In a dilemma between tree conservation and parking, County Commission votes 3-2 to OK parking variance for new restaurant.
WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
The Flagler County Commission has approved a parking variance for a new Mexican restaurant in The Hammock, despite concerns from residents. In a dilemma between tree conservation and parking, the Flagler County Commission voted 3-2 to approve the application, with Commissioners Andy Dance and Greg Hansen voting against it. The approval came with the condition to retain a large oak tree in the rear of the property. The owners of Modern Mexx are planning to move the former Fusion 386 restaurant at 5949 N. Ocean Shore Blvd. into the northeast corner of the L-shaped lot. The existing building will be demolished and a new 2,800-square foot building will be built.
The restaurant will have around 92 seats, including a 20-seat bar, and nine employees, up from the five employees initially estimated in a previous review.
The owners also have an agreement with a neighboring coffee shop to be able to use five parking spaces in its lot for employees after 5 p.m. each day.
After the first review in March, the owners decided to submit two options for the commission to review. Both proposals removed the patio area outdoors and reduced the seating area from 1,800 square feet to 1,500 square feet, thereby also reducing the number of required parking spaces to 39.
Option one would include the variance for 33 parking spaces to preserve a large oak tree behind the building. Option two would remove the tree and shift the building more to the back of the lot to allow for the additional six parking spaces to meet code requirements.
In both options, the property has a 70% retention rate for the trees, when the county code only requires 50%, Growth Management Deputy Director Chuck Merenda said.
Commission Chair Leann Pennington said that at any point the owners could go with option two and lose the tree, without needing approval from the board, as that would meet code requirements.
“It’s hard, because you’re talking about parking, which is a major complaint up in The Hammock,” Pennington said. “But they also want to protect their trees, so it’s a very difficult conversation to have.”
The concerns are multi-faceted. The community is concerned about overflow parking into neighboring streets and along the shoulders of State Road A1A. There’s also concern the owners will have more seating than initially approved though outdoor or patio seats.
Several Hammock residents pointed to Bronx House Pizza in The Hammock as an example of this issue, with the added outdoor
seating area. The restaurant purchased a neighboring lot for overflow parking in 2025 to accommodate its customers.
Bruno DiFabio co-owns Modern Mexx and founded Bronx House Pizza. DiFabio said Modern Mexx won’t be a quick-service restaurant, but instead cater to curated meals.
“It’s not a high volume concept,” he said. “It’s not a fast turnover restaurant or a traditional large menu operation where you might see combo plate concepts.”
Merenda said the number of parking spaces approved by the county would ultimately determine the number of seats the restaurant could have.
Dance said even if the commission granted the variance, he was
sure Modern Mexx would likely be back for a landscaping variance request. The proposed parking plan did not leave room for landscaping requirements, he said.
“My fear is that we’re not getting an accurate representation here of what’s ultimately going to be built,” Dance said. “...I don’t want to get into a position where I’m approving this, knowing that it’s going to come back to us and then you’re under a different set of pressures, having already approved it once.”
Dance made a motion to deny the variance, but it failed 2-3, with only Dance and Hansen voting to deny it. Pennington said if the argument is to save the oak tree at the rear of the lot, the county would need to approve on the condition of retaining the tree.
The Fusion 386 restaurant at 5949 N. Ocean Shore Blvd. will become Modern Mexx. Photo courtesy of Google Maps
School guardian takes his own life while parked at school
John Medcalf, 46, had served in the U.S. Army, according to his Facebook page.
JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR
Ormond Beach Elementary’s school guardian died by suicide in the parking lot across the school on March 20, according to Ormond Beach Police.
Police were dispatched to the school at around 8:09 p.m. that evening after John Medcalf, 46, sent his wife a text stating his intent to take his own life at the school.
According to the police report, upon arrival at 8:10 p.m., “officers tactically positioned their patrol vehicles across the parking lot and directed their spotlight into the passenger side of the vehicle. The first officer on scene maintained a position of cover behind their patrol vehicle while awaiting the arrival of additional units.”
At approximately 8:17 p.m., as additional officers were arriving, Medcalf fatally shot
COPS CORNER
MARCH 31 ERRATIC BEHAVIOR
12:42 p.m. — First block of Bear Creek Path, Ormond Beach Baker Act. A 26-year-old Ormond Beach man was placed into protective custody after he obscured his face with a bandana and began walking through a neighborhood with
himself. He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 9:23 p.m.
“Volusia County Schools extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and all those affected by the tragedy that occurred on March 20,” the school district posted on its Facebook page on April 2. “This loss occurred on a school campus after hours, when students were not present. District safety and communication protocols were followed, school and district leadership responded immediately, and School Board members were notified through standard process.”
It should be noted that the school parking lot at 101 Corbin Ave., because of its location in the city’s downtown district, is open to the public after school hours and weekends.
“Out of respect for those affected and in care and compassion for the family, our school community, and all those impacted, the district will not provide additional details,” the statement continued. “This decision is in accordance with Florida law and allows time for heal -
a kitchen knife.
Police report that the man had been in an altercation with one of the neighborhood’s maintenance workers. The man had approached the worker and asked him about his dog that had gotten loose; the worker replied that if the dog had been on a leash, this incident wouldn’t have occurred.
The incident report states the worker allegedly used profane language while speaking to the man, who then threatened to shoot the worker.
ing. We kindly request the community to keep the family and those affected in their thoughts and prayers, allowing them the time they need to grieve and heal.”
VCS implemented the school guardian program in 2018. This was a result of a state mandate that school districts have safe-school officers at every campus, legislation filed after the Parkland school shooting.
In VCS, school guardians fulfill this requirement at the elementary level.
The difference between a law enforcement officers (who serve as School Resource Officers/Deputies at the middle and high school level) and a school guardian is that guardians do not have arrest authority and are employed by the school district, rather than a law enforcement agency.
According to the VCS website, “guardians have undergone extensive background checks, drug testing, a psychological screening, 132 hours of training with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, 12 hours of de-escalation training, and another 40 hours of training on security in schools
Police noted the man does he have access to any guns. The maintenance worker returned the threat, saying he would also shoot him.
After donning a bandana and grabbing a kitchen knife, which the man put in a sock as a makeshift sheath, he started asking neighbors about the whereabouts of the maintenance worker. Police intervened, and he was transported to the hospital under a Baker Act.
and strategies for dealing with students.”
VCS reports the average years of prior experience for its school guardians is 26 for retired law enforcement and 22 for retired military.
Medcalf previously served in the U.S. Army, per his Facebook page.
Due to state statutes providing that information that would identify safe-school officers is exempt from public records, VCS declined to share additional details regarding his employment.
“The District does not confirm, deny, or otherwise comment on whether any individual has served or currently serves as a safe-school officer or school guardian,” VCS stated in an email to the Observer . “Any prior public references do not waive the statutory exemption and will not be verified, reiterated, or characterized in response to a public records request. The District’s response is governed solely by current law and current District practice.
In a statement to the Observer regarding standard procedures for responding to a call about a potential suicide,
APRIL 3
LEFT UNSUPERVISED
10:54 a.m. — 200 block of Grove Street, Ormond Beach
Child neglect. Police arrested a 30-year-old Ormond Beach man after two toddlers — one of whom was naked — were found outside of the home without adult supervision.
Upon arrival, police realized the toddlers were inside the home with an 11-year-old child, who was on the phone with her mother. She and her mother both said the children were supposed to be watched by the mother’s boyfriend, who later told police he had informed his girlfriend that he was going to leave for 30 minutes to go to a friend’s house in Daytona Beach.
The 11-year-old girl told officers she initially believed he had taken the toddlers with him and had been asleep at the time the toddlers exited the home. When she awoke, she saw the front door was open and the kids were outside, and she brought them back inside.
The man was taken to jail.
APRIL 5
HAPPY EASTER
10:12 p.m. — Mile Marker 279, Interstate 95, southbound in Flagler County
Drug possession. A 20-yearold Palm Coast woman and a man were driving southbound on I-95 when a Sheriff’s Office deputy pulled them over for swerving while driving. The woman was not driving the car, but was instead in the passenger seat when Sheriff’s Office deputies pulled over
Ormond Beach Police stated:
“We respond to these types of calls using the same standardized approach we apply to any situation where there may be a potential threat or weapon,” the department said. “The nature of the call helps guide the officers on initial decision-making, but the core response remains consistent. Typically, two units would be dispatched, with the first arriving officers assessing the situation and determining any immediate safety concerns. They then relay that information to other responding units and request additional resource (fire or medical) if needed.”
Since October 2024, OBPD officers have attended five deescalation training courses, including classes conducted for new police officers, which is part of orientation.
Editor’s note : This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. An online chat is also available at 988lifeline. org.
the pickup truck.
As she and the driver got out of the truck, one deputy noticed the woman attempt to hide a small plastic bag in the door, an arrest report said.
The deputy searched the woman’s seat and belongings and found multiple drugs organized in a clear pill organizer. When the deputy told the woman about the drugs they’d found, the suspect only told the officer, “Happy Easter.”
CONSEQUENCES
9:50 p.m. — 5400 blood of North Shore Boulevard, Flagler County
Drug possession. An Indiana man was arrested by Sheriff’s Office deputies after he was warned not to drive with a suspended license and did it anyway. Initially, deputies talked to the driver and the suspect at a gas station, and after checking ID’s, found the suspect had a suspended license. The deputies warned the suspect not to drive, an arrest report said. Later that day, a separate deputy caught the suspect driving down a state road. When he came up behind the truck, the driver got out to greet him. The driver was the suspect with a suspended license.
A search of the suspect’s vehicle found two guns, 61 suboxone pills and two digital scales. He was taken to the county jail.
Raising the future
Flagler County Fair and Youth Show highlights next generation of agriculture leaders.
RICH CARROLL MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER
The Flagler County Fair and Youth Show is set to return
April 13-17 at the Flagler County Fairgrounds in Bunnell, bringing together students from FFA and 4-H programs for a week centered on agriculture, education and community support.
The annual event, led by Board President Penny Buckles, serves as both a showcase and a learning experience for local youth.
“We are here to promote agriculture in Florida to FFA and 4-H youth,” Buckles said, emphasizing the partnership that allows students to raise, show and ultimately sell their livestock.
Unlike a traditional fair, the event focuses strictly on live-
“These kids are the future of our agriculture. If we don’t do it, no one else will.”
PENNY BUCKLES, Board President
stock exhibitions and youth development. Admission is free, and each night features showmanship competitions where students are judged not only on their animals, but also on their ability to handle and present them in the ring.
At the center of the program are students like Dylan Perpich, a 16-year-old FFA member and Bunnell chapter president, who will be showing his goat, Bandit. For Perpich, the experience goes beyond competition.
“I’ve learned a lot of lessons on communication, leadership and how to work with a team,” he said, adding that FFA helped spark his interest in pursuing a future in agribusiness.
Fellow student Haydon
Winslow, 17, will show his steer, Chuck, highlighting the bond built through months of work.
“You learn something from both,” Winslow said. “He learns from me, and I learn from him.”
Winslow described the experience as both rewarding and emotional, noting the significance of raising an animal that will eventually be sold.
“It’s part of life. It doesn’t just come from a grocery store,” he said.
That lesson is a core part of the program’s mission,
handful of students to dozens raising livestock.
“FFA focuses on building leaders,” Reaves said. “They’re learning responsibility, time management and financial decision-making.”
Students like Bralyn Turner, 15, embody that growth. Turner, who shows multiple animals including her pig Bolt, said the program has shaped both her interests and future goals.
“It teaches you a lot about responsibility,” Turner said. “I just really fell in love with the atmosphere and the people.”
The week-long event begins
“It teaches you a lot about responsibility. I just really fell in love with the atmosphere and the people.”
TURNER
BRALYN
pullet and rabbit show, followed by livestock check-in on Tuesday. The steer, heifer and goat show takes place Wednesday, April 15, with the swine show on Thursday. The week culminates Friday, April 17, with opening ceremonies and the livestock auction.
Organizers say the community’s role is critical to the event’s success, encouraging residents to attend, support the students and learn more about
“These kids are the future of our agriculture,” Buckles said. “If we don’t do it, no one Visit www.flaglercounty
Charlee Crawford and Ham Solo the pig.
Haydon Winslow and Chuck the cow.
Brylee Cody and Sweetie the Chicken.
Payton Urbina and Mater the goat. chicken.
Bralyn Turner and Bolt the pig. Photos by Shauna McIntosh
Dylan Perpich and Bandit the goat.
Emerson Jones and Maya the bunny.
Using Ingoglia’s formula, Palm Coast says it’s
Mayor Mike Norris said he would like to see the upcoming budget cut back on property taxes.
SIERRA WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
Palm Coast has run the numbers on its budget using Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia’s formula for wasteful spending, and is only over by around 5%, according to Finance Director Helena Alvarez. After Ingoglia made his report on the state of Flagler County’s financial spending, Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris asked Alvarez to review Palm Coast’s budget using the same formula. Alvarez said she ran the calculations using the approved general fund budget numbers from 2019-2020 and 2025-2026, accounting for inflation, population growth
In 2019, the city had $27 million in ad valorem revenue, Palm Coast’s CFO said, and $43 million for the 2025-26 budget. The millage rate was 4.689 in 2019 and is now 4.0893.
and the same consumer price index Ingoglia used. In 2019, the city had $27 million in ad valorem revenue, she said, and $43 million for the 2025-2026 budget. The millage rate was 4.689 in 2019 and is now 4.0893, she said. Norris said people could argue Ingoglia’s methodology, but his takeaway from the CFO was to either consolidate down and reevaluate or “become irrelevant.”
“If the state says we’re going to cut $10 million from your ad valorem, that’s going to be devastating to the city,” Norris said. “So we need to cut and trim, become as efficient as possible.”
