Palm Coast Observer 7-16-26

PALM COAST

guide

Primary is Aug. 18. Here’s the easiest way to compare the

Flagler Humane Society Volunteer Coordinator Molly Brady presents an adoptable puppy during the inaugural Dog Show at the Nexus Center in Bunnell on

Photo by Dan Medeiros

Postcard featuring the Dixie Highway in the 1920s. Photo courtesy of Palm Coast City Historian Preston Zepp

NEWS BRIEFS

Flagler sheriff helps drive new law targeting crypto ATM fraud

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is applauding a new Florida law cracking down on cryptocurrency kiosk scams after Sheriff Rick Staly personally raised the issue with state lawmakers and helped shape the legislation.

House Bill 505 takes effect on Jan. 1, 2027, and requires cryptocurrency kiosk operators statewide to register with the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, post clear fraud warnings on kiosk screens, and use blockchain analytics to block transfers to wallets tied to known criminal activity. The law also caps daily transactions at $2,000 for new customers and $10,000 for existing customers, requires a printed or digital receipt for every transaction, and requires kiosk operators to refund a customer’s first fraudulent transaction within 72 hours of a timely report.

Sheriff Staly began pushing for the regulations in 2025 for crypto ATM’s after FCSO’s Cyber Crimes Unit identified the issues with unregulated kiosk transactions and the difficulty in tracking the crypto currency using blockchain technology and crypto wallets. The new law now closes many of these loopholes and warns people they may be the victim of fraud.

Sheriff Staly directed FCSO’s general counsel to research the legislation being used in other states and draft a legislative proposal. Staly then brought the proposal to the Florida Sheriffs Association Legislative Committee and spoke to state lawmakers on the need for crypto ATM regulation, just like the

existing bank ATM regulations. Legislators built on that groundwork with House Bill 505, which passed the Florida House 107-0, which Governor DeSantis signed into law on June 26.

The new law enacts mandatory registration for every kiosk operator in Florida, upfront fraud warnings, blockchain analytics that block transfers to known criminal wallets, daily transaction limits, and a guaranteed refund for victims within 72 hours of a timely fraud report.

“This is a huge win for Flagler County and Florida, especially for our seniors who often fall prey to these scammers,” Staly said. “Crypto kiosk scammers have stolen millions from Floridians. This law finally holds these kiosk operators accountable and gives victims a real path to get their money back. While we didn’t get everything we asked for, this is a great start and gives our Cyber Crimes Unit detective the tools they need.”

In the past two years, unregulated crypto kiosks have been used to facilitate more than $2.75 million in fraudulent transfers from Flagler County residents, most of it stolen from retirees and senior citizens. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office urges Flagler Residents who believe they’ve been the target of a crypto kiosk scam to contact the non-emergency line at 386-313-4911.

13-year-old arrested after sending gun photos, threats

According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrested a 13-year-old after he threatened to kill another teen and sent him photos of a firearm over Instagram.

FCSO deputies began investigating the incident on July

7 after the victim’s mother called 911 to report the threat.

The victim, also 13, received several Instagram messages earlier in the day from the suspect, including a photo of the suspect holding a handgun and a written message that read, “Tn 8:00 pm we be there we alr got lo,” which investigators said translates to, “Tonight 8:00 pm we be there we already got location.”

The victim told deputies he believed the suspect planned to show up at his home and shoot him at 8 p.m. that night.

The suspect later told deputies that he and the victim used to be friends but had a falling out. He also said he had messaged the victim that day and that they were planning to fight.

“Threats are no joke, and we take every threat seriously. This teen had already made plans to fight the victim, and he made it clear it wasn’t going to be a fistfight,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “I want to remind parents to stay engaged in what their kids are doing online and who they’re talking to. Teach them the proper way of handling disagreements and be the Sheriff of your home.”

Investigation into 2025 Palm Coast shooting ends with two arrests

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has concluded its investigation into a November 2025 shooting that occurred at a Palm Coast apartment complex. The investigation resulted in two arrests.

On Nov. 16, 2025, the FCSO Major Case Unit responded to investigate a shooting at an apartment complex on Beach Village Circle in which two people — Micah McGill, then17, and Tyree Smith, then-22 — sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. The shooting happened during an altercation that followed a do-

mestic disturbance between Smith and a family member of McGill’s.

During the investigation, detectives interviewed all parties involved to determine how the shooting occurred. McGill and Smith provided detectives with conflicting accounts of what happened. Additionally, McGill changed his statement, first telling detectives that he grabbed the gun before the encounter, then later stating that he had wrestled the gun from Smith.

At the conclusion of interviews and using evidence obtained during a search warrant with evidence collected by FCSO’s Crime Scene Investigation Unit, detectives determined that McGill shot Smith, then accidentally shot himself during the altercation.

During the initial investigation, detectives obtained a warrant for Smith’s arrest for battery from the domestic disturbance that preceded the shooting and arrested him on Nov. 18, 2025.

Detectives also determined McGill had an extensive juvenile criminal history and had been previously adjudicated a delinquent, making it a felony for him to possess a firearm.

Based on the FCSO investigation, the State Attorney’s Office requested a capias on McGill for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a delinquent, and shooting into a building. On June 4, the capias was approved and issued by Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols.

On July 7, the FCSO Fugitive Apprehension Unit located McGill, now 18, at a residence on Ripplet Place in Palm Coast and he was arrested without incident.

“This investigation was a lot more complicated than it needed to be and took a lot longer than it needed because the people involved did not want to be cooperative or be truthful how this shooting occurred,” said Sheriff Rick

COPS CORNER

JULY 5

ORDER CANCELED

2:26 p.m. — 1400 block of West Granada Boulevard, Ormond Beach Battery touch or strike.An UberEats customer was left waiting for his order after his delivery driver got into an altercation with a restaurant manager, who believed he was stealing the food.

According to a police report, when the delivery driver arrived at the restaurant to pick up the order, the restaurant manager asked him to verify the order before leaving with the food. The two men each told a different story to police: The delivery driver said he attempted to show he was responsible for the order, but was disre-

Staly. “Despite their attempts to cover up the incident, our Major Case Unit continued to investigate until the truth was proven and an arrest was made. I commend everyone involved for their perseverance during this investigation.”

McGill was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he is being held on a $105,000 bond.

Smith, now 23, later entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the State Attorney’s Office, which included the completion of an anger management course. Upon completion of the deferred prosecution agreement in March, the battery charge was dismissed by the State Attorney’s Office.

FCSO: Daytona man charged after alleged threats against DCF caseworker

According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, a Daytona Beach man has been arrested for allegedly threatening to kill a Florida Department of Children and Families caseworker, closing a year-long, multi-agency investigation into threats made against a Flagler County public servant.

According to FCSO, in July 2025, the caseworker reported receiving a series of threatening messages from an unknown number. In one message, the sender allegedly claimed to have an AR-15 rifle ready for her and warned that she would never see her family again.

FCSO said detectives coordinated with Department of Children and Families staff, Volusia County Probation and the Oregon Fusion Center to trace the messages and determine their source. The sender was identified as Tyler William Stinnett, 30,

garded by the manager, and the manager said the delivery driver ignored his request and grabbed the order from the counter.

The manager and another restaurant employee followed him outside, at which point they claimed the delivery driver “swung his hands” at the manager. The manager got the order back and went back inside. The delivery driver told police that as the manager took the food back, he injured his shoulder. He requested transport to the hospital.

Both men wanted to pursue charges.

JULY 6

LAUNDERING FAKE MONEY

10:38 a.m. — 300 block of Warwick Avenue, Ormond Beach Criminal mischief.A 65-yearold Bunnell man called police after Airbnb guests left counterfeit money and vandalized the property, causing about

of Daytona Beach, who was allegedly upset over a childwelfare case and had sent similar threatening messages using spoofed phone numbers to other DCF employees and a judge. According to FCSO, Stinnett was arrested in February by Volusia County detectives in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and later extradited to Volusia County, where he faces a dozen charges related to similar alleged threats against other government employees. After completing the Flagler County investigation, FCSO said the State Attorney’s Office issued a capias for Stinnett on a charge of written threats to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism. According to the Sheriff’s Office, he was served with the charge on July 8 at the Volusia County Jail, where he was already being held on similar charges. Stinnett remains held at the jail without bond. His bond on the Flagler County charge is set at $10,000.

Overnight closures for

Ormond Beach southbound I-95/ U.S. 1 off ramp

The Florida Department of Transportation is implementing overnight closures from southbound Interstate 95 off ramp to U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach on July 19, ending the morning of Tuesday, July 21. Detour information: Motorists heading southbound on I-95 wanting to reach U.S. 1 should instead take Exit 278 for Old Dixie Highway and continue west for approximately 2.3 miles. At the roundabout, take the third exit to access southbound U.S. 1 and travel south on U.S. 1 for about 6.3 miles to reach the I-95 interchange. Visit www.cflroads.com/ project/419772-3.

$300 in damages. The guests had reserved the vacation rental until July 4, but overstayed, according to a police report. When the property owner came by the house to check it out, he noticed several items were damaged — a closet door, a door lock, the door to the garage and the fence gate, which appeared to have been chewed by a dog. He then found the counterfeit money on the top shelf of a closet. He later found another fake bill ripped up in a toilet. Additionally, the property owner said that his cameras showed multiple people coming in and out of the house with several suitcases. He told police he believed the guests were “conducting an abnormal amount of laundry,” approximately 16-17 loads. The property owner wished to press charges.

JULY 10 CRASH, FLEE, THEN DENY 11:42 p.m. — Evolve Parkway, Palm Coast DUI. A Palm Coast woman was arrested after deputies say she crashed her car into a garage, fled the scene on foot and was later found walking along U.S. 1 while intoxicated. According to the arrest report, deputies responded to an apartment complex on Evolve Parkway after receiving a report of a vehicle crashing into a closed garage. Witnesses told deputies the driver left the scene, parked elsewhere in the complex and ran into nearby woods. One said he watched the woman drive around the parking lot screaming before crashing into the garage and fleeing. Another witness captured the incident on cellphone video. Deputies later located the 35-year-old woman walk-

Report from Tallahassee

Sen. Leek: Amendment 3 should have been focused on spending. Rep. Greco said state should make sure voucher money is well spent.

BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Elected officials and local community and business leaders attended the 2026 Legislative Update to hear reports from Flagler County’s local state legislators, Sen. Tom Leek and Rep. Sam Greco.

There were also a couple of elephants in the room — state issues that have taken center stage this election year — at the event, hosted by the Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber of Commerce on July 9 at the Hammock Dunes Club.

Leek, who spoke first before having to leave for another engagement, was asked about Florida Amendment 3, which will appear on the general election ballot in November. If it passes, with 60% of the vote, it will increase homestead tax exemptions to $250,000 over the next two years and limit how counties and municipalities can spend property tax revenue.

Greco was asked about school vouchers, which redirect public school tax dollars to families who choose private or home-school options

Leek said he is conflicted about the property tax amendment. He said there should have been a better product presented to voters. Property taxes have gotten out of control and growth in local government spending has become “insane,” he said. But rather than focusing on an increase in the homestead exemption, the focus should be on spending, Leek said.

“If you address a single revenue source, you’re going to be playing Whack-a-Mole,” Leek said. “We’ve got an entire budget for years built on this revenue source.”

If Amendment 3 passes, there will be spending cuts, Leek said, but not enough to make up the deficit. As a result, he said, there will be a fee shift.

“Will it help folks that you’re trying to help? Absolutely. Will it shift the burden to properties that are higher valued? Absolutely. Will there be new fees, I don’t see how there won’t,” he said.

Leek’s proposal would limit local spending growth in accordance to a city or county’s population growth, adjusting for inflation, following the Colorado model.

Leek asked for a show of hands for who will vote for the amendment, who will vote against it and who has not decided yet. While there were more people in the room who indicated they will vote against it than for it, a key

Legislative summaries

Provided by Sen. Tom Leek and Rep. Sam Greco

APPROPRIATIONS

Rep. Sam Greco, District 19

„ $500,000: Flagler County Animal Shelter

„ $1.5 million: Flagler Beach

Wastewater improvements

„ $2.6 million: Flagler County Black Branch North Drainage System Project

„ $548,000: Flagler County

— Disaster Resilience Staging

Sites

„ $1.5 million: SMA Health Care – Flagler County central receiving facility

$300,000: Burroughs Drive

„

Stormwater Park

Sen. Tom Leek, District 7

$1.5 million: Flagler Beach

„

“Will it help folks that you’re trying to help? Absolutely. Will it shift the burden to properties that are higher valued? Absolutely. Will there be new fees, I don’t see how there won’t.”

indicator, Leek said, is the number of people who are undecided. Most people who are undecided wind up voting no, he said.

“I don’t know if this gets 60%,” Leek said. “I think it struggles to get there.”

TAXPAYER

ACCOUNTABILITY

Unlike property taxes, the Florida Legislature took no action on accountability measures for the state’s $4 billion school voucher program. Despite a unanimous Senate vote to address oversight issues flagged by a state audit, the House allowed the legislation to die.

David Ayers, president of Flagler Broadcasting, asked Greco if he thought the school voucher system was working. Greco said he is a supporter of school vouchers. Being a relatively new program, he said, he thinks it is approaching a stability point. The majority of vouchers are now going to families who are leaving public schools, rather than those that were never enrolled, making it easier to track, he said.

Brian McMillan, the Observer ’s publisher, asked

Wastewater (Reclaimed) Improvements. The project will install equipment that removes excess salt from treated wastewater so the city can legally recycle and reuse the water by 2031 instead of releasing it into the Matanzas River.

„ $150,000: Palm Coast Burroughs Drive Stormwater Improvements. This project will clean out built-up sediment from Palm Coast’s saltwater canals.

„

$1.3 million: Flagler County Black Branch North Drainage System Project. The project is building a controlled stormwater system that captures runoff, cleans it in a pond and releases it slowly so it reduces flooding, improves water quality and protects nearby waterways.

„

$250,000: Flagler County

about educational accountability with the state setting standards for public school education that do not apply to private or home-school students who receive taxpayerfunded vouchers.

“I look at it the other way,” Greco said. “I don’t think the answer to that is to regulate the private schools more. I think the answer is to decrease regulation where we can on public schools. There are additional costs that we’re placing on our public schools that we don’t need to be. I’d rather cut those costs than to saddle private schools with costs.”

Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore said she wanted to comment as a taxpayer. She stressed that she is in favor of school choice with parents being allowed to educate their children where ever they want. But with $19 million of taxpayer money being distributed in Flagler County through the voucher program, taxpayers should be able to see what the return is on their investment, she said. “What is important is the accountability to the dollar,” Moore said.

Every dollar the school district spends, it has to provide a record for, Moore said.

“As a taxpayer I just strongly believe that if $19 million is out in our community educating our children, we should be able to track those taxpayer dollars.”

Greco agreed that accountability “is incredibly important, and I want to make sure we can identify where every taxpayer dollar goes and make sure that it’s going where it’s supposed to go.”

LEEK’S TALE OF TWO BILLS

Leek highlighted two bills that he prioritized during the legislative session. The Officer Jason Raynor Act succeeded.

The AI Bill of Rights did not.

Raynor, a Daytona Beach police officer, was shot in the line of duty in 2021 and died of his injuries. The defendant was charged with first degree murder, but in 2023 a Clay County jury found him guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.

The Raynor Act, which Gov.

Animal Shelter. This funding will support the collaboration with Flagler County to expand capacity and enhance the animal shelter facilities serving Palm Coast residents.

„ $250,000: Palm Coast Woodlands Community Stormwater Capacity. This proposed project increases flood protection by creating stormwater storage capacity ponds and increasing conveyance within the drainage basin.

„

$274,000: Flagler County Disaster Resilience Staging Sites. Provides funding for two elevated, paved Disaster Resilience Staging Sites in rural western Flagler County to support emergency supply staging, food and water distribution, response vehicle deployment and basic sanitation services during disasters.

Session results

REP. GRECO

HB 679. Registration of Trademarks: Modernizes Florida’s trademark registration process.

HB 1293. Fraudulent Entry of Residential dwellings: Protects homeowners by making it a crime to fraudulently enter and take position of another person’s home. The Bill also allows landlords to immediately terminate a rental agreement when false information is used to obtain a lease.

