Bakery rolls past Flagler

Enterprise Flagler Executive Director Greg Rawls suggests that a recent, failed try at attracting a bakery is evidence that voters should pass the referendum.

by Andrew O'Brien | Staff Writer

King's Hawaiian bakes a lot of dinner rolls. So many rolls, in fact, that the California-based company accounts for more than half of dinner-roll sales in the U.S. The company recently signed a deal to locate a bakery and distribution operation in Gainesville, Ga. The project is estimated to create 226 jobs within five years.

What does this have to do with Flagler County?

According to Peter Anderson, vice president of Patillo Industrial Real Estate -- North Florida's largest owner of industrial property -- Gainesville, Ga., is similar to Flagler County, except in one respect: The Atlanta suburb had a 111,000-square-foot shell building waiting for a company to inhabit. Flagler County didn't.

Enterprise Flagler Executive Director Greg Rawls said he got the lead on this project about eight months ago, but because the county is lacking industrial facilities, the company decided to take its bakery -- and all 226 jobs -- 450 miles north.

"Our biggest building is a church, and our second-biggest is the School Board transportation building," Rawls said.

Rawls' motivation for pointing out the failed attempt to attract the company is clear: He wants to convince the residents of the county to vote on the economic referendum Nov. 2. The referendum asks voters to raise property taxes by .25 mills for the next 10 years. The funds would be dedicated to erecting speculative buildings and otherwise promoting job growth in the county. Enterprise Flagler, which could play an advisory role to Flagler County in the process, has been criticized for not being more specific in its plans, despite the unveiling of a new county webiste: www.flaglersnewgameplan.com. 

Anderson was brought in on a personal level, not as a consultant, and he said he didn't conduct any studies to confirm his impressions. But he said his company has been in the business of building Class-A industrial parks and facilities for the last 60 years, and he thinks Flagler has a lot to offer, including proximity to Interstate 95, a high quality of life and high-end housing for executives. Those factors, he said, make Flagler a candidate for national and international industrial companies. The missing piece is the top-notch industrial site.

Anderson said as a private developer in Jacksonville, he's generally opposed to governments getting involved in speculative development. But in Jacksonville, companies can choose from 10 million square feet of available industrial space. Not so in rural counties.

"In rural counties ... sometimes the government has to step in, and you hope that they'll be looking to step out as quickly as you can, too, once they prime the pump," he said.

According to Rawls, ITT built the most recent industrial park in the county -- in the 1980s. He said, "The private sector cannot deliver to get the modern facility that this county needs."

Anderson said he found the economic development referendum intriguing. He said that in the end, residents will have to decide whether they want Class-A industrial sites in their community at all. 

Contact Andrew O'Brien at andrew@palmcoastobserver.com. 

K-9 takes down two criminals

what can Blu’ do for you? by Andrew O’Brien | Staff Writer

K-9 takes down two criminals

Six K-9 units plan an integral role in the operations of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

Blu’ has been eating a lot lately, but not just his dog food. 

The 2-year-old Belgian Malinois is the four-legged better half of the K-9 unit with Dep. Jon Welker of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Blu’ also was the paws behind apprehending two criminals over the weekend.

Both burglaries took place along the Belle Terre Parkway corridor, and in both instances, the two suspects were treated for bite wounds at Florida Hospital Flagler.

The first incident took place around 8:30 a.m., Friday, Aug. 27. Blu’ and Welker brought down Jeremiah Harris, 20, of Bunnell, who was charged with two counts of burglary, two counts of resisting arrest with violence and grand theft in relation to the burglary at 149 Rae Drive.

The incident began when the residential alarm went off at the home. Deputies responded and waited for the occupant to return home.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Laura Kruger was heading home when she spotted a male walking along Rymfire Drive — the  same male she saw when she left for work earlier that morning. The male, later identified as Harris, was carrying a laptop similar to the one that was missing from Kruger's home.

Meanwhile, another deputy saw a suspect who was walking southbound on the Rymfire Drive sidewalk. The suspect matched the description provided by Kruger.

That’s where Welker and Blu’ got involved.

Welker and his K-9 tracked Harris to 1 Reynolds Place, where Welker noticed muddy handprints on the porch screens. That led Welker behind the home to investigate the canal, where Harris was finally located.

Harris was transported to the Flagler County Inmate Facility without further incident. The pursuit took nearly two hours and also caused Rymfire Elementary School to go on lockdown for about 35 minutes.

Paula St. Francis, principal of RES, said it’s mandatory the school practices lockdowns at least twice a year and said Friday’s lockdown went smoothly.

Pine Grove pursuit

The weekend wasn't over for Welker and Blu’. The team apprehended Markis Flourney, 18, of Daytona Beach, Sunday, Aug. 29. Flourney is being charged with armed burglary to an unoccupied dwelling, grand theft and resisting arrest. He, too, was transported to the Flagler County Inmate Facility. Additionally, there was a second suspect involved, who, as recent as the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 1, is still at large.

Deputies responded around 10:15 a.m. to Pine Grove Drive based on a report of two males kicking in the front door of an unoccupied home. Witnesses said one of the men had a gun.

The two men fled in a vehicle after deputies arrived. The getaway car crashed shortly after on Belle Terre Parkway, and the suspects ran in opposite directions.

Flagler County’s FireFlight and Volusia Air One helicopters searched from the air, while Welker and Blu’ nabbed Flourney.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office at 313-4911.

At work and home

For Welker and Blu’, these were just two days on the job. He said Blu’ has been deployed on more than 70 narcotic or patrol-related searches, but he’s more than a sheriff’s canine. Welker says being a canine handler is the most rewarding position he has held in his law enforcement career.

“While at work, I can perform my duties with the confidence of having a dedicated partner by my side, who will, without hesitation, sacrifice himself to protect me," he said. “At home, I’m fortunate enough to have Blu’ as an additional member in my family. He takes the role of a loving family pet to my children while maintaining his role as my best friend and partner.”