Ingoglia held a press conference on March 26 at the Hammock Dunes Club where he told a select group of Flagler stakeholders the county had wasted around $59 million of taxpayer money in the last budget.
Ingoglia’s formula is based on the pre-COVID budgets and calculates waste by taking the base 2019 budget and accounting for inflation and population growth. Anything over that number is considered wasteful spending.
Councilman Charles Gambaro said the entire council sat with Ingoglia in Tallahassee and went over Palm Coast’s budget.
“We went through it, and he looked at all of us and said, ‘I think you guys are in good shape,’” Gambaro said.
“He wouldn’t have come to Flagler County and skipped us if he had a reason to beat us up,” Councilman Ty Miller said.
Miller said he wasn’t sure he agreed with Ingoglia’s method, but he did agree with the premise.
“I think it’s kind of like a chainsaw to do surgery, kind of methodology there,” he said. “However, having a baseline of fiscal conservatism is good.”
MAYOR NORRIS SEEKS $8 MILLION REDUCTION TO CITY’S AD VALOREM
The Palm Coast City Council will be starting their individual Strategic Action Priority meetings this upcoming week, Norris said. With budgeting beginning in May, Norris said he would like to see the city reduce its ad valorem revenue.
“I would like us to cut our ad valorem, which is strictly from property tax, around $8to $10 million,” Norris said. Norris said he had other ideas for cost savings, too, including possibly selling the Southern Recreation Center.
“The Southern Recreation Center is a drain on our money, it is,” he said. “We’ve been
only over 5%
talking about the golf course, but the Southern Recreation Center is a bigger drain.”
The Southern Recreation Center opened in 2024 and between September 2024 and September 2025, made $418,000 in revenue, with expenses at $625,000 in that first year of operations.
In September 2025, the council had the opportunity to join a contract for the United States Tennis Association to manage the center for potential cost savings, but the council at the time wanted to give the Southern Recreation Center more time to gain more revenue.
Vice Mayor Theresa Carli Pontieri said everyone in the council is onboard with trying to achieve a rollback millage rate in the upcoming budget. She said she doubted any changes to property taxes would happen this year but she would like to see an analysis of the city’s reserve funds and if there would be enough to soften the blow the first year.
What is frustrating for her, Pontieri said, is the council is being sued over its recent update to its impact fees, yet the council is talking about cuts to the budget. The Flagler Home Builder’s Association filed a lawsuit against Palm Coast in September after
the city doubled its impact fee rates.
“We are talking about cuts that detrimentally affect our quality of life, and at the same time, being sued because we are trying to allow development to pay for itself,” she said.
The government has grown, she said, but that is largely due to the population increase Palm Coast has had since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Norris said if the state shifts the tax burden away from property taxes, then the burden would just be felt in other areas, like bond rates. But as the new budget season begins, he would like to see a “full millage rollback.”
“Nobody up here does not call themselves a conservative,” he said. “Conservatives try to conserve, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
NEWS BRIEFS
Palm Coast seeks new deputy city manager
The City of Palm Coast is seeking its next deputy city manager. This comes after Palm Coast Assistant City Manager Lauren Johnston accepted a position as new chief of operational services with Flagler Schools.
“Palm Coast is truly a city on the rise,” City Manager Mike McGlothlin said in a city press release. “We are looking for a collaborative, solutionsoriented leader who is ready to make a meaningful impact. Someone who can help us continue delivering highquality services while enhancing the lifestyle our residents value.”
According to the press release. the deputy city manager will help align citywide initiatives, supporting departmental operations, and implementing strategic projects that improve efficiency and service delivery. Candidates should have at least seven years of executive-level experience and a background in public administration or a related field. Apply online at governmentjobs.com/careers/palmcoast.
Mayor Norris suggested selling the Southern Rec Center.
Jennifer Whaley, BC-HIS
Heather Curry, HAS
Flagler grapples with Ingoglia report
‘It’s a ridiculous report,’ Hansen said, calling it a ‘campaign trick.’ Carney disagreed.
SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
Despite Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia’s stop in Flagler County last week to lambast Flagler’s “wasteful” budget, some Flagler County Commissioners felt the report left the county without a clear way to address issues for residents.
“It’s a ridiculous report,” Commissioner Greg Hansen said. “It was a campaign trip by this gentleman, and that’s all it was. He was trying to get his name out there so he could get reelected.”
Ingoglia held a press conference on March 26 at the Hammock Dunes Club where he told a select group of Flagler stakeholders the county had wasted around $59 million of taxpayer money in the last budget. Flagler County, he said, had the biggest proportional waste, with a general fund budget that increased from $92.5 million in 2019 to $202.7 million in 2025.
Ingoglia’s formula is based on the pre-COVID budgets and calculates waste by taking the base 2019 budget and accounting for inflation and population growth. Anything over that number is considered wasteful spending. According to Ingoglia, the county could reduce the millage by 1.40 without losing essential services.
The CFO is running for
reelection as he was appointed to the position in 2025.
Hansen said the CFO’s statements had no backup, nothing the county could look at and see what it could fix. The report, he said, did not even deserve a comment.
Commission Kim Carney said she disagreed with Hansen, and felt that the county needed to be able to explain things to her constituents.
“No data, no explanation, means I don’t know what to tell people,” Carney said.
Carney brought up Ingoglia’s comments during the Commissioner Comments section of the April 6 meeting. She said Interim County Administrator Adam Mengel had requested a report from the Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight to review the discrepancies.
Apparently, she said, there isn’t one. But as the county goes through its budgeting process, she said they need to embrace some of the concepts proposed by the FAFO.
“With everything, whether we agree with the actual number or not, it’s the concept that I think that we need to start embracing,” she said.
Commissioner Andy Dance said he has spent the week trying to build back the trust with Flagler residents.
“What the CFO did was come in and just blow apart our trust with the community,” Dance said. “And that is part of the process, building that back and explaining exactly what we have been accomplishing.”
The one formula can’t be carried across the different counties, he said, and Flagler
County was not in the best financial position in 2019 to begin with.
Dance suggested the county use its transparency board to have a specific page on the facts of FAFO, which could also show the county’s successes, like the increase to its reserve funds and how that saves taxpayer money.
Both Dance and Commissioner Pam Richardson also supported the county getting ahead of any potential future meetings with DOGE — the Department of Government Efficiency — and begin preparing reports.
“I think we have to be more precise with our numbers,” Richardson said. “And sharpen our pencils, make sure that we are sending out factual, actual information.”
Pennington said she understands Ingoglia’s center argument, which is to avoid growing government disproportionately to the amount of growth in the county.
“That comes with DOGEing efficiencies and all of that in cleaning out waste and reprioritizing the needs over the wants,” she said.
But, she said, the CFO should have seen the positives the county has worked for over the years: increasing its low bond rating to a double A+, increasing the county’s reserve fund, paying off debt, and working toward building the beach back.
“I don’t know how they missed it, being the CFO, but it happened,” she said. “It is what it is. ‘Do better,’ is the message from the state, I guess.”
Mengel to lead, Petito exits April 10
Interim Flagler County administrator in place. Officials iron out details of job listing.
SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito’s last day in is April 10, with Growth Management Director Adam Mengel stepping in as interim county administrator effective April 11.
The Flagler County Commission approved Mengel as the interim administrator at its April 6 meeting. Petito was originally planned to step down in July, once a tentative budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year had been finalized.
Commissioner Greg Hansen said it was “criminal” the county was letting Petito go.
“I’ve sat through three county administrators, and Ms. Petito is by far the best and that I’ve served with,” he said. “She has a lot to do with success in this county.”
Petito has served as the county administrator for five years, but on March 3, she submitted a separation agreement with the Flagler County Commission. In recent months, she has been at odds with several members of the board, and survived a firing attempt by Commissioner Kim Carney in January.
Commissioners Andy Dance, Leann Pennington and Kim Carney thanked Petito for her work with the county, with Commissioner Pam Richardson being the only one to stay silent.
“You walked into a mess and you’ve left it a lot better than what you came into. So we appreciate it,” Pennington said to Petito. “Thank you.”
Mengel, per the contract with Flagler County, will hold the interim position until the county finds a replacement.
Growth Management Deputy Director Chuck Merenda will fill Mengel’s role.
Petito said that Mengel’s appointment would provide needed clarity for the county government staff.
“I know that Adam will bring a steadiness and integrity to the role during the transition period,” she said.
Once a new administrator has been appointed, Mengel will return to his position as Growth Management director.
His contract outlines a temporary interim administrator salary of $194,602 and is set to expire on Sept. 30, unless a new administrator is found sooner. Likewise, if the county needs more time, the contract will be automatically extended until the new administrator begins, according to the contract.
During the following workshop meeting in the afternoon on April 6, the Commission went over the requirements they would like to see in the job listing. Flagler County’s Human Resources department is working with the Florida Association of County Managers to streamline the process.
The job listing will require 15 years of executive leadership, with at least five years of that at a local government. A bachelor’s degree will be
required, with a master’s degree preferred, preferably in public administration or a closely related field. The position will have a listed salary range of $195,000 to $235,000. While Commissioner Kim Carney initially suggested a lower starting range, Commission Chair Leann Pennington said the demands of the county administrator position makes it a $200,000 position.
HR Director Charlie Picano will send the requirements to the Florida Association of County Managers to provide feedback before it is posted. At the end of the April 6 meeting, Petito thanked everyone for the opportunity to serve in the position for so long, and said it was an honor to work alongside the county’s staff.
“I also want to share my sincere gratitude to our staff throughout this period,” Petito said. “You guys have continued to serve the community with professionalism, resilience and heart, and your support and dedication have meant a great deal to me.”
Veranda Bay property owner sues Flagler Beach over annexation deal
The lawsuit alleges the approved annexation was legally insufficient without property owners’ signatures.
SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
A Flagler Beach man has filed a lawsuit against the city for its approval of the Veranda
Bay annexation. Veranda Bay is a 234-acre property between the Intracoastal Waterway and John Anderson Highway, south of State Road 100. There are 121 existing homes within the boundaries of the development.
Over the course of the last two years, the developer had applied to annex the property from unincorporated Flagler County into Flagler Beach. That application was finalized
and approved in March.
Flagler Beach resident Stephen Noble filed the lawsuit on March 29. He and his attorney John Tanner are asking a judge to review the annexation and that the court find the annexation invalid.
The lawsuit argues that the developer lacked appropriate petition signatures from existing property owners in the Veranda Bay development before annexing into Flagler Beach. A Florida Statute
requires annexations to have a petition signed by all property owners within the proposed area of annexation.
“Allowing an annexation to proceed without compliance with Statutory requirements would undermine the safeguards established by the Florida Legislature to ensure that annexation occurs only with the consent of property owners,” the lawsuit states.
Noble is a property owner in the Veranda Bay development
area, according to the Flagler Property Appraiser’s office.
The issue of the signatures has been a point of debate around the Veranda Bay development for months.
When people purchased property in Veranda Bay, the deed included a covenant agreement that outlined the rights of the developer to annex into another municipality. By signing the deed, the homeowners agreed to the covenant.
During the annexation process with Flagler Beach, the developer and his attorney Michael Chiumento stated they felt these contracts were an acceptable stand-in for the petition signatures. The commission approved the annexation agreement in March. At a previous City Commission meeting, City Attorney Drew Smith acknowledged the area was new legal territory, with no standing precedent to guide a judge.
Adam Mengel is the Flagler County interim county administrator. Courtesy photo
JARLEENE
ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR
Ormond Beach Police are reporting an increase in unsafe and reckless electric bike riding behaviors. Should the city look into a new ordinance to address the issues?
While no fatalities or major incidents involving e-bikes have occurred yet in the city, OBPD data shows there have been 27 bicycle-related crashes between Jan. 1, 2025, and Jan. 1, 2026. This figure accounts for crashes involving bicycles, e-bikes, e-motos and mopeds.
“As of now, our agency does not track e-bikes and e-motos as a separate category,” said Sgt. Caleb Braun to the Observer. “These incidents are documented within standard crash and incident reports. However, we are clearly observing an increase in unsafe operation of e-bikes and e-motos.”
One recent incident involved a juvenile operating an e-bike at about 34 mph. The juvenile collided with the side of a truck.
Operating an e-bike at such a rate of speed may become illegal soon in the state of Florida, as a bill seeking to implement a speed limit for e-bikes of 10 mph when on a sidewalk or within 50 feet of a pedestrian recently passed with unanimous votes in the Florida House and Senate. SB 382 would also create a Micromobility Device Safety Task Force, under the Department
of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, to examine and recommend further improvements to state law to prevent traffic incidents involving e-bikes.
The bill awaits the governor’s pen. If signed, it would take effect on July 1. Braun said OBPD is taking a “proactive, preventionfocused approach” by engaging with the community and raising awareness about safe e-bike riding practices.
“Whether it’s a traditional bicycle, e-bike, or e-moto, operating any of these unsafely can lead to serious injuries or worse — fatality,” he said.
“Our goal is to educate both riders and parents on the risks, reinforce that traffic laws still apply, and ultimately prevent more serious incidents from occurring in our community before it gets way too out of hand.”
In February, City Commissioner Kristin Deaton asked city staff to look into possible safety ordinances for e-bikes, a suggestion born out of concerns over e-bikes in busy parks and facilities, such as at Nova Rec, she said to the Observer Deaton had also recently witnessed an e-bike pulling a wagon in town. The wagon flipped and injured a child.
“It showed how quickly things can get out of control,” Deaton said. “We have also heard from residents about close calls with e-bikes and cars, including situations where riders are pulling out into traffic. That puts everyone in a difficult position. For me, it comes down to awareness and making sure people adjust how they ride based on where they are. I want people to feel safe whether they are walking, driving, or riding.”