SB 1404 (HB 1295). Memory Care: Strengthens standards for memory care providers, including requirements for resident contracts, facility conditions, and advertising.

Ron DeSantis signed into law, establishes a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole for defendants convicted of killing a law enforcement officer in Florida.

“We took care of that glitch. It took three years,” Leek said.

The AI Bill of Rights, which was in its first year in the legislative process, passed the Senate but did not pass in the House. The bill was in response to a teenage boy committing suicide after engaging with an AI chatbot.

“You can see the harm out there that some of these things are causing is so great, we just can’t afford to wait,” Leek said. “The Bill of Rights [provides] a lot of protections for children and vulnerable adults. The chatbot has to tell you it’s a computer, not only up front, but remind you periodically you’re talking to a machine.”

He said he believes the bill did not pass in the House because President Trump wants to see a national standard for AI regulation. But Leek doesn’t think Congress will pass an AI bill in the very near future.

“This is a bill I love, I’m passionate about,” Leek said. “We’ll keep bringing that one back until it passes.”

FUNDS HEADED TO FLAGLER

Greco said Flagler County did very well during the legislative session.

“I had about $20 million in appropriations projects approved by the governor, and about $40 million in Florida’s budget is coming back to Flagler County,” he said.

Greco touched on a few bills that he sponsored which passed in this session: House Bill 679, which modernizes the state’s trademark registration process; HB 1293 which creates a third-degree felony for individuals who take possession of a rental property by using forged documents; and HB 1295, strengthening standards for memory care providers.

Another bill he sponsored was HB 445, Missy’s Law, that requires courts to immediately remand a defendant into custody without bond after they plead guilty or no contest, or are found guilty of a dangerous crime, keeping them detained while they await sentencing.

“This is a common-sense measure to make sure that communities are safe and make sure that people who are convicted are in custody.” Greco, who was in his second year as a state representative, said he has been able to deliver quickly for his district because he’s had some “really great mentors including Sen. Leek, who helped me establish myself quickly.” Flagler County School Board member Lauren Ramirez asked Greco if he had any opinions about Flagler Schools’ programs after he toured the district’s campuses this year.

Greco began by congratulating the school district for achieving an A grade earlier this month.

with meeting minutes. Finally, school districts are prohibited from requiring or incentivizing district employees to sign an NDA. (Passed as HB 1073)

SEN. LEEK

SB 156. Protecting Law Enforcement Officers: Officer Jason Raynor Act, prohibits a person from using or threatening to use force to resist any arrest or detention, or to resist an officer engaged in the performance of his or her official duties, if the officer was acting in good faith. (Passed)

SB 990. Diversifying Florida’s Insurance Market: seeks to create more capacity within the insurance market by allowing a business, or a designated protected cell captive insurance company, to insure specific and specialized types of risk. A pool of assets and liabilities are insured separate from other assets and liabilities, with the goal to drive down premiums. (Passed as HB 883)

SB 1620. Cementing School Board members’ Bill of Rights: clarifies School Board members’ oversight authority by allowing them to request information from the District CFO and other staff. It also expands what public records shall be kept

SB 436. Felony Battery: Fills a gap in the battery enhancement statute by adding “resisting an officer with violence” to the list of prior convictions that are eligible for enhancement as a repeat battery offense. This ensures that repeat violent offenders are treated as such. (Passed) SB 398. Child Pornography Terminology: Removes all statutory references to “child pornography” and replaces it with “Child Sexual Abuse Material” (CSAM). This bill reinforces that any such material is a serious crime against a child.

(Passed as HB 245) SB 434. Windstorm Mitigation: Ensures that Floridians are not punished for home hardening by requiring that the increase in value attributable to improvements made to residences to increase the property’s resistance to wind damage may not be considered when determining the assessed value. (Passed Senate, died in the House)

SB 482. Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights: sought to protect the most vulnerable when it comes to AI. In particular, it would have provided protections related to “companion chatbots.” These are not the bots you may run into to answer a routine question on a website, but instead they are created to sustain a relationship with a user that may seem real. The bill was narrowly drafted to provide protections for Floridians, while allowing AI to continue to be a valuable tool.

(Passed Senate, died in the House)

“That’s certainly something you all should be proud of,” he said, adding that he was impressed by his visit, particularly with the district’s classroom to careers programs.

“I hope you continue to grow that program,” he said. “I hope other districts can learn from the success that you’ve had here with those programs, and we can continue to create, obviously a strong education environment, but a workforce that is attractive to businesses who want to come here.”

Palm Coast Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri asked Greco about getting dispatchers designated as first responders for benefit purposes and the lack of indemnity benefits for first responders with PTSD that is not necessarily connected to a physical injury.

Greco said he believes those bills will come back to the Legislature.

“Anything we can do to support our first responders is something that I’m in full support of,” he said. “I served in the military, and PTSD is a real problem and a real issue we need to be addressing any time.”

“There are additional costs that we’re placing on our public schools that we don’t need to be. I’d rather cut those costs than to saddle private schools with costs.”

REP. SAM GRECO

Rep. Sam Greco (left) listens as Sen. Tom Leek speaks at the Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber of Commerce Legislative Update. Photo by Brent Woronoff

SEN. TOM LEEK, on property tax amendment

Led by Zepp II: A journey down Flagler County’s forgotten Brick Road

From the Dixie Highway to the vanished communities at Lake Neoga and Pringle Swamp.

RICH CARROLL

MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER

The adventure began where the pavement ends.

One minute we were traveling on an ordinary road. The next, the tires dropped onto uneven dirt as we entered one of Florida’s most significant — and least understood — historic sites: the Brick Road, also known as Dixie Highway or County Road 13.

Palm Coast City Historian Preston Zepp smiled as the truck bounced over ruts carved into the century-old roadway.

“So there you go,” Zepp said. “We’re at the end of Brick Road.”

Over the next several hours, Zepp guided the Observer through forgotten settlements, abandoned sawmill towns, ancient hunting grounds and one of the longest surviving sections of the original Dixie Highway in America. Along the way, the trip became more than a history lesson. It became a reminder that beneath Flagler County’s forests and future development plans lies a story stretching back centuries.

THE ROAD THAT BUILT

FLORIDA TOURISM

Many people assume Florida tourism began with beaches, theme parks or Walt Disney World.

Zepp argues it started here.

Designed by Carl Fisher — who also created the Lincoln Highway linking New York to California — the Dixie Highway was launched in 1914 as a 5,786-mile network of connected roads stretching from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to Miami.

“It was not one single roadway,” Zepp explained. “It was a network of roads.”

Flagler County’s section opened in 1915.

Today, the county is home to approximately 8.3 miles of the longest remaining intact brick section of the original highway that has never been paved over. By comparison, neighboring St. Johns County

has roughly 2 miles remaining. Standing beside the weathered bricks, Zepp explained why the road changed Florida forever.

“This was started in 1914 as a roadway going down to Miami,” he said. “People had more money, more leisure time and they wanted adventure. Florida was the last frontier ... This was the beginning of tourism in Florida. Everybody thinks it started with the House of Mouse — Disney. But this is where it all began, with this brick road.”

Without roads like this, visitors traveling in Model Ts and early automobiles would never have reached Florida’s hotels, beaches and tourist camps.

“There wouldn’t be a House of Mouse without this brick road,” Zepp said. The corridor once featured tourist camps, boarding houses, hotels, grocery stores and one of the area’s earliest gas stations. Today, only the road remains.

DRIVING THROUGH HISTORY

Calling it a road almost feels generous.

The farther we traveled, the rougher the ride became.

Massive ruts carved by logging trucks forced slow, care-

ful driving as the truck fishtailed through loose sand and uneven terrain.

At one point, after bouncing through one particularly rough stretch, I summed up what both of us were thinking.

“That was some of the most stressful driving I’ve ever had,” I said.

“I have never seen the road in that bad of condition,” Zepp replied. “I thought we were going to get stuck.”

Later, another logging truck appeared around a bend.

“That is what’s causing all these problems,” Zepp said.

According to Zepp, the heavy trucks hauling timber from surrounding forests are taking a toll on the centuryold roadway.

“It’s just tearing this road up,” he said.

Despite the rough conditions, Zepp believes preserving the road remains essential.

“This is where we started,” he said. “These roads brought in the lumber and supplies and people. These are pieces that are left to tell that story that doesn’t get told in schools.”

A ROAD WORTH

PROTECTING

The Brick Road was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Even so, preservation remains an ongoing effort.

During the tour, Zepp pointed out areas where people had removed historic bricks, which is illegal.

“Somebody came in here and dug bricks out,” he said. “Actually set one on fire. ... We found out about somebody who was coming out here taking the bricks and called the sheriff’s department. They got fined.”

He also carries one of the historic bricks with him while giving tours. The brick, manufactured around 1913 or 1914 by Southern Clay Manufacturing, weighs roughly 9 pounds.

When the road was originally built, Zepp explained, the roadway measured only about 10 feet wide. Engineers locked the bricks in place using amalgamated concrete before eventually adding concrete aprons along each side so passing vehicles could safely maneuver around one another.

DEVELOPMENT MEETS

PRESERVATION

The Brick Road has become a focal point as Palm Coast plans for its westward expansion.

Much of the surrounding land remains timber property today but is expected to be developed over the coming decades.

According to Zepp, that reality makes preserving the historic roadway even more important.

When early development plans proposed roadway crossings through the Brick Road, Zepp, the Flagler County Historical Society and Palm Coast Historical Society pushed back.

The effort generated nearly 2,000 petition signatures.

“We met with the county,” Zepp said. “They plan to make this whole Dixie Highway a linear park ... walking, biking, whatever, to protect it from being developed over.”

He hopes future preservation ordinances being considered by local governments will permanently protect not only the Brick Road but other historic resources throughout Flagler County.

“I’m not against development,” Zepp emphasized. “I’m for smart development and protecting historic sites.”

THE FORGOTTEN

TOWN OF NEOGA

Several miles farther down

the road, Zepp stopped beside what appears today to be nothing more than forest.

More than a century ago, however, this was one of Flagler County’s busiest communities.

Neoga was built around a large sawmill operation on Lake Neoga.

The mill changed ownership several times, from the English Company to East Florida Land and Produce before eventually becoming Bond and Bond.

Its lumber supplied projects across Florida, including work commissioned by Henry Flagler.

“Part of his house, which is now Flagler College, some of the lumber from that came from the sawmill that was here,” Zepp said. “All the way down to the Bahamas.”

Nearby, the Utley White St. Johns & Halifax Railroad connected Hastings with Daytona before Henry Flagler purchased the line and incorporated it into what eventually became the Florida East Coast Railway.

Long before Bunnell existed, Alvah Bunnell operated a turpentine still and shingle mill near Neoga before moving south to establish Bunnell Stop, which later grew into today’s county seat.

For decades, Lake Neoga served as the community gathering place.

Residents held picnics there. Horse races took place nearby. Religious baptisms were performed in its waters.

Cracker-style homes remained in the area into the 1970s before disappearing.

Today, the former townsite is once again timberland and lies within the future Westward Expansion planning area.

PRINGLE SWAMP’S

ANCIENT PAST

Across from the Brick Road lies another largely forgotten landmark.

Pringle Swamp appears today as dense forest.

Historically, it was a freshwater swamp branching from Pellicer Creek.

Zepp said remnants of early Native American villages have been discovered there, while the swamp later became a center for the turpentine and timber industries from the late 1800s into the mid1940s.

For centuries it also served as a favored hunting area.

Today, the northern section is protected under Florida Forever conservation lands and Flagler County conservation property, while much of the remaining acreage is expected to become part of Palm Coast’s westward expansion.

A STORY STILL UNFOLDING

Throughout the drive, Zepp returned to one central message: Most residents simply don’t realize how much history surrounds them.

“There are very few Flaglerites or Floridians here anymore,” he said. “Everybody thinks we started with Palm Coast, and we didn’t. Our history goes back thousands of years, and this is a way to tell that story.”

As the truck finally left the Brick Road and returned to smooth pavement, it was difficult not to appreciate the contrast.

The bumpy, dusty drive had been slow, uncomfortable and at times nerve-racking. But it also offered a rare trip through the landscape that helped shape Flagler County long before Palm Coast existed.

The forests may have reclaimed Neoga. Pringle Swamp may one day give way to new neighborhoods.

The Brick Road itself may continue its battle against time, weather and heavy logging traffic.

Yet for those willing to venture beyond the pavement, the stories are still there — embedded in century-old bricks, hidden beneath towering pines and waiting for someone like Preston Zepp to bring them back to life.

Manufacturer markings remain visible on many of the centuryold bricks.

Palm Coast City Historian Preston Zepp stands on the historic Brick Road, the longest remaining intact brick section of the original Dixie Highway in the nation. Photo by Rich Carroll

Palm Coast staff proposes budget cuts, as well as 3% tax rate increase

Proposed maximum millage rate would preserve the council’s flexibility during budget discussions.

RICH CARROLL

MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER

Palm Coast city staff is recommending a slight property tax increase for fiscal year 2027, warning that inflation, rising public safety costs and growing operational expenses have made it increasingly difficult to balance the city’s budget without additional revenue.

During a budget workshop on July 14, City Manager Mike McGlothlin recommended setting the city’s maximum proposed millage rate at 4.2296 mills, up from the current 4.0893 mills. That would represent a 3.43% increase in the tax rate.

Staff said the recommendation would balance the proposed $72.2 million general fund budget while maintaining current service levels.

“This recommended millage increase will balance the budget regarding the approved Strategic Action Plans and communicated service level expectations,” McGlothlin said.

He noted the proposal already includes several costsaving measures, including freezing multiple general fund positions, adding no new general fund employees, eliminating cost-of-living raises for city employees while maintaining merit increases

of up to 3%, and not funding the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office request for nine additional deputies.

McGlothlin warned that lowering the proposed rate would require the council to reduce recently approved strategic priorities and city services.

EXISITING PROPERTY VALUES DECLINED

Budget staff reported taxable property values increased 4.13% over the previous year, although nearly all of that growth came from new construction. Existing properties collectively experienced a slight decline in value.

The proposed millage rate would generate approximately $46.5 million in ad valorem tax revenue, the city’s largest revenue source. Staff also projected relatively flat revenues from the state’s halfcent sales tax, communications service taxes and state revenue sharing.

PUBLIC SAFETY DRIVES SPENDING

Public safety remains the largest component of the city’s general fund budget. Among the largest unfunded requests is nearly $1 million to add nine sheriff’s deputies. The proposed fire department budget reflects a 7.7% increase, driven primarily by overtime costs associated with staffing shortages and increasing emergency call volume.

Councilman Charles Gambaro noted that roughly 63% of the general fund is dedicated to public safety and public works.

WHAT WOULD THE TAX RATE INCREASE MEAN?

If the maximum is approved on July 21, and the rate is not lowered by the final vote in September, the following cuts to the budget are being considered:

„ Freezing multiple general fund positions;

„ Adding no new general

“Those are the basic services that our residents expect,” Gambaro said. “To be protected from fire, from bad guys ... and also the appeal of what brings us to Palm Coast, which is how it looks.”

REC FACILITIES AT A LOSS

The Parks and Recreation Department is proposing a 4.2% budget increase, though several facilities continue to operate at a deficit.

Staff reported the Southern Recreation Center is projected to lose roughly $400,000 annually, while the Palm Coast Aquatics Center is expected to operate at approximately a $500,000 loss.

Council members requested staff develop a long-term strategy to increase revenue while maintaining recreational opportunities.

RISING DISPATCH COSTS

The Information Technology Department proposed a $7.2 million budget, a 3.8% increase over the current fiscal year, while requesting no

fund employees;

„ Eliminating cost-of-living raises for city employees;

„ Not funding the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office request for nine additional deputies;

„ Shifting code enforcement toward a complaintbased model; „ Reducing economic development incentive funding.

additional personnel. Staff highlighted significant savings achieved through in-house technology projects, while noting the department’s largest increase stems from Palm Coast’s share of regional computer-aided dispatch (CAD) software.

The city’s annual allocation is expected to increase from about $16,000 to more than $87,000, reflecting higher emergency call volume and a revised cost-sharing formula with Flagler County.

