Music by the Sea Concerts Return to St. Augustine Beach This Week
Palm Coast Songwriters Festival Helps Dolly Parton Imagination Library Get Books to Local Kids
Flagler County, FL – Local organizers of the Palm Coast Songwriters Festival (PCSF) are pleased to announce that they have donated $1,732.53 to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library through their affiliation with the Early Learning Coalition of Flagler/Volusia Counties. The donation came from funds raised from the raffle of an autographed guitar by 31 HIT Songwriters with 125+ #1 HITS to their credit who told the stories behind their songs and performed them over the course of the 4 day event.
“Our goal is for every child in Flagler County to receive one book each month until they turn five years old so that they enter kindergarten loving books and prepared to become readers,” said John Birney, Jr. “Local supporters like the PCSF make it possible to keep programs like this going,” he added. John Birney, Jr. serves on the Palm Coast Young Professionals Group and is an advocate for early learning.
Tickets for next year’s Palm Coast Songwriters Festival are on sale now for those who purchased their tickets for 2020/2021, which will be held April 28 through May 1, 2022. Those individuals received a special email communication the week of May 17th.
Tickets to the general public go on sale starting June 2nd and can be purchased by visiting https://www.palmcoastsongwritersfestival.com/purchasetickets.
Featured Photo: John Birney, Jr.’s daughter is a recipient of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library books each month. Lennon Paign Birney with her father John Birney, Jr. reading a book she received from the DPIL.
Students Get Red Carpet Treatment at VIProm

Daytona Beach, FL (May 21, 2021) They arrived in limos. They carpooled. They wore tuxedos and evening gowns. They wore dress shirts and cocktail attire.
Decked out in the latest fashion and ready for one last hurrah before moving their tassel and heading into the next chapter of their lives, seniors from Flagler and Volusia counties walked the red carpet on Friday night, heading into the Streamline Hotel for a one night only VIProm.
Having hosted other formal events, the prom was a first for hotel staff, and general manager James Gleeson said that as a father of three he was glad they could accommodate the event.
In fact, three members of the hotel team were able to attend the VIProm event having missed their own prom in years past. Makya Griffin, Casey Laux and Jackson Norman were among those excited by the opportunity to celebrate the milestone, and eagerly posed for photos in the iconic hotel.

“It’s really exciting. Even though there’s a lot of different schools here, so there’s not as many students that I know, at least I also have my co-workers and friends here,” said Laux. “Excited really is the best way to put it. To get something back that I didn’t think I was going to get a chance at, it’s really exciting.”
While some danced to the DJ, others snapped photos from the hotel’s rooftop venue or relaxed in groups and chatted but one thing was certain – everyone there was thankful for the chance to have a prom and catch up with friends.
Pulled together by Class of 2021 mom Melodye Lewis who was motivated by her daughter Abbie’s prom dreams, all the kids who wanted to experience a prom, were able to.
“I’ve got kids from Volusia and Flagler from almost every school that have come tonight. They came in on the red carpet and on the rooftop dancing to a DJ and right across from the beach. You can’t get any better than this,” said Lewis.

“I just can’t tell you how big my heart is right now seeing these kids all dressed up, laughing, together with their friends and that’s how it should have been. Everyone has been so positive and so thankful that we took the step to make this event happen, and I’m just thrilled to see the smiles on these kids’ faces.”
Gathered with friends, Flagler Palm Coast High School senior Nadira Duncan shared her gratitude for the night out when asked what the night meant to them.

“Thank you to Miss Melodye. I’m so glad I got to experience this my senior year,” said Duncan.
Jimmy King was also appreciative of the opportunity to experience a prom before heading off to college to pursue a career in education after graduation.
“I’ve never been to a prom and I have high expectations for events and this is pretty good,” said King. “I want to thank you for just giving us the experience of it. Some have never been to a prom or a high school party in general, so this was a good way to bring us all together.”
Gabriella Sabia said she wasn’t sure there’d be a prom this year and after learning about the VIProm, was excited to shop for her dress and prepare.

