THE HAMMOCK
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 1, NO. 50
SEVEN V. SEVEN PAGE 7B
FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY JUNE 11, 2026
Tourism fuels Flagler, as Hammock preps for PGA County tourism marketing pays off, official says. Hammock in national spotlight with Furyk & Friends. PAGE 8A
Anxiety intensifies over county budget Flagler clerk of courts takes heat for request to give staff cost-of-living increases. PAGE 6A INSIDE SCHOOL CHOICE
Flagler County School Board candidates debate school choice and its budgetary challenges.
I want to be under the sea, in an oyster’s garden Group to install vertical oyster gardens at boat docks in three Flagler County parks OBSERVER STAFF
“Oysters for My Neighborhood” is calling on local waterfront residents and businesses with docks to help place vertical oyster gardens (VOGs) in the water to take advantage of the spat run. The group has agreed to install VOGs at the boat docks of three Flagler County parks: the Moody Boat Launch in Flagler Beach, Bings Landing in the Hammock and Herschel King Park in Palm Coast. VOGs are suspended, artificial habitats made by stringing recycled oyster shells onto a heavyduty wire or rope. Hung from docks or seawalls, they attract juvenile oysters — called spat — and marine life, serving as miniature, localized
Morgan Hanrahan (left) and Peggy and John Lessig and Rachel at a vertical oyster garden assembly March 7 at Herschel King Park in Palm Coast in conjunction with the Flagler Beach Yacht Club.
reefs that improve water quality. “This is a really great project,” Flagler County Interim Adminis-
PAGE 5A
PENGUIN PROJECT
Backstage pass: The multilayered dramas and joys of Penguin Project’s ‘The Lion King Jr.’ PAGE 1B
NEW VENUE
New owners expand vision for Split Oak Ranch with agritourism center, community events. PAGE 6B Lisa and Pat Spatola. Courtesy photos
trator Adam Mengel said in a Flagler County press release. “These gardens both clean the water and create habitat for other creatures — small crabs and shrimp.” Chuck Gleichmann, the Oysters for My Neighborhood founder who started a local VOG initiative on the Intracoastal Waterway, said he won’t know precisely how many gardens will be installed until the Coastal Conservation Association of Florida officially surveys the docks early next week. The goal is to have the gardens installed around mid-June. “As an example, the Hershel King dock is 115 feet long. We space VOGs two feet apart, give or take,” Gleichmann said. “This dock should take somewhere between 55 and 60.” As the oysters that attach themselves to the vertical gardens grow, they can filter between two to five
gallons of water per hour, which will significantly improve the water quality of the Intracoastal Waterway, according to the Flagler County press release. “A full-grown oyster can filter 50 gallons of water per day,” Gleichmann said. “A string of oyster shells creates a home for new oysters and also creates habitat for others.” VOGs can be picked up at Keys Deck and Dock Supply, 236 Second St., Daytona Beach, MondayFriday, 8 a.m.to 4:30 p.m. Dock owners are encouraged to stop by during business hours to pick up a VOG bag and install it on their dock. Installation help is available by emailing info@oystersformyneighborhood.com. For more information, including how to get involved in the next VOG assembly, go to www.oystersformyneighbor hood.com.
INDEX
Business..................... PAGE 6B Calendar..................... PAGE 2B Cops Corner................PAGE 2A Crossword.................. PAGE 2C Letters.......................PAGE 10A Public Notices............ PAGE 6C Schools....................... PAGE 3B Sports..........................PAGE 7B Real Estate................. PAGE 4B
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