CAPITAL PROJECTS AND POLICY CHANGES

Council also reviewed several capital improvement projects.

Officials reported the Indian Trails Sports Complex improvements came in under budget, leaving approximately $960,000 available for additional parking and pedestrian safety improvements. Council members also reaffirmed their desire to build a new skate park, although funding has not yet been identified. Staff also outlined several

County advances 1-year data center moratorium

Commissioners unanimously approve first reading as staff investigates impacts.

RICH CARROLL

MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER

Flagler County commissioners unanimously approved the first reading of a proposed ordinance establishing a 12-month moratorium on new data center applications in unincorporated Flagler County, giving staff time to develop comprehensive regulations governing where the facilities can be built and how they will be reviewed.

The ordinance, approved during the board’s July 13 meeting, is intended to temporarily halt new data center applications while the county develops standards addressing environmental concerns, infrastructure demands and appropriate locations for future facilities. Because the board’s action was a first

reading, the ordinance must return for a second reading and final vote before the moratorium can take effect.

County officials emphasized that the moratorium is not intended to prohibit data centers permanently, but rather to ensure the county has clear policies in place before considering future proposals.

“What the moratorium does is it closes the door on any applications or anyone wanting to basically rush the office to get an application in while we’re still contemplat-

“These aren’t traditional commercial industrial uses. We’re finding more information about them every day.”

ANDY DANCE, Flagler County commissioner

ing what the regulations are,”

County Attorney Michael Rodriguez told commissioners.

Rodriguez added that if the county completes and adopts those regulations before the one-year period expires, the moratorium could be lifted early because it would no longer be necessary.

Chair Leann Pennington questioned whether 12 months would be sufficient, while other commissioners expressed confidence that the county could complete the work within that timeframe.

Commissioner Andy Dance said the county’s objective is

“We made a commitment. I want us to find that money.”

THERESA

PONTIERI, vice mayor, on the likelihood that the budget won’t include nine additional deputies

policy changes being considered to reduce future operating costs, including shifting code enforcement toward a complaint-based model, reducing economic development incentive funding and continuing the city’s policy of using fund balance only for one-time expenditures.

DIFFICULT CHOICES

Much of the workshop centered on how much flexibility the council should preserve heading into the formal budget process.

Staff explained that 4.2296 mills represents only the maximum rate the city could adopt. Once advertised, the council may reduce the rate during budget hearings but cannot increase it.

Councilman Dave Sullivan cautioned against making last-minute changes after staff has spent months preparing the budget.

to establish regulations before applications are submitted.

“It’s really just about planning before permitting,” Dance said. “These aren’t traditional commercial industrial uses. We’re finding more information about them every day.”

Dance said the process will include an educational effort through the Northeast Florida Regional Council, along with public workshops. He said Nassau County has already begun developing policies for the industry.

Staff also noted that many large data center developers are increasingly seeking sites in rural communities because of the availability of large tracts of land and the ability to extend utilities such as electricity and water. Officials said some companies are also redeveloping former office parks into smaller data center facilities.

The proposed 12-month moratorium will return to the board for a second reading and final vote on Aug. 3.

COUNTY ADOPTS RULES FOR FUTURE TAXING UNITS

Flagler County commissioners unanimously approved a master special assessment ordinance on July 13, creating a legal framework for future Municipal Service Benefit Units (MSBUs) and Municipal Service Taxing Units (MSTUs). County officials emphasized the ordinance does not create any new assessment districts or impose new fees. Instead, it establishes the legal process the county will use if future MSBUs or MSTUs are proposed, eliminating the need to adopt a new ordinance each time.

Interim County Administrator Adam Mengel said the ordinance also removes outdated language in the county code related to road MSBUs and outlines the legal standards required for any future special assessment.

Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri said she would like staff to identify roughly $2.5 million in savings so the city can maintain its current millage rate while preserving funding for additional sheriff’s deputies. She said the city had committed to a threeyear plan to help the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office keep pace with Palm Coast’s growing population and wants to honor that commitment while minimizing the tax burden on residents.

“We made a commitment,” Pontieri said. “I want us to find that money.”

She added that maintaining the current millage rate rather than adopting the proposed increase would require the city to identify approximately $2.5 million in budget reductions elsewhere.

By the end of the workshop, the council reached consensus to move forward with a 4.2296 maximum proposed millage rate. The City Council is expected to formally adopt a resolution establishing the maximum millage rate at its July 21 meeting, allowing the rate to be advertised ahead of the required September budget hearings. Advertising the higher rate does not obligate the council to adopt it as the final millage rate, but it does allow members to lower the rate if additional savings are identified before the FY 2027 budget is approved in September.

“In my experience in the 10 years I’ve been doing budgets here in the county and now in the city, the worst thing that ever happened was the day before the budget was going to get approved, the council voted to reduce the millage rate,” Sullivan said. “That throws the staff into havoc because they’ve got to come forward with a budget. All of a sudden you do crazy things. You eliminate things just because you have to eliminate something.”

“It does set up the two criteria — the special benefit that’s got to be derived from any special assessment and then also that the assessment must be fairly and reasonably apportioned among the properties that are deriving that special benefit,” Mengel told commissioners.

Commissioner Kim Carney also asked how residents would be notified if future assessment districts are proposed. Mengel said property owners could receive notice through the annual Truth in Millage (TRIM) process, provided statutory deadlines are met, ensuring affected residents have an opportunity to review and comment before any assessments are imposed.

Commissioners unanimously approved the ordinance, though each future MSBU or MSTU will still require its own public approval process before any assessments can be levied on property owners.

— RICH CARROLL

File photo by Brent Woronoff

Flagler Schools’ ESE director retires

Kim Halliday will help build transition programs in other districts.

BRENT WORONOFF

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Dr. Kim Halliday, Flagler Schools’ director of Exceptional Student Education, is retiring on July 31. Halliday has worked in public school education in Florida for 32 years, the last 22 years in Flagler County.

Halliday has been the director of ESE for four years. As the district’s transition coordinator from 2013 to 2021, she helped establish a threetiered approach for students with disabilities, who are eligible to stay in high school until their 22nd birthday, to transition into the labor market.

The district offers the TRAIL program, which assists students in finding meaningful vocational employment. STREAM courses are for students that have more need and are not ready yet to join the workforce. Project SEARCH is located at AdventHealth Palm Coast. There, students spend the whole day working with AdventHealth staff members.

“Dr. Halliday has done great work in building out transition programs for our students with disabilities,” Flagler Schools Assistant Superintendent Dr. Angela O’Brien said. “She has been instrumental in growing different opportunities for them to get connected to the workforce and do meaningful work as they transition into adulthood.”

Halliday had entered Florida’s deferred retirement option program last month and expected to remain in

her position for another eight years. But then she received an offer from Able Trust, a public nonprofit that promotes employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

“This opportunity fell in my lap,” she said. “I’ll be able to help other school districts that don’t have the graduation rates like ours improve their outcomes with students with disabilities. It’s pretty exciting.”

Able Trust provided a grant to Flagler Schools in 2018 to start a fourth transition program, High School High Tech. The program is for any person with a disability in Flagler Schools and assists them in exploring postsecondary education, training and careers.

Halliday and her husband, Dave Halliday, a Flagler Palm Coast High School teacher and head track and cross country coach, moved to Flagler County in 2004. Her first position at Flagler Schools was as a self-contained ESE teacher at FPC and then at Matanzas High School, when it opened, where she taught children with significant cognitive disabilities.

“You had to be very cre -

ative,” she said. “It was a very busy classroom. There was no sitting behind a desk, no traditional teaching. It was very individualized. And our kids grew.”

She took pride in helping a student take their first step or write their name for the first time. At Matanzas, she started Flagler Schools’ first Disability and Awareness Week.

“Dr. Chris Pryor [Matanzas High’s first principal] welcomed us. The kids were welcomed with open arms,” she said. “My kids were part of everything they could be at both schools. It was a great way to start my career here in Flagler.”

Halliday said she knows the ESE department won’t miss a beat without her because of the leadership of Superintendent LaShakia Moore and Assistant Superintendent O’Brien.

“When Ms. Moore says we’re going to serve all kids, my heart gets filled, beacause she means all kids,” Halliday said. “Most ESE directors don’t have the kind of support I’ve had my whole time in the district office. With Ms. Moore and Dr. O’Brien, if it’s good for kids, we’re going to figure it out. Whoever is the next ESE director is stepping into a blessing. We have a great team leading our students.”

Halliday won’t be moving. She’ll continue to participate in the Autism Awareness Festival, Disability Awareness Week, the Fun Coast Down Syndrome Buddy Walk and other events that support individuals with disabilities in the county.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “This is my home. I hope to see the parents out in the community and find out how their kids are doing. I want to hear the good news.”

Turtle Patrol’s stolen ATV is found

The ATV was stolen from a shed in Marineland and was found by a Mosquito Control technician.

NICOLE GRAVES

EFMCD OUTREACH SPECIALIST

An East Flagler Mosquito Control District field technician conducting routine inspections located the all-terrain vehicle stolen last month from the Flagler Turtle Patrol. He was patrolling at about 10 a.m. Monday, July 13, and immediately notified the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

John Dunlop, a field technician who joined the District in 2022, came across the ATV in a heavily wooded area near Marineland during his regular inspection route and recognized it as the stolen vehicle. He immediately contacted the Flagler Sheriff’s Office.

The ATV was stolen on June 17 from a shed behind the Turtle Patrol’s facility in Marineland on North Ocean Shore Blvd. The theft, which also included an iPad the volunteers used to record data for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, forced them to patrol the beach on foot at the height of

sea turtle nesting season until community donations funded a replacement. The iPad was not recovered with the ATV.

FCSO Crime Scene Technicians have collected evidence and are still investigating and following up on any leads.

Field technicians at the East Flagler Mosquito Control District spend a substantial portion of every workday inspecting and treating mosquito breeding sites throughout the District on foot. That work takes them into parts of Flagler that few ever get to see.

A native Floridian, Dunlop spent much of his youth playing in the swamps of the Tomoka River, and he still prefers to be outdoors, spending

his free time with his wife and two boys.

“We never know what we’ll come upon in the areas we inspect,” Dunlop said. “Usually, it’s something that wants to bite you. This was a nice surprise.”

“This is exactly the outcome that comes from having dedicated people in the field every single day,” said Mike Martin, chairman of the East Flagler Mosquito Control District Board of Commissioners.

“Our technicians know this District inch by inch because inspecting and treating mosquito habitats requires them to cover ground that most people don’t even think about. Without hesitation, John saw something and said something. This is the caliber of our entire staff.”

The East Flagler Mosquito Control District was formed in 1952 and is an independent special taxing district funded by property taxes. The mission of the East Flagler Mosquito Control District is the suppression of mosquito species that may cause illness or significant discomfort within a specific control area and with minimal environmental impact.

Kim Halliday at the Autism Awareness Festival in 2024. File photo by Brent Woronoff

John Dunlop on District ATV. Courtesy photos

Turtle Patrol ATV in the woods.

SMALL SIZE , BIG DEAL

Westminster-style event gives local shelter dogs their moment to shine

About 200 people attended, resulting in more than 20 adoption applications for Flagler Humane Society dogs.

RICH CARROLL MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER

The first Dog Show at the Flagler County Public Library’s Bunnell Library at the Nexus Center turned into more than just an afternoon of entertainment Sunday. According to the Flagler County Public Library, approximately 200 people attended the inaugural event, which also generated more than 20 adoption applications for the Flagler Humane Society, giving many of the featured dogs a chance to find their forever homes. Hosted by the Bunnell Library at the Nexus Center in partnership with the Flagler Humane Society, the free event featured adoptable dogs

strutting across the floor in a Westminster-style showcase while families learned about pet adoption, responsible dog ownership and local rescue organizations. The event also included refreshments, raffles, educational presentations and opportunities to meet dogs from both the Flagler Humane Society and SMART (Saving Missing Animals Response Team) Flagler.

For David Hanak, adult program coordinator at the Nexus Center, seeing the event come together was especially rewarding because it began as his own idea.

“I’m a huge animal lover, especially dogs,” Hanak said. “All of these dogs need homes, and I know the Flagler Humane Society is doing everything they can to get these dogs adopted. I figured I could absolutely help.”

The idea had been months in the making. During opening remarks, Flagler Humane Society Executive Director Amy Carotenuto credited

Hanak for approaching the shelter earlier this year about hosting the event, thanking both him and the Nexus Center for making it possible.

She also recognized Seagate Homes, which sponsored every Flagler Humane Society adoption fee during the event, removing one of the biggest barriers for prospective adopters. Hanak served as master of ceremonies, introducing each dog with its personality traits, favorite activities and adoption information while

encouraging attendees to consider bringing one home.

Throughout the afternoon, dogs ranging from playful puppies to gentle senior companions took turns walking the “runway,” followed later by a lighthearted costume parade that drew laughs from the audience.

“It was a lot of fun,” Hanak said. “I enjoy being in front of everybody. I enjoy showing off these beautiful dogs. I hope that all of these dogs get adopted.”

Carotenuto said the event exceeded expectations.

“It was fun. It was a good turnout, and hopefully we’re going to do it again next year and just grow every year,” she said.

She explained that the shelter selected dogs that were friendly and comfortable around other dogs and crowds, while additional adoptable animals were featured through videos displayed during the event.

“These are some of our most friendly dogs,” Carotenuto said. “We had mostly big dogs, a couple of little ones mixed in, our puppies, so a little bit of everybody.”

The event also highlighted the work of SMART Flagler, which brought about

10 adoptable dogs, including puppies rescued through a recent large-scale animal rescue case.

Caroline Johnson, director of SMART Flagler, said the organization was invited just a week before the event and immediately embraced the opportunity.

“We came out with a kissing booth to kind of bring a little fun and smiles to the event,” Johnson said. “We’re just hoping to connect with people that will support us, support the Humane Society and SMART, and adopt dogs.”

Johnson said the event also demonstrated how the Flagler County community consistently rallies around animals in need.

“We have an amazing community for the animals,” she said. “Whether it’s coming out to events, volunteering, people always come together for animals. It’s heartfelt. It really is heartfelt.”

Johnson also encouraged residents to remain vigilant when they suspect an animal is being abused or neglected. “With all the recent cases of abuse, neglect and dumping, if you see something that looks out of the ordinary or that needs a checkup, please call,” she said. “You can call anonymously and report it. A lot of these dogs are rescued because somebody spoke up. If you see something, say something.”

Flagler Animal Services Animal Services Supervisor Katie Share demonstrates safe ways to approach and interact with dogs.

Volunteers present adoptable dogs from the Flagler Humane Society during the inaugural Dog Show at the Nexus Center in Bunnell on Sunday. Photos by Dan Medeiros

Attendees meet one of the adoptable dogs at the inaugural Dog Show at the Nexus Center.

MY VIEW ERICA FLORES, EXECUTIVE

There’s no place like home: 10 years at Vincent’s Clubhouse

As we wrapped up the first half of our six-week Summer Enrichment Camp season at Vincent’s Clubhouse, I found myself standing in the middle of our Center filled with laughter, music, new friendships and moments that are difficult to put into words.

Three weeks are behind us. Three more incredible weeks are still to come. Before we know it, our Adult Enrichment Program will welcome members back on Aug. 10, followed by The Workshop, our new afternoon enrichment program for schoolaged members, on Aug. 31. It’s one of my favorite times of year because every day reminds me of why our organization exists. Vincent’s Clubhouse is dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals with autism and related disabilities of all ages, and their families, by providing innovative programs, social opportunities, family support and quality resources.

On Friday, June 26, during our Morning Huddle with our campers, I announced, “Well guys, we made it! It’s Friday! The last day of our Arts in Action Camp!” Before I could say anything else, one of our newest campers looked at me with genuine disappointment and said, “But I don’t want it to be over.” Those

simple words stopped me in my tracks because that is exactly what we hope every individual feels when they walk through our doors: that they belong.

Less than two years ago, we unlocked the doors to our Enrichment Center in European Village with a dream that had been growing inside my heart for nearly a decade. I never imagined what those doors would eventually mean to so many families.

Today, families are moving to Flagler County because Vincent’s Clubhouse exists.

