December 3 Motorcycle Run to benefit Children & Food Banks is organized by Rue & Ziffra

All Proceeds Help:
Children’s Home Society and Second Harvest Food Bank of Daytona (Central Florida)

Time:
Registration Begins at 10:00am
Kickstands Up at 10:45am

Starting Location:
The Law Firm of Rue & Ziffra’s Parking Lot
640 Dunlawton Ave in Port Orange

Cost:
$10 Cash Donations Accepted
OR Canned Goods/Dried Foods Accepted.

Route:
Scenic Ride in Volusia County
Ending at First Turn Steakhouse& Sports Lounge
5236 S. Ridgewood Ave in Port Orange
featuring:
LIVE BANDS ~ RAFFLES ~ FOOD ~ DRINKS ~ GIVEAWAYS/PRIZES

Contest: 
WIN $100 for Most Canned Food Pounds Safely Brought By Motorcycle.

Three Categories: 
Motorcycle, Trike and/or Side Car,& Bike Club.

For more information, Call: 386-788-7700 or visit online

Matanzas Woods Interchange Public Hearing in Palm Coast

Would you like a third I-95 Palm Coast exit?

Flagler County will hold a public hearing regarding plans to construct a new I-95 interchange at Matanzas Wood Parkway as well as to widen the Matanzas Woods Parkway to four lanes from U.S. 1 to Old Kings Road.

When: Tuesday, November 29 at 5 p.m.  

Where: Palm Coast Community Center,
305 Palm Coast Parkway N.E.  

The hearing will begin with an open house where residents can review project documents and discuss the project with staff; followed by a brief presentation at 5:45 p.m. and the final session during whih participants can provide comments.

Public comments can also be provided to a court reporter at any time during the meeting.

Written comments can be submitted to:

Mindy Heath
Public Involvement Coordinator,
315 East Robinson, Ste 400,
Orlando FL 32801
email: mindy.heath@hdrinc.com
fax: 407-420-4222

Comments will be accepted until December 9.

All comments will become part of the project public record.

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age sex, religion, disability or family status. People who require translation services, free of charge, should contact Mindy Heath at 407-420-4245 at least seven days prior to the hearing.

The Google+ Page: Setting One Up

As most know, Google+ launched a while ago.  There are a great deal of things I really like about the service.  I'm not saying I'm dropping Facebook.  I like that too, but Google+ adds some things and approaches things like connecting to others that "hammer out" a lot of the issues with user-interface and organizing of connections Facebook ran into as the user-base expanded.  For example, "Circles" and organizing through the use of "Circles" is one of the best features.  Then you have other great tie-ins like "Hangouts" for group video conferencing that even connects with Google Docs to share documents with others participants.  Jason John makes great points in how the service can effect search and others finding you in 3 Ways Google+ Will Affect Search which is significant for companies, brands, and organizations.  

Up until the other day, the service lacked the ability for organizations and brands to have their own “page” like Facebook Pages.  So the announcement was very welcome news.  I know I spent most of Monday night with one eye on a football game and the other on my laptop screen figuring this new aspect of the Google+ out.  I see huge possibilities for brands, local businesses, and organizations not only from external promotional social connection; but also to collaborate internally (especially if your organization uses Google Apps).  This is a big difference from Facebook which keep the two somewhat, if not very,  separate.  Let’s take a look first at the setup.  Then look for a follow up post on the uses and benefits for your company or organization as I see them.  Images will be the page I set up for an ebook I wrote, The Connected Church.  

** Before we get into the set up, it’s important to make a decision under which Google/Google Apps account you want this page associated with.  Currently, multiple users can not administer the page but that is supposedly coming as a feature.  Google Apps users now have the ability as well to participate onGoogle+ which was another change the other day.  So, for example, a Google Apps team may want to use a generic user account or a top-level "Admin" account.  Currently there is no ability to have multiple Administrators like Facebook Pages, but Google has said they are working to bring that feature.

Setting up your Google+ Page

1. While on your personal profile page look to the right-hand bar and scroll down to where you see“Create a Google Plus Page”

2.  You will be asked to give your page a name and set up your profile similar to how you set up your personal account.  Don’t worry about this too much, because you are able to change the name.  I personally would recommend using the same name you gave to a Facebook page if you have one and are looking to expand your exposure.  Remember, this is representing your organization so provide a nice ‘Introduction’ paragraph or two and all the relevant information.

