- April 18, 2024
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The following is a news release from the Flagler County Sheriff's Office:
Sheriff James L. Manfre welcomed eight new deputies to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office on March 2, bringing the Sheriff's Office's force to a total of 192 sworn officers: 148 road deputies and 44 detention deputies.
The class of seven men and one woman will all serve as deputies on road patrol in the Neighborhood Services Division.
As proud moms and dads, boyfriends, girlfriends, fiancees, and young children all watched, Manfre performed a swearing-in ceremony.
The Sheriff told families and friends gathered that the new vision of law enforcement officers is community policing, getting to know residents and listening to their concerns.
“I’m very confident that each one of these new deputies will embrace this new vision,’’ Sheriff Manfre said. “This is not a job. It’s an avocation. Something you believe in your heart.’’
And, the Sheriff told those gathered, “We will keep your loved ones as safe as we can. I guarantee they will have the best training possible.’’
Manfre said he’s known Deputy Leland Dawson since 2000, when Dawson played baseball as an 8-year-old on Manfre's son Alec’s team, the Mariners.
Through that, the Manfre family got to know the Dawson family, and the Sheriff credits them with urging him to run for sheriff. Sixteen years later, Manfre was swearing-in young Leland, who is now 25.
Leland Dawson follows the path of his father, Leland V. Dawson, who worked at the Flagler County Sheriff's Office from October 1998 to June 2003.
The March 2 ceremony kicks off the deputies’ careers with the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.
The seven men and one woman had to complete more than 700 hours of basic recruit training at a law enforcement academy.
Now they will begin seven weeks of in-house classroom training with the Sheriff’s Office, known as the Field Training Evaluation Program.
It will include everything from firearms, camera systems, evidence collection, policies and DUI training to intensive crisis intervention training and more.
Then they will go on the road for three months’ training with a field training officer before they will work on their own as they complete their one-year probationary period.
The following is a news release from the city of Palm Coast communications office:
Palm Coast Fire Chief Michael C. Beadle has been named Citizen of the Year by Palm Coast Elks Lodge 2709.
Community service played a major factor in Chief Beadle’s selection as Citizen of the Year, said Jack Lyons, Exalted Ruler of the Palm Coast Elks Lodge, located at 53 Old Kings Road North, Palm Coast.
An Elk himself, Beadle also is a member of the Flagler County Rotary Club and the Ancient City Pipes & Drums, and he serves on the Flagler County Education Foundation Board of Directors.
Last year, members of an Elks Lodge from Southwest Florida were bicycling across Florida to raise money for first responders and stayed the night at the Palm Coast Elks Lodge.
Beadle heard about it and made arrangements for the visitors to come to Palm Coast Fire Stations to get showers, Lyons said.
“Mike believes in God and country, and he’s very involved in community activities,” Lyons said. “He’s the Fire Chief and works hard to keep us safe. But he’s also just an all-around good citizen.”
The award was presented Saturday at the Elks’ annual awards ceremony. Other awards given included:
Chief Beadle joined the Palm Coast Fire Department as a volunteer in February 1988.
After receiving certification as both a firefighter and an emergency medical technician, he was hired as a career firefighter on June 2, 1990.
He worked his way up the ranks and became Acting Chief in October 1998. After the City incorporated, he was hired as the City of Palm Coast’s first Fire Chief on Sept. 4, 2000.
Chief Beadle holds a Master’s in Public Administration, the Executive Fire Officer Certification from the United States Fire Administration and Chief Fire Officer designation from the Commission on Professional Credentialing.
He served as President of the Flagler County Rotary Club in 2007 and received the Presidential Volunteer Service award from President Barack Obama in 2012.
The following is a news release from the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Office:
For the first time in Flagler County, ballot printing technology during early voting is being used to improve accuracy and save taxpayer dollars.
Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart applied for and received federal money to buy “Ballot On Demand” printers for the upcoming election. Ballots will be printed, on demand, as voters need them during early voting.
Supervisor Lenhart said these printers have already saved nearly $6,500 taxpayer dollars on the cost of ballot printing.
"These printers were purchased using Federal grant funds, which haven’t been applied for or received by the Elections Office since 2010," Lenhart said. "The ballots are printed on demand, saving taxpayer dollars for the cost of ordering sufficient ballot stock for multiple early voting sites. It is my mission to reduce costs and improve the elections experience in Flagler County."
To accommodate voters who choose to vote early, a supply of ballot stock was ordered based upon the expected turnout of each precinct ballot style, spread across three early voting sites in the county. This is an enormous quantity of ballots during a busy election cycle.
On demand printing reduces the cost of ballots and reduces the waste of unused ballots, a benefit to the taxpayer and to the environment.
They will also decrease the margin of error in the process of issuing ballots during early voting.
In previous elections, election poll workers were challenged with selecting the one correct ballot style from a wooden cabinet which contained up to 90 different ballot styles during a Primary election.
With on demand ballot printing, once a voter’s eligibility is verified, their specific ballot style will be printed automatically.
The printers have been calibrated and thoroughly tested for use during early voting for this upcoming Presidential Preference Primary election.
Early voters in Flagler County will witness this new technology beginning on March 5 through March 12, 2016.
Any registered and eligible voter may choose to vote early at one of three sites in the county from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, including weekends.
The following is a news release from the Flagler County communications office:
Matanzas Woods Parkway will be closed temporarily between Bird of Paradise Drive and Old Kings Road beginning on March 12 while Matanzas High School is closed for Spring Break to accommodate the completion of the Interstate 95 interchange.
“The contractor has requested the road closure so they can complete this portion of the road work in a safe manner,” said County Engineer Faith Alkhatib. “There are many moving operations required to complete the work. This closure will enhance worker safety and will facilitate the completion of the project.”
Motorists will be required to use a detour around the area using Old Kings Road and U.S. 1.
The roadway will be closed beginning at 8 a.m. March 12 through March 20.
A ribbon-cutting event for the interchange is scheduled at 3:30 p.m. on March 28. Additional details about the event will be released soon.
“This $9 million project has been in the works for more than a decade,” County Administrator Craig Coffey said. “We are very excited to be so near completion.”
Project details are regularly updated and available at matanzas95interchange.com. Links are available on the Flagler County website flaglercounty.org.
