- May 9, 2024
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The Palm Coast City Council recognized the city’s "Be Local, Buy Local" campaign and America Recycles Day via proclamations at the Nov. 5 business meeting.
"Be Local, Buy Local" promotes local businesses and the contributions they make to the community’s economy. Our community receives a portion of three different sales taxes collected when goods and services are purchased locally; last year, the amount of sales tax returned to the city amounted to $8.1 million. This money helps pay for projects such as the community center and Holland Park, as well as street improvements and sidewalks.
The Council proclaimed Nov. 15 to be America Recycles Day. The city recognizes the importance of protecting and preserving our natural resources and adopting conscientious habits that will improve our daily lives and bring about a cleaner, more sustainable environment. At the council meeting, a green recycling box was presented that is used to recycle tennis balls. In just a few months, the city has recycled 2,800 tennis balls that are used to make tennis court surfaces and footings for equestrian arenas.
Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Curtis J. Schalit is now a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, making him the only oral-maxillofacial surgery fellow in Volusia and Flagler. This distinction is bestowed upon surgeons dedicated to improving the care of their patients and safeguarding standards of care in an optimal and ethical practice environment, based on a rigorous evaluation.
“I am incredibly honored to receive this prestigious accreditation and to be recognized for the work being done to improve surgical standards here in Volusia and Flagler Counties,” said Schalit. “As the only fellow in the area, I am dedicated to continuing to making patient care the number one priority."
Dr. Schalit is part of the team at Florida Oral & Facial Surgical Associates, a practice with offices in Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach and Palm Coast.
The Tomoka Eye Foundation has donated ocular exam equipment valued at over $5,000 to the Jesus Clinic in Daytona Beach. The clinic received a slit lamp, phoropter and exam chair from the foundation.
“The doctors were using eye exam equipment from 1973, so we were very much in need of an update,” said Jesus Clinic Medical Director Dr. Bill Gilmer. “Tomoka Eye Foundation has been an incredible partner for us over the years and we are so grateful for their time, talent and generosity."
Dr. Joseph France, the founder of Tomoka Eye Associates, with offices in Ormond, Palm Coast and Port Orange, volunteered for over a decade at the clinic and paved the way for a majority of the young eye doctors over the past 14 years to volunteer.
“Our 15-year anniversary of opening the clinic is January 2020,” said Gilmer. “We couldn’t have served the community this long without the support of so many local doctors staffing the clinic, as well as volunteers such as physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners and non-medical volunteers that take care of all the administrative work."
The Jesus Clinic is located at 1630 Mason Ave. Unit A, Daytona Beach. They can be reached at 259-6359, or online at https://www.facebook.com/Jesusclinicofvolusiacounty/.
Waste Pro has promoted Heather Badger-Felmet to division manager of its location in Palm Coast.
Badger-Felmet, a graduate of Daytona State College, has been in the waste industry for a decade, joining Waste Pro in 2009 in the accounts receivable department. From there, she worked her way up to her most recent position as Office Administrator in Palm Coast.
“Heather has been quietly developing her leadership skills over the years with her willingness to learn and her ambition to provide excellent customer service,” said Northeast Florida Regional Vice President Brian Wintjen. “With that, she has gained competence and confidence and is ready for her next role with Waste Pro.”
In her new role, Badger-Felmet will be responsible for supervising dozens of employees who service more than 40,000 residential customers and more than 1,500 commercial customers in Palm Coast and Flagler County. In addition to her role at Waste Pro, Badger-Felmet has been a long-time volunteer for Palm Coast, serving as a youth soccer coach for the past 13 years.
Daytona State College has been granted approval to offer the Bachelor of Science in Accounting. The new program is scheduled to begin fall 2020 upon tentative accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
“DSC seeks to meet employers’ needs with high quality, accessible and affordable programs that link directly with jobs in our community,” said DSC Provost Amy Locklear. “This degree is a result of almost two years of research, community surveys and conversations with local businesses and higher education colleagues. Our research showed that the near future will bring more jobs than can be filled by current accounting graduates in our region.”
“This presents students in our service area an affordable option to acquire a highly specialized, well-paying skill – one that will set them on a career path that will be fulfilling and rewarding,” said Max Nagiel, chair of the School of Applied Business. “Data from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity projects 1,007 accounting job openings in our service area over the next eight years. The program offers us the opportunity to provide students with one more advanced educational options while helping our community fill an existing skills gap.”