Have some fun with the profile image and create a nice looking image.  The dimensions are 200 pixels by 200 pixels.  So similar to Facebook, you really do have enough room to create a image with your parish or organization information visible.

3.  Connect to others by sharing your page.  This part is different than the individual account.  You can not just begin following (aka adding to circles).  You’ll need to share your page out and gain “Followers” (yes, we’re ‘following’ and not ‘liking’).  So you’ll want to tell all of your personal Circles about the page.  You’ll notice you can “Share” your page publicly once it’s created.  The link to your page is "https://plus.google.com/the numbers at the end while on your stream or 'about' section" (i.e. https://plus.google.com/110758312259445948770).  So 'Share' the pages under your personal account out to all of your circles as well.  

Make sure you add the Google Plus Icon (right-click at the beginning of the article and save it to your computer) to your website and I recommend linking it to the link mentioned above.

Once you gain followers you can begin assigning them to Circles (and create custom Circles) as you would normally in a regular Google+ Profile.  You actually use the service very similar to you do as your regular profile.  When you are under your Page Profile you post things, comment, start hangouts, etc. just as normally would under your personal profile.

Look for the next article coming on how you can use this service as a great benefit for your parish, ministries, Diocese and related offices, etc.  There are a ton of great possibilities.

Here's a link to a real estate page we set up for my wife, Kathleen West, and PalmCoastHomeShow.com as well.

Click here to visit and follow PalmCoastHomeShow.com on Google+

Click here to follow me on Google+

What questions do you have?

3 Ways Google+ will affect search and your business

1. Making Google Smarter 
      As a result of Google+, Google will be able to improve its search engine results pages. This will happen because they are going to gather a tremendous amount of usage intelligence by getting a peak at the behavior of your social circle. Google+ will allow Google to understand trends and what people are interested faster than ever before.

2. More Relevance
      ...and better results:   Another benefit that Google+ brings to search is that results become much harder to cheat. Google will now be able to easily monitor who has a real profile and who is a spammer. By watching how they try to influence search results Google will have actionable intel and will be policing violators.

3. Changing How You Get Traffic 
      The +1 button which is like the share or tweet button appears in Google’s search results and can be embedded on other websites as well. It is worth noting that they are tied to a destination page address, just like shares or tweets are. I would like to point out that it’s important to be aware of every time you move a page or change the address of something, you’ll be resetting the +1 count for that page.


Like this article?  +1 it below!   :)

Jason Johnson, Chief Marlin, started Marlin Consulting Solutions -- a marketing consulting and search engine optimization firm -- in March 2009 focusing on the Flagler County area with a recent expansion to the Orlando market. With roots in the Caribbean and work experiences that took him to many different parts of the world, he is able to easily identify with people from all walks of life. He has worked as a CTO for a multi-billion dollar service organization in Costa Rica, owned a successful tour company in St. Maarten and held various positions with prestigious organizations including, among others, Chief of Automation for Korps Politie Nederlandse Antillen (the St. Maarten police and immigration departments), Lead Engineer Critical Systems for Global Services International and Director of Systems for the St. Maarten Lottery. He attended University of St Martin, St. Maarten Academy and Milton Peters College. He stands ready to help you “get hooked in to your success!”

What does David Letterman think about Palm Coast?

In case you missed this great segment where David Letterman and Paul Shaffer from the talk about Palm Coast, Flagler County, St. Augustine:

Flagler County Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Project

US Army Corps of Engineers in Jacksonville District published a brochure to inform citizens about the Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Project in Palm Coast and Flagler County.

The primary purpose of an hurricane and storm damage reduction (HSDR)  project is to reduce storm damage to the coastal infrastructure, including residential and commercial property and public facilities. The federal objective is to maximize National Economic Development benefits relative to cost.  While environmental quality and recreational benefits are also important, the Corps is required to plan for maximum storm damage reduction benefits.

Is there a specific objective for the Flagler County HSDR project?

Beach and dune erosion, both long-term and storm induced, is the greatest problem in the Flagler County area. Due to the unique beach sediments and proximity of A1A and existing coastal development, Flagler County’s dune system is experiencing a long-term erosion trend with little opportunity for natural recovery.  The establishment of a functional dune system will be key in meeting the study objectives to reduce damages to infrastructure and maintain environmental quality.   