“I wasn’t really expecting it because of COVID. I was really happy when they said they were going to be having one,” she said. “Prom gives you more of that high school experience, especially when you’re a senior.”
She wanted Lewis to know the hard work behind the scenes to put the event together was appreciated.
“I’d tell her thank you and that I appreciate everything that’s she’s done,” said Sabia. “I know that she did a lot to go out of her way to make all of this happen and all of this possible. I do respect her a lot for that.”
Flagler Tiger Bay Club Young Tigers to Host U.S. Congressman Michael Waltz
Flagler County, Fla. (May 17, 2021) – Set to host their second official public engagement, the Flagler Tiger Bay Club Young Tigers in conjunction with the Flagler County Junior Chamber of Commerce will feature U.S. Congressman Michael Waltz (FL-06) as their guest speaker on May 25 at 2:45 PM.
With a professional background ranging from counter-terrorism and defense policy to the creation of a Fortune 500 company, Congressman Waltz will give Flagler’s next generation a glimpse into building a high-level and varied career during the virtual event moderated by Flagler Tiger Bay Club Young Tiger and Junior Chamber President Bryan Soudrain.
“I’m thrilled to have the honor to address residents who are passionate about elevating bipartisan civic duty in the community. It’s essential to engage our younger residents such as those in the Young Tigers club to fully understand how special our system of governance is and inspire national, public, and community service,” said Representative Waltz.
“The level of commitment our Young Tigers have to civic engagement should serve as an example to us all. When a group of high schoolers take initiative, it’s our duty in the business community to provide opportunities. Having excelled across a variety of industries, Congressman Waltz is the perfect speaker for a group of bright and talented students,” said Walker Douglas, mentor and chair of the Flagler Tiger Bay Club’s Young Executives program.
Flagler Tiger Bay Club Vice President Don Madden said the Club is pleased to support the endeavors of the aspiring young tigers.
“The development of the Flagler Tiger Bay Club Young Tiger program is the natural evolution of our mission,” said Madden. “We want to engage the next generation, and grow them in the concept of civility in the public square, not as an abstract, but as something we practice at every gathering.”
Open to the public, there is no cost to attend. The community may pre-register for the event at www.flaglertigerbayclub.com.
Flagler Beach Entrepreneur Follows In Family Footsteps

Flagler Beach, FL (May 21, 2021) Opening a single brick and mortar location for a small business can be daunting. The commitment required for an aspiring entrepreneur is more than a leap of faith. It’s a plan that requires dedication, discipline and maybe even a little luck.
Proving she has what it takes to be successful, Francesca Cangemi opened her first store – STA Nutrition North, at 525 State Road 16 in St. Augustine’s Westgate Plaza, less than a year ago.
Serving up energizing teas, protein coffees and delicately crafted Instagram-worthy nutrition shakes, the 23-year old entrepreneur decided it was time to open up something a little closer to home, and on Friday, with the help of HT Production Company, officially cut the ribbon on Flagler Beach Nutrition.

The location couldn’t be more perfect.
Across from Veteran’s Park, Flagler Beach Nutrition is nestled in a plaza that offers up sunny skies and happy feet at the Flip Flop Shop, and wellness experiences at the Essential Elements Salt Cave & Spa.
Cangemi is just a stone’s throw from sun and surf in pedestrian-friendly Flagler Beach.
“It’s a good place to hang out and have community,” said Cangemi, who fell in love with the Herbalife branded products during her senior year in high school, and began frequenting a shop just like her own five years ago.
“It’s cool to be close to home and since my parents are business owners here too, it’s cool to be part of the community too,” she said. “I have a great support system.”
Inspired by her own mother, who bought her first hair salon at the age of nineteen, Cangemi comes from a family of go getters said mom Sheryl Knopf, on hand to celebrate her daughter’s success.
“There are no words to describe how proud I am,” said Knopf. “I bought my first hair salon when I was 19 years old. It was super scary but I knew in my heart it was the right decision to make. I now own a company and we operate and manage hair salons in senior living communities all over Florida, and now in Georgia and Texas, as well. Upwards of 40 plus salons and still growing.”
“On top of that my husband Kevin and I bought The Anchor Restaurant on A1A in September and now my daughter just being an entrepreneur, and she’s fearless. Most people would hesitate, especially at her age to open a second location and she just jumped in with both feet. We’re super proud of her,” she said.
Providing remarks to the friends and family out to wish Cangemi well, Flagler Beach City Commissioner Jane Mealy said it’s the small town vibe Flagler Beach offers that is attractive to the mom and pop businesses that are finding their niche in the community.
She’s encouraged when the area’s youth take the initiative to invest in their future and community by becoming business owners.
“It’s always exciting when a new business comes,” said Mealy. “It’s nice to know that young people want to go out there and do something for the community.”
Flagler Beach Nutrition
Owner: Francesca Cangemi
210 Moody Blvd, Flagler Beach, FL
Hours: Mon-Sat: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Boston Whaler Breaks Ground on Brunswick’s Return to Flagler
Palm Coast, FL (May 21, 2021) Known across the globe for durable, high-quality boats members of the Brunswick Corporation welcomed guests and dignitaries to the ground breaking ceremony for the Flagler County Boston Whaler location on Friday morning.
Bringing an inspiring message and a commitment to the community, the day was momentous enough to draw Brunswick Corporation’s CEO David Foulkes and Aine Denari, Executive Vice President, and President of the Brunswick Boat Group to the area for the official unveiling, and during his remarks, Palm Coast City Councilman Nick Klufas expressed his appreciation.