In fact, before this summer is over, we’ll be welcoming two new families who are relocating here specifically because they discovered our Adult Enrichment Program. They told us they finally felt confident making the move because they knew there would be a place where their adult child would be welcomed, supported and given opportunities to thrive. People are choosing our community because they know there is a place where their loved one belongs.

A few weeks ago, we hosted our bi-monthly Parents Dine Out evening, an event that grew out of conversations during our Parent Support Groups. While our staff provided games, activities and childcare at Vincent’s Clubhouse, parents enjoyed dinner together at one of the restaurants in European Village. One family had attended our social event earlier that day with their three neurodivergent children. They returned that evening for Parents Dine Out. As they were leaving, they told Heather Dorries, our operations coordinator, “This was

When I dreamed about Vincent’s Clubhouse 10 years ago, I hoped it would change my son’s life. I never imagined it would help change our community.

our first date in five years.” Sometimes changing lives doesn’t happen through grand gestures. Sometimes it happens by simply giving parents two uninterrupted hours together.

Ten years ago, Vincent’s Clubhouse began because of one little boy named Vincent and one mother’s dream that families like ours deserved more. Today, that dream belongs to an entire community.

One of the defining moments in our journey came this past April during our 10th anniversary gala, An Evening in Emerald City.

Years ago, I met Nina Guiglotto, CEO and owner of Lotus Funeral Services, during a Chamber of Commerce event. She told me that

if I ever needed anything, she would be there, and she never forgot that promise.

Together with Shara Brodsky, owner of Sift & Sort, Nina envisioned something much bigger than a fundraiser. They believed Vincent’s Clubhouse deserved to be seen, celebrated and introduced to an even larger audience. For more than a year, they poured their creativity, relationships, countless hours, and unwavering belief into creating an unforgettable evening. As the planning continued, Donna McGevena joined the team, bringing her organizational expertise and helping ensure that every detail came together to make the evening the incredible success it became.

Together, Nina, Shara and Donna inspired sponsors, donors, volunteers and community leaders to rally around our mission in a way we had never experienced before. The gala raised more than $43,000, but its greatest success wasn’t measured in dollars. It was measured in families who now know they

are not alone.

The “Wizard of Oz” has always held a special place in my heart because it was the first non-cartoon movie my son Vincent ever watched from beginning to end. When Nina and Shara shared the Emerald City theme with me, it felt like more than coincidence.

Like Dorothy, I spent years searching for something that, in many ways, had been inside me all along. But Dorothy never reached Emerald City by herself. She needed people who believed in her and walked beside her. That’s what Vincent’s Clubhouse has become: not simply an organization, but a community. When I dreamed about Vincent’s Clubhouse 10 years ago, I hoped it would change my son’s life. I never imagined it would help change our community.

Today, because of families who trust us, a team that gives their hearts every single day, community leaders like Nina Guiglotto, Shara Brodsky and Donna McGevena

ERICA FLORES GUEST WRITER

An Evening in Emerald City raised $43,000 for Vincent’s Clubhouse. Pictured: Vincent (left) and Erica Flores (right), with Shara Brodsky, Donna McGevena and Nina Guiglotto. Courtesy photo

Do we want fast growth? Doesn’t matter. Tallahassee is deciding for us.

The state limits local ability to manage growth. Property tax ‘reform’ would remove resources to pay for it.

I’ve been involved in local government long enough to understand that growth is inevitable in Florida. And for most of my career, the way we managed that growth — imperfectly, slowly, sometimes frustratingly — was through a process. Public hearings. Elected boards. Comprehensive plans built by the communities they were meant to protect. That process isn’t gone. But it’s being quietly dismantled, one state legislative session at a time.

Flagler County residents who wonder why their commissioners seem powerless to slow the wall of development moving down the coast

should understand something: In many cases, they aren’t just powerless. They’re legally prohibited from saying “no.”

In the past three years, the Florida Legislature has passed a series of laws that transfer land-use authority from locally elected bodies to Tallahassee, dressed up in the language of housing affordability and economic growth. Three of them deserve your attention.

The Live Local Act (2023, amended yearly since) requires local governments to administratively approve multifamily housing developments on commercial and industrial land as long as 40% of the units are designated affordable. That sounds reasonable until you understand what “administrative approval” means in practice: no rezoning required, no public hearing, no planning board vote.

Height and density aren’t set by your local code, either; they’re set by whatever exists within a mile of the proposed project. Your county commission never gets a vote.

House Bill 399, signed into law earlier this year, raises the bar for denial so high that local boards now assume legal exposure every time they vote no. Boards must now document in writing not

just that a project is incompatible with the surrounding area, but that no possible mitigation could fix it and that no feasible alternative exists. The practical effect is that saying no has become a legal risk. Saying yes has not.

Senate Bill 686, which went into effect on July 1, creates a fast-track path to convert agricultural land into development sites. If a farm is surrounded on 75% of its perimeter by commercial, residential or industrial land, a description that fits a lot of Flagler and St. Johns County farmland, the owner can apply for expedited conversion. Once the application is certified, the local government must approve a landuse change consistent with whatever the surrounding area allows. The county gets 180 days to process it. They don’t get to say no.

I want to be careful here not to overstate the case. Some of these laws have legitimate goals. Florida does have a housing affordability problem. Farmland surrounded by subdivisions does create awkward planning situations. And some local governments have genuinely used their discretion to block projects that should have been approved.

But the solution to occasional local overreach isn’t

to eliminate local authority wholesale.

What frustrates those of us who work in this field isn’t the growth itself. It’s that the people who bear the consequences of that growth, residents in Flagler, in St. Johns, in counties up and down the I-95 corridor, have elected commissioners and council members specifically to manage it. And those elected officials are increasingly showing up to meetings where the decisions have already been made in Tallahassee. Yet, residents are largely unaware of these laws and yell at their local elected officials!

And now there is one more piece to consider, which will be huge and is one that hasn’t taken effect yet, but may matter more than all of them combined.

In June, the Florida Legislature passed a constitutional amendment that will appear on the November ballot. If 60% of voters approve it, the homestead exemption (the amount of a home’s value shielded from property taxes) will jump from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027, and then to $250,000 in 2028. The governor has framed it as overdue relief for Florida homeowners squeezed by rising values. He isn’t wrong that property tax bills have

climbed. But the math of what comes next is sobering. Economists estimate local governments would see a $5 billion reduction in property tax revenue in the first year alone, which is growing to nearly $8.8 billion in year two, $9.7 billion in year three and approaching $12 billion annually by 2031. To put that in local terms: small and rural communities with a large percentage of homestead properties in their tax base are expected to be among the hardest hit. That’s a description of Flagler County. That’s a description of most of Northeast Florida.

The amendment does include some protections, such as, property tax revenues would be restricted to core functions such as public safety, education and infrastructure. The practical implication is that budget cuts would fall on everything else: parks, libraries, public works, special districts and general administration. And to make up the difference, experts say local governments will likely shift costs to water bills, garbage fees, franchise fees, gas taxes, stormwater/drainage fees and other charges that people tend not to notice ... until they do.

Here is the connection that concerns me most, and

that I don’t hear discussed enough: We are simultaneously forcing local governments to approve more development — faster, with less discretion — while stripping away the revenue those same governments depend on to fund the roads, utilities, and services that new development demands. You cannot build your way into fiscal health if the tax base that development creates is being exempted away at the state level before the ink on the plat is dry! The three laws I described remove the tools local governments use to manage growth. This amendment removes the resources to pay for it. Together, they form something more than a policy agenda. They form a conclusion, which is, that local government, as Floridians have practiced it, should do less, cost less and decide less. Whether you agree with that conclusion is a legitimate question for voters. But it should at least be stated plainly, rather than arrived at piece by piece, session by session, in language most residents never see.

Lance Alred is a commissioner for East Flagler Mosquito Control with more than two decades of construction administration and public administration experience.

MY VIEW DEVRIE PARADOWSKI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FLAGLER HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Live Local Act creates new opportunities for affordable homeownership

Palm Coast’s donation of two vacant lots to Habitat for Humanity is another step to help local families.

DEVRIE

When the Palm Coast City Council unanimously approved donating two cityowned residential lots to Flagler Habitat for Humanity, it did more than transfer property. It demonstrated how Florida’s Live Local Act can help local governments transform underutilized public land into opportunities for affordable homeownership. In 2023, the Florida Legislature expanded the Live Local Act by adopting section 166.0451, Florida Statutes. The law requires municipalities to periodically inventory publicly owned property that may be appropriate for affordable housing. Once those properties are identified, local governments may choose to lease the land for affordable housing, sell it with permanent affordability restrictions, reinvest the proceeds into affordable housing initiatives, or donate the property to a nonprofit housing organization for the construction of permanent affordable housing. Importantly, the law does not require municipalities to donate land. Rather, it gives local governments another tool to address housing affordability while allowing each community to decide

how best to use publicly owned property.

For Flagler Habitat for Humanity — the only nonprofit homebuilder in Flagler County dedicated exclusively to creating affordable homeownership opportunities — that tool can have a lasting impact.

One of the greatest challenges facing affordable homeownership today is the cost of land.

Every dollar spent purchasing land is a dollar that cannot be invested in building another home or helping another family achieve homeownership.

Unlike what many people assume, Habitat homes are not given away. Families purchase their homes through an affordable mortgage after completing financial education, demonstrating the ability to repay their mortgage and contributing hundreds of hours of sweat equity alongside volunteers.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Restore traffic light at intersection of Old Kings Road, Town Center Blvd.

Dear Editor: Who decided to remove the traffic lights and install “all way” stop signs at the junction of Old Kings Road and Town Center Boulevard?

At 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 5, there were hundreds of cars fighting to get through the corner, all at the same time, from three different directions. Horns were blaring, and tempers were flaring. Drivers were aggressively trying to squeeze each other out, and many were driving over the median strip to reverse direction. It took me 20 minutes of high stress driving to get through the corner. That’s about three times more than it would have taken with traffic lights. There was not a patrol car in sight, so I called dispatch and recommended that they send one out just to assess the situation. If it can be this bad on a

Sunday afternoon, what will happen at the end of a work day when tired drivers are all trying to get back home? I predict that a rash of fender benders. Palm Coast needs to remove those stop signs now, and restore the lights. The real answer to the problem is widening the road, and the bridge, with turn lanes. Needless to say, none of this would be happening if we weren’t overbuilding the area in the first place.

FRANK CONSENTINO Palm Coast

We, the People, oppose banning books

Dear Editor: Jill Woolbright’s recent letter to the editor (In classroom or on School Board, I put students first) in the July 9 edition of the Observer leaves out some important information. Yes, while Woolbright “puts students first,” she is

eager to have them understand the U.S. Constitution, ordained and established to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” At the same time she was at the forefront of the movement to curtail students’ liberties to read whatever they wish to read, at the forefront of the effort to ban books from our schools that didn’t meet with her personal approval. Woolbright does correctly note that she has been there to “stand up for parents and students.” She goes on to point out that “Parents now have greater rights.”

In so doing, she ignores the fact that families with children cover, through their taxes, no more than 20% of the cost of operating our schools. The remaining taxpayers cover the other 80%. Flagler County Schools belong to We, the People! And, We, the People, overwhelmingly oppose the banning of books!

MERRILL SHAPIRO Palm Coast

Habitat’s mission is to create affordable homeownership, and keeping development costs low is essential to making that possible.

When land is donated through partnerships like this, the savings are reflected in the affordability of the home. Lower development costs help keep monthly mortgage payments within reach for hardworking families.

The benefits extend well beyond the homeowner. Vacant properties that once required public maintenance become productive, owneroccupied homes. Construction creates work for local contractors, suppliers and businesses. Once completed and privately owned, the homes return to the local tax roll, contributing property tax revenue while strengthening neighborhoods through long-term homeownership.

Affordable homeownership

School Board should be secular and inclusive

Dear Editor:

A recent Observer letter writer was on track in pointing out the dangers associated with Jill Woolbright again gaining a School Board seat. It reminded us of some, but not all, of Woolbright’s past outrageous contentions that the school district and the board had been infiltrated by Satanic influences, and her desire to load the board with only those that were like-minded God fearing people. Woolbright made those remarks in a church gathering in 2022 during her re-election campaign.

But what the writer didn’t mention, maybe for brevity’s sake, was what was also included in that religious assembly was her videoed participation in a prayer offering by the leader of the congregation who disturbingly called upon the Lord to silence every evil voice that would speak out against Woolbright and silence them by “cleaving (adhering) their tongues to the roof of their

also strengthens the local economy. Habitat homeowners are teachers, health care workers, retail employees, tradespeople, nonprofit employees, veterans and many others who contribute to our community every day.

Homeownership allows families to build equity, establish financial stability and invest more deeply in the place they call home.

Flagler Habitat for Humanity is deeply grateful to the Palm Coast City Council for recognizing the opportunity provided under Florida law and unanimously approving the donation of these two parcels.

We also extend our sincere appreciation to city staff, particularly Community Development Director John Zobler and Virginia Smith, for their guidance throughout the process.

We are equally thankful to our construction manager, John Knox, for evaluating the

mouth.” That was clearly less of a prayer and more of a grotesque curse. In the video, Woolbright, head bowed, seemed all in and was very thankful.

Woolbright was asked by the Observer to respond to the letter, which she did. But curiously, instead of attempting to temper the radical extremist and divisive past, she instead ended up trying to defend her radical ideology by implying that the letter writer was just attempting to “mischaracterize” her faith. There was no mischaracterization. It was Woolbright’s own words quoted and captured on video. She further actually acknowledged in her response that indeed they are her “sincerely held religious beliefs” and her “faith is an important part of who I am.” Those were present tense statements, suggesting it’s still who she was, and has unfortunately not changed or even moderated from her past, concerning ideology. Woolbright is certainly entitled to hold extremist religious beliefs. But, likewise, voters are entitled

parcels for future development, and to our Community Outreach coordinator, Peter Ortiz, whose conversations with the city helped initiate this opportunity.

At Flagler Habitat for Humanity, we strive to bring people together to build homes, communities and hope. This partnership embodies that mission. It demonstrates what is possible when local government, nonprofit organizations, volunteers, donors, businesses and community members work together to create lasting opportunities for local families.

These two vacant lots represent more than land — they represent two future homes, two future homeowners and another step toward ensuring that working families can continue to live, work and thrive in Flagler County.

Devrie Paradowski is the executive director of Flagler Habitat for Humanity.

to view that as an unacceptable, divisive presence on a School Board that is designed to be totally secular, inclusive and devoid of unwarranted controversy.

ROBERT DUFFY Palm Coast

Property tax reform is long overdue

Dear Editor: I agree wholeheartedly with Chad Raymond’s My View, “Forcing a tax correction doesn’t destroy a city. Here’s the missing math.” He clearly explains why Floridians should vote in favor of the property tax cut. The fact that the baseline exemption has been frozen at $50,000 for nearly two decades, giving homeowners an abysmal 12% tax shield (compared to 28% on average back in 2008), really drives home how much this ballot measure is overdue. I, for one, will be voting in favor of the property tax cut.

ANGELA DAWSON Palm Coast

LANCE ALRED GUEST WRITER

PARADOWSKI GUEST WRITER

HOW TO USE THE GUIDE

As a voter, what do you think about the state of our community? What do you want to see in the future?

We asked the candidates who are on the Aug. 18 Primary ballot to consider several statements and tell us how much they agree or disagree, on a scale of 1-10. A “1” means you completely disagree; a “10” means you completely agree. (Note: There is no neutral number. A “5” means you slightly disagree; a “6” means you slightly agree.)

The candidates then explained their responses in 25 words or less.

At a glance, you can now see where the candidates differ, and why, in each race. You can thank us later. Or, just vote.

ELECTION GUIDE

— BRIAN MCMILLAN, PUBLISHER

PALM COAST CITY COUNCIL

with my wife, Carla. With my work as a contractor I have an understanding of most of the departments of the city. I have a fair amount knowledge in contract law and budgets. I have worked on previous Land Development Codes, with the PLDRB, on the Residential Drainage Citizen Advisory Board also.