How does an HSDR project begin?

A Corps civil works project begins when a local community  experiences a water resources problem beyond their ability  to solve, and Congress directs the Corps to investigate the identified problem.

Upon receiving the authority from Congress to study a potential project, the Corps begins by developing a Reconnaissance Report to specify and document existing conditions, problems and opportunities. This determines the federal interest in the project. 

The next step is a Feasibility Study, in which the Corps determines if a project is environmentally acceptable and economically justified. During the Feasibility Study, and as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) the Corps actively seeks input from all interested parties, to ensure that it has as much information as possible to use in developing and evaluating alternatives and selecting a recommended plan. 

Upon completion and approval of the Feasibility Study, the project must be authorized by Congress via a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill and funded through an Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act bill before the Corps may proceed to contract for project construction.      

At what stage of the process is the Flagler County HSDR project? 

The Corps is currently in the Feasibility Study phase, conducting scoping (soliciting input) activities and formulating potential alternative plans. 

How long does the process take?

In the case of Flagler County, the authority for conducting  the study was provided by Congress in May 2002. The  Reconnaissance Report, indicating a federal interest in  conducting a Feasibility Study (FS), was completed,and a cost-sharing agreement with Flagler County was executed in 2004. 

The Feasibility Study began in 2008. Subject to the availability of federal funding, the FS and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is scheduled to be completed by 2014. Upon completion and approval of the FS, the project must be authorized by Congress and funds must be appropriated. 

How much will the Feasibility Study and EIS cost?

To date, approximately $1.5 million has been spent. It is expected that the total cost of the completed Feasibility Study and EIS will be $3.5 million. 

Why does the process take so long?

In accordance with NEPA and Corps policy, the Corps follows a very thorough, methodical process to ensure that the potential federal project is environmentally acceptable and economically justified. Further, the Corps is unable to move a project forward without appropriate authority and associated federal and non-federal funding. 

What kinds of alternatives do you consider for HSDR projects?

The Corps considers both non-structural and structural measures. Non-structural measures may include implementing a coastal construction control line and/or a moratorium on construction, buy-out/relocation and/or flood-proofing of structures, or no action at all. Structural measures may include seawalls, revetments, sand-covered soft structures, beach nourishment, groins, submerged artificial reef, and dunes and vegetation.  

What are the topics for which you seek public input during the scoping phase?

The Corps is seeking public input on environmental, engineering and economic concerns, cultural resources, study objectives and features; as well as suggested alternatives, scientific data collection and study improvements. 

How can interested parties participate in the process?

Written comments will be accepted by mail to: 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Jacksonville District
ATTN: Kathleen McConnell (CESAJ-PD-EC)
701 San Marco Boulevard
Jacksonville, FL 32207 

Or e-mail to:
Flagler.HSDRComments@usace.army.mil.  

The public will also be invited to participate in workshops  and public meetings at appropriate times throughout the process, where verbal and written comments will be accepted and considered.  

Download the brochure here (PDF).

Flagler County Property Taxes vs. the rest of Florida

Are your property taxes higher in Flagler County than homeowners in other parts of Florida? A new list from Florida Tax Watch reveals how much residents pay in property taxes in each of  Florida's 67 counties.

Monroe County (which includes the Florida Keys) tops the list. Homeowners there paid an average $2,800 tax bill in 2010. The lowest property tax average in the state was in Union County, at just $291.

Here is where Flagler County ranks based on two dimensions:

  1) Total Per Capita Property Tax (#15 in the state),
  2) Tax Levies per $1,000 of Personal Income (#8 in the state)

In both cases Flagler County is also higher than the state average:

Based on the entire-state-averages, School Districts also make up the largest portion of the property taxes.  With nearly 44% of all the property tax amounts going to School Districts, 26% to the County, and 13% to the City you live in:

In the case of Per Capita School District Tax Levies, Flagler County also ranked #15 in 2010, with $707.71 (5 ranks more expensive than the State average which was $594.51).

The comprehensive study was prepared by Florida TaxWatch which is a private, non-profit, non-partisan research institute that consider itself the watchdog of citizens′ hard-earned tax dollars.  You can download the entire publication here.