- December 16, 2025
+ Judge assigned in case of Pacqueur’s death
With the case still under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol, Judge C. McFerrin Smith III has been assigned in the case of Francoise Pecqueur’s death. Catherine Vyvyan, of Jacksonville, is filing the suit, alleging wrongdoing in Pecqueur’s behalf.
As was previously reported, Pecqueur, 76, was walking in the C-section of Palm Coast Nov. 10 when she was struck and killed by Jamesine A. Fischer, 55, in a PT Cruiser.
+ Man could face 15 years for stabbing Flagler victim
A jury found 27-year-old Keith Ladrelle Richardson guilty as charged of aggravated battery, a second-degree felony, for stabbing a Flagler County man.
Richardson, who is attending school in Jacksonville but has a Bunnell address, was giving the victim a ride, when the victim fell asleep. He was awoken when the defendant began stabbing him with a knife. The motive was to rob the victim of $4,000 he had for the purchase of a car.
Sentencing has yet to be scheduled, but the defendant faces a minimum mandatory 15-year prison sentence as a prison-release re-offender, with no possibility of early release.
Circuit Judge Edwin P.B. Sanders said he would likely schedule the sentencing within 30 days.
+ EOAC tours tech center, business incubator
The Flagler County Economic Opportunity Advisory Council toured the UCF Business Incubator and NextGen aviation facility at the Daytona Beach International Airport Jan. 31, as well as the Advance Technology Center, at Daytona State College’s main campus. In February, it will visit the county’s largest employer, Florida Hospital Flagler, as well as go on an agricultural tours.
The tours are part of an effort to familiarize board members with all of the area’s available resources.
Future EOAC meetings will be held 9 a.m. the first Wednesday of every month.
The organization’s new director, Helga van Eckert, will start toward the end of March or the beginning of April.
+ Corrections
The pictures of Sandra Mason and Joy McGrew were swapped on Page 10A in the Jan. 26 print edition of the Palm Coast Observer. They are correctly identified with their pictures in the story at www.PalmCoastObserver.com.
+ Public meetings
Palm Coast City Council — the next regular meeting is 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7 at the Palm Coast Community Center.
Flagler County Board of County Commissioners — the next regular meeting is 9 a.m. Monday, Feb. 6, at the Government Services Building.
Flagler County School Board — the next regular workshop/meeting is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Government Services Building.
HEALTH REPORT
The following numbers were recorded in the recent Flagler County Department of Health’s Community Health Assessment.
98 — homeless individuals in Flagler. In Volusia, there are 2,215.
$50,135 — the county’s median household income.
21.6% — smokers in Flagler, compared with 17.1% statewide.
66.2% — smokers who tried to quit in 2010.
29% — adults who are obese in Flagler. The state average is 27%. In 2002, 17% of Flagler adults were obese, which was lower than the 20% statewide.
104 — number of Flagler residents with HIV/AIDS, as of Nov. 30, 2011.
13.5 — infant deaths per 1,000, among blacks in Flagler County. For whites, the number is 3.1.
98% — 2-year-olds who had immunizations in 2011. Statewide, it’s at 86%.
191.4 — aggravated assault cases per 1,000 people, per year. Statewide, it’s 379.5.
12.7% — Flagler adults who engage in binge/heavy drinking.
17 — suicides in Flagler County in 2009.
83% — Flagler residents with health insurance, compared with 79% statewide.
93.5 — licensed physicians per 1,000 Flagler residents. State average is 300.6.
48% — Flagler residents who said the poor economy has “definitely” negatively impacted their health.
61% — residents who agree drug abuse is the top health concern in Flagler.