EXISTING REGULATIONS
Under current Florida law, e-bikes can be operated anywhere traditional bicycles can— roadways, bike lanes, shoulders, sidewalks and multi-use trails, if allowed in the park. Riders just need to follow existing bicycle and traffic laws, as well as yield to pedestrians. All under 16 must wear a helmet.
But whether an e-bike is truly an “e-bike” comes down to technical specifications. OBPD states that if a bike exceeds 750 watts, can go faster than 28 mph or lacks pedals, it’s not considered to be an e-bike in the state of Florida.
If the bike exceeds these specifications, it’s likely considered an e-motorcycle; top speeds can reach 45-75 mph. Unlike e-bikes, e-motos do require a license and registration and riders must be at least 16 years old.
Some people are confusing e-bikes and e-motos, as they can look similar, according to OBPD.
“We cannot confirm if parents are purchasing them for their children not knowing if it’s an e-bike or e-moto,” Braun said. “However, it’s likely that parents may not know the difference. It’s very possible for someone to purchase what they believe is an e-bike, when in reality, they’re buying a higherpowered electric motorcycle (e-moto) or mopeds.”
Some common traffic law violations in the city involving e-bikes have included reckless/careless riding (such as riding at high speeds in pedestrian areas and performing stunts like wheelies), disobeying traffic signals and signs, riding on the wrong side of the road, riding too fast on sidewalks and failing to yield
to pedestrians.
“E-bikes are capable of higher speeds and quicker acceleration than standard bikes,” Braun said. “That means riders have less reaction time, crashes can be more severe, and it can be harder to safely navigate sidewalks, intersections, and pedestrian areas.”
CITY ORDINANCES
Last October, the Palm Coast City Council adopted an ordinance restricting e-bike use on city-owned property by implementing an age restriction.
Those wanting to ride an e-bike on city roads, bike paths and sidewalks have to be at least 11 years old. They must also carry a photo ID and present it to law enforcement if requested. Those who violate the ordinance are subject to a fine up to $100 per violation.
In Volusia County, DeLand may ban e-bikes and scooters
from downtown sidewalks. A first reading of an ordinance passed last month.
Deaton said SB 382’s proposed 10 mph speed limit is a good first step, as it gives guidance to riders and law enforcement officers, but probably “not the only step.”
It would make sense, she added, for the city to keep an eye out on what is working in other communities.
“From an enforcement standpoint, the focus should be on situations where someone is clearly riding in a way that is unsafe, whether that is speed, not yielding, or not paying attention to their surroundings,” she said. “This is not about targeting people who are using e-bikes responsibly. It is about addressing the situations that create risk for others.”
“People need to understand that these bikes can move quickly and that they need to adjust how they ride, especially in areas with pedestrians,” she said. “We can help by making expectations clear.” OBPD wants to address unsafe behavior, Braun said.
“Ultimately, our goal is to improve safety, not to restrict responsible riders,” Braun said. “Based on what we’re seeing, an ordinance could focus on clear definitions to help individuals distinguish e-bikes from higher-powered e-motos; speed limits in pedestrian-heavy areas like sidewalks, parks, and trails; age considerations for higherpowered/classified e-bikes; and stronger enforcement language for reckless and unsafe operations.”
Much of the issue comes down to awareness, Deaton said, suggesting signage in parks and recreation facilities, as well as utilizing the city’s communication platforms, as ways to reach and educate the public.
We
Does Easter improve the community?
BRIAN MCMILLAN PUBLISHER
On Easter, church attendance in our community increased by thousands. Does that matter? Yes.
That means many thousands of people experienced the love of God and felt more hope, more forgiving, more forgiven. Their burdens, in all areas of their lives, will feel lighter. That is a healthier community.
ON FORGIVENESS
March 26, 2026
I often struggle to feel peaceful and happy in a messy house. When my children make messes and leave them for someone else to clean up, it is my duty as a parent to
discipline and to teach. But in the end, why do I still find that I’m in a bad mood?
The missing ingredient is forgiveness. How many other stresses in life would be relieved if I were quicker to forgive?
A PRANK DURING THE EASTER PAGEANT?
March 27, 2026
The Easter pageant, put on by the children at my church tonight, was an adorable depiction of scenes from the last week of Jesus’ life. I was distracted, however, by a large chalkboard in the corner of the room, on which some kid had written, in large looping graffiti, “I eat people.”
It was a prank that, despite (or because of?) the solemnity of the occasion, made me chuckle. It might have even made me chuckle twice — except that I finally realized it was my own son’s handwriting. It’s OK. We had a nice little chat about it on the way home.
DOING MORE
March 28, 2026
My friend injured his arm recently when he tried to lift a heavy object. That got me thinking about lifting. If I want to increase my capacity, I need a strategy, a spotter, and a clear idea of what I can already do. What am I doing to increase my capacity as a parent? As a writer?
HARMONY VS. LITTER
March 29, 2026
The 12 palm trees, planted together in two arcs at the corner of Matanzas Woods Parkway and U.S. 1, make me think about Adam’s direction to have dominion over the earth. Tending to our garden, playing harmony with nature, is part of what it means to be human.
On my walk this morning, I also picked up a piece of litter, and that got me thinking: Whoever threw this out the window likely didn’t have a healthy perspective, at least in that moment. How can we help each
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Flagler’s Will Furry is not qualified, past activities concerning
Dear Editor:
As so often happens in elections, a candidate wins who does not have the requisite experience, isn’t vetted properly, or voters get tricked by sleazy campaign tactics. Such is the case with Will Furry running as the Flagler County School Board District 2 incumbent candidate.
The bulk of Furry’s working experience was that of a real estate salesman or a player in the mortgage lending business. Furry had no education related experience and only a high school diploma. Nationally about 80% of school board members have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
But he ran, seemingly not based so much upon experience, but rather was inspired by conservative Christian
NEWS BRIEFS
Former state attorneys honored in portrait ceremony
The Seventh Judicial Circuit Court honored the legacy of former state attorneys during a portrait ceremony on Friday, March 27.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza unveiled the portraits of John Tanner, who served from 1989-1992 and 1997-2008; Steven Alexander, who served from 1993-1996; Dan Warren, who served from 1962-1968; and Stephen Boyles, who served from 1969-1988.
At the ceremony, Larizza said that he spoke with the circuit court staff about this portrait initiative. Judges have their portraits in the courtrooms, he said. So why not
values referencing his faith as the motivator for his political aspirations, even though this “God-led” rhetoric puts into question the intersection of religious conviction and secular school board policy. Additionally, aside from being somewhat short in qualifications, his past business experience reveals concerning stuff. Furry’s campaign resume includes working as a “real estate appraiser” and “chief appraiser” suggestive of him holding a license, which he doesn’t.
In 2022, Furry’s School Board campaign was embroiled in sleazy misinformation tactics, which tanked a more qualified School Board opponent. Although he contended he wasn’t involved, he refused to condemn it despite it being glaringly unethical. He felt deception was a First Amendment right, seemingly
honor past state attorneys in the same way?
“I can’t think of a job that’s more demanding and more taxing on people,” Larizza said. “But you can’t appreciate it, unless and until you are in those shoes.”
Being a state attorney is about taking care of the community, working with judges and supervising the team of lawyers, Larizza said. It’s also about “finding the right path” to justice, he added.
“Our job as as state attorneys and as prosecutors is to make justice happen, and that ain’t always easy,” he said.
The portraits now hang on the third floor of the S. James Foxman Justice Center in Daytona Beach.
Flagler’s Andy Dance honored by CareerSource for leadership
Flagler County Commissioner Andy Dance was recognized
other to play in harmony? What gardens do I need to tend better myself?
KEEP AT IT
March 30, 2026
The University of Connecticut staged an incredible comeback in the NCAA tournament this weekend. The team was struggling mightily from 3-point range, only making 3 of 21, before the senior leader, Alex Karaban, lined up yet another attempt late in the game. It would be easy for him to think, “I’ve missed my first five attempts. Maybe I shouldn’t take any more.” But he made it, setting up the miracle shot in the final second for his teammate, a freshman.
What I learned: Keep doing what you’re good at. Don’t get discouraged. Sometime soon, it will go in.
THE RELUCTANT CAT ‘DAD’
April 6, 2026
In 46 years of life, I have never had a cat as a pet. I’ve been comfortable in my anti-pet, grumpy-pragmatic, carefree existence.
But, my kids really, really — so they say — really, really want one all of a sudden, so
excusing immorality if it achieved his election win. It’s reasonable therefore, to not only question Will Furry’s School Board qualifications, but also consider that certain past activity clearly fails to align with his professed ardent Christian based values and principles, a cornerstone of his candidacy.
ETHAN KANTOR Palm Coast
Editor’s Note: According to an American Enterprise Institute report in 2011, “Nearly three-fourths of board members have at least a bachelor’s degree,” based on a survery sample drawn from 7,100 school disticts nationwide.
The “misinformation tactics” the letter writer is referring concerns a campaign mailer paid for by Conservative Political Action Committee, Flagler Forever,
for his leadership and advocacy on the CareerSource Brevard Flagler Volusia Tri-County Consortium. The consortium is the official governing body responsible for oversight of CareerSource Brevard Flagler Volusia, ensuring financial accountability and compliance with federal and state workforce policies.
Dance joined the TriCounty Consortium when it was formed in 2024. Since then, he has worked closely with CareerSource leadership in the advancement of key programs and priorities, including, but not limited to: the creation and expansion of CareerSource Talent Hubs; the facilitation of strategic educational partnerships; and, federal advocacy for key workforce funding.
“The transition from a Flagler-Volusia model to a Tri-County Consortium with Brevard was not a simple expansion – it required aligning priorities, governance, and expectations across three distinct communities,” Dance said. “That kind of collaboration only works when you have strong regional partners and committed local leadership. I’m especially grateful for Flagler County’s representatives on the CareerSource Board – Erica Flores of Vincent’s Clubhouse, Renee Swaggerty of Flagler Technical College/Flagler Schools, and Joe Wright of Quantum Electrical Contractors – who play a critical role in guiding workforce development efforts and ensuring our local priorities are reflected in the work of CareerSource Brevard
here goes nothing. My wife and I went to Walmart and bought all kinds of gadgets and an enormous bag of scoopable, clumping kitty litter.
Today, we went to “Cattery East” at the Flagler Humane Society Inc. and met some cats, as a family. One was quiet, old and weighed 17 pounds. A few were kittens that appeared to be trying to eat their wire cages, just to demonstrate what they would do to my couch.
Some were named after cheeses. Some after painkillers. A sign depicted an illustration of a hand with its fingers chopped off, with the message, “If you’re for declawing cats, raise your hand.”
I was puzzled by how often my wife and children used the word “cute.”
So cute that, someday, life-saving surgery for this unknown pet will probably bankrupt me.
Sigh.
They say the reluctant cat dad eventually becomes the one the cat loves the most. They better be right!
Email brian@ observerlocalnews.com.
that was designed to look like it was sent by supporters of Furry’s opponent in 2022, Courtney VandeBunte. The mailer thanked VandeBunte “for standing against [Gov.] Ron DeSantis and his harmful education agenda.” Furry said he did not know about the mailer and had no control over the PAC.
See the letter below for Furry’s response.
Criticism is not warranted. Focus should be on results.
Editor’s note: School Board member Will Furry has responded to the above letter.
Dear Editor:
Before addressing this criticism, I believe the focus should be on my results.
During my first term, I have served as chairman of the board twice, delivered topdown leadership change, achieved year-over-year academic improvement, cut wasteful spending, and
Flagler Volusia.”
Dance and others on the consortium “provided strategic guidance in a coordinated advocacy effort to protect federal workforce funding,” according to the news release.
“Their partnership has enabled us to maximize our support to stakeholders across the communities we serve and achieve outcomes that would not be possible without their ongoing commitment,” said Lloyd Gregg, VP, PTXLLC Workforce Development,
rebuilt our financial reserves to $11 million — helping prevent a potential state takeover trajectory. That is the record I stand on.
The claim that I am unqualified because I do not hold a four-year degree reflects a narrow view of success. I am proud of my background. I have been a strong supporter of career and technical education because not every student’s path runs through a university. My own success in business reflects the value of alternative pathways, and I will continue to advocate for students pursuing them.
A School Board member is not a teacher — it is a leadership role focused on governance, budgeting and accountability. By those standards, our district is stronger today under my leadership.
The attacks on my professional background and past campaign are misleading. I have been clear that I did not participate in unethi-
Chairman CSBFV Tri-County Consortium, Governor appointed Board Member of FL Workforce Credentials Select Committee. Dance helped facilitate the upcoming expansion of CareerSource’s Talent Hub model in Flagler County, including approval of a Memorandum of Understanding with Flagler Technical College at the Carver Center, and remained actively engaged throughout the process.”
Publisher Brian McMillan, brian@observerlocalnews.com
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cal tactics, and I stand by my integrity and record. I am also proud to have been previously endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis as a defender of parental rights and a voice for common-sense leadership. Finally, I will not apologize for my faith. I am a follower of Jesus Christ, and my values guide me to serve with integrity and purpose. Voters deserve facts and results — not personal attacks. I remain committed to serving our students, families and community as your District 2 School Board member.
WILL FURRY Flagler County District 2 School Board member
Send letters up to 400 words to jarleene@observerlocalnews.com.
Dance
Former State Attorney John Tanner, State Attorney R.J. Larizza, and former State Attorney Steven Alexander. Photo courtesy of Haley Harrison
Andy
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Thanks to protesters, there is no king. Trump is still president!
Dear Editor:
A huge thank you to all the Flagler “No Kings” protesters. Americans were very concerned a king was trying to take Trump’s place after his landslide victory. Thanks to your tireless efforts, Trump is still your president!
ADAM LANGE Palm Coast
Know your rights?