 Priorities: Diversify our tax base, prioritize infrastructure, resurfacing of our roads, city government transparency.

long term rentals. I am a certified fitness nutrition specialist but offer that advice for free and for fun, since covid. I am solution driven and have identified areas of concerns needing, budget, planning reconsiderations and voter approvals.

 Priorities: Health, safety, security and longevity of the residents and the future of city. Transparency, responsibility, accountability, consistency and ethical conduct.

over 40 years of experience, who knows how to manage budgets, build teams, and get things done. Palm Coast deserves council members who will put residents first.

 Priorities: Fix our infrastructure before approving new development, and stop passing those costs onto the residents. Establish a mission statement on what we want Palm Coast to be. Programs to attract new, or nurture existing business. Protect environment and wildlife.

science; over 10 years of leadership experience in communications, team management, multimillion-dollar budgets, projects, training and operations nationwide.

 Priorities: Responsible growth, stronger infrastructure, better paying jobs, public safety, and a city government that listens.

erations director and current business owner

City Council is doing a great job listening to residents’ concerns about growth.

The city should not allow any new data centers, regardless of potential tax revenue.

The city staff is too large and should be reduced.

 Priorities: Infrastructure first! Force growth to pay for growth! Fix our swells and drain systems a full overhall of our budget spending forcement, mortgage underwriter, small business owner, and community leader.

 Priorities: Infrastructure, economic growth and preserving our quality of life in Palm Coast.

owner. Community advocate through Concerned Citizens of Palm Coast working to ensure compliance of rule of law protections for the safety, health, and welfare of local communities, wildlife protections, clean air and water, and the peaceful enjoyment of our homes.

 Priorities: Protect Palm Coast from overdevelopment that outpaces capacity; cut wasteful spending; public health and safety; fix flooding problems for local residents.

I believe that council can explain better as to why certain decisions are made. Every decision will have some people upset. If explained I believe that the majority of the will understand why.

All data centers are not created equal. I can’t really rule out any future possibilities one way or the other. The facts will lead to the final approval or disapproval.

If elected and before the next budget process I would ask the directors of each department justify the number of employees under them before approving the budget.

The city should pay extra to add more law enforcement officers than it has now.

The city should invest more taxpayer funds to attract new businesses to the city.

City Council repeatedly votes in favor of the developers against public input.

I believe in healthy revenue options proven safe for residents and wildlife and low impact on resources.

This needs to be looked into. Departments may or may not be overstaffed but over or under budgeted. There needs to be balance.

I need to see how many officers are in our city every day. Then I would need to confirm if that is a sufficient number for our population.

There is a time and a place for incentives. Not every job is worth an incentive. We should use them wisely and hold the recipients of those incentives to task if they don’t keep their end of the bargain.

FCSO is great at getting grants. Kudos! There are deputy turnovers, budgets need to consider number of active deputies, not just how many are requested for new hires.

Outreach costs staff nothing. If Palm Coast was doing a good job, it will attract business. Favoring certain land owners over geographic design for locating protentional businesses needs to stop.

If property tax reform is passed by voters, the city will be able maintain levels of service without creating new fees.

City Council has a history of approving new developments and expanding the scope of previous plans to expand density of these communities even though current residents opposed the expansion.

We need to gather firsthand knowledge on the true potential effects. The city is not the place to have any hyperscale type of data center. The cable landing station is said to be totally different.

The city added around 100 new positions in the last 5 years. We have managers with high salaries. I feel for people who might lose their jobs but the city needs to operate like a business.

Our county is the second safest in the state. There is a cost to achieve this ranking, but all departments have to address the possible budget shortages. Let’s not cut back, but wait on any expansion.

There is an obvious need for jobs in our city. Our residents have to travel to St. Augustine or Daytona for work. We have the opportunity to be a part of the expanding Space Coast Initiative.

Considering public safety is close to 50% of the general fund, I don’t know how we will cover the other services without some kind of fees added.

If we cut the bloat from the top and stop frivolous and unapproved spending, there would be no need for the “threat” of cutting services.

There are sure to be some adjustments that will need to be made. It will remain to be seen if new fees may have to be implemented, such as user fees.

Residents do not feel heard. We need to listen earlier, communicate better, and make sure residents have a real voice before major decisions are made.

I am skeptical, but I will not make any blanket decisions. Any proposal must prove it will not burden our water, power, infrastructure, or residents.

I will not promise cuts without doing my homework. We need to review staffing, eliminate duplication, and make decisions based on facts.

As Palm Coast grows, public safety must keep pace. We should look at staffing, response times, and community needs, then fund what is necessary.

We need better paying jobs and a stronger tax base, but taxpayer dollars must deliver results. I support smart investments, not blank checks.

No. We cannot lose significant revenue and pretend nothing will change. Residents deserve the truth about what it means for services and fees.

For years City Hall has allowed explosive, unchecked growth to outpace our infrastructure! This has left existing taxpayers the bill. We must continue improving communication, planning responsibly, and ensuring that infrastructure and city services keep pace with growth while protecting our quality of life.

Data centers place a larger burden on local grids, consuming massive amounts of power and water. We cannot risk compounding the strain on our infrastructure.

I support a targeted reduction and structural freeze on non-essential administrative overhead, high level management additions, and expensive outside consultants.

Public safety is a core non-negotiable responsibility of local government. However we do not need to squeeze taxpayers to pay extra via new revenue or tax hikes to fund this.

I believe each proposal should be evaluated on its own merits. Data centers can provide economic and tax benefits, but those benefits must be weighed against their impact.

I do not believe the goal should be to reduce staff simply to reduce headcount. The priority should be building an efficient, accountable organization that delivers high-quality services.

I support ensuring law enforcement has the personnel and resources they need. Any decision to add officers should be based on growth, service demands, response times, and budget sustainability.

Palm Coast needs commercial diversification and high paying jobs. However, we should not be spending more taxpayer dollars on corporate incentives. Strategic investments in economic development, including creating shovel-ready or pad-ready sites, can make Palm Coast more competitive when recruiting employers.

If Florida voters pass property tax reform, it must serve as an immediate mandate to restructure our city budget.

My goal would be to protect core services, avoid unnecessary burdens on residents, and work collaboratively with the community to find responsible, long-term solutions.

Since 2021, I have been attending government meetings and expressing my concerns regarding growth at any cost, urban sprawl, unnecessary zone changes and special exception approvals.

Until more is known, I believe there should be a halt to any and all data centers in Palm Coast.

Palm Coast has top notch employees that do great work. I also believe that city staff has grown more than necessary since Covid, and that there are opportunities to combine departments.

We already “pay extra” for exceptional law enforcement.

The best way to attract businesses is to put an end to incentivizing development that brings more crime, lowers home values, strains infrastructure, depletes limited resources, and causes sprawl.

By focusing on the priorities of the residents rather than what developers want, maintaining and even increasing levels of service could still be possible.

“Tony”

FLAGLER COUNTY COMMISSION

bring integrity, leadership and a common sense approach to decisions that effect everyone.

 Priorities: Public safety, smart growth, improving infrastructure, economic development and supporting tourism economy

for nearly two years and City Councilwoman for nearly four years. I’m also a business litigation and family law attorney.

 Priorities: Economic development is my to priority. I also want to continue to prioritize infrastructure and public safety.

commitment

 Priorities: 1. Affordability; 2. Revisited Zoning and Planning/Master Plan; 3. Develop a solid comprehensive plan for maintaining our beaches and roads to drainage systms that includes the canals being dredged.

teer, long career of problem solving and customer service with 25 years of data research.

 Priorities: Fiscal responsibility (forensic audits and performance evalutions); smart growth (new development must be concurrent to infrastructure); transparency and simplification of budgets and procedures.

and was a Realtor before moving into property management and finance. I served as the records management liaison officer between the Flagler Clerk and the state of Florida from 2010 to 2018. I have been teaching since 2019.

 Priorities: Reasonable limited taxation, responsible limited growth, beach re-nourishment, transparency, and fiscal accountability.

ing experience, with expertise in lending fraud strategy, securities, financial analysis, risk management, and responsible fiscal oversight.

 Priorities: My priorities included reducing taxes, conservation land acquisition, protecting Western Flagler’s farms and rural character, and securing state fundings for Bull Creek, fire stations, a special needs shelter and flood mitigation projects.

The County Commission is doing a great job listening to residents’ concerns about

Better, open communication with detailed explanations on controversial decisions or plans may help to alter any negative perceptions as to the commission’s actions.

The current board is listening more than previous ones. They have taken steps to control what they can, but legally, they are often handcuffed from doing more.

We need to more accurately define coastal properties, ensure no disparate treatment, find localized alternative revenues and protect the tourism industry which benefits the entire county.

Residents, businesses and visitors enjoy a strong level of service. This cannot be answered without a detailed staff analysis of all positions within the county.

county should pay extra to add more law enforcement officers than it has now.

property tax reform is passed by voters, the county will be able maintain levels of service without creating new fees.

This topic was the number one talked about during my petition drive.

We need more data to ascertain the total benefit to all residents for beach maintenance, and we need to figure out who is already paying what amounts towards beach infrastructure.

I honestly don’t know yet, but for budgeting purposes, I always look for efficiencies, ensure we are not top-heavy, and try to get folks crosstrained where possible.

Any additions, based upon needs elaborated in his budget, must be strongly considered as our county’s growth is on-going but fiscal constraints may force reevaluation and/or concessions.

Current efforts must be significantly enhanced to diversify our tax base and relieve the disproportionate burden on residential taxpayers.

While some budgetary adjustments may be made to lessen the impact of lost revenue, maintaining the service levels with decreased ad valorem taxes may require alternative revenue sources.

We are currently lacking deputies in several areas in accordance with our population, and we are falling behind on our deputy and officer salaries.

I don’t agree only piecemealing, like District 2 without the district having its own tax base for services. District 2 I believe would be able to stand on it’s own as properties near water have always paid more.

Many called, wrote, signed a petition, came in person, and spoke in opposition to one project. They passed it anyway. I will never vote for these projects in these circumstances.

The coastal properties pay a fair share of property taxes as well as tourist bed tax. It is pure mismanagement when the county didn’t create a reserve fund for beach maintenance.

I would review each department, and one department that isn’t keeping up with the ISO is the county fire services.

My understanding is 80% of the sheriff’s services are provided to the City of Palm Coast that only pay at best 50%, and my answer is no for the county paying extra.

This is my top priority. We need to shift the tax base from residential taxpayers to commercial and industry and bring in more goodpaying jobs. This could also parlay into more tourism dollars.

We have to be practical and transparent about the implications of tax reform, but it’s hard to ascertain exactly what will happen if the bill passes.

Everyone I have spoken with agrees. They feel unheard and believe growth is occurring faster than our infrastructure.

The County Commission works hard to listen to residents’ concerns. Unfortunately, the state has passed laws that limit local governments’ authority over development decisions.

A lot of Flagler County residents who don’t live at the beach still visit and enjoy it. It also brings business from all over the world. Beach maintenance is extremely costly, and coastal property owners cannot bear that burden alone. We must pursue maximum state and federal funding.

Growth in staff/ administration has outpaced what’s needed for essential services and has fueled higher taxes without proportional benefits to residents.

I support adequate funding for public safety, but require full transparency, cost-benefit review, and ensuring growth pays its share rather than burdening taxpayers.

Before any investment is made, what industries do we want, and do they provide good paying salaries and benefits? This includes trying to get our education system on board. My priorities are fiscal responsibility, smart/sustainable growth, transparency, and protecting quality of life, environment, and taxpayers. Growth must pay for itself.

The basic services will not be affected by tax reform, and any large new fees will only be added if the majority of the citizens vote on annually. With strong fiscal oversight and audits to cut waste, we can maintain essential services.

Anytime government or its budget outgrows inflation and population there’s an issue.

Extra? No. More officers per capita? Also, no. Our sheriff does a good job. Over the last 20 years, the number of sheriffs deputies has gone up relative to the number of residents, as it should.

Government should always seek greater efficiency and adopt resources that reduce staffing needs. The county evaluates its workforce annually to ensure departments are appropriately staffed.

There are established metrics that determine when additional law enforcement officers are needed. We follow those metrics to ensure deputies are properly staffed to protect our community.

It needs to be the right kind of businesses. Let’s attract them with our unique way of life. Flagler balances all the “new” with our “old Florida charm” better than anyone. The county continues pursuing state grants for water utilities along southern U.S. 1. We need more utility served, pad-ready commercial sites to attract businesses and strengthen our economy.

I believe over 80% of our budget comes from ad valorem taxes. While I believe the budget has grown much more than it should, that type of loss would be devastating.

No. Maintaining current service levels would be difficult. Regardless, I support additional tax relief.

FLAGLER COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD

MBA, who managed multi-million-dollar budgets and led a national level team that saved the federal government $475 million.

 Priorities: My priorities: student success, accountability and transparency for all publicly funded schools, and ensuring every taxpayer dollar supports the classroom.

Flagler public school teacher and two years as a School Board member. Certified in Elementary Education, Exceptional Student Education, and ESL, and was recognized as Florida’s #1 sixth-grade math teacher in 2016.

 Priorities: Raising student achievement, recruiting and retaining excellent teachers, ensuring safe schools, exercising responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, supporting parental involvement.

17,000

in Finance, BSOE — Occupational Education; small business owner.  Priorities: Student readiness; educator and support staff support; board culture and organizational development

as chairman. Florida School Boards Association trained, CTE Certified for Careers with Children, former banking and finance executive, Miami-Dade Community College School of Real Estate, small business owner, Christian student ministry leader. Served on local community boards.

 Priorities: Early learning; career & technical education; fiscal responsibility

years. Master of Science in Nursing, serve our community as a Family Nurse Practitioner. I have three children enrolled in Flagler Schools.

 Priorities: Providing every student with the best possible education while keeping our focus on academic excellence, school safety, family engagment, and fiscal responsibility. To ensure Flagler Schools delivers the very best opportunities for students, remains accountable to taxpayers.

dollar construction projects, budgets, and teams. I currently serve as Vice-Chair of the Flagler County Planning & Development Advisory Board, where I’ve built a reputation for listening, asking tough questions, and making informed decisions.

 Priorities: School safety, competitive teacher pay, and preparing every Flagler student for success after graduation; whether through college, career, or military service.

Flagler Schools is doing a great job addressing bullying.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you agree with these statements?

The school district fosters an inclusive environment for all students.

Flagler Schools has been a good steward of taxpayer funds.

County School Board, BS in Accounting, successful business owner in Flagler over 20 years

 Priorities: Strong academics; workforce readiness; keeping leadership; safe schools; fiscal responsibility

Flagler families are voting with their feet — fleeing to private school/ homeschooling due to bullying. We must strengthen character education and respond quickly to incidents.

Good intentions exist, but families fleeing due to bullying signal we must do better. Every student deserves to truly belong and feel safe.

Audits show responsible management. My continuous improvement background tells me there are always opportunities to operate more efficiently and redirect savings to students and classrooms.

Flagler Schools is a better choice than home school for local students.

The district should increase health insurance benefits for teachers and staff.

With appropriate training, staff members should be able to carry guns to promote school safety.

Bullying prevention has improved, but more consistent reporting, intervention, and accountability are needed to ensure every student feels safe and supported.

Every student deserves to feel safe, respected, and supported. We must continue fostering belonging while keeping the focus on academic achievement.

The district has maintained solid financial stability, but every dollar should remain focused on classrooms, student achievement, and measurable results and transparency for taxpayers.

Every child is unique. Only parents can determine where their child thrives. My goal is excellence in Flagler public schools, so families choose them confidently.

Teachers and staff deserve competitive benefits. The district’s new healthcare model shows promise. I will monitor outcomes and advocate strongly if results disappoint our educators.

I support Second Amendment rights but not guns in schools. Innovative solutions like drone security programs better protect students without introducing additional weapons on campuses.

Parents know their children best. Public schools should strive to be the first choice by earning families’ trust, not limiting educational options.

Competive benefits help recruit and retain quality employees. Any improvements should be financially sustainable and balanced with the district’s long-term budget priorities.

With the sheriff’s training, screening, and voluntary participation, designated staff can provide another layer of protection to help keep students and employees safe.

The process is strong, and staff handle it well. The next step is encouraging more parents and students to report, so nothing goes unseen.