“Our community is honored and proud that you’ve chosen our area for your new operations,” stated Klufas.
Noting the influx of engineering, IT, design, sales, transit and marketing jobs to the local community, Klufas highlighted the new facility as an opportunity to help fulfill Palm Coast’s vision for the future.
“The addition of your plant to our community solidifies the very foundation of our commitment to being business-friendly, to grow and retain local talent, and to continue to foster the successful quality of life our residents have grown to admire and respect,” he said.
“The next time we’re here together we’ll be breaking a champagne bottle on the bow of your first vessel to roll off this assembly line.”
Gleaming with fresh paint in the Boston Whaler’s signature red, Tom Laraway, director of operations for the Flagler County location beamed with pride as he provided a tour of the facility.

Welcoming back professional boat builders and ready to train the next generation of the workforce in the finer points of Boston Whaler quality construction, the Flagler County location will be home to 300-400 employees. With several models set for assembly on site, when all of the new equipment is installed Laraway anticipates rolling a boat a day out of the location.
“We’re hugely excited,” said Laraway, showing the first boat that will start assembly on Monday, a 23 Outrage.
“I’ve been with Whaler for about 16 years and we came up a lot to see some of the great things that Sea Ray did here. Another thing is the talent in this area. We’ve already seen people coming in from all over saying that want to be a part of it, so that’s exciting for us.”
Increases in pay scale pair well with the benefits which Faustina Shedlock, director of HR for Boston Whaler said kick in fairly quickly.
“We’re training people on site so they don’t need to have any experience. We have great benefits at 30 days – medical, dental, vision. We have a quarterly wellness that we issue out to our hourly workforce, we also do profit sharing, 401K match, so a lot of great perks,” she said, inspired by the company’s growth over the past few years.
“We’ve been growing, we’ve been expanding, the marine industry is doing great so it’s just an exciting time to be with the company and see it really expand,” said Shedlock.
It was during the turning of dirt that longtime employee Kevin Kelley was recognized.
A 35-year employee of the Brunswick Corporation, he’s been in for the long haul since day one, and seen the ups and downs of the industry. As the maintenance supervisor, he remembers when the facility, which was once home to Sea Ray, was shuttered and became emotional when sharing his happiness at the thought of seeing co-workers return under the Boston Whaler mantle.

“I started in 1986. It was kind of heart wrenching to see that family break up at Sea Ray, but just more importantly, those people, a lot of them are going to come back and it will be great to work side-by-side with those people again,” shared Kelley.
“It’s very special and I’m very excited for the community. It’s great for jobs and things that this will create for the county,” he said of the facility’s reopening.
Foulkes was equally optimistic about the Flagler County Boston Whaler location’s future, especially as builders have worked hard to keep up with the global demand for boating.