Be informed instead
Dear Editor:
I am writing in response to your article on the “No Kings” rallies, where protesters are demonstrating against ICE and Operation Epic Fury. Many organizers are professional activists who hand out “Know Your Rights” cards. In my view, they should instead distribute cards that say “Be Informed.”
If we truly had a “king,” these protests likely wouldn’t be allowed. Have they forgotten the actions of the previous administration? Parents lost custody for refusing to affirm their children’s gender transitions. Traditional Catholics attending Latin Mass were flagged in FBI memos as potential threats. Hundreds of January 6 attendees were imprisoned, many for non-violent offenses. COVID mandates forced people to take shots, with ongoing debates about harms and excess deaths. Gas prices soared above $4 per gallon with little protest from these same voices, despite the clear pain it caused working families. The list goes on. Now these same voices protest ICE for removing criminals — murderers,
rapists, drunk drivers, gang members, and other serious offenders. The disconnect is striking.
These protesters have every right to speak under the First Amendment, which we must protect. I simply wish they were better informed about the realities of illegal immigration and enforcement priorities. As a legal immigrant who
arrived with my family over 40 years ago, I am deeply grateful for this country. We all worked hard, contributed, and I proudly served in the military before retiring. Lawful immigration built opportunities for families like mine.
Unfortunately, the unchecked illegal immigration and invasion we’ve witnessed in recent years threat-
ens to undermine everything that made America welcoming and successful. Without stronger enforcement and a return to legal, controlled immigration, we risk following Europe’s path—rising crime, strained services, and eroded social cohesion.
It’s time to wake up and prioritize the rule of law.
LUZ HARSHMAN
Ormond Beach
Questions about Tomoka Oaks
Dear Editor: Residents were stunned by the 3-2 Ormond Beach City Commission vote to settle a developer’s lawsuit and approve 254 homes on the former Tomoka Oaks golf course.
Unanswered questions: Why did the city spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on outside legal counsel that abruptly reversed and pressured commissioners to settle immediately, before a “likely defeat” in court?
Did these same attorneys receive hundreds of thousands of dollars for losing the challenge to a $271,000 property tax bill on the River Bend golf course?
In the ongoing 20-year Avalon Park negotiation, why did the city recently reject a $2.3 million cash settlement that would have preempted a developer lawsuit filed against us in federal court?
Why no city budget record of fund sources and expenditures for outside legal counsel?
Why didn’t the city contract independent testing for Tomoka golf course soil toxins?
How could City Commissioners “conclude” that the proposed Tomoka development “conforms to all standards and requirements of the Land Development Code”?
No “undue crowding” or “unsafe traffic flow” on narrow residential roads?
No problems with the single “ingress and egress” bottleneck or emergency access?
No environmental risks from golf course carcinogens or toxic runoff into the Tomoka River?
No lot size and home size incompatibility with existing Tomoka Oaks homes?
No adverse effects on property values or quality of life?
Are commissioners rejecting 5 years of public hearing testimony from impacted residents documenting unmet Land Development Code standards?
Does zoning matter when the development application violates Land Code standards?
Should citizens and elected officials retain the power to interpret our Land Codes?
Did the city’s 2006 approval of 125 golf course homes set the limit for land code compliance?
Do past federal district and appellate court rulings protecting golf course homeowners also protect Tomoka Oaks residents?
Has the settlement abdicated commission power to control future development density?
Can a federal judge deny a city’s right to enforce land codes that maintain historic, aesthetic, and environmental standards?
With the door to overdevelopment now open, is every Ormond neighborhood and street now just as vulnerable as Tomoka Oaks?
Was the settlement decision driven by threats, fear, hypothetical outcomes, and money?
Has the Commission violated the Land Development Code and the City Charter?
Have commissioners abandoned oaths to protect and defend Ormond Beach
TUESDAY - SATURDAY • 9 : 00 AM - 5 MAY 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th & 31st,
- SATURDAY 10:00AM - 5:00PM
4 10:00AM - 5:00PM
Flagler County Historical Society to host Bunnell History Day on April 11
Event to spotlight new Vault Room Museum, mural and one of the last Florida Highwaymen.
tion at Holden House Museum, 204 E. Moody Blvd., at 10 a.m. The day’s festivities will continue to 5 p.m.
This year, the event has been condensed into a central location, Flagler County Historical Society President Ed Siarkowicz said.
The new 1926 Vault Room Museum inside the historic Flagler County courthouse building, 200 E. Moody Blvd., will allow History Day visitors to travel back in time 100 years. The vault room was where the county kept records from 1926 to 2007. Now, the room contains 10 original courthouse benches with seating for 50 people. The Vault Room Museum features exhibits on women’s voting rights and early Bunnell history. Video interviews of community members, compiled by the nonprofit, Seeking Insights for Solutions, will be set up on a laptop in the room for visitors to view, Siarkowicz said.
“They’re collecting interviews of community members, of multigenerational families, Black and white,” Siarkowicz said. “[The residents interviewed] talk about their life experiences during segration and all the way to modern day.”
There will be all-day tours
of the Holden House Museum and the Sisco Deen Research Library. Siarkowicz said History Day will spotlight Bunnell’s newest mural, still a work in progress, on the east wall of the former Bunnell Library, which faces the historic courthouse and now houses SMA Healthcare.
“It is the newest mural in what is becoming known as the Bunnell art mural district,” he said.
The 1,100-square-foot mural is being painted by Jacksonville muralist Brook Page. The mural is based on a painting by R.L. Lewis, one of the original Florida Highwaymen — Black artists originating in Fort Pierce in the 1950s who took their paintings on the road on U.S. 1 and A1A, selling them out of the trunks of their cars because galleries at the time wouldn’t accept the work of Black artists.
There are two surviving members of the Original Highwaymen — 26 artists inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2004. And one of the two, Curtis Arnett, will be a featured guest at Bunnell History Day, appearing at Poppy’s True Market, 802 E. Moody Blvd., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chelsea Herbert, founder of Poppy’s True Market, is a His-
torical Society board member. Arnett previously appeared at the market’s Highwaymen art show at last year’s History Day. The market has a permanent collection of Highwaymen art, both originals and giclées (digital prints produced by inkjet), Herbert said. Frank Menino, a collector and dealer of Florida Highwaymen art, will also attend the show with some of his collection for sale.
“Frank has an incredible collection, work from A.E Backus, Harold Newton, Al Black — three pretty wellknown Highwaymen that people in our area really like,” Herbert said. “There will also be paintings you can buy from Mr. Curtis Arnett directly.” This is the market’s third time hosting an event with a Highwaymen artist on hand, Herbert said. Lewis, who died this year, attended a show at Poppy’s True Market late last year, revealing the painting that inspired the new Bunnell mural, Herbert said. Page told the Observer last month that she had worked with Lewis on a project in Hastings.
“He created a painting. I recreated it for him really large and added my little twist on it as well, and here we are doing it again,” she said.
A ribbon cutting for the mural — still a work in progress —
YOUR NEIGHBORS
Reviving a tradition
SYDNEY TEVIN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Community members gathered on Saturday, April 4, for the first Resurrection Celebration Parade, a revived tradition honoring a historic Easter parade that first took root in Bunnell in the 1950s.
The parade, the first hosted by Redeeming Life of Flagler, made its way along East Drain Street and South Pine Street before concluding at Carver Fields. It was followed by a community health fair that brought together churches, health care organizations, and local families for a day of wellness and fellowship.
Organizers Pastor Gregory Dukes and Lady Venitra Dukes began serving Bunnell in 2019 through biweekly mission work and Sunday services. Venitra Dukes was also mentoring students through a program connected with Rymfire Elementary School.
According to a press release, while building relationships in the community, they met several longtime residents who remembered the historic Easter Parade of the 1950s, led by the late Pastor James A. Pompey.
“The parade was once a major community event that drew visitors from as far away as Boston and Chicago,” the press release stated. “Pastor and Lady Dukes emphasize that they do not take credit for the history of the parade, but instead seek to honor and
FOCUS ON FAITH
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton brings crowds of over 6,500 during Easter weekend
More than 6,500 people attended the Easter celebra-
tions at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Palm Coast, marking one of the largest turnouts in recent years.
Easter Sunday began with a sunrise service at 6:15 a.m. at the church columbarium, followed by a full schedule of masses at 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 10 a.m., noon and 5 p.m, which was in Spanish.
The weekend consisted of celebrations, such as the Easter Vigil that took place on Saturday, April 4. The vigil acted as a liturgy that lasted nearly three hours. During this service, 42 individuals were received into the Catho-
recognize the legacy that was already established in the community many years ago.”
The Dukes then got the OK from the city to bring the parade back, and formed partnerships with local pastors and community leader Bonita Robinson.
Organizers say the church plans to host more community events in the future and hope the parade will grow in the years ahead, building new traditions while honoring the past.
lic Church after completing the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, or OCIA.
Leading up to Easter, during Holy Week, an all-day Adoration and Confession was held on Monday, March 30, where a total of 823 people received the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Throughout the Lenten season, more than 1,500 parishioners participated in confession.
Brought to you by:
Stephenson, Wilcox and Associates
The Easter liturgies were further enriched by the parish choir under the direction of Tom Labanauskas, whose music adds to the solemnity of each celebration at the church.
Around town, at Easter, in church
Want to see a few clips of local church services from Easter? Check out this week’s Observer Now, with Abe and Rachel. You can find the show on YouTube and on Facebook, at the Palm Coast Observer’s pages, after 8 a.m. every Thursday. Have video to submit? Email rich@observerlocalnews.com.
A New Beginnings Gospel Church member waves while giving out candy during the parade.
New Beginnings Gospel Church members pose with St. James Missionary Baptist Church members. Photos by Sydney Tevin
The oldest members of the St. James Missionary Baptist Church: Queenie and James Jackson.
One of the Easter services at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. Courtesy photo
First Resurrection Celebration Parade held in Bunnell
New Found Favor Ministries.
Can Community Health with Pastor Gregory Dukes (second from right) and Venitra Dukes (second from left).
FRIDAY, APRIL 10
COFFEE AND CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR CITY MANAGER
When: 9-10 a.m.
Where: Panera Bread, 5880 State Route 100, Palm Coast
Details: Palm Coast invites residents to grab a cup of coffee with City Manager Mike McGlothlin. Free event. Registration required. Visit parksandrec.fun.
PADDLE INTO ADVENTURE!
When: 9-11 a.m. Friday, April 10; and 10 a.m. to noon on Sunday, April 12
Where: Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreational Area, 3100 S. Oceanshore Blvd. Flagler Beach
Details: Take this two-hour guided kayak tour, presented by the Friends of Gamble
Rogers State Park. All skill levels over age of 12 welcome. Registration is a donation of $50 per person; $25 if bringing your own kayak. Space is limited. Call 386-517-2086.
GOPHER TORTOISE: SUPERHERO OF THE SCRUB
When: 10-11 a.m.
Where: Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreational Area, 3100 S. Oceanshore Blvd., Flagler Beach
Details: Discover the world of gopher tortoises. After the talk, take an optional stroll through the park to spot active burrows and signs of these animals in their natural habitat. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Park entry fee applies. Open to all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
PELLICER CREEK RAID REENACTMENT
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on
Friday, April 10, Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12
Details: Walk through historically accurate encampments. Watch live demonstrations of Civil War tactics, conflict and everyday life. Daily battles to be held at 2 p.m. There will also be a Friday night lantern tour at dusk and a period ball Saturday night. Visit floridaagmuseum.org.
SATURDAY, APRIL 11
KEEP PALM COAST CLEAN: IT’S A LITTER-ALL EFFORT
When: 8 a.m. to noon
Where: Palm Coast Public Works Department, 1 Wellfield Grade, Palm Coast
Details: The City of Palm Coast invites residents to join in a collective effort to keep the litter-free. Volunteers will meet at the Public Works Department. The city will provide gloves, trash bags,
refreshments and safety measures. There will be awards for participants. Free.
TURTLE FEST 2026
When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Veterans park, 105 S.
2nd St., Flagler Beach
Details: Attend this annual event by the Volusia & Flagler Turtles Patrols. Turtle Fest is their primary fundraiser, and includes activities like face painting, turtle races, live music and entertainment. Free.
FLAGLER/PALM COAST
2026 HOUSING FAIR
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE, Palm Coast
Details: Explore the housing options available in Flagler County.
SECOND ANNUAL
BUNNELL HISTORY DAY
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Flagler County Historical Society and Holden House Museum, 204 E. Moody Blvd., Bunnell
Details: Join the Historical Society for a day of historical reenactors, vendors and food trucks. Free.
SECOND SATURDAY
PLANT SALE
When: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Washington Oaks Garden State Park, 6400 N. Oceanshore Blvd., Palm Coast
Details: Plant sale offers selection of flowers and bushes. Presented by the state park. Park entry fee of $5 applies.
COUNTRY MARKET
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Florida Agricultural Museum, 7900 Old Kings Road, Palm Coast
Details: Browse through over 70 vendors, food trucks, a bounce house and more. Free and open to the public.
GAMBLE JAM
When: 2-4 p.m.
Where: Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreational
Area, 3100 S. Oceanshore Blvd. Flagler Beach
Details: Musicians of all skill levels are invited to bring their acoustic instruments and join the jam. Park entry fee applies.
GRAND HAVEN WOMAN’S
CLUB NINE & DINE
When: 2-6 p.m.
Where: Grand Haven Golf Club, 500 Riverfront Drive, Palm Coast
Details: Support this Grand Haven Woman’s Club fundraiser, open to golfers and non-golfers. Game day passes cost $20. Includes one mulligan, one free ball toss, one complimentary drink ticket and entry into the course competitions. Visit ghwom ansclub.org/events or email Event Chair Kim Lhota at lhota.kim@gmail.com.