Inclusion is the law. Florida requires every student, including those with disabilities, receive equal access and services. The district follows that standard, and I will protect it.

The district has managed funds responsibly. But enrollment decline is shrinking revenue. My finance and procurement experience can reduce fixed costs and protect the classroom.

Flagler Schools maintains zero tolerance for bullying. We’ve strengthened discipline, expanded anonymous reporting, and will protect students through intervention and expulsion when necessary.

At Flagler Schools, our policy is kids first and get to yes. All students are welcome at Flagler Schools, receiving the highest-quality education possible together.

Since elected, we’ve cut wasteful spending, ended moneylosing programs, rebuilt our reserves, and remained hawkish with every taxpayer dollar without sacrificing educational quality or opportunity.

Parents choose what fits their child, and I respect that. Flagler is a strong, A rated choice, and I want to partner with homeschool families, not compete.

Flagler Schools is an excellent option, but parents should choose the educational setting that best meets their child’s needs. I support parental choice for families.

I believe Flagler Schools enforces discipline consistently and takes bullying seriously, while recognizing that there is always room to improve and better support students.

I believe Flagler Schools provides an inclusive environment where students are treated equally, respected, and given every opportunity to succeed.

Flagler Schools has been a good steward of taxpayer funds, with strong reserves, but we must continue to find efficiencies amid future economic challenges.

I believe Flagler Schools provides some of the very best opportunities for students, while supporting parents rights to choose the best educational path for their children.

The district has made positive efforts, but I believe too much emphasis has shifted toward rewarding good behavior while not consistently addressing bad behavior.

Flagler County has made meaningful progress. There’s always room for improvement, but I believe we’ve reached a point where we can maintain those efforts while renewing our focus on the fundamentals.

Stewardship of taxpayer dollars can certainly improve. The district’s budget has grown significantly while enrollment has remained relatively flat.

Competition breeds excellence. If Flagler Schools aren’t a parent’s first choice, we should still welcome homeschool and private school families into our school community.

As long as Flagler Schools continue with strong consistent discipline with clear expectations and accountability, this should foster respectful learning environments where every student can succeed.

Students learn best in an environment where respect, kindness, and personal responsibility are expected and encouraged by Flagler Schools staff.

Spending over $15,000 for an outside audit on an afterschool program, only to find under $10 of misappropriated funds is not fiscal responsiblity by the School Board!

I personally believe Flagler Schools offers more academic, workforce development, and opportunity than home school.

Health care is challenging, but this year we lowered costs for employees adding children to coverage while continuing to provide competitive affordable benefits for everyone possible.

This is something that the board has been collectively working through. We continue to strive to offer great health care for our staff amid rising health insurance challenges and costs.

I support improving benefits for teachers and staff, but not by automatically increasing costs to taxpayers.

The district improved affordability this year. There is more to do. By diversifying risk profiles and driving costs down, we can strengthen coverage for staff. As long as budget allows, staff should have a quality health care program.

I support the guardian program, where trained staff may carry firearms after extensive training, screening, and psychological evaluation, supplementing School Resource Deputies, never replacing them.

I support Florida’s guardian program, with carefully selected school personnel receiving extensive training, in addition to our SROs. Not all staff should carry firearms.

Sworn officers come first, and Flagler has strong SRO coverage. I would support a high-quality guardian program only to supplement deputies, never to replace them. I only want law enforcement to carry fire arms in schools. My priority is finding budget savings to increase the number of School Resource Officers. Arming staff should remain a considered option only after other safety priorities have been addressed.

LOCAL EVENTS

THURSDAY, JULY 16

COMMUNITY

PREPAREDNESS

WORKSHOP

When: 10-11 a.m.

Where: Flagler County Emergency Operations Center, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Building 3, Bunnell

Details: Head to the Flagler County Emergency Operations Center for a monthly presentation on general preparedness. Learn practical tips and strategies to help you stay safe and ready for emergencies.

FRIDAY, JULY 17

FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY AT THE FARM

When: 5-9 p.m.

Where: Florida Agricultural Legacy Learning Center, 7900 Old Kings Road N., Palm Coast

Details: Presented by the museum, this food truck event celebrates the 250th anniversary of the U.S. There will be vendors, live music, a gold simulator and a free kids zone. Visit floridaagmuseum.

org.

CRT PRESENTS ‘PUFFS’

When: 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, July 17, 18, 24, 25; and 3 p.m. Sunday, July 19 and 26

Where: City Repertory Theatre, 160 Cypress Point Parkway, Suite B-207, Palm Coast

Details: City Repertory Theatre of Palm Coast presents, “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic.”

This is a comedy by Matthew Cox about three friends trying to make it through a magic school that is dangerous to children. Tickets cost $30 for adults; $15 for students. Visit crtpalmcoast.com.

SATURDAY, JULY 18

PEDAL IN THE PARK

When: 8-10 a.m.

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

Details: Take a leisurelypaced bike ride through Linear Park and Waterfront Park. Bring a reusable water bottle. All riders must wear a helmet. Light refreshments will be served afterward. Register at parksandrec.fun.

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 from ocean to estuary, plus a hands-on citizen science activity. Meet at the pavilion. Register at https://gtmnerr. org/calendars/.

‘LAUNCH TO LEARNING’ VPK EVENT

When: 10 a.m. to noon

Where: Hidden Trails Community Center, 6108 Mahogany Blvd., Bunnell. Details: The Flagler County Education Foundation, in partnership with Early Learning Coalition of Flagler & Volusia Counties and Community Foundation and United Way of Volusia Flagler Counties, will host this community outreach event to help families learn about VPK.

GOD’S FAMILY BIBLE CHURCH PANTRY FOOD DISTRIBUTION

When: 10-11 a.m.

Where: Parking lot across Gods Family Bible Church, 256 Old Brick Road, Bunnell

Details: God’s Family Bible Church distributes food every first and third Saturday in this drive-thru event.

RED, WHITE AND BLUE 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 wile spotting birds on the river. Ages 6-13: $20 per person, tandem vessel with adult. For adults: $50 per person in a single vessel and $45 per person for a tandem vessel; $25 if bringing your own kayak. Space is limited. Call 386-517-2086 to register. As part of the Patriotic Paddle celebration honoring America’s 250th anniversary, save $5 per person off the regular registration price.

BEACH PARTY BUNCO

When: 6-9 p.m.

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

Details: Play Bunco with the Flagler Woman’s Club. Wear beach attire or tropical prints (optional) and enjoyed a themed buffet with the club’s Sub-in-a-Tub (Italian Grinder) salad with fresh rolls,

water, lemonade and iced tea. Bring your favorite summerinspired salad, side dish or dessert to share. BYOB if you like. 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, JULY 19

PADDLE INTO ADVENTURE!

When: 5:30-7:30 p.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. Registration is a donation of $50 per person; $25 if bringing your own kayak. Space is limited. Call 386-517-2086 to register. As part of the Patriotic Paddle celebration honoring America’s 250th anniversary, save $5 per person off the regular registration price.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22

JUNIOR GOLF CAMP

When: 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday to Friday, July 2224; and Aug. 57

Where: Cypress Knoll Golf & CC, 53 Easthampton Blvd., Palm Coast

Details: Cypress Knoll Golf & Country Club in Palm Coast will host two junior golf camps. Instruction focuses on full-swing fundamentals, short-game technique, putting skills, and confidence-building practice routines. Camps are taught by Jim Powers, a life member of PGA. For ages 11-16. All must bring their own clubs. Email powerspga@gmail.com.

SATURDAY, JULY 25

2026 SPEAKER SERIES

When: 10-11 a.m.

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

Details: Preston Zepp, historian for the City of Palm Coast, will present, “Before Palm Coast — Life in Early Florida.”

BACK 2 SCHOOL HEALTH AND WELLNESS FAIR

When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: Carver Gymnasium, 203 E. Drain St., Bunnell

Details: Espanola Lodge no. 161 will host this health and wellness fair featuring a free backpack and school supply giveaway. There will also be free haircuts, food and drinks, and blood pressure checks. Vendors, the Big Red Bus and Fire Department will be onsite.

YOUR TOWN

City Repertory Theatre presents ‘Puffs,’ a magical comedy

For seven years a certain boy wizard went to a certain wizard school and conquered evil. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of the Puffs, who just happened to be there, too. A tale for anyone who has never been destined to save the world.

City Repertory Theatre of Palm Coast presents “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic,” from July 17-26.

This clever and inventive comedy by Matthew Cox gives you a new look at a familiar adventure. No matter your relationship to the famous series, there is something here for you.

“‘Puffs!’ is the wonderfully told tale of seven years at a certain school of magic we’ve all come to know and love. The show blends humor, heart and hijinks to give everyone a new spin on an old tale,” said Beau Wade, the show’s director. “Come join us as we learn all about what

goes on in the common room closest to the kitchens, how failure can sometimes be our greatest success, and how everyone gets to be the hero of their own story.”

CRT’s production stars Seth Kirk, Quentin Barreto, Andrea Oliveras and Anna Burns. Seven actors — Isabella Bond, Jen Chidekel, Reed Grubs, Kole Leonard, Kelvin Niebla, Danno Waddell and April Whaley — round out the company playing the remaining 46 characters. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. Visit crtpalmcoast.com or call 386-585-9415. CRT is at 160 Cypress Point Parkway, B-207.

FOCUS ON FAITH

Ormond Beach Presbyterian Church to host ‘glow dance party’

Ormond Beach Presbyterian Church is kicking off its back to school celebration with a glow dance party, to be held on Friday Aug. 7 from 6:309:30 p.m.

All ages are welcome at the

event, according to Ormond Beach Presbyterian Church’s website, which states the church will be transforming the fellowship hall into a “neon wonderland.” The event will feature dinner, dancing and glow activities.

All attendees are encouraged to wear white or neon colors.

To RSVP, or for more information, call Amanda Wilson-

Brought to you by:

Stephenson, Wilcox and Associates

Stovall, at 386-214-7696. Email faith-based news to abbie@observerlocalnews. com.

A SECOND CHANCE

Ormond Beach teacher

Jackie Coombe adopts former student after two-year journey.

JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR

Jackie Coombe’s life changed in October 2023. That’s when she met Jaden.

Coombe had recently decided to go back to work as a teacher and was assigned to Jaden’s second grade class at Pathways Elementary. The boy she encountered in the classroom was spirited and goofy, and he made an impression.

“He has that magic,” Coombe said.

Toward the end of the school year, she learned Jaden was in foster care. He was one of six siblings, and Coombe learned

that the hope was that he would be adopted alongside one of his older brothers.

Learning that Jaden was navigating the foster care system planted a seed and motivated her to start filing adoption paperwork. Even if she didn’t adopt Jaden, perhaps there would be another child that she’d feel the same connection with.

Then in February 2025, she learned that Jaden was still waiting to be adopted.

“It turns out that, because I’d contacted the social worker the spring before, they were trying to find what teacher it was that was looking to adopt him,” Coombe said. So Coombe reached out and let them know it was her, and, that she was still interested in adopting him.

On June 10, over two years since Coombe started the process, her adoption of Jaden

was finalized. The 11-year-old boy had officially become her son.

MAKING PROGRESS

Jaden and Coombe had their first interaction as future mother-and-son at a visitation center in June 2025.

“They told him on his way over that he was going to be seeing me and I don’t think he believed it,” Coombe said. “He came in the door and his eyes just lit up, and he started out with, ‘Ms. Coombe, Ms. Coombe!’”

Jaden was a little shy on that first visit, as being with his former teacher in a nonclassroom setting was unfamiliar. Coombe was overwhelmed, but she didn’t let that discourage her. And every visit after, no matter how shy, Jaden was excited to see her, she said. Their first supervised visit took place at Rainbow Park in Ormond Beach. They stopped at Publix and got Jaden his sandwich of choice: roast beef with mustard and pickles.

For their first visit on their own, Coombe took Jaden to a friend’s birthday party in Palm Coast.

And slowly, they found their footing. By Halloween that year, he asked her if she was going to be his mom. Jaden was placed in her home permanently that December.

“The more we saw each other, the awkwardness went away,” Coombe said. “It was exciting to have him come to the house and show him his bedroom. ... He started imagining staying the night over. He was really all for it.”

Because Jaden has some special needs, including a speech delay, Coombe knew that taking on the role of mom would need to come with resources to help.

Adoption opened the door for him to benefit from those resources, Coombe said. He’s been able to receive speech and occupational therapy, and has recently started equine therapy as well.

so well,” Graf said. Jaden has had a special place in her heart since he was placed in her classroom. Coombe provides her with updates regularly, including sending her photos of the adoption day at the courthouse.

“I’ve been in education for 29 years, and you always have those little ones that tug at your heart sometimes,” she said, and with a laugh, added, “but Jaden really, really, he did a toll on me and Jackie.”

JADEN’S JOY

Over time, Coombe had learned two major things about Jaden: He wanted to be adopted very much, and he wanted to play baseball.

“I was like, ‘Oh, we can do both of those,’” Coombe recalled.

This past season, Jaden played with the Ormond Beach Youth Baseball and Softball Association’s Cubs 10U minor league team.

Jaden was very shy when Coach Gordy VanDusen first met him. When the league director asked him if he’d be willing to coach Jaden, VanDusen, a New Smyrna Beach Police officer, agreed without hesitating.

“For me, coaching little league sports is to make sure kids are having fun, and that means all kids and every kid,” VanDusen said.

Seeing Jaden on the field having fun brings a smile to your face, he said.

“It really brings back the whole point of playing sports

in general, and that’s just having the joy of the game,” VanDusen said. “I think watching Jaden play really revitalized that for everyone.”

Coaching Jaden came at the perfect time for VanDusen too, as he and his wife are in the process of adopting a child too.

“Being able to hit those parenting milestones and seeing Jackie do that with Jaden is huge, because you can tell that she is putting in a lot of effort,” VanDusen said. “Her and I would have very lengthy conversations about him hitting milestones and progressing to have the normalcy of a childhood that he deserves and can definitely get with her and her family. Gosh, her and her son Rob just pour an enormous amount of time into Jaden and his success.” Jaden likes the same things as most boys his age. He loves to play Roblox, ride his bike and he swims like a fish, Coombe said. He also loves the family’s cats.

“He’s curious,” Coombe said. “He’s very loving. He is very friendly. He’s just very active, which is good.”

Coombe has two biological sons, ages 29 and 27. When asked if she ever thought she’d be a mom to a young child again, she said she “really, really wanted to.” The age Jaden is at were her favorite years with her sons, she said.

“I get to do all that again,” she said. “I get to go relive a childhood with him.”

Leah Graf was Jaden’s first grade teacher at Pathways Elementary. When he was put in her classroom, Jaden would not make eye contact and hardly said a word. He struggled with reading and writing.

Throughout the school year, he progressed enough to where he would play with other children side-by-side. Today, he’s able to communicate in full sentences and play sports.

“From where I saw him back in first grade to where he is now, it’s just awesome to see that little boy flourish and do

Jaden greets Shelldon from the Daytona Tortugas.

Jackie Coombe and her sons Jaden and Robert. Courtesy photos

REAL ESTATE

Veranda Bay home sells for over $1.6M

Ahouse in Veranda Bay in Flagler Beach at 150 Coronado Road was the top real estate transaction for the week of June 27 to July 3 in Palm Coast and Flagler County. The house sold on June 30, for $1,635,321. Built in 2026, the house is a 4/3.5 and has a pool, a fireplace and 3,958 square feet.

JARLEENE ALMENAS

MANAGING EDITOR

Condos

200 Canopy Walk Lane, Unit 242, sold on July 2, for $285,000. Built in 2005, the condo is a 3/2 and has 1,377 square feet. It last sold in 2021 for $330,000.

5 Ocean Palm Villas N. sold on July 2, for $223,000. Built in 1979, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,184 square feet. It last sold in 2018 for $189,000.

11 Avenue De La Mer, unit 1105, sold on June 30, for $670,000. Built in 1992, the 2/2 has a fireplace and 1,490 square feet. It last sold in 2022 for $480,200.

2450 N. Ocean Shore Blvd., Unit 116, sold on July 1, for $685,000. Built in 2007, the condo is a 3/3 and has 1,919 square feet. It last sold in 2016 for $415,000.

