PALM COAST
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 11, NO. 22
Flags for Flagler PAGE 11 THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2020
INSIDE MEDNEX GETS FINAL APPROVAL Gov. Ron DeSantis doesn’t veto key Palm Coast project. PAGE 5
THE STATE OF PALM COAST
Mayor honors citizens, touts accomplishments. PAGE 3
NO GARTNER REPORT?
City spends $70,000 on research but says there’s nothing to show for it. PAGES 4-5
DROPPING DEFENSES
Second ‘Uncomfortable Conversation’ PAGE 12
FEARS FOR BAR’S FUTURE
One Palm Coast owner says it’s unfair to close bars but not restaurants. PAGE 14
Flagler health officials: Make masks mandatory Positivity rate climbs to 10% of those tested in Flagler County.
Spirit of America
Honoring your health care workers PAGES 16-20
BRIAN MCMILLAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR
The top health officials in Flagler County — Department of Health Administrator Bob Snyder and Medical Director Dr. Stephen Bickel — are emphatic in their support of making masks mandatory, not just recommended. During WNZF’s “Free For All Friday” on June 26, Snyder acknowledged that he does not have authority to make public policy, but he said, “It’s the right thing to do. … That is my belief as a public health professional. … I’m going to come out and say, ‘It should be mandated.’” Bickel said it’s a “no brainer” to require masks indoors, to stop the spread of COVID-19, which is ridSEE SNYDER PAGE 7
INDEX
Briefs............. PAGE 2, 5, 8 Letters................... PAGE 6 Real Estate...........PAGE 15
Deborah Cline, lab section supervisor at AdventHealth Palm Coast.
Photo by Paola Ohlson
Deadline passes, and 16 holdouts jeopardize dune restoration About 12 of the holdouts are represented by an attorney who wants the county to pay, as if this were an eminent domain situation.
BRIAN MCMILLAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Drawing expressions of disbelief and desperation from elected officials and business owners alike, Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed explained on June 29 that about 17 property owners still stand in the way of a $25 million beach dune restoration that he called the most significant public works project in county history. (One changed his mind after the meeting, bringing the number down to 16 holdouts.) “It has to be done,” Hadeed said. “Now, we, as the government — we’ve done everything we can.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to build a dune that would repair much of the damage done four years ago by Hurricane Matthew, Hadeed said. It would also firm up State Road A1A without compromising the view of the beach, thereby preserving the charm and character of Flagler Beach. The beach will be lengthened and widened, giving more land for marine life, as well. But, it requires permission from each property owner. The deadline is June 30, and it won’t be met, despite months of effort to educate and persuade property owners.
The message county staff will have for the Army Corps is that out of 141, 123 have agreed to let the government restore their piece of the dune, but 16 have refused. Two others are in process. The Army Corps will then have to decide the next move. About a dozen holdouts are represented by the same attorney, Hadeed said. Those dozen believe the county should pay for the work done on their land, as if this were an eminent domain situation. But Hadeed said eminent domain does not apply in this SEE FLAGLER PAGE 2