‘AN EVENING WITH ... WHAT IF?’
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 11; and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 12
Where: City Repertory Theatre, 160 Cypress Point Parkway, Unit B-207, Palm Coast
Details: CRT performers, accompanied by Benjamin Beck, will sing, dance and tell stories from characters and roles they would otherwise never be considered for. Tickets cost $25 for adults; $15 for students. Visit crtpalm coast.com.
SUNDAY, APRIL 12
JEWISH HERITAGE FESTIVAL
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: The Casements, 25 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach
Details: Attend the 2026 Jewish Festival, a free community event that will feature Judaica artists, Jewish organization booths, exhibits including a Holocaust Memorial and more. There will also be camel rides, matzoh baking, Biblical characters and children’s activities. Visit www.Jewish HeritageFestival.com.
TAXES HAVE YOU STRESSED? TAKE A HIKE
When: 10-11 a.m.
Where: Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreational Area, 3100 S. Oceanshore Blvd. Flagler Beach
Details: Join this guided hike of the park. Limited to 15 people. Call 386-517-2086.
MONDAY, APRIL 13
FLAGLER COUNTY FAIR’S 4-H AND FFA YOUTH LIVESTOCK SHOWS When: Times vary, Monday to Friday, April 13-17
Where: Flagler County Fairgrounds, 150 Sawgrass Road, Bunnell
Details: The 4-H and FFA Youth Livestock Shows and Sale features chicken, rabbit, swine, wether, steer and heifer shows with an auction for farm to table fresh meat. Visit flaglercountyfair.com for a full schedule of events.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15
GARDEN CLUB AT
YOUR SCHOOLS
Tree of Memories: Starlets color guard show has deep roots
Flagler Palm Coast has been honing its show for months for this week’s World Championships.
BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The Flagler Palm Coast High School Starlets color guard and dance team was ready to head up to Dayton, Ohio, to compete in the Winter Guard International Color Guard World Championships, April 8-12. But first, the Starlets presented a sendoff performance on April 6 for the community.
This is the first time a Flagler County high school color guard team is competing at the World Championships, Starlets coach Lauren Albert said. The Starlets’ routine is titled “Tree of Memories,” inspired by two trees on the FPC campus. Albert told the story of the trees before the performance. The first tree is outside of the 800 gym. Before moving to a portable a few years ago, the Starlets would run “laps” from the gym to the tree and back. After the move, there was again one single tree, which was the only place in the vicinity of the portable that provided shade, Albert said. The trees are a symbol of family, the Starlets’ roots, she said. There are 14 members of the varsity team that is competing Dayton. Nine are seniors. Albert looked up Google maps for the coordinates of their shade tree and gave all of the seniors the coordinates as a keepsake.
“We all know the tree,” senior co-captain Kayleigh Labazzetta said. “And we all have our own memories that are coming together. I feel like I created a lot of friendships through my four years here, a lot of memories. And I really feel like that connects us all.” They have been practicing their show since November, after marching band season, for three hours a day, three times a week, co-captain Emma Sares said. They will be competing at the world championships on the A Class level. They will try to make it through preliminaries to semifinals and finals. They also have tickets to watch the World Class level competitions. While many of the Starlet
seniors have been involved in color guard since middle school, Allie Sims, the only sophomore on the varsity team, is in just her second year doing color guard/dance.
“We have nine seniors out of 14 on the team, so it just felt like a really big honor to be
picked as the only sophomore on our team and to be a part of their last year,” she said.
BRONZE FOR JV STARLETS
The JV Starlets also competed recently, earning a bronze medal on March 28 at the Florida Federation of Color-
guards Circuit Championships in the Coast One Division. The team’s show titled, “Nothing Without Her,” was focused on confidence and the understanding that you can do anything you put your mind to, Albert said.
CLASS NOTES
Volusia Schools’ chief tech officer named a finalist for leadership award
Volusia County Schools Chief Technology Officer Matt Kuhn was recently named a 2026 finalist for the School Leadership Award by EdTech Digest, the school district announced.
“The leaders honored here are defining what comes next,” said Victor Rivero, editor-inchief of EdTech Digest, who oversees the program.
“The future of learning isn’t something we’re waiting for — it’s unfolding right now, shaped by innovators who aren’t reacting to change, but creating it across classrooms, workplaces, and beyond.”
This is the 16th year of EdTech awards, a worldwide program based in the U.S.
“This recognition reflects not only exceptional leadership, but also the strength and dedication of our entire ITS Division here in Volusia County Schools,” the district stated on its Facebook post. “Their work continues to support innovation, empower learning, and ensure our students and staff have the tools they need to succeed.”
Chief Technology Officer Dr. Matt Kuhn. File photo by Jarleene Almenas
The JV Starlets earned a bronze medal on March 28 at the Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit Championships in the Coast One Division. Courtesy photo
The Starlets perform on April 6. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Bethune-Cookman grad publishes book about finding your S.P.A.R.K.
Meet Dr. Michelle Brown, a businesswoman turned author with a passion to help others.
MICHELE MEYERS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Dr. Michelle Brown had lost her spark, or so she thought. When she woke up in the morning, she said she felt like something was missing.
“I was talking to my younger sister,” she said. “… We were just sitting there, and I was like, gosh, I feel like I’ve lost my spark. I need something to really ignite me again.”
By then, she had married
Bethune-Cookman University football coach Pat Brown Sr.; their son, Pat “PBJ” Brown Jr., was born in 2018, and their daughter, Layla, the following year. Michelle received her doctorate in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Kaiser University that same year. Out of a desire to reignite
“... We’re well-versed in the gaps. Now this year, ‘The S.P.A.R.K. Effect’ is that movement to change the conversations to solutionbased action steps and solution outcomes that are repeatable and sustainable long term.”
DR. MICHELLE BROWN,author and CEO of Brown Transformation Consulting
her personal and professional journey — and help initiate change in individuals and organizations — an ideology was born.
What would be the best means to start a fire for a movement? Brown asked herself.
The answer was simple: a spark. A spark could ignite innovation and engagement.
“I love speaking with humans,” she said. “I love solution-oriented goals and helping other individuals find their spark, find what drives them, and then streamlining those processes from the top down in a way that makes sense, and can be adjusted.”
She was gaining traction working as a consultant in 2020 when she decided to open her own business, Brown Transformation Consulting, and launch her brainchild, The S.P.A.R.K. Effect. On March 6, she published her first book on the topic, “The S.P.A.R.K. Effect — A Framework Redefining Leadership of the Future.”
“Industrial and organizational psychology is my expertise, and now I have an entire thriving business that runs just on that, and it’s literally what the world is, human-focused,” Brown said. “But also, you need that ROI, the return on investment. You still have to run the business. So there are metrics, but you can do both.”
A Southern California native, Brown said as a teenager she felt angry and was prone to getting into fights. Following one of her conflicts, instead of a punishment being dispensed, a question was posed to Brown: “Is this how
you want to be remembered?” It forced her to pause, consider her actions, and shift her thought process. That incident, coupled with her introduction to softball during her freshman year, gave her the incentive to change her trajectory.
“I was able to ground myself and understand that you’re not always right, you’re not always perfect,” she said. “ … When you hit those barriers and challenges, take that step back, take that pause, and reground yourself, go back to basics, understand what your desired end goal is, and then from there, that’s when you redo your strategy, your planning, and then take different steps in action. Softball is huge to the premises and holistic standpoint of not only the book, but how I live my life day to day.”
Brown was awarded a Division I softball scholarship in 2009 to attend B-CU, where she earned Academic AllAmerican honors. As a firstgeneration college student, she also became the first in her family to earn a Division I scholarship. She completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology in just three years, leaving one year of eligibility remaining. Choosing to continue playing the sport she loved, she applied to B-CU’s master’s program, was accepted, and earned her graduate degree within a year.
“My grandfather said, ‘Hey, you only have one more to go. Why not?’ And so I ended up getting my PhD as well,” she said.
Brown’s grandfather, Marine Sgt. Victor Bañuelos immigrated from Mexico
“I love solution-oriented goals and helping other individuals find their spark, find what drives them, and then streamlining those processes from the top down in a way that makes sense, and can be adjusted.”
DR. MICHELLE BROWN, CEO of Brown Transformation Consulting
to Southern California with his parents, Carlos and Lupe Bañuelos. Brown’s grandparents, Victor and Grace Bañuelos, were a strong presence in her life and played an important role in raising her and her five younger siblings. They instilled a set of morals and values that encouraged them to strive to be the best they could be.
Brown’s family also ensured that faith played a significant role in her upbringing.
“Since I was little, I was raised with God, absolutely 1,000%,” she said. “Number one, nothing without God, I could not have orchestrated any of my steps (without Him).”
Being a Black and Mexican woman in today’s world, Brown said it is multifaceted and multidimensional, with so many perspectives, mindsets, and experiences. Growing up, people assumed she was Black and did not know of her Mexican ancestry.
She said what brought her to this point in her life was the blend of her family. They are a true representation of what the world is today, Brown said. Her passion is for individuals and humans to be seen for who they are, what they are, and to look deeper than the surface.
“The reality is there are so many deeper emotions and wounds that people try to
hide on the surface,” she said.
“In the past, that was easy to compartmentalize, but now, as the world evolves and we get more holistic and understanding with each other, it’s easy to see as humans. We want to see the vulnerable parts of each other. We understand that we are not a label.
We’re not a simple category.”
“The S.P.A.R.K. Effect” introduces new leadership guidelines that promote a purposeful, human-centered approach, allowing people to be seen for who they are as a whole, not just their title. Antiquated productivity-without-purposebased internal systems are evaluated, redefined, and restructured with the people they serve in mind instead of implementing the latest technology, trend, or methodology. Brown states that Artificial Intelligence is used to augment the workforce, not replace it.
Brown considered the acronym with these pillars in mind — Strategy, Plan, Action, Results, and KPI Knowledge. Her book provides in-depth explanations and personal examples for each pillar along with reflection prompts, worksheets, and assessments.
As a leader, strategist, and expert in industrial and organizational psychology, Brown has found that this holistic
approach implemented by Brown Transformation and “The S.P.A.R.K. Effect” is a movement.
“The book is solely focused on solution-based actions, steps, and resources, because it’s about what the solution is,” she said. “We’ve had the conversation for years about race. We’ve had the conversations about inequity in pay. We’ve had the conversations. Now we are all well-versed in what the issues are. We’re well-versed in the gaps. Now this year, ‘The S.P.A.R.K. Effect’ is that movement to change the conversations to solution-based action steps and solution outcomes that are repeatable and sustainable long term.”
Dr. Michelle Brown, CEO of Brown Transformations Consulting.
Photo by Michele Meyers
BIZ BUZZ
AdventHealth Training Center opens at Jackie Robinson Ballpark
AdventHealth celebrated the ribbon cutting of the new AdventHealth Training Center at the historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach on Thursday, April 2.
Community leaders, Major League Baseball representatives and the Daytona Tortugas joined AdventHealth to applaud the opening of the new facility, a two-story, 30,000-squarefoot building with enhanced athletic training areas, weight rooms and locker rooms. According to a press release, the facility “is part of a broader effort to modernize Jackie Robinson Ballpark while preserving its historic significance and ensuring it remains a long-term asset for the city.”
“This facility represents a deeper investment in the Daytona Tortugas, in this ballpark, and in the neighbors who call this area home,” said Lorenzo Brown, CEO of AdventHealth’s Atlantic Coastal Region. “It’s about giving athletes what they need to stay healthy and compete at their highest level. But
the impact doesn’t stop with the players; it strengthens the whole community.”
AdventHealth became the Tortugas’ official health care provider in 2024. As part of that partnership, AdventHealth Medical Group physicians serve as team doctors.
The facility is built on the same field where Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in professional baseball in 1946 when he played his first integrated game with the Montreal Royals.
“We stand on sacred ground,” said Paula R. Reed, Zone 6 Daytona Beach City Commis-
sioner. “In 1946, Daytona Beach opened its gates so Jackie Robinson could take the field and change the world. This investment is about protecting that history and making sure this ballpark remains a place where future generations can create their own.”
MLB leaders said the improvements bring the facility in line with modern player development standards, the press release states.
“Talent alone doesn’t get a player to the Major Leagues. Environment matters,” said Freddie Seymour, senior director of minor league operations and affairs for Major League Baseball. “The AdventHealth Training Center gives players the space to grow, refine their skills and take the next step toward their future.”
The Cincinnati Reds are the Major League affiliate of the Daytona Tortugas.
“This is where many of our players begin their journey, and now they have a place that gives them everything they need to work toward the Major Leagues,” said Nick Krall, president of baseball operations for the Cincinnati Reds.
Tortugas leadership said the expanded amenities will enhance both player experience and fan engagement.
“This is a big moment for our team and for this ballpark,” said Jim Jaworski, president and general manager of the Daytona Tortugas. “From the players to the coaches, seeing their reaction when they walked into the AdventHealth Training Center for the first time said everything. This gives them a place that supports what they need every day — to stay healthy and keep moving forward in their careers.”
Townhomes proposed on Granada
A neighborhood meeting to discuss a proposed townhome development at 1190 W. Granada
Blvd. in Ormond Beach will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, at the Ormond Beach Regional Library. Engineer Realty, LLC, the developer of the project is seeking a small-scale comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning to construct 12 townhome units on the 2.81-acre property along Yoon Way. This follows an informational meeting held in late January and will also be conducted by the Cobb Cole law firm, who is representing the developer. The presentation will remain the same, according to the neighborhood meeting notice, though minor project updates may be discussed. The property is currently zoned Special Environmental. The developer is seeking a rezoning to R-4 Single Family Cluster and Town House District.
The new AdventHealth Training Center.