“It’s a huge point of attraction that we know there are people in the community who’ve spent a longtime boating, are very skilled, very passionate about it, so offering an opportunity for them to get back into boating, it’s great for them, but it’s super for us, to have a skilled workforce available so quickly,” said Foulkes.
“As I mentioned, ramping up as fast as we can is really important to us so we’ve been working very hard on the facility, very hard on hiring and certainly having that skilled workforce available many of whom know Brunswick very well is a tremendous attraction for us.”
Interested in becoming part of the Boston Whaler team? Find out more here.
Special Election Date Set for City of Palm Coast Mayoral Seat
Palm Coast – The City of Palm Coast held a special meeting Wednesday, May 19, 2021 to officially call a special election to be held to fill the vacated Mayor seat.
A special election will be held on July 27, 2021 as the Election Day at your precinct, with certification on July 30, 2021.
Early voting dates will be held July 17-24, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the following locations:
· Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Office – Government Services Building, 1769 E. Moody Boulevard, Building 2, Suite 101, Bunnell, Florida, 32110
· Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE, Palm Coast, Florida, 32137
· Flagler County Library, 2500 Palm Coast Parkway NW, Palm Coast, Florida, 32137
For more information on the candidate qualifying information, please contact the City of Palm Coast’s City Clerk’s Office at 386-986-3713.
For information about the election or to request an absentee ballot, please contact the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Office at 386-313-4170.
The special meeting was called by Vice Mayor Eddie Branquinho, who will serve as acting mayor as outlined in the city charter. A temporary vice mayor was not selected at the special meeting. Following the special election and after a new mayor is sworn in, Council Member Branquinho will revert back to his role as vice mayor.
You can watch the special meeting video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Dates and times for future City of Palm Coast business meetings and workshops can be found on the city website at https://www.palmcoastgov.com/
Media Release: City of Palm Coast. Kimberly Norman, Public Relations Associate
Tale Tellers of St. Augustine Featured During Upcoming Family StoryFest Event
Vilano Beach, FL – Vilano Beach Main Street invites you to participate and support the first Family StoryFest, produced by the Tale Tellers of St. Augustine, Inc. in collaboration with Vilano Beach Main Street, Inc.
The event activities will be held on Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 190 Airstream Row in Vilano Beach from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Expected attendance is anticipated around 200. The event celebrates the art of storytelling as an art form and an entertainment medium. Desired attendees are families and children interested in learning more about how to tell stories and their use for educational purposes.
Now in its 28th year, Tale Tellers of St. Augustine, Inc is a local performing guild with a nonprofit mission inclusive of educational opportunities for the community and its members.
- FAMILY STORYFEST – Saturday – May 22, 2021 – 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Vilano Beach Town Center – 190 Vilano Road – AIRSTREAM ROW, St. Augustine, FL 32084 - Stories * Music * Exhibits * Activities * Refreshments
WaterSafe Event Returns In Time for Summer Pool Safety
Flagler County, FL (May 18, 2021) – Flagler County Fire Rescue is partnering with agencies and businesses throughout the county to provide an educational yet fun day of water safety instruction for families and children.
WaterSafe 2021 will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 5, at the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club, 73 Patricia Lane, Palm Coast. The typically annual event was not held in 2020 because of COVID-19, and this year’s event will be socially-distanced and masks will be required as a precaution.
“Water safety is so important, because it only takes a couple of seconds for a child to drown,” said Interim Flagler County Fire Rescue Chief Joe King. “We need to provide our children a safe environment and teach them how to float, first, and then how to swim.”
Florida leads the country in drowning deaths of children ages 1 to 4 years old, according to the Florida Department of Health. The Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) cites drowning as the leading cause of unintentional death of children in this age group.
Parents can sign up for the opportunity for their children to participate in the Swim Scholarship Program at the event. Information is also available on the WaterSafe website www.watersafefl.org under the “Useful Resources” tab (hover over more…).
Most water-related accidents are avoidable by following a few simple guidelines that local professionals will provide.
Flagler County Emergency Management, Flagler County Fire Rescue, Flagler Beach Ocean Rescue, Flagler Beach Fire Department, Flagler County Schools, Flagler Technical College, Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club, Advent Health, and EM Pros (Emergency Medicine Professionals) will participate by providing instruction and informational literature. Educational stations will include the following: free and paid swim class registration; water survival skills (pool); CPR introduction; water rescue demonstration; infant swim demonstration; sun safety, eye and skin protection; water safety “reach, throw, don’t go”; pool safety information; ocean safety information; water and wildlife dangers; and, “Safe Kids” information.
There will also be photo opportunities with a live mermaid, and KIX and Beach 92 will also be on site during the event.
This event is free of charge and open to the public. Sponsors include: Beaver Toyota, Cline Construction, Florida Swimming Pool Association, Houligan’s, Speedway Custom Photo Lab, and VyStar Credit Union.
Swim diapers are required for children who are not potty trained. Others should bring swimsuits and towels and prepare to get wet.
“This event is geared toward families with young children,” said Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord. “Water safety is critical for children in Florida because of our weather, and because of the number of swimming pools and other natural water resources we have.”
Media Release: Flagler County, Julie Murphy MPIO





















































