THE HAMMOCK
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 1, NO. 9
HOT POTATO BOWL PAGE 10B
FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2025
Sticky sand problem — solved? Flagler Beach entrepreneur takes on coquina sand with a new brush product called The Sand Dude. PAGE 7A
INSIDE TAX UPDATE
County issues statement on MSBU notice sent to unincorporated barrier island PAGE 7A
BOOK DRIVE
NASCAR racer Erik Jones presents book vending machine to Rymfire Elementary School PAGE 1B
ART RETURNS?
Ocean Art Gallery leaves Ormond Beach, may return to Flagler Beach PAGE 6B
FAKE SITES
Fake Gambaro, Fine websites redirect to Furry’s congressional campaign site PAGE 5A
NUISANCE HOGS
Wild hogs mar grounds at Craig Flagler Palms cemetery PAGE 8A
INDEX
Business..................... PAGE 6B Calendar..................... PAGE 2B Cops Corner................PAGE 2A Crossword.................. PAGE 2C Letters.......................PAGE 12A McMillan....................PAGE 12A Public Notices............ PAGE 6C Sports........................PAGE 10B Tributes ...................... PAGE 2C Real Estate................. PAGE 8B
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Meet The Hammock’s new luxury car service ‘What we’re trying to do is be the “black car service,”’ Owner Pamela Orne said. ‘Our goal is to please, so you’re a repeat customer.’ SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
Since moving to The Hammock, Pamela Orne has run several business ventures of varying sizes. She watches dogs and meal preps for her neighbors. Her and her husband John Orne ran a remodeling business called Pamela’s Projects for several years, too. All this after she spent 30 years in the psychology field. All of these things started as something she enjoys doing for herself, she said. “I think I’m an entrepreneur at heart,” Orne said. Just three months ago, the Ornes started their new venture when she found a different niche to fill: an affordable, luxury car service, Pamela’s Coastal Car Service. The service offers rides to and from a destination in one of their luxury vehicles, a Lexus sedan or a Mercedes SUV. They try to offer the types of amenities and services a higher-end company offers — such as professional dress and behavior, chilled water bottles for the drive, and loading luggage — at more affordable prices. Orne said she wants to be the reliable service people are looking for. “What we’re trying to do is be the ‘black car service’ or the luxury car service,” Orne said. “Our goal is to please so you’re a repeat customer.” Orne said this all started because she was driving neighbors to their doctor’s appointments, and more neighbors began asking for rides. Orne saw a need and decided to fill it. “Anybody that puts their mind to anything can do it,” Orne said. “You just have to figure out what the need is in the community.” John Orne is the primary driver, with Pamela Orne filling in the
Pamela and John Orne, of The Hammock, have started their own luxury car service, called “Pamela’s Coastal Car Service.” Photo by Sierra Williams
gaps. Their service became so popular in the area that they had to start turning away rides, Pamela Orne said. “We’ve been in such demand, I can only imagine what the holidays are going to be like,” she said. Pamela’s Coastal Car Service is a 24-hour service where customers can call and schedule a ride for anytime of the day. John Orne said his wife is constantly answering the phone for service requests — she likes to keep herself busy, he said. “She’s always been super motivated,” he said. The Ornes have recently hired two additional drivers, a man named Jim and a woman named Margaret, to take some of the pres-
sure off of John Orne’s driving. It was important that one of their hired drivers is a woman, Pamela Orne said, because one of the services they offer is allowing the customer to request a female driver if they are uncomfortable with a male driver. In her experience, she said, there are women who need to order a ride service but are uncomfortable with the thought of being alone in a car with a strange man. “So we accommodate, whatever it takes,” she said. The two are still working out the kinks of a new business, like what their cancellation or no-show policy will be for customers, and the Ornes are still finalizing a formula for their rates. They’re also look-
ing to expand and purchase two or three more luxury, low-mileage vehicles for more available driving time and, hopefully, to accommodate larger parties. But what they do know is they’re not going to leave people in the lurch and they’ll do their best to accommodate the needs of every customer. John Orne said he thinks people just want consistency. “They want the same driver. They want to tell them, ‘Hey, I don’t like to be picked up at arrivals. I like to be picked up at departures,’” he said. “I’m like, ‘You’re the boss.’ Just tell me what makes you happy and I’m happy to do it. I mean, if it takes me 15 minutes longer, it’s no big deal.”