Lorenzo Brown, CEO of AdventHealth’s Atlantic Coastal Region, speaks during the ribbon cutting.
Saint Augustine Apartments Absorb Rapid Growth as Development Slows
By Jamie Cuzzocreo, Commercial Advisor | Watson Commercial Realty, Inc.
As a commercial real estate advisor who closely follows market dynamics across the Jacksonville metro, it’s impossible not to be impressed by Saint Augustine’s continued dominance in attracting renters. The numbers tell the story: Saint Augustine posted the second-fastest absorption rate in the region—trailing only Southside, which boasts nearly five times the inventory.
Over the past year alone, the submarket absorbed about 1,100 units, pushing vacancy down by an astonishing 800 basis points. What’s remarkable is that this progress came even as 320 new units hit the market, a clear signal of the strength and depth of renter demand here.
Vacancy is still elevated at 17% as of the second quarter of 2026, but it’s important to recognize the positive trajectory. Compared to recent peaks, this is meaningful improvement. Near-term supply looks manageable, with roughly 940 units under construction—an inventory increase of close to 9%. All deliveries are expected in the coming months. With construction activity slowing down and demand holding steady, we anticipate vacancy to hover near 17% through 2026. This moderation in the development pipeline marks a shift toward a more balanced supply and demand picture, which is healthy for the long-term stability of the market.
Saint Augustine’s growth over the past five years has been nothing short of aggressive. Multifamily inventory has expanded by about 80%, a pace that dwarfs most other submarkets relative to their size. Even though Saint Augustine accounts for just 8% of the Jacksonville area’s total inventory, it represents nearly a third of all units currently under construction. Over the past year, it absorbed close to 20% of metro-wide renter demand. Now, with units under construction at a five-year low, the most intense phase of development has likely passed.
Rent levels are another key factor for investors and landlords. Saint Augustine commands the highest rent in the broader market, averaging $1,750 per month compared to Jacksonville’s average of $1,510. However, rent growth has cooled considerably since its late 2021 peak of nearly 10%. We’ve seen negative year-over-year growth—currently at -2.3%—for nearly three years, but performance has ticked up modestly over the past year. The outlook is for subdued rent growth, with a return to positive territory not expected until late 2026.
Fundamentally, Saint Augustine’s multifamily market is adapting after a period of rapid expansion. Strong absorption, a slowdown in construction, and persistent renter interest are supporting leasing activity. Yes, vacancy is still high and rent growth remains weak, but these are transitional characteristics as the market finds its footing. The mix of high rent levels, intense demand relative to inventory, and moderating supply sets the stage for Saint Augustine to be a standout as conditions stabilize and long-term demand drivers continue.
From an investment perspective, sales volume has remained modest, never surpassing $200 million annually in the past decade. In the trailing 12 months ending Q2 2026, total sales volume was just $4.3 million, with cap rates ranging from 5.10% to 7.10% Yet, there’s a new tailwind gaining strength: declining insurance costs
Insurance has historically been a tough hurdle for Florida multifamily properties, impacting everything from leverage to cash flow. Recently, increased competition among carriers and new market entrants are easing these constraints, providing improved pricing and greater underwriting flexibility—even for assets previously deemed hard to insure. For typical Florida portfolios, yearover-year insurance cost reductions of 30% to 40% are now increasingly achievable.
As a commercial real estate advisor, I see Saint Augustine poised for a period of relative stability and opportunity. The fundamentals are sound: robust renter demand, a manageable (and slowing) supply pipeline, and a more favorable cost environment for investors. As the most intense development phase recedes and rent growth trends stabilize, the stage is set for savvy investors and landlords to take advantage of Saint Augustine’s enduring appeal.
Strategize Your Next Smart Move.
Thinking of buying, selling, or repositioning a multifamily asset?
Contact me, Jamie Cuzzocreo at Watson Commercial Realty, Inc. for
guidance backed by real market data. Get the same information today’s top investors are using to make smarter moves.
REAL ESTATE
Ocean Hammock home sells for $3.15 million
Ahouse at 530 Cinnamon Beach Lane in Ocean Hammock was the top real estate transaction for March 21-27 in Palm Coast and Flagler County. The house sold on March 24 for $3,150,000. Built in 2013, the house is a 7/6 and has 2 half bathrooms, a pool, a hot tub, an outdoor kitchen, an elevator and 5,158 square feet. It sold in 2022 for $2,900,000. The house was listed by Shelley DeVito, of Hammock Real Estate Group.
ALEXIS MILLER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Condos
A condo at 1000 Canopy Walk Lane, Unit 1034, sold on March 27, for $257,000. Built in 2005, the condo is a 3/2 and has 1,377 square feet. It sold in 2012 for $115,000.
A condo at 200 Ocean Crest Drive, Unit 515, sold on March 27, for $670,000. Built in 2003, the condo is a 3/3 and has 1,676 square feet. It sold in 2006 for $1,105,000.
A condo at 60 Surfview Drive, Unit 814, sold on March 26, for $490,000. Built in 2004, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,455 square feet. It sold in 2007 for $370,000.
A condo at 3580 South Ocean Shore Blvd., Unit 903, sold on March 24, for $440,000. Built in 1982, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,290 square feet. It sold in 2005 for $450,000.
A condo at 7 Avenue De La Mer, Unit 605, sold on March 24, for $1,035,000. Built in 2003, the condo is a 3/2.5 and has 1,944 square feet. It sold in 2016 for $675,000.
FLAGLER BEACH
Atlanta Beach
A house at 2643 Lakeshore Drive sold on March 26, for $680,000. Built in 2025, the house is a 3/2.5 and has 1,720 square feet.
Model Land Co A house at 323 N. 10th St. sold on March 27, for $707,000. Built in 1995, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool, a dock and 1,462 square feet. It sold in 2017 for $400,000.
Rio Mar A house at 1528 N. Daytona Ave. sold on March 21, for $614,000. Built in 2006, the house is a 4/4 and has a fireplace and 2,584 square feet.
PALM COAST
Built in 2019, the house is a 4/3.5 and has a pool, a hot tub and 2,743 square feet. It sold in 2019 for $525,000.
Toby Tobin, of gotoby.com, contributed to this report.
PALM COAST
REAL ESTATE
Ormond pool home sells for $720,000
Ahouse at 504 S. Halifax Drive was the top real estate transaction in Ormond Beach and Ormond-by-the-Sea for the week of March 14-20. The house sold on March 17, for $720,000. Built in 1950, the house is a 4/3 and has a fireplace, a pool and 2,580 square feet. It last sold in 2023 for $372,500.
The house was listed by Mike Bretzel, of Keller Williams Realty.
JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR
Condos
The condo at 3370 Ocean Shore Blvd., Unit 307, sold on March 19, for $220,000. Built in 1983, the condo is a 2/2 and has 1,275 square feet. It last sold in 2018 for $230,000.
ORMOND BEACH
Archers Mill
The house at 301 Bracer Way sold on March 17, for $389,990. Built in 2026, the house is a 4/2 and has 2,034 square feet.
Banyan Estates
The house at 45 Banyan Drive sold on March 16, for $564,350. Built in 1963, the house is a 4/2 and has a fireplace and 2,023 square feet. It last sold in 2016 for $227,000.
Breakaway Trails
The house at 3 Crooked Bridge Way sold on March 16, for $540,000. Built in 1991, the house is a 5/3 with two half baths, and has a fireplace and 3,171 square feet. It last sold in 2016 for $360,000.
Gardens at Addison Oaks
The townhome at 39 Bella Vita Way sold on March 16, for $245,000. Built in 2007, the townhome is a 2/2.5 and has 1,678 square feet.
Halifax Plantation
The house at 3413 Rexford Circle sold on March 16, for $675,000. Built in 2005, the house is a 4/2.5 and has a pool and 2,924 square feet. It last sold in 2015 for $355,000.
The house at 1121 Killarney Drive sold on March 19, for $585,0000. Built in 2004, the house is a 3/2 and has a pool and 2,131 square feet. It last sold in 2022 for $629,900.
Northbrook
The house at 1103 Parkside Drive sold on March 19, for $355,000. Built in 1978, the house is a 4/2 and has a pool and 1,645 square feet. It last sold in 1978 for $55,900.
Oak Forest
The house at 1515 N. Beach St. sold on March 19, for $449,450. Built in 1979, the house is a 6/3 and has a fireplace and 2,649 square feet. It last sold in 2018 for $264,900.
Ridgehaven
The house at 588 Brookhaven Trail sold on March 18, for $400,000. Built in 2025, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,337 square feet.
The house at 438 Brookhaven Trail sold on March 20, for $450,000. Built in 2025, the house is a 3/2.5 and has 2,181 square feet.
ORMOND-BY-THE-SEA
Barrier Isle
The house at 133 Barrier Isle Drive sold on March 19, for $685,000. Built in 2002, the house is a 3/3 and has a pool and 2,428 square feet. It last sold in 2013 for $314,000.
Holland
The house at 20 Concord Drive sold on March 20, for $299,000. Built in 1975, the house is a 2/1 and has a fireplace and 1,092 square feet. It last sold in 1984 for $57,200.
Not in subdivision
The house at 2688 John Anderson Drive sold on March 16, for $650,000. Built in 1977, the house is a 3/3 and has a fireplace and 2,844 square feet. It last sold in 1980 for $162,000.
The house at 193 Pierside Drive sold on March 20, for $425,000. Built in 1986, the house is a 3/2 and has a fireplace, a pool and 1,917 square feet. It last sold in 2012 for $142,000.
Ormond Beach Manors
The house at 210 Essex Drive sold on March 16, for $371,000. Built in 1955, the house is a 3/1 and has a fireplace and 1,636 square feet. It last sold in January 2026 for $260,000.
Pelican Dunes
The house at 125 Pelican Dunes Drive sold on March 17, for $469,000. Built in 2001, the house is a 3/2 and has 1,850 square feet. It last sold in 2001 for $168,900.
Sunny Shores
The house at 44 Tropical Drive sold on March 16, for $295,000. Built in 1957, the house is a 3/1 and has a fireplace and 1,104 square feet. It last sold in 2019 for $230,000.
WEST DAYTONA
A house in Latitude Margaritaville at 171 Catamaran Cove was the top real estate transaction in the 32124 zip code for the week of March 14-20. Sold on March 19, for $920,000, the house was built in 2024. It is a 3/3 and has a pool, a spa and 2,468 square feet. It last sold in 2024 for $747,800. The house was listed by Kelley Sarantis, of Bob Hodges and Sons Realty.
Grande Champion The house at 1044 Morfontaine St. sold on March 19, for $414,990. Built in 2025, the house is a 4/3 and has 2,336 square feet.
The townhome at 104 Carmichael Way sold on March 19, for $229,900. Built in 2016, the townhome is a 2/2.5 and has 1,288 square feet. It last sold in 2016 for $163,000.
Latitude
Margaritaville
The townhome at 233 Coral Reef Way sold on March 17, for $455,000. Built in 2018, the townhome is a 2/2 and has 1,768 square feet. It last sold in 2018 for $304,100.
The house at 302 Last Mango Drive sold on March 19, for $355,000. Built in 2025, the house is a 2/2 and has 1,205 square feet. It last sold in 2025 for $354,500.
John Adams, of Adams, Cameron & Co. Realtors, contributed to this report.
ORMOND BEACH
No-bunny left behind
For Nathan Castor, 23, running the annual Daytona Beach Easter Beach Run is a family affair.
Castor and his family have been participating in the Easter Beach Run since the late 1970s, when his grandparents, Tom and Jeannie McGuire, purchased a condo in Daytona Beach. The 23-year-old has run the race every year for almost 20 years, since his first 50-yard dash at just 4 years old.
He returns every year, he said, because of the memories.
“We’ve been doing it for so long that it’s just something you look forward to at a certain point,” Castor said.
Hundreds of participants of all ages lined up at the starting line on April 4, with the city’s Easter Bunny cheering from the sidelines. The race had several divisions: the 2-mile race, the 4-mile race, and the kids’ 50-yard, 100-yard and .25-mile dashes.
The 2-mile race had 301 finishers, with 15-year-old
Emmett Buffington taking the overall best male gun time of 11:43.55 and Ava Biege, 10, the best female time of 13.55.23.
In the 4-mile run, Seth Augustynowski, 23, took first place with a time of 22:57.68 while Shannon Jones, 40, took third place and the best overall female time of 25:22.74.
Parks and Recreation Director Keith Willis said the city keeps the race between 800 and 1,000 participants, and this year had to turn people away. Willis has been working the Easter Beach run for 40 years with Daytona Beach, and his own children grew up running the kids’ dashes. Now, he said they’re running in the big races. Many people in Daytona Beach look forward to the race, he said, and come back even from out of state to run the race year after year.
ue the tradition and Jeannie McGuire said the family never wants to sell their condo and can’t wait to return every year for the race.
“It brings everybody together and everybody looks forward to it,” he said.
Tom and Jeannie McGuire, married for 60 years, have been coming to Daytona Beach as snowbirds since 1976. They started running the Easter Beach Run around 1977 with their children, and have returned almost every year since, collecting the race shirts.
Tom McGuire said it’s great to see their grandkids contin-
“We feel so blessed to be part of Daytona Beach, Florida, all these years as snowbirds,” she said. “We will never leave here.”
Despite the large crowds the event draws, Castor said the participants are always supportive of each other.
“Everybody’s cheering everybody on,” he said. “Even when you’re trying to pass someone, they’re trying to bring you up to finish with them. It’s just an awesome experience.”
Matanzas boys tennis team aims for undefeated season, and more
The Pirates host St. Augustine in their final regular-season match on April 9.
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The Matanzas boys tennis team is one victory away from completing a perfect season. With a win on their home courts against St. Augustine on Thursday, April 9, the Pirates will finish the regular season with a 15-0 record. But their sights are set higher.
