF PALM COAST HOMEOWNER’S ASSOCIATION, INC.; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, Defendant(s). NOTICE OF SALE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to the order of Summary Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated June 4, 2026, and entered in Case No. 2025 CA 000325 of the Circuit Court of the 7TH Judicial Circuit in and for Flagler County, Florida, wherein Plaza Home Mortgage, Inc, is Plaintiff and Christopher R. Smith; Michele Rose-Smith a/k/a Michele Rose; Hidden Lakes of Palm Coast Homeowner’s Association, Inc.; United States of America, Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service, are Defendants, the Office of the Clerk of Tom Bexley, Flagler County Clerk of the Court will sell via online auction at https://flagler.realforeclose.com at 11:00 a.m. on the 24th day of July, 2026, the following described property as set forth in said Final Judgment, to wit: LOT 37, HIDDEN LAKES PHASE 1 (HIDDEN LAKES) - SECTION 3, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF AS RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 37, PAGES 76 THROUGH 79 OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. Property Address: 73 Auberry Drive, Palm Coast, Florida 32137 and all fixtures and personal property located therein or thereon, which are included as security in Plaintiff ’s mortgage. Any person claiming an interest in the surplus funds from the sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the lis pendens must file a claim before the clerk reports the surplus as unclaimed. If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact Court Administration, 125 E. Orange Ave., Ste. 300, Daytona Beach, FL 32114, (386) 257-6096 at least 7 days before your scheduled court appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the scheduled appearance is less than 7 days; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711. Dated: 6/12/2026 McCabe, Weisberg & Conway, LLC By: /s/ Craig Stein Craig Stein Esq. Fl Bar No. 0120464 McCabe, Weisberg & Conway, LLC 3222 Commerce Place, Suite A West Palm Beach, Florida, 33407 Telephone: (561) 713-1400 Email: FLpleadings@mwc-law.com File No: 24-400075 June 18, 25, 2026 26-00181G
SUBSEQUENT INSERTIONS SECOND INSERTION NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF IN AND FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA Case No.: 2025 CP 000805 Division: 48 In re: Estate of Ronald Parsons, Deceased, The administration of the Estate of Ronald Parsons, deceased, File Number 2025 CP 000805, is pending in the Circuit Court for Flagler County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is Kim C. Hammond Justice Center, 1769 E Moody Blvd, Building 1, Bunnell, FL 32110. The name 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, including immature, contingent, or unliquidated claims, on whom a copy of this notice is served must file their claims within this Court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE 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 the Decedent’s estate, including immature, contingent, or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with this Court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE 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 June 11, 2026. Personal Representative for the Estate Kristie Lynn Gill 1700 Valley Creek Drive Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278-9800 Attorney for Personal Representative J. Russell Collins Rusty Law, LLC 100 Southpark Blvd., Suite 100 Saint Augustine, Florida 32086-5171 (904) 829-6600 Telephone (888) 395-5034 Facsimile Email: rusty@rustylaw.com June 11, 18, 2026 26-00173G
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SECOND INSERTION NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 7TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA CIVIL DIVISION: 53 CASE NO.: 2025 CA 000708 FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORPORATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FREDDIE MAC SEASONED LOANS STRUCTURED TRANSACTION TRUST, SERIES 2019-1, Plaintiff, vs. JAIME J. VELASQUEZ A/K/A JAIME V. VELASQUEZ A/K/A JAIME GRISALES; CITY OF PALM COAST, FLORIDA; MARTA C. FERNANDEZ A/K/A MARTHA CECILIA FERNANDEZ; PAOLA VELASQUEZ; ALEXA VELASQUEZ; UNKNOWN TENANT Defendants. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to an Order or Final Judgment entered in the above styled cause now pending in said court and as required by Florida Statute 45.031(2), TOM W. BEXLEY as the Clerk of the Circuit Court for FLAGLER County shall sell to the highest and best bidder for cash electronically at www. flagler.realforeclose.com at, 11:00 AM on the 26 day of June, 2026, the following described property as set forth in said Final Judgment, to wit: LOT 12, BLOCK 70, OF SUBDIVISION PLAT SEMINOLE PARK SECTION 58 SEMINOLE WOODS AT PALM COAST, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT OR MAP THEREOF, AS RECORDED IN MAP BOOK 19, PAGE(S) 28 THROUGH 40, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. PROPERTY ADDRESS: 1 SEBASTIAN COURT, PALM COAST, FL
32164 IF YOU ARE A PERSON CLAIMING A RIGHT TO FUNDS REMAINING AFTER THE SALE, YOU MUST FILE A CLAIM WITH THE CLERK NO LATER THAN THE DATE THAT THE CLERK REPORTS THE FUNDS AS UNCLAIMED. IF YOU FAIL TO FILE A CLAIM, YOU WILL NOT BE ENTITLED TO ANY REMAINING FUNDS. AFTER THE FUNDS ARE REPORTED AS UNCLAIMED, ONLY THE OWNER OF RECORD AS OF THE DATE OF THE LIS PENDENS MAY CLAIM THE SURPLUS. 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 02 day of June 2026. 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 25-02918 June 11, 18, 2026 26-00171G
SECOND INSERTION
The personal representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent’s death by the decedent or the decedent’s surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in ss. 732.216732.228, Florida Statutes, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes. The written demand must be filed with the clerk. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is June 11, 2026. Personal Representative: Cathy Robertson 135 Lilac Lane Chalfont, Pennsylvania 18914 Attorney for Personal Representative: Long H. Duong Attorney Florida Bar Number: 11857 11 NW 33rd Court Gainesville, FL 32607 Telephone: (352) 371-2670 Fax: (866) 440-9154 E-Mail: long@ldlegal.com June 11, 18, 2026 26-00172G
NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION File No. 2026 CP 000149 IN RE: ESTATE OF JOHN THOMAS ROBERTSON Deceased. The administration of the estate of John Thomas Robertson, deceased, whose date of death was March 16, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Flagler County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 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.
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FIRST INSERTION NOTICE OF SALE UNDER F.S. CHAPTER 45 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA Case No. 2025 CA 000756 Honorable Judge: UPCHURCH, SANDRA C PLANET HOME LENDING, LLC Plaintiff, vs. ADAM ORION FORD; UNKNOWN SPOUSE ADAM ORION FORD; SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; GOODLEAP, LLC; FOUNDATION FINANCE COMPANY; UNKNOWN TENANT OCCUPANT #1; UNKNOWN TENANT OCCUPANT #2; Defendants, NOTICE IS GIVEN that, in accordance with the Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated June 5, 2026 in the above-styled cause, Tom W. Bexley, as the Clerk of the Circuit Court, will sell to the highest and best bidder for cash online at: www.flagler. realforeclose.com at 11:00 a.m. on August 7, 2026, the following described property: LOT 7, BLOCK 12, PALM COAST, MAP OF BELLE TERRE - SECTION - 11, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF, AS RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 6, PAGES 59 THROUGH 67, INCLUSIVE, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. TAX ID # 07-11-31-7011-001200070 COMMONLY KNOWN AS: 24 Beacon Mill Lane, Palm Coast, FL 32137. ANY PERSON CLAIMING AN INTEREST IN THE SURPLUS FROM THE SALE, IF ANY, OTHER THAN THE PROPERTY OWNER AS OF THE DATE OF THE LIS PENDENS MUST FILE A CLAIM BEFORE THE CLERK REPORTS THE SURPLUS AS UNCLAIMED. THE COURT, IN ITS DISCRETION, MAY ENLARGE THE TIME OF THE SALE. NOTICE OF THE CHANGED TIME OF SALE SHALL BE PUBLISHED AS PROVIDED HEREIN. Respectfully submitted this June 8, 2026. /s/ Matthew T. Wasinger Matthew T. Wasinger Florida Bar No: 57873 Wasinger Law Office, PLLC Attorney(s) for Plaintiff Orlando, FL 32801 Telephone: (407) 308-0991 mattw@wasingerlawoffice.com June 18, 25, 2026 26-00178G
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THE OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026
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