PALM COAST
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 12, NO. 2
FPC ADVANCES PAGE 14 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2021
What’s next for Town Center? City considers how online retailers and shifting housing market will affect development PAGE 3
New site considered
Tiny dancer
Palm Coast Public Works site to shift 2 miles north PAGE 5 INSIDE VACCINATIONS CONTINUE
Over 10,000 people in Flagler County have been vaccinated for COVID-19 PAGE 10
Palm Coast Community Center hosts Valentine’s dance for families. PAGE 12
REMEMBERING MILLHOLLIN
Jimmy Millhollin, business and real estate leader in Flagler County, dies from COVID complications PAGE 4
FBI AGENTS MOURNED
Flagler mourns slain FBI special agents PAGE 4
PEACOCK ON LEADERSHIP
Q+A with Paul Peacock, Indian Trails principal PAGE 6
MORE COURTS AT CITY FACILITY?
Allen and Rowyn Schocken.
Photo by Jake Montgomery
City Hall gets security guard after residents start confrontations Metal detectors may follow, City Manager Matt Morton said.
JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR
F
or the first time, visitors to Palm Coast’s City Hall will encounter an armed security guard at the main entryway and signs warning that weap-
Locals push city for more pickleball courts at proposed Regional Racquet Center PAGE 10
INDEX
Briefs..................... PAGE 9 Business.............. PAGE 22 Cops Corner.......... PAGE 2 Letters................... PAGE 8 McMillan................ PAGE 2 Real Estate.......... PAGE 24 Your Town.............PAGE 13
Photo by Brian McMillan
Giddens Security Corp.'s Jerry Yarbrough guards the entrance to Palm Coast City Hall.
ons are banned. The Giddens Security Corp. guard made his appearance after the city’s staff endured a series of confrontations from belligerent, threatening members of the public. The city trespassed one resident from City Hall in October for creating a disturbance and is working with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to resolve another incident that occurred with an anti-mask resident before a recent council meeting. Council meetings have also been punctuated by tense moments between the city’s staff and members of the public who refuse to abide by City Hall’s mask rule. Other parts of the county are facing similar problems. In neighboring Flagler Beach, two residents were recently arrested at a City Commission meeting after refusing to wear masks or to leave when told to do so. The county government’s main
building on State Road 100 has long had private security guards. After anti-mask residents refused to abide by the county building’s mask rule or instructions to leave, the county increased the number of deputies providing security at County Commission meetings. Palm Coast City Councilman Eddie Branquinho mentioned the guard and the signage during his comments at the end of the council’s Feb. 9 meeting, asking City Manager Matt Morton why they were needed. “We’ve got a few specific reasons,” Morton said. “One: Just the national political landscape, or the climate, unfortunately, has impacts across the county. We’ve had a few incidents in City Hall that seem to have been escalating over the last year — I would call them confrontations. Traditionally, we’ve asked staff to de-escalate those confrontations. We’ve gotten to a point where it’s inapSEE CITY PAGE 10