“Last year, we got third in districts, and we needed second to move on (to regional), and we barely missed it,” senior Owen Brady said. “But this year, we’re much stronger, so we are pretty hopeful going into it.”
The Pirates host the District 4-3A tournament at the Southern Recreation Center in Palm Coast on April 14-15. They have already defeated district opponents Clay (by a 7-0 score), Bartram Trail
(6-1), Beachside (6-1) and Ponte Vedra (5-2) in dual matches. They handed Ponte Vedra its only loss of the season.
The difference this year is the addition of sophomore Daniel Patsula at No. 1 singles and doubles and Flagler Palm Coast transfer Adam Stochel Polubiec at No. 2 singles and doubles. Patsula is undefeated.
“Daniel has been a game changer,” said Brady, who is Patsula’s doubles partner. “We know we can rely on him to get us a win, and he’s been a great doubles partner. We’ve won every match.”
Senior Stan Valenteychik had been the Pirates’ No. 1 singles player since he was a freshman. This year he is undefeated at No. 3 singles. Brady, who was the Pirates’ No. 2 singles player last year, is now at No. 4 singles.
“They’ve accepted their roles graciously this year, because they know that in order to win as a team, we had to put the best players at the right spots,” coach Jens Oliva
said. “So they understand their roles on the team to try to do the best they can for districts and hopefully regions and beyond.”
The Pirates have won 91 of a total of 113 singles and doubles matches this season for an 80.5 winning percentage as a team.
Matanzas has had a winning team record in each of the past four years. The Pirates were 13-1 in 2023 when seniors Valenteychik, Brady, Daniel Faraj and Tyler Lemmon were freshmen. But the team is much deeper this season.
Valenteychik was a USTA tournament player until he was 12 or 13. He said he feels less pressure playing at No. 3 singles than at No. 1.
“I feel like compared to other No. 3’s I’ve played against, I’m on a much higher level,” he said. “I haven’t really had any matches that were too hard, so far.”
The Pirates know the competition will get harder in the postseason, starting with the district tournament, which will include undefeated Nease
and one-loss Ponte Vedra.
“Ponte Vedra and Nease have much better [Universal Tennis Ratings] than our team,” Oliva said. “But this is the first year that we’re actually able to compete against them. This is the first time the boys defeated Ponte Vedra in the regular season since I’ve been coaching here.”
Patsula, who has the best UTR in the district, has been playing tennis since he was 3, he said. He is an experienced USTA tournament player.
“Daniel reminds me of our
player that went to state (in 2021), Ilya Korolev,” Oliva said. “If he wins districts as an individual, he’ll be going to state.”
Valenteychik, Brady and the other Pirates’ four-year players have had a lot of success in their careers, but they have yet to advance to regional.
“We’re really excited to hopefully go far,” Brady said.
“I mean, at the end of the day this is tennis and anything can happen, but we definitely have good odds to go much further than we ever have.”
St. Augustine at Matanzas
What: The Pirates’ final boys and girls tennis match of the regular season
Records: Matanzas boys 14-0, Matanzas girls 10-5. St. Augustine boys 6-6. St. Augustine girls 12-2
When/where: 4 p.m.
Thursday, April 9, at Matanzas tennis courts
Up next: District
Matanzas High School boys tennis players from left: Adam Stochel Polubiea, Owen Brady, Stanislav Valenteychik, Daniel Patsula, Tyler Lemmon and Alexander Engblom. Photo by Brent Woronoff
SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
Kids race in the 50-yard dash. Photos by Sierra Williams
Ella Tower, 5, finished third in the 8 and under category of the 2-mile race.
The McGuire family, across three generations, has run in the Daytona Beach Easter Beach Run since the 1970s.
Ava Biege was the top female runner in the 2-mile Daytona Beach Easter Beach Run.
The Petrella family and friends, across multiple generations, ran the Daytona Beach Easter Run together.
Clayton, Youngman ignite FPC
Marion Clayton’s homer sparks sixrun inning to help Brody Youngman win his first start in Bulldogs’ 6-1 win over Deltona.
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The Bulldogs needed a spark. Instead, they got a blaze. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Flagler Palm Coast’s Marion Clayton drilled a two-run homer over the left-center field fence. FPC went on to score four more runs in the inning to defeat Deltona 6-1 on Thursday, April 2. With the home win, the Bulldogs earned fifth place in the Five Star Conference baseball tournament. It was Clayton’s second home run in two games and his fifth of the season. But it was the left-hander’s first
dinger to the opposite field this season. And it came just in time.
“It got us going,” said Clayton, who will play baseball at Jacksonville University next season. “We scored six that inning, so it really sparked the rally.”
FPC sophomore Brody Youngman pitched a threehit gem in his first start of the season. Yet, after six innings, he was in danger of getting tagged with a loss as the Wolves (12-11) scored an unearned run in the top of the sixth to take a 1-0 lead. Youngman was on the verge of getting out of the inning unscathed, but with two outs, Deltona’s Eric Cunningham
hit a grounder to third baseman Carson Flis. It appeared that Flis’ throw to first was in time to get the out, but the umpire ruled Cunningham safe for an infield hit. During the next at-bat, Cunningham went all the way to third on Youngman’s errant pickoff throw and then scored on a wild pitch. The inning ended with a fly out to left field.
“It kind of woke us up,” Clayton said of the Wolves getting on the scoreboard. “We were going through the motions for a lot of the game, but then we realized, ‘All right, well, we got to figure it out this inning to win.’ That sparked a fire under under me, and I was ready to go.”
Youngman and Deltona’s Brayden Flores had been locked in a scoreless pitching duel through five innings. Flores left the game after the fifth having thrown 70 pitches. The sophomore lefty allowed three hits and no walks.
In the bottom of the sixth, FPC catcher Clayton Lamb greeted reliever Kyle Goodpaster with a grounder and reached first on a throwing error by the pitcher.
“It’s the freebie war,” FPC coach Kyle Marsh said. “You got to take advantage of the freebie wars. And they gave us a freebie on the throw to first, and you got to capitalize. And I think we did a good job capitalizing after that.”
The next batter, Marion Clayton, capitalized by scorching a high and outside fastball for a two-run shot. He said he knew it was gone as soon as he hit it.
“We were going through the motions for a lot of the game, but then we realized, ‘All right, well, we got to figure it out this inning to win.’ That sparked a fire under under me, and I was ready to go.”
MARION CLAYTON
“I needed to put a good swing on it, and it carried over the wall,” he said. “I gave a little trot there right off the bat.”
That got the bats going. Flis singled, Jordan Gonzalez walked. Tyler Bohnenkamper loaded the bases with a bunt single. Paul Bowen made it 3-1 with a line-drive single to right. Gonzalez scored on a wild pitch. And Nick Pandich completed the six-run inning with a two-run double to center field.
“Marion is a good spark plug for our team,” Marsh said. “He comes ready to play, works hard.”
Nole Hemmerle pitched a scoreless seventh to secure the Bulldogs’ eighth win in their last 10 games. Youngman lowered his earned run average to 1.79 in 15.2 innings pitched.
““Every time he’s come in the game this year, he’s done a really good job for us,” Marsh said of the sophomore. “For his first start of the year, I think he looked really good. He gave us a chance to win. It was good to see him just fill up the (strike) zone and let us play defense.”
Youngman allowed three hits, one walk and no earned runs in six innings. He had two strikeouts and threw 76 pitches.
“It was just good to get out there,” he said. “I was just trying to hit my spots, moving it around with different pitches.”
“Brody was on fire all night,” Marion Clayton said. “(The Wolves) didn’t have many hits that they put together. Brody shoved today. It was great to see.”
The Bulldogs were seeded second in the Five Star tournament but lost their first-round game to No. 7 University, 5-3. FPC bounced back with a 9-1 win over New Smyrna Beach in the consolation bracket to gain a spot in the fifth-place game. Spruce Creek won the conference title with a 10-0 win over University in the title game.
FPC (15-8) lost their final regular-season home game on Monday, April 6, 7-5 to St. Augustine. They finish the season on April 9 at Lake Minneola, a team they have met twice this season, splitting the two games. The district tournament begins April 14.
“One of our pitchers, Jordan Gonzalez, said it best,” Clayton said. “If we lose the Five Star, but we win the district, then nobody cares that we didn’t win (the Five Star). We got to keep the win streak going ... into the playoffs.”
FPC defeat Seabreeze on Senior Night
The Bulldogs honored its only senior, Sanai Figueiredo.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
on Monday, April 6, and then defeated Seabreeze 13-3 in five innings.
went 2 for 3 for the Bulldogs (), who lashed 11 hits in the
went 2 for 4 with a
and a
and three runs
three
had three hits and
BRENT WORONOFF
Flagler Palm Coast’s softball team honored its only senior, shortstop Sanai Figueiredo,
FPC’s Brody Youngman allowed one unearned run in six innings against Deltona. Photos by Brent Woronoff
FPC left fielder Tyler Bohnenkamper watches a pitch.
The throw to Seabreeze first baseman Ariannah Harris from third baseman Aubrey Kelly was too late to get the runner in FPC’s fiverun first inning. Photos by Brent Woronoff
Figueiredo
game. Freshman Ava Zublionis
triple
homer,
RBIs
scored. Layla Sackett
scored three runs
Bulldogs. Chloe Foster went
for 4 with two RBIs. Hailey Goff hit
two-run double for the Sandcrabs. FPC pitcher Shaylin Rogers allowed three runs on three hits in five innings. Rogers struck out eight batters and walked five.
Bulldogs improved to
FPC senior Sanai Figeueiredo gets set to make a catch in the first inning.
Seabreeze batter Samantha Sullivan looks for a sign from third base coach Jeff Hardy.
SIDELINES
Track athletes take down school records
As high school track and field heads toward its postseason, local athletes have been making history by taking down school records by the wayside. Several athletes at Matanzas, Flagler Palm Coast and Seabreeze shattered their school’s all-time marks last week.
Matanzas sophomore Peyton Cerasi became the first Pirate to break the 5-minute barrier in both the girls mile and the 1,600-meter run. Cerasi placed second in both events at the Bolles Mile Showcase on April 2 in Jacksonville. She ran a 4:59.99 in the mile, shattering a 15-year-old school record by more than 24 seconds.
She broke her own school record in the 1,600 with a time of 4:58.27 to rank fourth in the state in Class 3A this season. Her previous best 1,600-meter time was 5:04.00.
Cerasi was not the only Matanzas runner to break school records at Bolles.
Senior Blaine Vogel broke the boys’ mile record, set 15 years ago, with a time of 4:33.39.
Teammate Brant Tarsitano was not far behind at 4:34.01 and freshman Dylan Ciardi ran a 4:37.38. All three were faster than the previous record of 4:40.41 set by
Cameron Allen in 2011. Flagler Palm Coast competitors have been breaking school marks all season, but this past weekend was a watershed moment for several Bulldog athletes. The quartet of Logan Jacobelli, Will Roberts, Mikey Najpaver and Jordan Haymon broke school marks in two relay events April 3-4 at the Pepsi Florida Relays in Gainesville. They broke the 4x400 mark, which coach David Halliday called “one of the greatest records in FPC boys track and field,” in a Facebook post. Their time of 3:12.95 toppled the old record of 3:13.15 set by 2009 state champions Reggie Woods, Tim O’Dell, Ashton Mills and CJ Lockhart. Jacobelli, Roberts, Najpaver and Haymon placed fourth
in both the 4x400 and the 4x200 at the Florida Relays. They now rank second in the state in Class 4A in the 4x400. Their 4x200 time of 1:26.24 broke the mark of 1:28.15 set in 2011 by Chris Stubbs, Yeovanti Williams, Gilbert Absolu and Tyler Cue. Also at the Florida Relays, Arianna Slaughter placed eighth in the girls 1,600 with a new FPC school record of 5:06.50, breaking Jada Williams’ mark by 3.42 seconds. Slaughter also joined Anna Grigoruk, Jayden Wright and Everly Mucciolo in taking down the old 4x800 record by two-and-a-half seconds. They placed ninth at the Relays.
FPC’s Karina Marcelus broke her own records in the triple jump, placing third at the Relays with a 12.21 meters (40 feet, 0.75 inches), and the 100 hurdles, placing sixth in 14.11 seconds.
Seabreeze’s Aiden O’Brien broke the Sandcrabs’ record in the boys 200 meters with a time of 21.77 seconds to place fifth at the EmbryRiddle Running Elements high school meet on Saturday, April 4. O’Brien eclipsed Charles Nelson’s mark of 21.88 seconds set in 2012. Nelson starred in football and track at Seabreeze and the
University of Oregon.
O’Brien also placed fourth in the 100 with a personalrecord time of 10.87 seconds.
Seabreeze’s Drayton Brackett broke his own school record to win the 110 hurdles at Embry-Riddle with a time of 15.42 seconds. Teammate Dominic Dowell finished right behind Brackett in 15.68 for second place. The places were reversed in the 400 hurdles with Dowell winning in 58.83 seconds and Brackett second in 58.86. Seabreeze’s Alex Schargen also placed among the top five in both hurdles events, fifth in the 110 and fourth in the 400.
Seabreeze’s Barrett Jones placed second in the steeplchase at Embry-Riddle with a new school record time of 7:08.64. Jones broke Tyler Lewis’ mark.
Among other outstanding performances over the weekend, FPC’s La’Darius Simmons placed third in javelin at the Florida Relays with a throw of 60.32 meters (197 feet, 11 inches), Haymon was fifth in the 400 at the Relays, finishing in 47.52 seconds.