8 Oakmont Court, Unit 8, sold on July 1, for $135,000. Built in 1980, the condo is a 2/2 and has a fireplace and 950 square feet. It last sold in 2004 for $96,000.

BUNNELL

Daytona North

The house at 5041 Olive Ave. sold on July 2, for $220,000. Built in 1986, the house is a 3/1 and has 912 square feet. It last sold in 2023 for $80,000.

Plantation

Reserve Estates

The house at 20 Deer Park Drive sold on July 1, for $1,475,000. Built in 2023, the house is a 3/3 and has a pool, a spa and 3,089 square feet. It last sold in 2025 for $1,250,000.

FLAGLER BEACH

Fuquay

1710 S. Central Ave. sold June 30, for $865,000. Built in 2016, the house 3/2 and has 2,107 square feet. It last sold in 2016 for $450,000.

Seaside Manor

The house at 19 Westmayer Place sold on July 3, for $835,000. Built in 2019, the house is a 5/2.5 and has a fireplace, an elevator and 3,200 square feet.

PALM COAST

Colbert Landings

The house at 67 Ararat Drive sold on July 2, for $386,990.

Built in 2026, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,193 square feet.

Flagler Village

The house at 6 Dilly Court sold on July 2, for $319,990. Built in 2025, the house is a 4/3 and has 1,842 square feet. The house at 65 Wandering Creek Way sold on July 2, for $354,990. Built in 2026, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,193 square feet.

Grand Haven

The house at 4 N. Village Parkway sold on July 2, for $790,000. Built in 2004, the house is a 4/3 and has a pool, a fireplace and 2,952 square feet. It last sold in 2024 for $657,000.

Marineland Acres

The house at 59 Ocean St. sold on July 2, for $910,000. Built in 1986, the house is a 3/2.5 and has a fireplace and 1,672 square feet. It last sold in 2023 for $949,900.

Palm Coast Plantation

The house at 165 S. Riverwalk Drive sold on June 30, for $1,169,000. Built in 2017, the house is a 3/3.5 and has a fireplace, a pool, a spa and 2,989 square feet. It last sold in 2024 for $1,043,800.

Plantation Bay

The house at 31 Magnolia Court sold on July 2, for $879,000. Built in 1989, the house is a 7/5 and has a pool, a spa, a fireplace and 3,863 square feet. It last sold in 2012 for $265,000.

Seminole Woods

The house at 2 Seckel Court sold on July 3, for $374,900. Built in 2026, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,117 square feet. Toby Tobin, of gotoby.com, contributed to this report.

YOUR SCHOOLS

Flagler Palm Coast Kiwanis Club gives away hundreds of books in annual ‘Library of My Own’

program: Summer Reading camp participants hold up their books along with Flagler Palm Coast Kiwanis Club members, teachers and volunteers at the club’s annual “Library of My Own” book giveaway, on July 9, at Wadsworth Elementary School. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Split Oak Ranch celebrates grand opening: ‘We love you guys’

The celebration showcased the ranch’s vision for agritourism, weddings, community gatherings.

RICH CARROLL

MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER

Split Oak Ranch officially celebrated the grand opening of its new agritourism venue Saturday, welcoming hundreds of residents, local officials and business owners for a ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked a major milestone for the 54-acre equestrian property.

The celebration gave the community its first look at the ranch’s completed event venue, which owners Neftali and Nicole DeJesus envision as a destination for weddings, agricultural events, equestrian activities and community gatherings.

Guests spent the evening browsing more than 50 vendors, choosing from approximately eight food trucks, watching demonstra-

tions, visiting horse rescue organizations and enjoying family-friendly attractions including bounce houses and a mechanical bull. A passing storm cooled temperatures just before the festivities began, making for comfortable conditions throughout the evening.

“It’s been a journey to get here,” Neftali DeJesus said before the ribbon cutting.

When asked what he was feeling moments before officially opening the venue, DeJesus smiled before reflecting on the months of work leading up to the celebration.

“Tired,” he joked. “No. It’s been a great time. We’ve been building. We’ve had so many people help us.”

DeJesus said the project was built not only through his family’s efforts but also through an outpouring of community support. As the owner of two construction companies, he said many of the subcontractors who regularly work with his businesses volunteered their time to help construct the new venue.

“We’ve been surrounded by love and support from our

community, from our business associates, from just everyone around,” DeJesus said. “We’re honestly just honored and blessed and thankful for just everyone here.”

The event showcased the property’s vision as an agritourism center while also highlighting local businesses and organizations from across Flagler County.

“So we have over 50 vendors here right now,” DeJesus said. “We have about eight food trucks, two bounce houses, a mechanical bull, which I’m super excited to get on myself. We have horse rescues here. It’s just a bunch of different things going on, but a great time.”

The formal ribbon-cutting ceremony was hosted by the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President John Phillips welcomed attendees and congratulated the DeJesus family on opening what he described as a valuable addition to the local business community before inviting Neftali DeJesus to address the crowd.

Speaking to those gathered outside the venue, DeJesus

Experience the difference at Sancerre Palm Coast and see why families are choosing our community for exceptional Assisted Living and Memory Care.

With move-ins underway and select apartments available, now is the time to explore your options. Take advantage of current move-in opportunities designed to make the transition seamless and secure your preferred apartment before availability changes.

Stop by for a Tour – We’d love to meet you! 144 Cypress Point Parkway Palm Coast, FL

thanked the volunteers, contractors, elected officials and community members who helped turn the family’s vision into reality.

“I know this is the corny thing to say, but this would not be possible without everyone here,” he said. “We’ve had nothing but friends and volunteers and people we work with through our construction companies just working their butts off here, volunteering and helping us get this going.”

He also thanked county officials, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and residents for supporting the ranch.

“We love you guys,” DeJesus said. “Thank you all for being a part of this. Thank you for believing in us and showing up.”

Following the remarks, Neftali and Nicole DeJesus, joined by family members and supporters, officially cut the ceremonial ribbon as the crowd applauded.

The grand opening represents another step in the couple’s long-term vision for Split Oak Ranch. As previously reported by the Observer, the

DeJesus family purchased the property with plans to preserve its rural character while expanding opportunities for agritourism and community events. The venue is expected to host weddings, corporate functions, livestock and equestrian events, seasonal festivals and other gatherings that celebrate Flagler County’s agricultural heritage. Saturday’s turnout suggested the community has already embraced that vision. Throughout the evening, families explored the grounds, visited local vendors, sampled food from area businesses and enjoyed live entertainment while taking in the ranch’s newest amenities.

For Neftali and Nicole DeJesus, the ribbon cutting was more than the opening of a new venue—it was the culmination of months of construction, volunteer work and community support, and the beginning of what they hope will become one of Flagler County’s premier destinations for events and agritourism. Email rich@observerlocal news.com.

Serving up fresh fish for a decade, on A1A

A1A Fisheries celebrates its 10-year anniversary in The Hammock.

ABE MILLS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A1A Fisheries is celebrating its 10-year anniversary serving local fishermen and residents in the Hammock area.

A1A Fisheries specializes in providing high quality seafood, including locally caught fresh fish, crabcakes, smoked salmon, handmade sauces, jams and jellies.

When my wife, Rachel, and I walked into the store to meet owner Chris Hazlett for the first time, he wasn’t available right away — he was out back working with a local fisherman to unload a fresh catch.

According to Hazlett who is a commercial fisherman by trade, this dedication to local fishermen and fresh fish is the key to the success of A1A Fisheries.

“Local fish, local catch, from boat to table,” Hazlett said. “We get it, cut it, and stick it out there.”

The customers agree.

“It’s always so fresh,” customer Debbie Duwe said.

“We’re probably here once or twice a week for fresh fish.”

Not all fish is caught locally.

The salmon is flown in from the Faroe Islands, located between Iceland, Norway, and Scotland. The cold waters and strong currents in that area combine to create an atmosphere where the salmon has a worldwide reputation for high quality and great taste.

The team at A1A Fisheries browns the salmon, then smokes it for three hours and finishes it off with a special glaze. It’s a customer favorite

and people line up every day to get some.

“It’s divine,” Duwe said. “And we’re usually here at 1:30 p.m. to pick it up.” When private chef Casey Clark stepped into the shop to buy fish for a personal meal, he expressed gratitude for the team’s assistance while he was in culinary school.

“[They] helped me with all my fish needs for my certification test at school,” Clark said. “It all went super great. Great fish. I love it.” Clark, Duwe, and other customers expressed their enjoyment of not just the fresh fish, but also the friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

“I think it is really the friendly service,” said team member Nicole Nagle. “[We] try to know everybody’s names to make them feel like they’re coming home when they come in.” Hazlett has owned A1A Fisheries for two years.

“The Hammock community is awesome!” he said. A1A Fisheries is

Split Oak Ranch owners Neftali and Nicole DeJesus, joined by family, supporters and community leaders, cut the ceremonial ribbon during the grand opening celebration of the ranch’s new agritourism venue on Saturday, July 11, in Bunnell. Photo by Rich Carroll

A1A offers high quality fresh seafood caught by local fishermen. Photo by Rachel Mills

Band of Brothers

SPORTS

change his name.

Lori said she already had a chore chart on the refrigerator for her sons. It was just a matter of adding Daniel and Zachary. Over time, they worked through the dynamics of parenting.

Lori and Mark Spada encourage their five teenage sons as they start their second year at Seabreeze together.

MICHELE MEYERS

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Five Miller and Mellen-Spada brothers will stroll into Seabreeze High School on the first day of school, Aug. 10: two seniors, one junior, and two sophomores. Their presence is also known on the Sandcrabs’ football roster— two wide receivers, two linebackers, and a running back, with a couple of them playing dual positions.

They are brothers — they share meals, jokes, and sprints to the laundry basket under the same roof with the same mom and dad.

Lori and Mark Spada both agree they are proud to be the parents of this crew — seniors Daniel Mellen-Spada and Tristan Miller, junior Kamden Miller, and sophomores Austin Miller and Zachary Mellen-Spada.

“They’re a band of brothers, that’s for sure,” Lori said.

“They support each other; they reach out to each other, even before they reach out to Mark or me. They’ve learned to try to problem-solve because they know we’re still working full time.”

In 2017, Lori moved to Ormond-by-the-Sea from

Atlanta, Georgia. She was a single parent to three boys— Tristan, Kamden and Austin.

“I decided to move to the beach and never work for corporate America again,” she said.

By that time, Mark had adopted his nephews, 6-yearold Daniel and his brother, 4-year-old Zachary. He also has four children from a previous marriage: Sebastian, Giovanni, Vanessa and Maximus.

All five boys attended Osceola Elementary School, where they met. Tristan and Daniel were in the same class and became best friends, and their brothers, Austin and Zachary, were also in each other’s class and became best friends.

Lori invited Mark’s kids to Austin’s birthday party in May 2021. Afterward, Daniel told Tristan that his uncle Mark should “go out with your mom.” Tristan agreed it would be a good match. Mark called Lori to thank her, and on Mother’s Day, Lori invited him to the beach.

“Mark said I had the best pickup line,” she said. “I asked him if he wanted to touch toes in the sand.”

On Nov. 11, 2022, at 1:11 p.m., the Spadas were married. They joined forces and became a family of seven, living in a modest home on River Beach. Tristan was happy his best friend, Daniel, would be his brother, and Kamden asked if he needed to

“We started a partnership,” she said. “Blending the family and blending the chores, so they learn to work and communicate together and build a bond other than just friendship.”

After the family logistics, they had to navigate the cost of everyday living. One week of groceries and toiletries for the family of seven costs $500, and with three teen drivers, their automobile insurance exceeds the household expenses combined.

“It’s crazy, but we make it work,” Lori said. “Luckily, we don’t have a mortgage, and the three older boys work, which helps.”

Tristan has been working at Oceanside Beach Bar & Grill in Ormond-by-the-Sea for two years; Danny works at Neighborhood Scoop in Ormond Beach; and Kamden works at Riptides.

Lori is a licensed Realtor, and Mark is a licensed general contractor. Schedules can be a challenge, with five family members working, Monday-through-Friday summer football workouts, and monthly appointments.

Last month, Lori shuttled the boys to 16 doctor, dental, orthodontic, and dermatology appointments. They had 31 in December, which included physical therapy following Kamden’s injury. But the Spadas always manage to attend church every Sunday, touch a football daily, and fish and surf whenever they can.

Fifteen-year-old Austin recognizes how much work his parents put into raising him and his siblings.

“My parents are great people,” he said. “Five kids are a lot of work. It’s been exciting, though, because I already knew Zach and Danny from school and being friends, so it was just exciting to be in the same house with them.”

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mark played volleyball for the United States circuit while attending Elizabethtown Area High School and playing basketball at the University of Pittsburgh. Twenty-eight years ago, he started his coaching career as a high school girls’ volleyball coach in Rialto, California.

From 2006 to 2016, Mark worked in the security depart-

ment at Daytona International Speedway. He got involved with the city of Ormond Beach’s youth recreational baseball league, the Golden Spikes, took over the basketball league, and eventually joined Pop Warner football as an assistant coach. Eventually, he became the commissioner and then the president. He stepped down last season.

“Your sacrifice isn’t for you, it’s for the greater good,” he said. “Lift our community, lift our program, our school, lift these students up, make them great young men. That’s the goal you have to keep.”

He has been an assistant football coach at Seabreeze for the past three years. Currently, he is the JV head coach and defensive coordinator and will also assist coach Mike Klein with the varsity linebackers this season.

“He’s Mr. Get Things Done,” Klein said. “As a football coach, you wear a lot of different hats, they say. Mark is not above any of it. He can do handy work. If we need something built, he can build it. If we need something fixed, he can fix it. He’s kind of like a right-hand man type of guy, where he’s always there; he’s always accountable.”

All five brothers played basketball and soccer before committing to football. Kamden will be a junior this year and is a running back for Seabreeze. He has played a variety of positions and goes wherever the coaches need him.

“My parents are great, especially my stepdad, Mark Spada,” Kamden said. “He’s my football coach and kind of yells at me a lot. Makes me a 100% better player. Without him, I don’t know where I’d be right now, especially on this football team.”

As the disciplinary coach, Mark stays on top of the

players’ academic progress. He does whatever it takes to help the kids be successful. Klein said Mark is the perfect example of what he wants the football program’s ideology to be about: It takes a village to raise kids.

“That’s why I love him,” Klein said. “He’s all go, no show. He works hard, he’s extremely dependable, he’s extremely trustworthy, and, above all of it, he just has a true servant’s heart, and he loves the kids. He treats every kid like they were his own.”

As rising seniors, Tristan and Daniel have really come into their own, Klein said, and have matured into the type of leaders the team needs this season. Both brothers said they want to lead their younger siblings and motivate them to perform at a higher level. When they are at home, they said they always talk about football.

“I hope talking football helps,” Tristan said. “I want to make sure they know all the plays and the techniques, and make sure they run it right and learn from their older brothers before they graduate. They’ve been getting better. They’re just young.”

Fifteen-year-old Zachary said Daniel helps with everything since they are both wide receivers, and Tristan shows him how to work out in the weight room.

“It’s cool when Zach and I are both on the field, and I don’t get the ball, and he catches it.

It’s cool,” Daniel said. Klein said there are usually more than just the Spada family hanging out at their house. Sometimes there are enough players there to have their own football team.

“Even though Ormond Beach is a small community, it’s still a large community to us, because we want to love everybody,” Mark said.

Lori and Mark Spada take a photo together after Seabreeze football team’s beach workout at Andy Romano Beachfront Park.

Seabreeze wide receiver Daniel Mellen-Spada (19). Photos by Michele Meyers

Austin Miller watch the 7-on-7 action from the sidelines at Father Lopez.

Kamden Miller at Andy Romano Beachfront Park.

Seabreeze wide receiver Zachary Mellen-Spada (19) grabs a pass during the 7-on-7 game against Mainland at Father Lopez.

