PALM COAST
Observer
High flying Davon Gwyn PAGE 4B
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 16, NO. 18
FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2025
How will impact fees impact the city? Balancing the costs of growth with the cost of living, City Council is planning ‘extraordinary’ increases. PAGE 3A
Slow down and look at all the options Flagler County’s sales tax discussion is on hold, as Carney wants staff to come up with another plan. PAGE 2A INSIDE MAKING IT EASIER TO CHOOSE A SCHOOL Flagler Schools policy change would eliminate 90% capacity cap for school choice PAGE 5A
‘WHERE THE WILD ONES RUN’
Kids trail race series instills children with a love of nature PAGE 6B
Class of 2025’s next stop: the world
ARREST IN ANIMAL CRUELTY CASE
Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast high school graduations PAGE 1B
Palm Coast man accused of choking, killing his dog PAGE 6A
Matanzas High School’s Ava Wheaton
Flagler Palm Coast’s Mary Wilcox. Photos by Brian McMillan
FLAGLER PALM COAST SIGNINGS
Eight Flagler Palm Coast athletes participate in the Bulldogs’ final signing celebration of 2025 PAGE 7B
INDEX
Calendar..................... PAGE 3B Cops Corner............... PAGE 6A Crossword.................. PAGE 2C Letters........................ PAGE 8A Public Notices............ PAGE 6C Sports......................... PAGE 6B Tributes ...................... PAGE 2C Real Estate..................PAGE 7A
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City Council approves two new cell towers for Palm Coast
MHS’ Bozeman steps down
The cell towers can each carriers interested in subleasing at this tower. accommodate at least The second cell tower will be at 50 Citation Blvd, next to the city’s four carriers, and will be Water Treatment Plant #2. The 150 feet tall. One will be contract is with Wireless Edge Towers III, which would build located on east Palm another 150-foot cell tower that Coast Parkway and Colbert can also accommodate at least four carriers. This tower will also host city Lane and the other on radio equipment to read water Citation Boulevard. meters in the area, Akins said.
Matanzas High School Principal Kristin Bozeman is stepping down and moving with her family to North Carolina. Bozeman made the announcement to Matanzas families in an email on May 29. Earlier in the day, Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore announced Bozeman’s plans to Matanzas faculty and staff. Bozeman, who is completing her third year at Matanzas, was Flagler Schools’ Principal of the Year for the 2024-25 school year. Flagler Schools announced in a release that the search for a new principal is underway with plans to have Matanzas High’s fifth principal in place before the beginning of the upcoming school year, which will mark the school’s 20th anniversary. In her email, Bozeman told Matanzas families that she and her family have decided to “start a new adventure and a new chapter of our lives next school year in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina.” Bozeman took over at Matanzas in July 2022 after Principal Jeff Reaves moved to the district office to become Flagler Schools’ director of teaching and learning. Bozeman was previously an administrator and teacher in the St. Johns County School District from 2005 to 2022. “It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the students, fami-
SIERRA WILLIAMS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Cell phone dead zones could be getting some help. The Palm Coast City Council has approved two lease contracts for the construction of two new cell towers in Palm Coast. The first tower will be located at 350 Palm Coast Parkway, with the new Fire Station 22, which is under construction. Diamond Towers V is the lessee and will build a 150-foot cell tower capable of accommodating at least four carriers. Diamond Towers will pay Palm Coast $50,000 for the company to build the cell tower on the lot. The city will also receive 40% of Diamond Towers’ first tenant sublease fee and 50% for the subsequent tenants. Palm Coast Director of Information Technology Doug Akins said there are already at least two
Wireless Edge will pay Palm Coast a one-time fee of $20,000, and then $5,000 with the sublease of a major carrier. Palm Coast will also receive 40% of any sublease fees from the tower’s first tenant and 50% for all the following tenants. Each lease has an initial oneyear term and is then available for the company to renew the lease for five years, with up to five additional five-year renewals. While some residents attended the June 3 meeting to protest the cell towers, Vice Mayor Theresa Carli Pontieri said there doesn’t seem to be any alternative to placements for the towers in the city. “I think this is a business necessity. It’s an economic development friendly necessity,” she said. “It’s also a safety issue as well.” Both contracts were unanimously approved by the council.
BRENT WORONOFF ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Matanzas High School Principal Kristin Bozeman. File photo by Brent Woronoff
lies, faculty and staff of Matanzas High School,” Bozeman said in the district’s news release. “This community has shaped me as a leader and as a person, and I’m deeply grateful for every lesson, challenge and celebration we’ve shared. As I begin this new chapter, I carry with me a heart full of appreciation for the incredible journey we’ve taken together these past three years.” Moore said Bozeman led Matanzas “with grace, dedication and an unwavering commitment to student success. Her impact is evident in the growth of the campus culture and the many lives she’s touched along the way. While we will miss her presence in Flagler Schools, we fully support her next adventure and look forward to building on the strong foundation she helped create at Matanzas.” Email brent@observerlocal news.com.