Mainland freshman Makayla Doe placed second in girls triple jump (36 feet, 5 inches), fourth in long jump (16 feet, 7.25 inches) and sixth
WNZF’s Mike Lischio is living the dream
BRENT WORONOFF
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
If at some point you’ve listened to Mike Lischio’s sports broadcasts on WNZF Radio over the past 17 years, you are probably aware that he has a “day job.” And you also would know that “the alma mater” is his high school alma mater, the St. Augustine Yellow Jackets.
Lischio has been broadcasting Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas high school football games for WNZF since 2010. Recently he was promoted to sports director at the station, Flagler Broadcasting President & CEO David Ayres announced.
“Mike is well deserving of this promotion with [his] years of dedication covering Flagler County sports,” Ayres said.
Lischio plans to keep his day job at the St. Johns County Property Appraiser’s Office, even though his role at the radio station is expanding, but he’s used to that. And he loves it.
For his first 12 years with WNZF, Lischio was an unpaid intern broadcasting football games first with Dr. Dave West and then with Rich Carroll, who is now the Observer’s multimedia producer. Four years ago, Lischio became a paid employee at the station as the sports anchor on Flagler’s Morning News.
During those first 12 years, Lischio thought he was the lucky one.
“They gave me a (Jacksonville) Jaguars credential, and just being able to go to every game free of charge ... and learn about interviewing people was worth it,” he said. “It was the opportunity for me to live out a dream.” It was happenstance that Lischio got on the air in the first place. In 2009, his coworker at Prosperity Bank at the time, John Ferry, did play-by-play of Menendez’s football games for WFOY in St. Augustine. One day, Ferry was asked to fill in on the sister station broadcasting a St. Augustine High School game, and he asked Lischio if he wanted to join him in the booth.
“I always wanted to broadcast a game,” Lischio said. “I said sure. It happened to be against FPC.”
He wound up talking to Dr. Dave, who was broadcasting the game for WNZF. By the next season, he became Dr. Dave’s partner. Lischio now is also the playby-play voice for several Flagler College sports. He wants to expand WNZF’s high school sports coverage.
“I’d like to have more of a presence, building on what Rich kind of laid the blueprint for. I’ll have big shoes to fill.”
FPC’s Logan Jacobelli, Will Roberts, Mikey Najpaver and Jordan Haymon broke the school records in the 4x400 and 4x200 relays.
Matanzas’ competitors at the Bolles Mile Showcase (from left): Brant Tarsitano, Megan Rhee, Blaine Vogel, Peyton Cerasi, Eno McGovern and Dylan Ciardi. Courtesy photos
Mike Lischio is the new WNZF sports director. Courtesy photo
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TRIBUTES
Alfred “Fred” Pellmann December 6, 1929 - March 30, 2026
Alfred Konrad “Fred”
Pellmann, born December 6, 1929, quietly passed March 30, 2026. His wife Jane and children, Timothy and Karin, were with him.
Fred was born in Long Island, New York and spent his early years growing up in Kiel, Germany on the Baltic Sea coast with his parents Theodore and Gertrude and his older sister Mary during World War II. Fred’s stories of growing up in Germany while the war went on around him – from air raids in the middle of the night to food rations and helping neighbors whose homes had been bombed – his stories were a picture into a life that most of us could not imagine and no child should ever endure. When he was barely 11 years old, he and his sister along with nearly all the other schoolchildren were taken away from their homes because of the bombings occurring in the city, which was also a submarine base. As the end of the war neared, just when Fred was completing his schooling, nearly all of his classmates were drafted into the German army. Because of his American citizenship, he was not. He believed none of his classmates survived.
After the war, Fred completed his trade training in radio and electronics, and eventually relocated to New York to be closer to Mary and her new husband, William Shoreland. Fred joined the United States Army and served during the Korean War. He was stationed on the East/ West German border as part of an Army Intelligence unit.
After Fred was discharged, he moved to Tarrytown, New York where he was a radio and television repairman and an automotive repairman. He recalls having worked on a television set for Eleanor Roosevelt, and as well for Jackie Gleason, and fixing cars for the Rockefeller family.
In 1963, he was invited to go bowling by some friends, and lo and behold, there was a new friend with them who hadn’t met before. Much to the friends’ surprise, they made a match: Jane Barrie married Fred on April 18, 1964. Fred and Jane started their
life in Yonkers, New York while building a house just upstate in Mahopac, where they would raise their family. Fred worked as an engineer and was involved in the development of the first digital thermometer and blood pressure cuff. He also worked on vacuum tubes for radios.
A part he worked on actually went up the International Space Station – and this is perhaps where Fred’s love of astronomy was born.
Fred and Jane enjoyed a wonderful retirement in Palm Coast, Florida. While Jane volunteered at the local hospital, Fred started volunteering at Whitney Labs maintaining technical equipment. He also became active in the Marineland Right Whale Project where he spent many years on the beach watching and reporting activity.
Soon after, he took his love of astronomy to a new level.
In 2005, he founded the Palm Coast Astronomy Club. He did presentations for the community at the local library, and during solar and lunar events, he and his fellow club members would take their collections of telescopes to public parks so that the community could enjoy the phenomenon and a lesson on what they were seeing – he called these events Star Parties. He was often featured in the local newspaper doing these events. He got the most gratification teaching astronomy at one of the local middle schools with his club partner, Lee Bentzley. He would set up displays at the local library each year to honor significant events in history including the Apollo 11 moon landing and Space Shuttle program. He often said that the Palm Coast Astronomy Club gave him a feeling of enrichment and purpose because he could help others to explore the great beyond.
At the ripe young age of 90, Fred started to slow down and decided to take step back at the Astronomy Club, handing the reins over to Skip Westphal – although we’re not totally convinced he ever really let go completely, such is the folly of a proud founder.
Fred loved his family more than anything in this world –
especially Jane. He cherished her and the life they built together. He always told her he loved her and how happy he was with the life they created. Over 96 years, Fred’s life was rich and diverse, full of challenges and triumphs and ultimately spent doing good by other people. He possessed a brilliant mind, a strong moral compass and he never met a stranger. He was funny and kind, curious and outgoing, and spent a lifetime defying the odds, right up until the end. He never missed an opportunity to share a story of his life – the world has indeed lost one of its great storytellers.
Fred is survived by his wife of nearly 62 years, Jane and his children Timothy (Margarita) and Karin (Bryan) Unger, as well as their spouses’ children Melissa, Jean-Luc and Cayal, and one great-granddaughter Scarlett. Fred was predeceased by his and Jane’s first son Richard John, his parents, his sister Mary and brother-inlaw Bill. He is also survived by a loving family that includes John and Sue Barrie, Margaret and Charles Applegate, Raymond and Melissa Shoreland, Steven and Shelley Shoreland and their children and families. Fred was the senior statesman of this loving family and will be missed terribly, not just by them, but by his friends near and far, and the Palm Coast Astronomy Club members as well.
Fly high Fred – we’ll see you in the stars…
A Memorial Service is planned for Saturday, May 2nd at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Palm Coast. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in his name.
THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. The personal representative or curator has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent's death by the decedent or the decedent's surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in ss. 732.216-732.228, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes. The written demand must be filed with the clerk. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.
The date of first publication of this notice is April 9, 2026. Paul J. Hulse, Personal Representative 148 Santa Cruz Rd. Tuckerton, NJ 08087 HOGAN & HOGAN Jeremy L. Hogan, Esquire Florida Bar No.: 12578 HOGAN & HOGAN, P.A 906 East Michigan Street Orlando, FL 32806 Tel. 407.422.2188 Fax 407.422.3291
jhogan@hoganlegal.com April 9, 16, 2026 26-00110G
FIRST INSERTION NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION File No. 2026 CP 000112 Division 48 IN RE: ESTATE OF AGNESE RITA SPICER Deceased. The administration of the estate of Agnese Rita Spicer, deceased, whose date of death was December 10, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for FLAGLER County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 1769 E Moody Blvd #5 Building #1, Bunnell, FL 32110. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative's attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. The personal representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent's death by the decedent or the decedent's surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in ss. 732.216732.228, Florida Statutes, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes. The written demand must be filed with the clerk. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT'S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.
The date of first publication of this notice is April 9, 2026.
Personal Representative: /s/ Robyn Boles Robyn Boles 5440 W Rochelle Street Homosassa, Florida 34446
Attorney for Personal Representative: /s/ Heather Smith BEACON LEGACY LAW John J. Mangan, Jr., Esq. / FL Bar#: 10020 Heather Smith, Esq./ FL Bar#: 610593 For the Firm 901 SW Martin Downs Blvd., Ste. 205 Palm City, FL 34990 Telephone: (772) 324-9050
Attorney for Petitioner/ Personal Representative April 9, 16, 2026 26-00112G
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SECOND INSERTION
NOTICE TO CREDITORS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 7th JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION 48 File # 2026 CP 141 IN RE: THE ESTATE OF TIMOTHY ALLEN KISNER, Deceased. The administration of the Estate of Timothy Allen Kisner, Deceased, whose date of death was January 12, 2026, is pending in the Circuit Court for Flagler County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is Kim C. Hammond Justice Center, 1769 E. Moody Blvd, Bldg. 1, Bunnell, Florida 32110. The name and address 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 the Decedent’s Estate on whom a copy of this Notice is required to be served must file their claims with this Court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of 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 SECION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA STATUTES WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. Allison Kisner, 18 Oakleaf Way, Palm Coast, FL 32137
The first publication of this notice is April 2, 2026. /s/ Andrea Burns ANDREA BURNS, ESQ. Florida Bar Number: 1031966 Geiger Law, PLLC Post Office Box 352951 Palm Coast, FL 32135 (386) 264-6937 telephone Attorney for Personal Representative andrea@386lawfirm.com April 2, 9, 2026 26-00108G
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RE-NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 7TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA CIVIL DIVISION CASE NO. 2023 CA 001003
U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, AS SUCCESSOR-ININTEREST TO U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR BEAR STEARNS ASSET BACKED SECURITIES I TRUST 2006-HE10, ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES SERIES 2006-HE10, Plaintiff, vs. LISA M. DAWSON; UNKNOWN SPOUSE OF LISA M. DAWSON; DISCOVER BANK; UNKNOWN PERSON(S) IN POSSESSION OF THE SUBJECT PROPERTY, Defendant(s) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to an Order rescheduling Foreclosure Sale filed March 10, 2026 and entered in Case No. 2023 CA 001003, of the Circuit Court of the 7th Judicial Circuit in and for FLAGLER County, Florida, wherein U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR BEAR STEARNS ASSET BACKED SECURITIES I TRUST 2006HE10, ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES SERIES 2006-HE10 is Plaintiff and LISA M. DAWSON; UNKNOWN SPOUSE OF LISA M. DAWSON; UNKNOWN PERSON(S) IN POSSESSION OF THE SUBJECT PROPERTY; DISCOVER BANK; are defendants. TOM W. BEXLEY, the Clerk of the Circuit Court, will sell to the highest and best bidder for cash BY
NOTICE OF ACTION IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF FLORIDA IN AND FOR FLAGLER COUNTY GENERAL JURISDICTION DIVISION CASE NO. 2025 CA 000790 PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES, LLC, Plaintiff, vs. YAUHENI BOIKA, et al., Defendant. To: YAUHENI BOIKA, 25 POSTMAN LN, PALM COAST, FL 32164 UNKNOWN SPOUSE OF YAUHENI BOIKA, 25 POSTMAN LN, PALM COAST, FL 32164 SVIATLANA BOIKA, 25 POSTMAN LN, PALM COAST, FL 32164 LAST KNOWN ADDRESS STATED, CURRENT RESIDENCE UNKNOWN YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that an action to foreclose Mortgage covering the following real and personal property described as follows, to-wit: LOT 41, BLOCK 32, PALM COAST, MAP OF PINE GROVE, SECTION 28, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF, RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 9, PAGE 58, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. has been filed against you and you are required to file a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on Sara Collins, Esq, McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLP, 225 East Robinson Street, Suite 155, Orlando, FL 32801 and file the original with the Clerk of the above- styled Court on or before 30 DAYS FROM FIRST PUBLICATION or 30 days from the first publication, otherwise a Judgment may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint. WITNESS my hand and seal of said Court on the day of 3/18/2026. TOM W. BEXLEY CLERK OF COURT OF FLAGLER COUNTY As Clerk of the Court (SEAL) BY: Margarita Ruiz Deputy Clerk Sara Collins, Esq. MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLP 225 East Robinson Street, Suite 155 Orlando, FL 32801
ELECTRONIC SALE AT: www.flagler. realforeclose.com, at 11:00 A.M., on April 24, 2026, the following described property as set forth in said Final Judgment, to wit: LOT 14 AND 15, BLOCK 5, OF PALM COAST MAP OF WYNNFIELD SECTION 20, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF AS RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 7, AT PAGE 32, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF FLAGLER COUNTY, FLORIDA. 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. This notice is provided pursuant to Administrative Order No.2.065. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to provisions of certain assistance. Please contact the Court Administrator at 200 East Moody Boulevard, Rm.125, Bunnell,
Phone: (407) 674-1850
Fax: (321) 248-0420
Email: AccountsPayable@mccalla.com
25-14268FL April 2, 9, 2026 26-00107G
in said Order or Final Judgement, to wit: UNIT A104, Grand Vista Condominium at Grand Haven, Phase 1, according to the Declaration of Condominium recorded in Official Records Book 2835, page 150, and all exhibits and amendments thereof, Public Records of Flagler County, Florida. PARCEL ID: 22-11-31-3995-00C10A104 PROPERTY ADDRESS: 455 RIVERFRONT DR. UNIT A104, Palm Coast, Florida 32137 The above is to be published in the Business Observer. 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 within sixty (60) days after the sale. If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodations in order to participate in these proceedings, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provisions of certain assistance. Please contact ADA Coordinator at least 7 days before your scheduled appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the scheduled appearance is less than 7 days;