TRIBUTES

Paul Richard Seeman III

October 7, 1951- June 26, 2026

Paul Richard Seeman III (Rick) passed away in Palm Coast, FL on June 26, 2026. He was born on October 7, 1951, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Rick was the son of the late Patricia Everhart Seeman and Paul R. Seeman Jr. Rick graduated from Uniontown High School in 1969 before attending Slippery Rock University, where he earned his degree in teaching in 1973. He went on to teach at Butler Intermediate High School for 11 years, where he made a positive impact on countless students. Later, he pursued his passion for pharmacy, graduating from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Rick worked as a pharmacist in several hospitals for many years, concluding his career at Shadyside Hospital before retiring. After his retirement, he moved to Peachtree City, Georgia and lived there for 17

years. Rick was a devoted brother, uncle, great-uncle, and friend who cherished time spent with his family. He is survived by his brother, Jim Seeman; his sisters, Sandy Hudson (David) and Tricia Laskey (John).

He was a loving uncle to Jamie Hudson (Luis), Craig Hudson (Lindsay), Ryan Laskey (Savanna), Tyler Laskey (Laura), Zach Laskey (Arianna), and Leah Hickerson (Ryan). He was also a proud great-uncle to Rydon, Addie, Max, Ellie, Ben, Barrett, Harrison, and Blakely. He was eagerly looking forward to welcoming Parker and Connor later this year. Rick had a love for music, trivia, and travel. He gave his all to his profession. His memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.

Jennie Mae Brewster Vandiver

April 21, 1932 - Sep 23, 2026

Jennie Mae Brewster Vandiver was born in Welch, West Virginia. She was baptized at Welch Presbyterian Church, and grew up in the mountain towns of Welch, Logan, Beckley and Summersville. Jennie attended Mary Washington College and received her diploma from West Virginia University in teaching. She taught 9th grade Civics and later became a media specialist in elementary education.

Her 6 children Carol, June, Rob, Cindy, Sam and Andrew were all born into a military family--Jennie’s husband Robert was a B-17 pilot in World War II and served 30 years, retiring as an Air Force Colonel. Robert and Jennie said goodbye to military life in Washington D.C. and moved to Ormond Beach in

1971. Jennie’s sister-in-law

Sheila Vandiver Briley lived in Ormond since the 1940s and welcomed her brother and Jennie by selling them her house on John Anderson Drive.

Jennie was a member of the Ormond Beach Presbyterian Church, Christ United, ERAU Wives Club, a local bridge club that played for 50 years, and Oceanside. From the late 1970s until the 1990s, she worked as librarian at Longstreet Elementary and later Pine Trail Elementary. She and Robert later retired to the North 40 subdivision at Granada and Clyde Morris. In her last four years, Jennie Mae resided in assisted living in Tallahassee and passed away in her sleep at the age of 93.

She joins her mother Maureen Davies Brewster,

A celebration of life service will be held on September 13th. Please reach out to the family for additional details. Arrangements are under the care and direction of Lotus Funeral Services, 460 Palm Coast Pkwy, Ste 3, Palm Coast. Lotusfuneralservices.com

father C.D. Brewster, husband Robert, sisters in law Kathleen, Sheila, Sarah, daughter Carol, aunts, uncles, and other beloved family and friends. Jennie’s six children provided her with 16 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and 1 great great grandchild. A memorial service will be held for Jennie on Saturday July 18th 2026 at Ormond Beach Presbyterian Church.

Joanna Warren 1947 - July 3, 2026

Joanna Warren, 79, born in St.Paul MN, passed away on July 3, 2026, leaving behind a loving family and a lasting legacy of kindness, service, and devotion to others. She was the beloved wife of Charles Warren and the cherished mother of two sons, Eric Warren of Denver, Colorado, Mark Warren of Neptune Beach, Florida, and 3 Grandchildren.

The Warren family moved to Flagler County in 1980 from Ithaca New York where she had earned her Master Degree from SUNY Cortland. She shared her lifelong love of teaching as an adjunct faculty member at the original Daytona Beach Community College Campus. She served

Items under $200

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

Black Gently Used Ninja Single-Serve Pods & Grounds Coffee Maker with Integrated Milk Frother $75 obo 386-338-7530

HP Deskjet Printer 2700E Good Condition, Manual Included. $40 386-864-0334

Cannon Printer Ink- size 245/246 XL new in sealed box $15.00 (386) 283-4367

Felt Moving Blankets Felt Moving Blankets 54 x 80 (12) $20.00 Reyes.melodie@gmail. com

KitchenAid mixer, used once $50.00 Reyes.melodie@gmail. com

Printer Ink- Cannon size 245/246 XL new in sealed box $10.00 (386) 283-4367 lv msg

as a founding member of Palm Coast United Methodist Church and in 1983 as the founding director of its preschool. She went on to teach kindergarten at Bunnell Elementary School and helped pioneer the Pre-K early intervention program at Old Kings Elementary School. Together with her husband, Joanna also helped found Flagler County Habitat for Humanity, a reflection of her deep commitment to service and to improving the lives of others.

In her pre-retirement years, she continued to educate, mentor, and encourage others as the real estate education director for Prudential Warren Real Estate. Joanna will be remembered with deep affection for the many lives she touched—as an educator, community builder, wife, mother, and friend. A celebration of life memorial service will be held later this summer.

Donations may be made in her name to the American Cancer Society and Haven Hospice.

1 or 2 Full Size Mattresses

$100 Each. Gently Used, Must Go! 386-446-0099

2 wrought Iron Tables 4 Chairs Each. $50 per set 386-6271580

Automotive

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 2000 Lexus RX300 Runs Great, 4 New Tires $1200 386-283-0968 Cleaning Services Ana’s Personal housekeeping. One Time,

7763-350053

Jul. 2, 9, 16, 23, 2026

NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR TAX DEED

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that

FTL INC. & BANESCO USA 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 / 493 Year of Issuance:2024 Description of Property: Lot 6, Block 120, DAYTONA NORTH, according to the plat thereof, recorded in Plat Book 10, Page 1-15 of the Public Records of FLAGLER County, Florida. TOGETHER WITH a double wide 1991 Fleetwood Mobile home serial #FLELL32A12401GH and #FLELL32B12401GH. RP#'s

R346400 & R443901. Name in which assessed: JAMES WHALEN (DECEASED), REBECCA KREIGER WHALEN

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 11th day of August, 2026 at 9 a.m. Tom Bexley Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller of Flagler County, FL By: Tiffani Smith, Deputy Clerk File # 26-067 TDC 7763-350072 Jul. 2, 9, 16, 23, 2026 NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR TAX DEED NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that JPL INVESTMENTS, CORP. AND OCEAN BANK 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 / 583 Year of Issuance:2024 Description of Property: LOT 1, OF BIMINI GARDENS SUBDIVISION, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF, AS RECORDED IN MAP BOOK 10, PAGE 16, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. Name in which assessed: STEVEN J MORENO All of said property being in the County of Flagler, State of Florida.

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 11th day of August, 2026 at 9 a.m. Tom Bexley Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller of Flagler County, FL By: Stephanie Tolson, Deputy Clerk File # 26-068 TDC 7763-350097 Jul. 2, 9, 16, 23, 2026 NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR TAX DEED NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that JPL INVESTMENTS, CORP. AND OCEAN BANK 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 / 1080 Year of Issuance:2024 Description of Property: LOT 84, BLOCK 7, SUBDIVISION MAP FLORIDA PARK - SECTION - 10 PALM COAST, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF AS RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 6, AT PAGE(S) 43-53, AS AMENDED IN INSTRUMENT RECORDED IN OFFICIAL BOOK 35, PAGE 528, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. Name in which assessed: JOANNA REELEY LIFE ESTATE 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 11th day of August, 2026 at 9 a.m. Tom Bexley Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller of Flagler County, FL By: Stephanie Tolson, Deputy Clerk File # 26-069 TDC 7763-350147 Jul. 2, 9, 16, 23, 2026

NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR TAX DEED

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that KEYS FUNDING LLC - 5024 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:

NOTICE OF RULEMAKING

to adopt the Proposed Rules will be conducted by the Board of Supervisors (the Board") of the District on August 21, 2026, at 12:30 p m at the Hilton Garden Inn Palm Coast/Town Center 55 Town Center Blvd Palm Coast Florida 32164. Pursuant to Sections 190.011(5) and 190.012(3), Florida Statutes the Proposed Rule will not require legislative ratification The Proposed Rules may be adjusted at the public hearing pursuant to discussion by the Board of Supervisors and public comment The specific grant of rulemaking authority for the adoption of the Proposed Rules includes sections 120.54 and 190.011, Florida Statutes The specific laws implemented in the Proposed Rules include, but are not limited to, Chapters 120 and 190, Florida Statutes, as amended, and specific legal authority includes Sections 190.035(2), 190.011(5), 190.012(3), 190.035, 190.041, 120.54, 120.69 and 120.81, Florida Statutes, as amended A statement of estimated regulatory costs as defined in Section 120.541(2), Florida Statutes has not been prepared relative to the Proposed Rules Any person who wishes to provide the District with a proposal for a lower cost regulatory alternative as provided by Section 120.541(1), Florida Statutes must do so in writing within twentyone (21) days after publication of this notice to the District Manager s Office

For more information regarding the public hearing the Proposed Rules or for a copy of the Proposed Rules and the related incorporated documents if any please contact the District Manager c/o Governmental Management Services - Central Florida LLC 219 East Livingston Street, Orlando, Florida 32801, 407-841-5524, jlebrun@gmscfl.com (the District Manager s Office").

This public hearing may be continued to a date, time, and place to be specified on the record at the hearing without additional notice If anyone chooses to appeal any decision of the Board with respect to any matter considered at the public hearing such person will need a record of the proceedings and should accordingly ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made which includes the testimony

Certificate No:2024 / 2107 Year of Issuance:2024

Description of Property: LOT 15, BLOCK 12, OF FUQUAY SUBDIVISION, ACCORDING TO PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN MAP BOOK 1, PAGE 26, PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA.

Name in which assessed: IAN SHEHAIBER

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 11th day of August, 2026 at 9 a.m. Tom Bexley Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller of Flagler County, FL By: Stephanie Tolson, Deputy Clerk File # 26-070 TDC

7763-350178

Jul. 2, 9, 16, 23, 2026

NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR TAX DEED

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that FTL INC. & BANESCO USA 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 / 365 Year of Issuance:2024 Description of Property: LOT 12, BLOCK 24, DAYTONA NORTH, A SUBDIVISION ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF RECORDED AT MAP BOOK 10, PAGE 1 THROUGH 15, INCLUSIVE, IN THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. TOGETHER WITH A 1984 OLD MOBILE HOME BEARING VIN #SHSWGA44835415A/B Name in which assessed: 1791 HOLLY LANE TRUST AGREEMENT DATED 07/01/2021, ZANDER CHRIS BURGER TRUSTEE

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 11th day of August, 2026 at 9 a.m. Tom Bexley Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller of Flagler County, FL By: Stephanie Tolson, Deputy Clerk File # 26-071 TDC 7763-350225 Jul. 2, 9, 16, 23, 2026 NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR TAX DEED NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that RAJENDRA GUPTA 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 / 1478 Year of Issuance:2024 Description of Property: LOT 1, BLOCK 24, ROYAL PALMS - SECTION-31 PALM COAST, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF, RECORDED IN MAP BOOK 10, PAGES 43 THROUGH 53 INCLUSIVE, PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. Name in which assessed: ANDREW MICHAEL 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 11th day of August, 2026 at 9 a.m. Tom Bexley Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller of Flagler County, FL By: Stephanie Tolson, Deputy Clerk File # 26-072 TDC 7763-350260 Jul. 2, 9, 16, 23, 2026

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING CITY OF BUNNELL FLORIDA

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE CITY OF BUNNELL FLORIDA will hold a Public Hearing as authorized by law at 7:00 P M on the 27th day of July 2026, for the purpose of Second and Final Reading of Ordinance 2026-15 before the City Commission in the Chambers Meeting Room of the Bunnell Administration Complex located at 2400 Commerce Pkwy Bunnell Florida 32110. ORDINANCE 2026-15 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BUNNELL , FLORIDA PROVIDING FOR THE REZONING OF CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY TOTALING 0.92± ACRES, BEARING TAX PARCEL ID: 10-12-30-0850-01980-0010, LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 110 FEET NORTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF DEEN ROAD AND HARDY STREET, IN THE CITY OF BUNNELL LIMITS FROM "R-2,

MULTIPLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT" TO "L-1, LIGHT INDUSTRIAL

DISTRICT"; PROVIDING FOR LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT; PROVIDING FOR THE TAKING OF IMPLEMENTING ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS; PROVIDING FOR THE ADOPTION OF MAPS BY REFERENCE; REPEALING ALL CONFLICTING ORDINANCES; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR NON- CODIFICATION AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE

ALL INTERESTED PERSONS ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE as may be legally permitted on the day of the meeting Instructions on how to participate by electronic or other means, if legally permitted, would be found on the City of Bunnell s website at www bunnellcity us on the homepage The public is advised to check the City s website for up-to-date information on any changes to the manner in which the meeting will be held and the location The failure of a person to appear during said hearing and comment on or object to the Ordinance, either in person or in writing, might preclude the ability of such person to contest the Ordinance at a later date A copy of all pertinent information to this Ordinance can be obtained at the Bunnell Administration Complex 2400 Commerce Pkwy Bunnell FL 32110. Persons with disabilities needing assistance to attend this proceeding should contact the Bunnell City Clerk at (386) 437-7500 x 5 at least 48-business hours prior to the meeting

NOTICE: If a person decides to appeal any decision made by the City Commission on this matter a recording of the proceeding may be needed and for such purposes the person may need to ensure that a verbatim record is made which includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is based (Section 286.0105, Florida Statutes)

7763-350829 Jul 16, 2026 In partnership with the Palm Coast and Ormond Beach Observers, we offer our client families handsome, elegant options to memorialize your loved one with a keepsake Tribute in print and online. Once you select the style that meets your family’s needs, we will handle the details, giving your loved one a deserving life Tribute and one that your family can cherish.

TO

your

Deceased. The administration of the estate of Ros Som , deceased, whose date of death was January 25, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Flagler County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is Flagler County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, 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. 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 other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is July 9, 2026. Personal Representative: Ledia Som 768 E. Michigan Street, Unit 75 Orlando, Florida 32806

Attorney for Personal Representative: PAUL, ELKIND, BRANZ & PAUL, LLP By : /s/Matthew D. Branz Matthew D. Branz, Esquire Florida Bar No. 657514 142 East New York Avenue DeLand, FL 32724

Tel: 386-734-3020 / Fax: 386-734-3096

Primary: mbranz@paulandelkind.com

Secondary: tflowers@paulandelkind.com

July 9, 16, 2026 26-00196G

SECOND INSERTION RE-NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA CIRCUIT CIVIL DIVISION CASE NO.: 2024 CA 000180 LOANDEPOT.COM, LLC, Plaintiff(s), vs. DAVID LAIRD; et al., Defendant(s). NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT, pursuant to the Order Granting Plaintiff’s Motion to Reschedule Foreclosure Sale entered on June 12, 2026 in the abovecaptioned action, the Clerk of Court, Tom Bexley, will sell to the highest and best bidder for cash www.flagler.realforeclose. com in accordance with Chapter 45, Florida Statutes on the 31st day of July, 2026 at 11:00 AM on the following described property as set forth in said Final Judgment of Foreclosure or order, to wit: LOT 20, BLOCK 166, BELLE TERRE - SECTION 35 PALM COAST PARK AT PALM COAST, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF, RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 11, PAGE 2, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. Property address: 16 Birchview Place, 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. Pursuant to the Fla. R. Jud. Admin. 2.516, the above signed counsel for Plaintiff designates attorney@padgettlawgroup. com as its primary e-mail address for service, in the above styled matter, of all pleadings and documents required to be served on the parties.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. 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) 2576096. HEARING OR VOICE IMPAIRED, PLEASE CALL 711. Respectfully submitted, /s/ Michael Solloa #37854 for PADGETT LAW GROUP STEVEN G. HURLEY, ESQ. Florida Bar # 99802 6267 Old Water Oak Road, Suite 203 Tallahassee, FL 32312 (850) 422-2520 (telephone) (850) 422-2567 (facsimile) attorney@padgettlawgroup.com

SECOND INSERTION NOTICE OF PRACTICE CLOSURE Get Off

SECOND INSERTION NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE