Hi, kids!

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Asshole           Volusia County School Board

Given the cascade of controversies that have recently befallen Volusia County District Schools, it was my fervent hope that our beleaguered school board would find their equilibrium, perhaps privately impress upon Superintendent Carmen Balgobin the importance of transparency, accountability, and stability to restoring trust.      

That didn’t happen…   

Frankly, when it comes to the machinations of our elected officials – and the near constant flubs, botches, fumbles, and bumbles of Balgobin and her well-paid senior coterie – I’m as bored opining on these variations on the same dreadful theme each week as you must be suffering through them…  

In all sincerity, like many standing on the sidelines watching this horrific trainwreck playout in excruciating detail, it was my wish that our elected representatives would find the collective vision to see what must be done – then take decisive action to right the ship – especially now that the education of anxious students and the livelihoods of hundreds of dedicated educators lies in the balance. 

Now, this terrible quagmire is ebbing from bad to worse…  

The foundational principle of leadership is the moral courage to accept responsibility for mistakes and oversights, especially during times of chaos and adversity, because deflection, projection, and spreading of blame by senior administrators compounds the turmoil and further erodes the public’s faith in the organization. 

In my view, what happened this week in the cloistered Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand was inexcusable – and something that should result in the immediate resignation of Superintendent Balgobin and her clown troupe of a “cabinet” (whose foci will now turn to career preservation) – if not the entire Volusia County School Board, en masse – because a leadership vacuum would be more stabilizing than allowing this malignancy to destroy the very heart of Volusia County Schools…

In recent weeks, Volusia County taxpayers, students, teachers, and staff learned (by email) that despite the repeated concerns of our elected representatives – Superintendent Balgobin inexplicably continued to use finite federal emergency relief funds for recurring personnel expenses.    

As that revenue source draws to a close in September, an estimated 284 teachers are being “displaced,” popular electives eliminated, and core subjects diluted amidst growing fears of overcrowded classrooms next year. 

Now, in keeping with the worst traditions of what passes for governance in Volusia County (which has a terrible history of tolerating toxicity until it’s too late) the finger pointing and obfuscation begins at all levels…  

In a disturbing exposé by reporter Mary Ellen Ritter writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week, we returned to the marque dysfunction that marks the Balgobin administration as her attempts to deflect blame by claiming she “inherited” this predictable fiscal crisis were called out as “misrepresentations” by former Superintendent Scott Fritz – who was terminated with extreme prejudice by the School Board following a mysterious internal contretemps in 2022. 

According to the report, “At a school board workshop in May 2022, (former Chief Financial Officer) Snead presented a budget update in which she stated that the district was using emergency funding for permanent positions. She predicted that if the district was unable to locate additional revenue sources or make expenditure reductions in fiscal year 2025, it would have a negative financial condition ratio in fiscal year 2026.

“It really wasn’t an inherited issue. It was something that they’ve done since (Fritz’s term) to not stay the course,” Fritz said. “When the former CFO told them that if you did these things, you would be $53.3 million in deficit, she laid it out. This was over two years ago. She laid it out for them and told them that this was going to happen.”

Balgobin was not employed by the district when the 2022 workshop took place. She left her position as deputy superintendent of Volusia County Schools in March 2022 for a position in Broward County before returning as Volusia’s superintendent in July 2022. However, current board members Jamie Haynes, Anita Burnette, Carl Persis and Ruben Colón were in attendance.”

Perhaps equally disturbing, rather than demonstrate the strong leadership necessary during uncertain times, School Board Chair Jamie Haynes chose not to respond to the News-Journal’s telephone call, instead issuing this grammatical nightmare:

“My position on the use of non-reoccurring (sic) dollars has been consistently stated each and every time the issue has come up. I did not support the use of any non-reoccurring (sic) funds for ANY (sic) permanent positions.”

Perhaps more troubling, board members Anita Burnette and Carl Persis couldn’t be bothered to respond to the News-Journal’s inquiry in any form…   

In Chairwoman Haynes defense, last week, a snippet of a June 2023 board meeting emerged in which she clearly directed Superintendent Balgobin to look at all positions that are not required or mandated by state edict – then make the tough decisions to ensure that every student has a teacher in their classroom – even if that means hacking the thick rind of fat at the top.  

Instead, teachers are now being “displaced” and important programs clumsily axed as part of Balgobin’s ham-handed and ill-defined “plan” – one that still hasn’t congealed just five months from the day the well runs dry… 

My God.

The district’s shambolic ‘cur chasing its tail’ tactic took a more ominous turn when Superintendent Balgobin again deflected responsibility – this time spinelessly shunting the “people” question (i.e., living/breathing teachers, paraprofessionals, and staff) to the district’s clueless Chief Financial Officer:

“When The News-Journal contacted Balgobin directly, she said that she did not want to “go back and forth on people,” and deferred to Todd Seis, the district’s current CFO.

According to Seis, “Balgobin stated it correctly” at the April 9 board meeting when she said the current administration “inherited” this financial issue.

“The problem is that there’s no other funding source that you can identify with over $46 million worth of people sitting in your ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds that are recurring and need to come back to the general (fund),” Seis said. “We inherited this issue that Lisa Snead identified… This current administration is taking care of and identifying and resolving, so we can move forward as a district so we can make sure that we continue to operate with a balanced budget.”

Danielle Johnson, Volusia’s director of community information, said later that Seis was likely speaking generally when providing estimates. She confirmed that a more a “more precise” figure falls slightly under $45.7 million.”

Call me a skeptic, but it is increasingly apparent that neither Superintendent Balgobin nor her senior bean counters have any identifiable plan in place – beyond kicking the problem down the hill to hapless principals and ordering them to “deal with it.” 

In my experience, when it comes to errors and omissions, most people can forgive what they see themselves doing.  I don’t believe anyone who manages a household budget could fathom using a short-term windfall for recurring expenses – a fiscal recipe for disaster.

This is the antithesis of stability and transparency – and nervous stakeholders deserve answers. 

In my view, the need for the school board to protect their constituents from Balgobin’s blunders is now undeniable. 

Angel               Ormond Beach City Commission

I took some time off last week, and upon my return to Florida, I instinctively knew I was home by the noxious brown cloud of dirt billowing across I-95 from a massive land clearing operation near the unsightly U.S-1 overpass – the dusty result of heavy equipment churning more, more, more greenspace into a barren moonscape to make way for yet another “Active Lifestyle Community” in Ormond Beach.  

Gross.

As a lifelong resident, I’ve learned to take small victories where I can find them, and last week the Ormond Beach City Commission did something it rarely does and stood tall in the face of saber-rattling from an out-of-town land-use attorney.

Instead of tucking tail and nervously piddling in their expensive pants, the elected officials demonstrated real courage and issued a resounding thumbs down to a controversial rezoning request that would have seen hundreds of cracker boxes shoehorned onto the former Tomoka Oaks golf course.   

For the past few years, residents – galvanized by the threat of overdevelopment in this historic neighborhood – have fought valiantly to preserve the unique qualities of Tomoka Oaks – while the developers, who clearly have different equities, hammered away at Ormond Beach officials as they sought to construct a community within a community on the former golf course. 

In the view of many, the development is wholly inappropriate for the area, representing a drastic increase in density that will change the unique character of the neighborhood, result in thousands of additional vehicle trips on area roads, more overcrowding, and a diminished quality of life for surrounding residents in The Trails, Escondido, and beyond.

Normally, “growth at all costs” is a foregone conclusion in Halifax area commission chambers where the rubber stamp seems to edge out smart growth initiatives every time. But sometimes those we elect and appoint to make the complex decisions that affect our lives and livelihoods get it right.

In January, the Ormond Beach Planning Board voted unanimously to recommend denial of a request by the developers of Tomoka Reserve, d/b/a Triumph Oaks of Ormond Beach, to rezone the former golf course to R-2 “single family low density” after the parcel’s previous Planned Residential Development designation expired.

Under the R-2 zoning – which was wielded like a cudgel by the developers and referred to as the “Nuclear Option” by concerned residents – Triumph Oaks would have been permitted to cram hundreds of homes in the Tomoka Oaks “doughnut hole” with substantially reduced buffers. 

To their credit, when the chips were down, the Ormond Beach City Commission did the right thing – for the right reason – and stood firm to the city’s commitment to limit the adverse impacts of increased density on area residents. 

In response, the developer’s Ponte Vedra based attorney, Karl Sanders, openly threatened that the City Commission’s denial could result in a crippling lawsuit.

According to a report by News-Journal business editor Clayton Park, “You’ve got a $40 million damages claim waiting out there,” Sanders told the City Commissioners before the vote. “No one wants to do that which is why I am imploring you to follow what the law requires and give these property owners the property rights they’re entitled to.”

Whoa.

The Bert J. Harris, Jr., Private Property Rights Protection Act is the weapon of mass destruction used by land-use attorneys – the ominous threat of a massive lawsuit when landowners feel a government action, even when taken in the public interest, “devalues the highest and best use” of their property – and I am quite certain the City of Ormond Beach does not wish to be Mr. Sanders’ pour encourager les autres…

That’s why I hope the spirit of negotiation is still alive.

Throughout this protracted process, the residents of Tomoka Oaks and surrounding neighborhoods have sought reasonable concessions that would reduce density, increase environmental buffers, and alleviate traffic concerns – or see the golf course returned to its intended use or converted to much needed greenspace.

Now, one would hope that if the developers of Tomoka Reserve genuinely care about protecting the character of the existing neighborhood (while realizing the profit they are entitled to) they will return to the bargaining table and seek, as City Commissioner Harold Briley suggests, a “magic number” – a compromise that hundreds of existing residents can live with. 

I like Commissioner Briley and consider him a friend, but as an accomplished realtor/elected representative, he is often caught between a rock and his professions bread-and-butter. 

But he makes a valid point.

In my view, continued negotiation and concession should prevail as both sides work toward a mutually agreeable solution – free from the legal threats, bullying, and coercion that is destroying the unique character of communities across the width and breadth of Florida.   

Angel               Community Activist Steve Koenig  

Earlier this month our community lost the great Steve Koenig – a true gentleman and fierce warrior for all that is right and just – a staunch and unrivaled advocate for preserving our quality of life here on Florida’s “Fun Coast.”

I first met Steve when he served as a frequent contributor to the late Big John’s radio forum “GovStuff Live!” 

Like anyone who had the pleasure of interacting with Steve, I was incredibly impressed with his sharp intellect, broad knowledge of regional issues and the personalities who practice politics in these parts, and his innate ability to build consensus among diverse opinions through the always courteous debate of ideas. 

Most of all, I admired Steve’s inherent kindness. 

By his personal example, Steve Koenig kept alive the lost art of civil discourse, furthering the robust, but respectful, debate of the challenges we collectively face while remaining friends and neighbors.    

During our friendship, Steve was always exceedingly gracious to me and wonderfully supportive of this blogsite, and he gave me the opportunity to speak before The Bellaire Community Group and participate in various moderated discussions of pertinent local issues.   

He didn’t have to do that – and I have always been grateful that Steve thought to include me…

Along with his loving wife Nancy, Steve served the Halifax area and beyond in many important ways – not the least of which was his 17-year stewardship of The Bellaire Community Group – the largest neighborhood organization in Daytona Beach committed to protecting and enhancing the beachside lifestyle.  

In 2003, Steve and Nancy formed Koenig Realty, and he frequently spoke of the pride he felt in his remarkable service to others – and the ethics, standards, and reputation he championed for his beloved profession. 

In addition to his community involvement, Steve’s leadership included service as president of the Daytona Beach Board of Realtors and district vice president for Florida Realtors, as well as many board appointments and volunteer positions both locally and at the state level.

Steve Koenig leaves behind a loving family and a trove of devoted friends and colleagues to cherish his memory – and his admirable legacy of service above self. 

Thank you, Steve. Godspeed.

Your important contributions to our community will be sorely missed…

Quote of the Week

“Volusia County School Board member Jessie Thompson asked the board to pay her $459 dues to the Florida Conservative Coalition of School Board Members, a group she heads that’s based out of her home.

Thompson is the president of the organization, which calls itself “nonpartisan” but is only open to “conservative school board members,” according to its website.

At its Tuesday meeting, board member Ruben Colón made a motion to deny the request. Carl Persis seconded the motion, which passed 4-1 with Thompson opposed.”

–Reporter Mary Ellen Ritter, as excerpted from her article “Volusia School Board member wants taxpayers to fund dues to conservative group she heads,” The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Monday, April 15, 2024

Look, I don’t care where you “identify” on todays convoluted political spectrum – those divisive self-affixed sobriquets that now bear no semblance to traditional “conservative” or “liberal” values – no longer used to describe one’s political ideology or affiliation, but rather a slur, always coupled with “idiot,” “nutjob,” “wingnut,” or worse when hurled at the “opposition.”  

For instance, the (wink-wink) “non-partisan” Volusia County Council is presently comprised of seven self-described “Republicans” who are currently ramrodding a $10+ million allocation of taxpayer dollars for a motocross track – pissing away precious public resources while their constituents face serious budgetary shortfalls…

Does that bear any similarity to the “fiscally conservative values” they claim to hold dear each campaign cycle?    

Trust me – most of these insufferable jacklegs the local cognoscenti hand-select for public office don’t have a clue what true conservatism means – more focused on the care and feeding of the bloated bureaucracy they now exist to serve – rather than the needs of their tax strapped constituents who are expected to pay the bills in silent subservience… 

In my jaded view, those venerated concepts which once differentiated our two-party system – when “republicans” believed in limited government, a strong defense, conservative spending, and our sacrosanct individual liberties – while “democrats” took a more liberal view of social issues and community accountability, progressive economic policies, and increased government control and regulation – have now mutated into a weird “Red v. Blue” polarization – political extremism marked by a hundred different philosophies all massed on the ragged margins of both parties leaving no room for compromise or collegiality.    

Just one man’s view – your opinion most assuredly will differ… 

But what has Barker the Bitcher’s knickers in a twist this week is Volusia County School Board member Jessie Thompson’s brazen attempt to stick taxpayers with a $459 bill for her annual dues in some cobbled together club called the Florida Conservative Coalition of School Board Members – a homegrown (literally) partisan group whose invoice just happens to contain Thompson’s home address and telephone number… 

You read that right.

In Ms. Ritter’s article, we learned that before the school board’s vote on the item, “Thompson said if the board didn’t support her dues, she would opt out of her FSBA (Florida School Board Association) funding for funding that will cover her coalition dues.”

“In comparing the two organizations, Thompson said, “It is not in competition with FSBA, but it is running parallel, and it is providing networking education to school board members around the state, some that have opted out of FSBA (and) some that are still part of FSBA. It comes at a substantial less cost, so that’s been a reason for some, but others didn’t agree with certain things taught at FSBA.”

Parallel? 

Not even close…

I encourage Volusia County taxpayers to compare the websites of both organizations (www.fsba.org and www.conservetheboard.com) and determine which provides our elected board members training, resources, and advocacy – regardless of political affiliation or ideology – and which appears to be Thompson’s cockamamie cottage industry?

More important, how does any of this “separate but parallel” exclusiveness improve our children’s education, foster communication, build bridges, promote mutual understanding, seek solutions to common issues, or help recover from the gross maladministration Ms. Thompson and her colleagues on the dais continue to permit at Volusia County schools? 

I’m asking.  Because seeking public funds for private interests is typically frowned upon by those who pay the bills…

I realize Ms. Thompson bills herself as a stand-up comedian – but this sick joke isn’t funny.

In fact, I find her request particularly inappropriate when hundreds of Volusia County teachers are worrying about their future – while students and parents make impassioned pleas to preserve educational opportunities – amidst the school board’s unmitigated failure to ensure Superintendent Carmen Balgobin had a strategic plan for the anticipated loss of $200 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds.

I could care less which way Ms. Thompson leans politically.  In fact, I would still feel robbed if she sought tax dollars for membership in the Lunatic Fringe Chapter of the Florida Progressive Moon-Bat Federation (I’m sure one exists…)

In my view, asking taxpayers to foot the bill for her admission to an echo-chamber operated from her own home amid a raging budgetary crisis affecting the lives of real people is not only poor optics – it reeks of something more sinister…

And Another Thing!

“A fool and his money are soon parted.”

–Thomas Tusser, 1573

Sadly, the same is true of Florida taxpayers…

Earlier this week, I chuckled to myself when reporter Mark Harper asked the rhetorical question in The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

“How did ERAU’s $1.5 million state budget request turn into $26 million?”

You get three guesses and the first two don’t count…

In Mr. Harper’s disturbing revelation, we learned that a $1.5 million ask by Rep. Chase Tramont of Port Orange and Sen. Travis Hutson of St. Augustine for a “Technology Focused Ecosystem at the (ERAU) Research Park,” magically morphed into a $26 million grab – ostensibly to fund research activities by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of Central Florida. 

Say what?

I found it interesting that Tramont and Hutson now seem just as baffled by this remarkable mutation as the rest of us. 

In an “Aw shucks, I dunno” dodge, “Neither Tramont nor Hutson said they had more information about the changed budget amount, saying that the change occurred after their role in the process.”

“The Legislature’s public information office has yet to respond to a request for any documentation of the new budget amount, and the University of Central Florida − originally contacted for comment on Friday − has yet to respond.”

Weird, eh? 

Fortunately, the incredibly powerful House appropriations chair Rep. Tom Leek of Ormond Beach shed light on the multi-million-dollar mystery when he reported, “It was very simple for me,” Leek said in a text message. “There was an opportunity to bring high tech, high paying, clean energy jobs to Volusia County, and a remarkable partnership between UCF Daytona and ERAU. I was happy to make it a reality.”

Now I’m really confused…

Our state allocation process now consists of individual committee chairs unbuckling the public purse and taking out what they need whenever an “opportunity” presents?    

God help us…

Regardless, please add the names of every taxpayer in the Sunshine State to that “remarkable partnership” between ERAU and UCF.

According to the News-Journal report, Rodney Cruise, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Embry-Riddle, gushed over the chance for the new ERAU/UCF mind meld to pursue “bleeding edge” research of “hypersonic technology” for defense, aviation, and aerospace applications. 

That’s a great thing – a much needed national capability as we seek to keep pace with our increasingly aggressive adversaries.

But I’m curious why these universities – UCF, a public research university with a published endowment of $215 million – and Embry-Riddle, a private institution with an estimated endowment of $241 million – cannot fund their own for-profit research activities?

According to the News-Journal, “…the Congressional Research Service states that the Pentagon significantly boosted its request for funding of hypersonic research, from $3.8 billion in 2022 to $4.7 billion the following year.” 

So, why are state officials digging $26 million deep into our threadbare pockets for something the federal government is already funding – at a private, for-profit university with ample endowments?   

More important, where does it end?

Although Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to sign the budget – and has the authority to veto the item altogether – I would be incredibly surprised if that happened. 

My educated guess says that our High Panjandrum of Political Power, Mori Hosseini, who happens to be King for Life of ERAU’s board of trustees, is the master magician behind the multiplying money sleight-of-hand in Tallahassee…

I could be wrong – but as history repeatedly proves – what Mori wants, Mori gets – and how that happens in the Hallowed Halls of Power in Tallahassee is no concern of yours, rube.

Keep moving, nothing to see here, folks…

In another odd development that defies all logic and reason (and sound fiscal policy), this week Volusia County officials hosted a Q&A with residents concerned about the proposed use of $10+ million in taxpayer funds to underwrite a motocross track for Councilman Don Dempsey. 

According to WKMG’s Molly Reed, during a recent meeting Councilman Dempsey pouted, “We have several softball fields, baseball fields, soccer fields, we have now pickleball courts and the county keeps kicking in millions for that,” said County Councilman Don Dempsey.”

“There’s not one single place in this county where a parent or grandparent can bring a child to go ride dirt bikes,” he said.”

(Note to Councilman Dempsey:  The obvious difference being, those are recreational activities available to the masses – popular pursuits for those strapped Volusia County residents and retirees who don’t have thousands of dollars to purchase specialty motorcycles, personal protective equipment, trailers, RV’s, trucks, etc. – or possess the exceptional physical abilities required to participate at any level.)

Whatever.

According to WKMG, the tracks exorbitant public price tag isn’t the only thing concerning some Volusia County residents as officials narrow their sights on 65-acres of public property off Tomoka Farms Road near Port Orange: 

“The sound of buzzing motors, though, is not appealing for some near this potential site.

“We moved out to the country to be isolated, not have a track right on top of us now,” said Michael Glasnak.

Glasnak, who owns a home and business near the site, said he worries about the sound and traffic.

“They’re putting it on a curve, that is a dangerous curve. The entrance is going to be right behind our houses. They’re going to have to light that up,” he said.”

In my view, it is high time these self-described “pro-business fiscal conservatives” who occupy the Volusia County Council get the hell out of the marketplace (and our pockets) and allow the competition of free enterprise and entrepreneurship to flourish. 

While we are told there are still plenty of humps, bumps, and whoop-de-doos to work out, our stewards of the public trust in DeLand – without any plan for how to pay for this nice-to-have – have already authorized a study by a private consultant, and public meetings are quickly underway to sell Dempsey’s Folly to wary Volusia County taxpayers.

Full throttle, wide open, damn the risks – or the cost…

Never mind the fact Volusia County residents were recently shocked to learn our stormwater fund is hemorrhaging money – something that will ultimately effect everyone living or doing business in Volusia County – as widespread flooding from irresponsible overdevelopment begins to inundate a neighborhood near you.

Unfortunately, catastrophic flooding could be the least of our concerns in Volusia County when you consider:

Transportation infrastructure.

The most dangerous roadways in the nation.

A county operating budget now exceeding $1.1 Billion.

Water quality.

Affordable housing.

Beach management and erosion control.

How about SunRails proposed multi-billion-dollar expansion to OIA and Disney? 

Screw it.  Donnie “Braaap-Braaap” Dempsey want’s a new play toy… 

In my jaded view, each budget/election cycle – at all levels of government – we continue to see the pernicious influence of powerful special interests, cronyism, corporate welfare, and those who benefit from their bought-and-paid-for suckling position at the public teat, always at the expense (and detriment) of overstressed taxpayers.

Then, when We, The Little People seek answers to puzzling questions – like how a $1.5 million request somehow transformed into a $26 million publicly funded windfall for Mr. Hosseini’s private fiefdom at his Harvard of the Sky – taxpayers are treated like mushrooms by those we elect to represent our interests – kept in the dark and fed bullshit.   

That’s all for me.  Have a great final weekend of Jeep Beach 2024, y’all!

Hi, kids!

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

(Barker’s View is publishing this edition of Angels & Assholes a day early this week as your intrepid scribe departs for opening day of Spring turkey season in Northern Virginia this weekend.  Please don’t fret for the safety of those big Old Dominion tom’s – the only Wild Turkey I’m likely to see is in my après hunt whiskey glass – and that’s okay by me.  I enjoy the tradition, spending time in the woods, and the companionship of great friends.  Thanks for your understanding.  A&A will return later this month.) 

Asshole           Volusia County Council

Something interesting happened last week at the Volusia County Council meeting, one of those rare moments of enlightenment when We, The Little People get a glimpse of how our decision-makers think, reason, and rationalize.

What we witnessed should send a shudder through everyone who lives and pays taxes here on the “Fun Coast.”

I find it amazing that when faced with a crisis, those chameleons on the dais of power have the fantastic ability to transmogrify into something completely different – a lycanthropic shapeshift that has elected officials who previously refused to even acknowledge the possibility that explosive growth and the resultant change in topography and hydrology of the land has contributed to widespread flooding – now present themselves as idealistic environmentalists who share our fear as a means of driving the revenue increase they hope will alleviate the threat.

Bullshit.

It is this théâtre de l’absurde that I find so fascinating about local politics and governance – that well-choreographed kabuki where everyone plays their designated role – alternately telling us what they think we want to hear while subliminally setting the stage for “what comes next.”   

Since day one of his tumultuous term, Chairman Jeff Brower has been openly and repeatedly gaslighted by his “colleagues” – castigated, marginalized, painted as an irresponsible and ineffective dirt-worshiping buffoon – for having the courage to speak out on the environmental issues that most Volusia County residents see as important to our future. 

Not the least of which is the disastrous problem of stormwater showing up in Volusia County homes and businesses every time we have a rain event – while their new neighbors in recently built subdivisions sit high-and-dry atop a fresh mound of fill dirt… 

Floodwater is one of those things that won’t be ignored. 

It can’t be swept under the rug, camouflaged as something it is not, or, given its recurring nature, explained away as another “once in a lifetime” event.  Stormwater is intrusive, it moves and flows with the simplicity of gravity then stands its ground, and when the natural processes that allow rain to make its way back to the aquifer are blocked by impermeable surfaces and quickly overwhelm retention systems, the foul water, polluted by chemicals and nutrients, flows into rivers, estuaries, and watersheds.       

Unlike cowardly past councils – kicking the stormwater can down the dusty political trail is no longer an option in 2024 – nor is dismissing flooding as a historically common occurrence (it isn’t).  Now it is glaringly evident that our ‘powers that be’ have painted themselves into a tight corner, caught without a plan, or the money to effectively address the problem if they did. 

Expenditures in Volusia County’s stormwater utility are estimated to be 114% over the programs operating revenue in 2026-2027 – something alternately explained as increases in personnel costs and an insane operational reliance on federal coronavirus funds. 

Wow.                          

Look, I’m not a budget analyst, but that doesn’t sound sustainable (or responsible) to me…

In an informative article by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer last week, we got a peek at the weird mental gymnastics on the dais, such as when Councilman Jake Johansson metamorphosed into a hand-wringing tree-hugger – openly acknowledging sea level rise, climate change, density, and development-induced flooding – right before our eyes – then dumbed it down to terms us uneducated bumpkins could understand:

“Councilman Jake Johansson said the most common complaint he hears from residents, other than taxes, is flooding. He was supportive of a “stair step approach” to increase the program’s level of service.

“I think people will give up a six-pack or three of beer a month to help put a dent in the flooding issues that we’re seeing, regardless of the reason — sea level rise, climate change, development,” Johansson said. “It’s all probably coming anyhow, right? We have a flood of water. We have a flood of sea level rise and we have a flood of people coming. We have to balance all those.”

It turn, Councilman Troy Kent rightfully called out the spinelessness of previous iterations of the Volusia County Council:

“Fee increases tend to hurt the most needy, said County Councilman Troy Kent, who voted against the increase.

“That doesn’t escape me when we’re making heavy decisions like this,” Kent said. “But it also doesn’t escape me that prior elected bodies will sometimes go years or decades without making small incremental increases, and then you’re hit with, ‘Hey we’re in a crisis situation and we’re going to increase everybody’s rate to an astronomical number.’ That doesn’t feel good.”

According to the Observer’s report:

“Councilman David Santiago, who voted against an increase to $7.50, thought $8 was too small of an increase to address issues, but that it was a start.

“Let’s tell Volusia that we’re serious about flooding and it costs money to do the projects,” Santiago said.

Councilman Danny Robins brought up a sales tax as another funding mechanism. Santiago asked if he was suggested exploring a referendum for a stormwater sales tax.

“Is it better for our visitors to pay for a portion of it to alleviate this, instead of putting 100% of the burden on our residents?” Robin (sic) said.

Santiago said he was open to the conversation.

“If we go there, it has to be very narrowly defined because of the failures in the past to do things like that,” Santiago said.”

In response to my views on the issue in last week’s A&A, Councilman Robins responded in an open post on Facebook’s popular local political forum “Volusia Issues”:

“Nothing for nothing, I never said I supported a sales tax, I actually denounced it 2x, once in that agenda item and once when John Nickleson came up to speak promoting it.

I made the argument what is the difference between this increased stormwater tax and a sales tax targeting stormwater and infrastructure projects? This was Political Tomato / Tomaato in my opinion. Neither one keeps up with the hyper inflation and honestly don’t know how much it would help. And I left it with “Something doesn’t feel right about this.”

These community related blogs used be capturing, factual and educational. The last few years they morphed into the same cherry picking, creative writing articles just like CNN.”

Apparently, Councilman Robins is falling back on the old “I didn’t say what you think I meant” dodge – and it’s the messenger’s fault that we are staring down the barrel of a triple-digit deficit in the county’s historically inadequate stormwater program…

I wasn’t the only one who was ‘misinformed’ as to Mr. Robins’ intentions.    

On Monday, the West Volusia Beacon published an article entitled “Are you ready for a new sales tax?”

“Council Member Danny Robins suggested the possibility of a referendum on a “stormwater tax.” The debate came after Public Works Director Benjamin Bartlett warned about a lack of cash to keep up with the problems the county now faces.”

Please watch for yourself and form your own conclusions on whether a “stormwater sales tax” is a distinct possibility:  https://tinyurl.com/3ypmshw8  (Mr. Robins’ conundrum begins at approximately 8:15:25)

I suspect time will tell exactly what Robins and Santiago were getting at when they bandied about a sales tax increase when discussing revenue shortfalls… 

The fact is, in many parts of Volusia County, Joe & Jane Six Pack are standing knee-deep in stagnant stormwater – rightfully worried about the exponential impacts of permitting more, more, more growth with this asinine cart before the horse strategy without a viable plan to improve our transportation and utilities infrastructure – or a reasonable means of paying for it beyond taxing the eyeballs out of residents and visitors alike.     

Angel               Attorney Chobee Ebbets & Seventh Day Baptist Church

This week, the venerated Daytona Beach attorney Chobee Ebbets filed a pro bono action on behalf of Seventh Day Baptist Church.

The church doesn’t want money. 

They want to help those less fortunate… 

Last fall, Daytona Beach officials visited First Christian Church on South Palmetto Avenue and Seventh Day Baptist Church on Live Oak Avenue – both located within the vast food desert that is the Downtown Redevelopment Area – and ordered them to cease their food drives.

The code enforcement action came following a complaint from an area resident who objected to people waiting for sustenance near the church.  It came as a surprise for both houses of worship as the food pantries have been serving the community long before an ordinance was passed prohibiting food distribution programs in designated redevelopment areas.

Although First Christian Church was later found to have been “grandfathered” in and was allowed to reopen their food pantry – officials could find no record that Seventh Day Baptist had registered their operation with the City of Daytona Beach. 

Apparently, there’s no record that they were ever told they needed to register either…

According to an excellent report by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week:

“Ebbets has said he doesn’t see the food pantry causing problems. He maintains in the lawsuit that the city’s code prohibiting food pantries in redevelopment areas is “overbroad, arbitrary, capricious, discriminatory, and selective,” and was used against Seventh Day Baptist Church in a way that amounted to “an unlawful exercise of the city’s police powers.”

A special magistrate hearing on the food pantry code violation that has been delayed repeatedly since November was scheduled for Tuesday, but was continued again because of the new lawsuit.”

(Find the News-Journal’s informative article here: https://tinyurl.com/vutnz567 )

Rather than seeking damages, the lawsuit asks for declaratory judgment and an injunction stopping the enforcement action to allow the Seventh Day Baptist food pantry to continue serving needy people in the community. 

According to a November 2023 News-Journal report, Mr. Ebbets felt called to help when he witnessed hungry people being turned away.

“Today I saw people with carts turned away,” said Ebbets, whose law office is in a 113-year-old coquina house next door to Seventh Day Baptist Church.

Ebbets doesn’t want to see anyone else sadly walking back home with an empty cart or bag.  He said he’ll sue the city if it doesn’t allow the Seventh Day Baptist Church pantry to reopen soon — and without penalty.”

Mr. Ebbets is a man of his word – and clearly someone who cares. 

The fact is food pantries throughout the region provide nourishment to those experiencing food insecurity.  For instance, the venerated Jerry Doliner Food Bank in Ormond Beach helps feed hundreds of families in Volusia and Flagler Counties each year.

Look, I don’t believe city officials are indifferent to the suffering of its less fortunate citizens – and they are dutybound to respond to citizen complaints – but it appears that Seventh Day Baptist may have been caught in an unfortunate bureaucratic snafu.   

In my view, one characteristic of a healthy community is a sensitivity to the needs of the “least among us” – or at least a willingness to get the hell out of the way while others provide for the welfare of those who desperately need help.

As community compassion declines, so do our civic values, like respect for human dignity, a willingness to confront injustice, kindness, empathy, generosity, and acceptance – the moral imperatives of living together as a society.

Renovation and revitalization in blighted areas of our community is important.  So is how we deal with the interminable problems of hunger and homelessness. 

Here’s hoping Mr. Ebbets and the Seventh Day Baptist Church find a quick resolution in the court – one that allows a return to their important work providing the most basic human need – life-sustaining sustenance – to those who need it most. 

God’s work.

Asshole           Volusia’s Educational literati

It must be nice to be part of the “in-crowd” – those fashionable and influential few who make the difficult decisions that affect our lives and livelihoods here on the “Fun Coast” – a magic often performed in effective darkness so us rubes aren’t bothered with the complex conjuring that we couldn’t begin to comprehend…   

Thank God we have these mystical visionaries looking out for us, eh?  

For instance, I remember a few years back when our elected elite on the Volusia County Council were caught flatfooted – without a viable transportation infrastructure plan while simultaneously refusing to ask their friends and benefactors in the real estate development industry to help pay for the impacts of the sprawl they created – and were instead clamoring for a sales tax increase to pay for it all.

Sound familiar?

At that time, they made it perfectly clear that any of us rubes who rejected the tax increase on grounds our elected officials had failed to address impact fees was comparing “apples and oranges.”

Then, when We, The Little People asked for clarification, our elected prestidigitators gazed down from their lofty perch on the dais and told us not to worry our pretty little heads about it – condescendingly explaining that the chaunts and incantations for calculating impact fees were far too complicated for us hapless dupes to possibly understand.

Remember?  I do. 

Volusia County has a long history of political cliques, coteries, and camps – all supported by those uber-wealthy insiders who underwrite the campaigns of hand select candidates that know exactly what’s best for the rest of us.

That includes thaumaturgists like Superintendent Carmen Balgobin and her all-seeing Coven of Mystics on the Volusia County School Board… 

This week, the fallout from what should have been anticipated funding reductions landed the School Board back in the news when students and stakeholders passionately defended a long-established arts program at Deltona High School – a popular choir that is being cut and its well-respected teacher lost to “displacement” – due to the district’s inability to effectively plan for the end of federal Coronavirus relief funds.

You read that right.

Last month, I asked the question many anxious Volusia County students, parents, teachers, and staff are increasingly worried about, “What do you think the first casualties of the Balgobin administration’s unconscionable lack of planning will be – music, art, physical education, sports, enrichment programs, electives?”

Now we know…

Oddly, those of us who pay the bills never hear about these critical cuts from Superintendent Balgobin herself. 

Why is that? 

Instead, her often draconian diktats are sprung on us – such as the disastrous transfer of Riverview Learning Center to the former Osceola Elementary, a controversial move that has left Ormond Beach residents and officials stunned – or, we learn about them in mass emails and canned press releases handed down from the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand. 

As a result, members of Balgobin’s ‘clueless cognoscenti’ never need explain themselves to us rabble who pay the bills…

I found it disturbing that rather than study the issue, provide for stakeholder input, then develop a strategic plan for the expected loss of some $200 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds – district principals were simply made sacrificial lambs – handed a small pile of horseshit and ordered to make apple pan dowdy – all while board members and senior administrators shrug their shoulders and sigh from on high…

As the school year winds down – grinding toward an uncertain future – watch for the district’s fangshi to continue conjuring ways to replace certified educators with contrived “assistant teachers” (apparently charged with everything from classroom instruction to performing minor surgery…) and “administrative deans” so, as Volusia United Educator’s president Elizabeth Albert put it, the Balgobin administration can “stack ‘em deep and teach ‘em cheap” next year.   

Or, as School Board Member Ruben Colón ominously put it, expect “larger than usual” class sizes next year…

During Tuesday’s board meeting, some 38 speakers submitted forms requesting their three-minute audience – many of them students who were infinitely more articulate, emotionally invested, and better prepared than those expressionless gargoyles on the dais – who received a valuable lesson in what passes for strategic planning and priorities in Volusia County Schools. 

Before they were allowed to address our elected elite – Board Chair Jamie Haynes gave the assembled a warning on the grim fate that awaited anyone who would dare violate Volusia’s Supreme Law of Lèse-majesté while presenting before the Monarchy – including having the Chair subjectively “terminate your privilege” to speak on topics of civic concern in a representative democracy… 

My God.

In my view, the curtain has been pulled and Volusia County’s educational literati – those omniscient elected and appointed Mystics of Magical Methods – have now been exposed for what they truly are: Irresponsible phonies who were caught out when the chips were down. 

Sadly, it is the students and educators of Volusia County who will now pay the price for their gross and inexcusable negligence… 

Quote of the Week

“The rush is on to save the Florida Wildlife Corridor — a ribbon of land and water that runs the length and breadth of Florida. It’s supposed to set aside some space for Florida’s non-human 99% to survive once the state is completely paved over. In 2021, the Florida legislature unanimously agreed to put the corridor into statute and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law.

The Florida Wildlife Corridor is a gold rush too. Florida is spending billions to put conservation easements over corridor lands and also buy corridor land outright. There is not a moment to lose.

Let’s be blunt — Florida is on autopilot to pave over the entire state. It has been for a long time, at least a hundred years. During the past century, Florida has been organized politically, legally, economically, and socially around the goal of converting wildland into money. It is a Florida truth universally acknowledged that every scrap of land (wetlands too) is always on the table for development. No government could/would/should “just say NO.” This socio-economic model implemented and sustained by what I like to call “government of, by and for the developer,” has been fabulously successful, at least from the perspective of real estate development and profit seeking.

The Florida Wildlife Corridor signals official confirmation that the State of Florida will be entirely paved over, and nothing can/will/should stop it but buying land and development rights to ensure conservation.”

–Attorney Leslie Blackner, as excerpted from her guest column, “Florida is on auto-pilot to pave over the entire state,” The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Sunday, April 7, 2024

And Another Thing!

I am a firm believer in the sage adage, “You can’t pick up a turd by the clean end…” 

But come December, that is exactly what Volusia County taxpayers will be asked to do vis-à-vis SunRail.

That said, I suppose it helps if you have some sway with the committee that decides when, where, and how that steaming lump of excreta will be hoisted, eh?    

This week, we learned that Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower has been elevated to head the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission, SunRail’s governing body, comprised of elected officials representing the five local “partners” from the counties of Volusia, Seminole, Orange, Osceola, and the City of Orlando.

For the uninitiated (read: Most taxpayers here in Weedpatch Camp), over the past decade, the Florida Department of Transportation has paid for the operation of the Orlando-centered commuter rail system currently serving 16 stations from Poinciana to DeLand and will begin phasing expenses and operations to the CFCRC by the end of the year. 

According to reports, sometime this spring, the new DeLand SunRail depot will begin offering service to points south.  Unfortunately, if you live and work in Volusia County during the week you won’t get much use from it because, at present, the train still only runs on weekdays.

Given the ever-expanding cost of operation, maintenance, and necessary service expansions – don’t expect that schedule to change anytime soon – at least here in Volusia County.    

Last month, in a report by Al Everson writing in the West Volusia Beacon, we learned of the massive financial burden ahead:

“SunRail has a budget of $81.6 million for the 2023-24 fiscal year that began July 1, 2023 and ends June 30, 2024.

SunRail’s projected revenues, according to the system’s website, will amount to almost $31.4 million. Thus, SunRail has an annual deficit of approximately $50.2 million.

Currently, the Florida Department of Transportation is covering the deficit, but that agency’s handoff of SunRail to the future owners, meaning the local funding partners, means Volusia County and the four other local governments, will become responsible for paying the debt.

As for Volusia County’s possible share of the deficit, County Manager George Recktenwald estimated it would be about $6 million-$7 million per year under the current operating routine. That expense for the county could increase to approximately $10 million annually, “if nights and weekends are added,” he said.

The fares paid by SunRail’s riders total about $2.2 million, or only about 2.6 percent of the system’s cost. Other sources of cash for SunRail come from other trains, mainly Amtrak and CSX, who pay to use the state-owned rails, advertising, train charters, and federal and state grants.”

Whoa. 

Add that to Volusia County’s growing budgetary deficit in various essential services, programs, and utilities – as the vice slowly tightens on our already overwhelmed transportation and stormwater infrastructure – and you begin to see the utter quagmire we’ve been placed in… 

(“Nothing to see here, folks!  Go back to sleep.  Tomato/Tomaato.  Cherry-picking.  CNN, and all.  Just ‘Barker the Bitcher’ spouting from his frothy blowhole again.  There, there, you keep dreaming about motocross tracks, happy talk, six-packs, and Big Rock Candy Mountains…)

Fortunately (for us), a revised agreement between SunRail’s stakeholders now gives individual members the right to opt out of paying for future service expansions they can’t afford (guess which member that is?)  

According to the Beacon’s report, “At the insistence of Volusia County officials, the revised agreements contain safeguards against charging local partners for expansions or extensions of SunRail’s service that one or more members oppose because of costs.”

The downside is that members who can’t/won’t help with costs for expanded services – such as nights and weekends, or a useful extension to Orlando International Airport – would not see that service offered in their area.    

The fact we can’t be forced to pony up for niceties we cannot afford is a positive for us church mice here in Volusia County – the pariah of Central Florida – a social, civic, and economic cautionary tale among our more successful “partners” along the I-4 corridor… 

Needless to say, Chairman Brower has his hands full going forward.

In my experience, when “partners” – defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “…individuals with interests and investments in a business or enterprise, among whom expenses, profits, and losses are shared,” continuously wail the Poormouth Blues and refuse to share liabilities or help fund increased services – frustration and animosity ensue.

Regardless of how you cut it, this is going to be interesting for already strapped Volusia County taxpayers, especially when you consider that SunRail has now accumulated costs of $1.5 billion, well beyond the $79 million anticipated when the commuter line was proposed in 2000. 

Now that our fellow SunRail partners have elected Volusia’s own Tom Joad to chair the governing body – let’s hope this experiment in rail transportation brings all the economic benefits we were promised, and then some. 

This one bears watching. 

Because many fear if the CFCRC fails to put the right hand on the switch going forward – a public and/or private entity with experience running a successful railroad – SunRail could prove a terribly expensive boondoggle for us poor cousins up here on the “Fun Coast.”      

That’s all for me.  Have a great weekend, y’all!   

Note: On Tuesday, April 16, 2024, beginning at 6:00pm, the Ormond Beach City Commission will consider the highly controversial rezoning of the Tomoka Oaks golf course.

If you care about the threat of increased density, shoehorning more, more, more onto every square inch of greenspace, and the rapid erosion of our quality of life in Volusia County, I encourage you to attend this important meeting and let your feelings be heard.

According to reports, overflow seating will be provided for the large crowd expected…   

The meeting will be held at the Ormond Beach City Hall Commission Chamber, 22 South Beach Street, Ormond Beach.   

Hi, kids!

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Angel               Daytona Beach City Commission & Salary Review Committee

Without any of the wailing and gnashing of teeth that normally accompanies pay increases for elected bodies, this week the Daytona Beach City Commission approved a well-thought ordinance that sets the mayor’s salary at 75% of that paid to the Volusia County Council Chair while commissioners will earn 75% of the mayor’s salary. 

The measure also allows for an annual review. 

According to the new salary, the mayor will receive $41,059.00 while commissioners will be compensated $23,650.00 annually.    

The salary increase will take effect November 20, 2024, after the city elections. 

The move represents the City Commission’s first pay increase in 18-years.

At the city’s Salary Review Committee’s November 2023 meeting, the citizen board discussed several relevant factors, including:

“The Committee wanted to set a pay rate that would encourage citizens that might not otherwise run for an elected office to pursue the endeavor. There is a significant time commitment and personal costs associated with representing the citizens of the City while serving on the City of Daytona Beach Commission.”

In my view, the Daytona Beach City Commission managed this increase in a thoughtful, civically responsible, and politically tactful way – and few could argue that a raise wasn’t needed or deserved after nearly two-decades.

For reasons I don’t completely understand, Mayor Derrick Henry cast the lone dissenting vote, issuing a deadpan “congratulations” to his colleagues following the 6-1 vote…

My personal belief is that local elected officials at the county and municipal level of government should be reimbursed for actual expenses – made whole for business-related travel and out-of-pocket incidentals – rather than receive a salary for their part-time elective service. 

I know, some perennial politicians – the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker who hold themselves out for public office then moan the Poormouth Blues – will blubber and bawl that holding political office is a full-time, all-encompassing, bone-crushing burden that requires their undivided attention 24/7/365, above and to the exclusion of everything else in their lives…

It doesn’t.  

Let’s face it, McDonaldland isn’t going to fall apart if Mayor McCheese happens to miss some gilded soiree or takes a weekend off from his appointed rounds shaking hands and kissing babies. By charter, day-to-day operations of government are administrated by a professional manager and a staff of career civil servants – subject matter experts who carry out the policies and vision set by the elected officials. 

While I make light of political pomposity, holding elective office is a hard dollar – a position of great civic, social, and fiduciary responsibility to the lives and livelihoods of their neighbors – and if done right, public service requires a high degree of preparation, homework, situational awareness – and hard bark…    

After nearly two-decades, those willing to serve the citizens of Daytona Beach deserve adequate renumeration for the effort.   

Angel               Florida Supreme Court

During my productive life, for many years of my career I was assigned to investigate and enforce narcotics laws – including the importation, distribution, sale, and possession of marijuana. 

Difficult and often dangerous work that I hope made a difference. 

But with the explosive proliferation of deadly chemicals that can kill with a single grain – I’m not sure I did…

Based upon my training and experience, for a time, I instructed law enforcement recruits in drug identification to help prepare them for the various substances – and those under their influence – they would encounter daily.

Now, after all that energy and effort, I’m an old man – and pot is all but legal…

For personal and professional reasons, I’ve never been a pot smoker, but with the advent of medicinal marijuana in Florida and elsewhere, I know people who regularly consume cannabis for its therapeutic (and recreational) effect.    

You do too.

I don’t judge. 

As a degenerate with a pack+ a day Marlboro habit and a copious consumer of blended whiskey – I understand the toll these “legal” (read: heavily taxed) substances take on what’s left of my body, mind, and spirit (and my meager budget…)

This may sound strange coming from someone who spent their life in law enforcement, but I also understand the definition of insanity – doing the same thing over-and-over again while expecting a different result – and for that reason, I support the legalization of recreational (and responsible) marijuana use.    

On Monday, the Florida Supreme Court ruled it will permit a ballot initiative allowing voters to decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana for adults here in the Sunshine State.  The 5-2 decision came in response to a request by Attorney General Ashley Moody seeking to reject the ballot language on grounds the measure fails to explain the continuing federal ban on marijuana among other legal arguments.

More than one-million Floridians signed petitions in support of the initiative. 

To become law, the proposal will require support from 60 percent of voters to pass.  In 2016, 71% of Florida voters approved the state’s medical marijuana statute.   

If voters approve, the amendment will permit the use of recreational marijuana by persons 21 and over and remove criminal or civil penalties for adults who possess and use up to three ounces of cannabis products for personal use that are purchased through licensed distributors. 

Look, your opinion may vary – that’s why we will all have an opportunity to vote the measure up or down in this year’s general election. 

Before all you jokers, smokers, and midnight tokers get your hopes up and renew your High Times subscription (is that still a thing?), there is a long way to go before stopping off at your favorite local dispensary for a sacky of the sticky-icky becomes routine. 

If approved, it will be six-months before the law goes into effect – not including the legislative wrangling, rules, and legal challenges that are sure to come as state government determines how it can best squeeze every possible tax, fee, and surcharge out of the state’s new cash crop… 

But that’s as it should be.  Because opportunities also come with consequences that will require reasonable and responsible regulation.   

The times they are a-changin’, y’all…    

Asshole           Volusia County Council

Newsflash:  Growth doesn’t pay for itself and existing residents of Volusia County – and our fragile environment – are in real trouble…   

In fact, now that our elected and appointed dullards on the dais of power in DeLand are coming up short on how to pay for necessary stormwater and utility upgrades – it appears they are finally ready to admit that malignant sprawl creates exponentially more problems for existing residents – flooding, congestion, utilities, and the civic claustrophobia that results from increased density, among others – requiring more, more, more money (read: increased taxes and fees) to pay for current and future needs.

And to remediate the sins of weak-minded politician’s past…

Don’t get me wrong – the looming issues of infrastructure, stormwater runoff, environmental impacts, utilities upgrades, and other overdue projects, repairs, studies, and renovations that are causing concern among Volusia County public works and budget “experts” – doesn’t stop the Volusia County Council from approving zoning changes that (literally) pave the way for more development. 

In my view, that defies reason. 

For years, existing residents have sounded the klaxon on countywide flooding – the natural result of using slash, burn, and fill to change the topography and hydrology of the land to accommodate massive residential developments – coupled with an asinine hurt here/help there environmental mitigation strategy that results in sensitive wetlands being paved over to the detriment of essential natural processes.   

Unfortunately, those previous political cowards that we have historically elevated to public office have procrastinated on reasonable and incremental fee increases, refused to rein in spending, or control the exorbitant salaries and benefits gifted to senior administrators who agree to look the other way and maintain the stagnant status quo.

On Tuesday, during a convoluted discussion of increasing stormwater utility rates to keep up with ever-increasing demands – Councilman Danny Robins exhumed the rotting corpse of the twice defeated “sales tax” bailout and placed it on the catafalque of governmental greed – casually suggesting that a sales tax increase would help spread the cost among residents and visitors – something Councilman David Santiago (who never saw a tax or fee increase he didn’t like) found “interesting.”

Bullshit.

How about a short moratorium on permitting and building massive “city within a city” developments on our sensitive wetlands and wildlife habitats – or at least a pause until a comprehensive study of countywide flooding can be completed? 

Of course not.

A move to reduce spending as a means of funding critical infrastructure repair or transportation improvements beyond taxing the eyeballs out of Volusia County residents?

Hell no. 

Restoring transparency and beginning the arduous process of repairing trust in county government after years of suffering the continuing consequences of the “trust issue”?

Unheard of.

In my view, the only one who made sense during the discussion was Deltona City Commissioner Dana McCool – who used her three-minute audience to speak truth to power – reminding Councilmembers that the one revenue source they have conveniently ignored is the developers who have hauled untold millions out of Volusia County, leaving residents who can least afford to pay for it with the devastating fallout in the face of crippling insurance premiums, taxes, and fees.   

According to the agenda report, a recent study found:

“The study provided that the current assessment of $6.50 per ERU (“equivalent residential units”) per month is not sufficient to meet the funding needs anticipated to maintain the existing program over the next five years. The study further provided that an additional increase in the assessment would be required to improve the program’s current level of service for program management and capital improvements.”

Ultimately, in one of their well-choreographed political skits, our elected “leadership” first voted down a motion to increase stormwater fees to $7.50 (county beancounters say they need nearly double that) – then immediately voted to raise the fee to $8.00. 

Whatever.

I don’t make this shit up, folks.

When will ‘No’ finally mean ‘No’?

Is it possible our elected dullards on the dais still believe we are too stupid to understand that they desperately need the money for infrastructure improvements after painting themselves into a dark corner with overdevelopment, maladministration, and a historic lack of appropriate impact fees or substantive growth management?

Trust me.  We get it.

However, as clearly stated in the first and second failed attempts at the half-cent money grab, We, The Little People simply will not allow the same craven assholes who got us into the mess in the first place to piss good money after bad. 

That’s a recipe for disaster.

No one should expect us to forgive, forget and hand over more of our hard-earned money to those who have proven unworthy of our sacred trust.

Look, there is little doubt our elected and appointed officials will continue to punish us with exorbitant property taxes and ever-increasing fees – while allowing even more malignant sprawl to pressure our infrastructure until we cry out for mercy and submit to sending more of our hard-earned money to government.

Or we elect those with the political courage to tighten the bureaucratic belt and responsibly address the most pressing issues of our time. 

Quote of the Week

“Residents of Volusia County know full well how dangerous the roads and highways are in the area. Sometimes it seems that people are killed every week.

According to a study of national data, Volusia is the single deadliest county in the entire U.S. for traffic fatalities, per capita, for counties with over 500,000 residents.

There were 648 traffic fatalities between 2017 and 2021, according to an analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatalities Analysis Reporting System (FARS) reports by Convoy Car Shipping, That works out to a rate of 11.19 deaths killed per 10,000 people.

Of those fatalities, 82 happened on the East Coast’s U.S. 1, the report said. U.S 1 in Volusia County stretches from the small city of Oak Hill in the south more than 40 miles north through Ormond Beach to the Flagler County line.”

–Reporter C. A. Bridges, USA Today Network – Florida, “This Florida county ranked ‘deadliest’ for traffic fatalities. 10 others are also on this list,” Friday, March 29, 2024

Much of what I write in this space consists of hyper-political rants on the news and newsmakers of the day – rightfully dismissed by our civic cognoscenti as the ramblings of a cantankerous crank – of little consequence in the scheme of things. 

But this is serious.  Something that transcends the petty politics inherent to the “Fun Coast.”  

On Tuesday afternoon, a young woman from St. Augustine was killed in a three-vehicle collision on U.S. 17 in Pierson – and on Friday, a pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle on International Speedway Boulevard east of DeLand.

Last week, a child died in a traffic crash on congested LPGA Boulevard.   

A six-year-old child.  

Tragic.

Last year, area residents were shocked to learn in a report by Smart Growth America that the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach metropolitan statistical area was named the most dangerous location in the nation by population for fatal pedestrian accidents – with 4.25 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people.

Now, Volusia County takes the statistical top spot in the nation for traffic fatalities… 

Many Volusia County residents are pointing to increasingly crowded roads and our horribly inadequate transportation infrastructure resulting from the “shove ten-pounds of shit in a five-pound bag” growth management strategy that has allowed malignant sprawl to far outpace the capabilities of existing streets and roadways.

I hate to fall back on that old melodramatic saw, but in this case it’s appropriate:

“How many people have to die” before our ‘powers that be’ awaken to the grave consequences of ignoring commonsense concurrency and smart growth strategies in favor of kowtowing to the insatiable greed of those shoehorning more, more, more development in a place without a viable transportation plan?

How many traffic deaths do our elected officials consider justifiable collateral damage? 

Frightened residents are increasingly suspicious that We, The Little People are being punished for our resistance to the highly touted half-cent sales tax initiative in 2019 – a craven money-grab orchestrated by the same elected and appointed lumps who got us into the mess in the first place. 

Because performing civic triage, changing tack, allocating resources to immediate needs, and remaining focused on the serious issues facing residents is an anathema in the cloistered “Halls of Power” at city and county administration buildings across Volusia County – where infrastructure is a rusty can best kicked down the dusty political trail… 

Meanwhile, back in Tallahassee, our state legislature is busy running interference for insatiable speculative developers – cutting local government off at the knees – sacrificing the concept of “Home Rule” on the exalted Altar of Greed…  

Please don’t get me started on what passes for our regional transportation planning apparatus – an empty exercise that always seems to roll immediate needs into long term “priorities” that take decades to receive state and federal funding (unless, of course, you happen to underwrite the right political campaign – then there always seems to be an extra hundred-million-dollars laying around for an interchange…) 

“Transportation planning” also serves as a stationary bicycle for local elected officials – who dutifully attend meetings and peddle like crazy but never go anywhere – politicians who desperately need to tell worried constituents that they are “doing something” about improving our increasingly dangerous roadways (usually in the form of some colorful study, analysis, program, or “long-term plan” written in confusing bureaucratese.)

Fortunately, there are signs of progress beginning to emerge from these hard lessons learned.

On Wednesday evening, Daytona Beach City Commissioner Stacy Cantu rightfully called for a formal resolution demanding that Volusia County officials take immediate steps to improve safety on LPGA Boulevard. 

In addition, last week the Florida Department of Transportation (no doubt in anticipation of NHTSA’s fatality analysis) held a “walk-and-talk” to educate residents on $4.1 million in recent safety enhancements that include eight lighted crosswalks on A1A from south of Milsap Road to East Granada Boulevard, including an “overhead hybrid beacon” at the Rockefeller Drive crosswalk with a corresponding speed limit reduction from 35 to 30. 

It’s a good start – but it does nothing to improve traffic flow or capacity – and is of little comfort for those mourning yet another loss of life on Volusia County’s increasingly congested roadways…   

And Another Thing!

A friend and I took a drive down A-1-A last week, traversing the Halifax areas perennially challenged “core tourist area” – a once vibrant “international destination” – now reduced to a slightly down-at-the-heels version of its former self. 

Heading south, we stopped at the virtually unmarked approach at Seminole Avenue in Ormond Beach, where Volusia County officials recently rejected an offer of an ADA compliant sidewalk that was to be paid for and constructed by the developer of a new five story hotel near the site, for reasons known only to those do-nothings at the county’s Coastal Division.  

We visited Andy Romano Park in Ormond Beach, a beachfront amenity with a splash pad, pavilions, a playground, restrooms, picnic tables, and grills, to check progress on the restoration of beach access ramps that have been closed (or missing altogether) since the last storms roared through in, oh, 2022…

It required navigating several “urban outdoorsmen” also enjoying the park – (one of whom appeared to be waxing the car he was living out of in the off-beach lot, his detailing ephemera of waxes, pastes, and sprays spread out in the parking space, while another vagabond repacked his worldly possessions into a tattered bindle at a picnic table).   

We even encountered a wandering minstrel complete with a guitar on his back, accompanied by another disheveled gentleman (his percussionist?) freshening up in a public foot shower – before making our way out to the east rail where we were met with a sign adorned with the City of Ormond Beach crest directing, “RAMP closed due to beach erosion – Please use county beach ramp” with an arrow pointing thataway…

Just beyond the steel barricade was a precipitous drop to the sand below (where yet another wandering nomad could be seen fast asleep on the strand using his satchel for a pillow). 

Farther down was a similar sign affixed to the ruins of yet another storm-demolished stairway. 

Fortunately, there was an open access located at the southern end of the park which appeared to be well-used by beachgoers (because it is the only option they have…).   

Continuing south on Atlantic Avenue, we drove past a vibrant Ocean Center – with brightly costumed members of various flag corps assembled for a competition, young people and chaperones walking in groups among gaggles of spring breakers and sunburnt families who appeared desperately in need of something to do…

Just south of the perpetually struggling Main Street (anyone know what happened to Andrew Baumgartner, the Knight in Shining Armor and owner of Savage Craft Ale Works of West Columbia, South Carolina, who was set to sink millions of his own money into the city-owned Corbin building on Main Street?) was a newly renovated and freshly painted storefront on the east side of A-1-A, each merchant clearly marked on the welcoming façade, a real sign of revitalization. 

Unfortunately, our hopes were dashed when, at the south end of the building facing Atlantic Avenue, we saw a homeless gentleman openly urinating in a graffiti-marred alcove…    

One step forward, two-steps back. 

An intractable problem that our incredibly expensive and deceptively named “First Step Shelter” is clearly incapable of addressing…   

Now, with the latest “vision” apparently being for Daytona Beach to transition from the “World’s Most Famous Beach” to a “sports destination” – rather than repair and revitalize our tourism product – it appears the publicly-owned property around the First Step Shelter on U.S. 92 is being considered for a state-of-the-art “commercial sports facility” which will include multiuse fields for soccer, football, baseball and softball, a swimming pool, waterskiing, horseback riding, and an “on-site hotel or two.” 

I guess one of our influential “movers-and-shakers” has an interest in a publicly subsidized “sports complex,” eh? 

Wonder who that could be…?    

Whatever.

While making our way south, I was struck by how poorly marked and maintained each of the county-controlled beach approaches are along A-1-A – shabby and uninviting, a mix of broken concrete, unsealed asphalt, faded parking lanes, and the inevitable gate prohibiting vehicular access affixed with the “County of Volusia” placard to let everyone know who is responsible for this mess.

Look, it doesn’t require a “hospitality expert” (God knows we’ve got enough of those) to explain the importance of making a great first impression with those from whom you accept money to access a public amenity. 

Clean, bright, uniform, and inviting access points establish the tone – their appearance is representative of the entire area – an advertisement for the “brand” and one that makes visitors want to return. 

Conversely, an unkempt gateway – especially one where a toll booth demands money, complete with a long list of “do this/don’t do that” rules, signage, and a forest of wooden poles – has the opposite effect on potential visitors.

Unfortunately, ‘It is what it is’ as they say…   

On Tuesday, during what passes for the Volusia County Council meeting, we learned that renovating the gateway to the International Speedway Boulevard beach ramp alone will cost taxpayers a staggering $2.2 million.  (I didn’t read the contractors entire proposal, but I thought $2,600 for “Ice/Water/Cups” was a little steep…)  

Instead, council members ultimately voted to remove the attractive color-tinted waveform concrete surface from the plans in a favor of (I guess) a drab sand-salted asphalt ramp on the most visible and active access point in Volusia County. 

The change will save $384,000 off the “guaranteed maximum price.”

Time will tell…

Call me a nitpicker, but it’s too damn bad nobody at Volusia County Beach Mismanagement thought to phase ramp renovations as part of a strategic plan for the revitalization of access gateways over time.

Sound familiar?

With a $1.1 Billion budget, is it negligence, institutional stupidity, or old-fashioned piss-poor planning that repeatedly puts Volusia County between a rock and hard place?   

You be the judge.  Because we damn sure aren’t getting the answers from those we elect to represent or interests…   

As my friend and I navigated the Lone Eagle west onto what remains of East International Speedway Boulevard – a lagging construction project that has progressed little beyond tearing up access to area merchants during the spring tourist season – we considered the fits, starts, and promises that seem to come and go on the Halifax area’s long-neglected beachside… 

Don’t get me wrong, there are signs of life everywhere you look.

With the Intracoastal Waterway to the west, and the perennial draw of the Atlantic Ocean – the most beautiful natural resource imaginable – all the civic Tinker Toys are in the box to make something truly special.

But for the life of me I can’t discern any “Grand Plan” between the cities and the county guiding the way forward – a unified public/private effort bringing together all facets of the hospitality industry, our planning apparatus, beach mismanagement, entrepreneurs, and area residents – those who benefit from a vibrant beachside (read: all of us) to revitalize, protect, and conserve our tourism product. 

As we drove through the good, the bad, and the ugly, my civically astute friend summed things up in the most observant, incisive, and completely accurate way:

“This is how you fuck it up…” 

Agreed.

I encourage everyone to take a leisurely drive along Atlantic Avenue sometime soon – come to your own conclusions about the condition of Volusia County beaches, approaches, and access points in our core tourist area and beyond. 

Then consider what is standing in the way of entrepreneurial investment in a place awash in highly compensated “Economic Development Directors,” “Redevelopment Directors,” “Economic and Strategic Opportunities Directors,” “E-Zone” Operations Managers,” “Team Volusia,” etc., etc.

Then, come election time, ask our elected officials why they allow the same failed policies and “visionaries” to keep their hand on the tiller of this foundering ship?

Ask them why they are even considering spending money on motocross tracks and other nice-to-haves when our essential infrastructure is in desperate need of upgrade and repair – as our streets and roadways quickly develop a grisly reputation as the deadliest in the nation?

Then remind them why we won’t rollover and acquiesce to a sales tax increase.

It’s your money – your community – and your life. 

You have a right to know.    

Just don’t ask those tough questions at the County Council’s upcoming “goal setting” workshop on April 30.  Because Councilman Jake Johansson believes that when the public is given unfettered input, it “…quickly evolves into something we don’t want…”

My God…

That’s all for me.  Have a great weekend, y’all!

Hi, kids!

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Asshole           Volusia County School Board

“This week you’re in, next week you’re out – run in circles, scream and shout!”

–The Lament of the Volusia County Teacher

After being caught in a baldfaced lie during a terribly awkward vignette played out at a School Board meeting last month – an embarrassing moment when our elected dullards attempted to distance themselves from the political fallout surrounding the district’s brazen attempt to decertify the union representing teachers and paraprofessionals – now it appears the board has reconsidered…

As I understand it, last week the board’s contract labor attorney responded to Florida’s Public Employees Relations Commission advising that the board will not file an “official challenge” to Volusia United Educator’s recertification after all – but not before huffing that the board still believes VUE submitted inaccurate information to PERC… 

I think the French call that L’esprit de l’escalier – that perfect repartee that occurs to you upon reaching the bottom of the staircase following a spat, the perfect comeback you might have used to overwhelm your rival had you thought of it earlier… 

The response came after the School Board met behind closed doors – in a dubious “executive session” outside the public eye – apparently to discuss how they would respond to the growing controversy that just weeks ago board members claimed to know nothing about? 

Weird…

The damage is done.  Chairwoman Jamie Haynes and the current members of the board are now political lepers – and no one will trust them again.   

And the hits just keep on coming…  

This week, the Volusia County School Board once again earned the “Asshole” award for their complete lack of strategic budgeting and forethought that has resulted in continuing chaos at district schools. 

Now, “budget adjustments” have caused an incredibly anxious Spring Break for teachers and staff who are left to wonder where and what they will be doing next as the district adopts a new methodology for staffing allocations during the 2024-25 school year.

Last week, the district sent an email to all teachers and staff announcing that federal COVID-19 funds have expired, and principals will now be required to staff critical instructional positions according to the needs of their school.

According to an excellent report by WKMG-6 who broke this disturbing story last week:

“The district said it received nearly $200 million in that funding over the last four years.

“We’re having to make the appropriate modifications to go back to our budget as we lived before the pandemic,” said board member Ruben Colon.

Now, Deputy Superintendent Rachel Hazel said the district will give each school a budget for the principal to work with.

She explained that if the principal can’t afford a teacher, that teacher will have options. Hazel said they could transfer to another school where there are vacancies.”

What the horribly redundant Deputy Superintendent failed to explain is why no one in a position of responsibility thought to determine – with enrollment remaining the same (or expected to increase in the face of explosive growth) – how to best maintain essential staffing levels using its astronomical $1.4 billion budget, knowing that federal pandemic funding would end?   

Instead, with funding returning to pre-pandemic levels, it appears the best District CFO Todd Seis could cypher is handing principals a dry turd and telling them to make the best of it… 

So, what do you think the first casualties of the Balgobin administration’s unconscionable lack of planning will be – music, art, physical education, sports, enrichment programs, electives? 

Unfortunately, the only ones confident in their positions today are Superintendent Carmen Balgobin and her senior staff – pointless redundancies with titles like “Deputy Superintendent,” “Assistant Superintendent,” “Director,” “Assistant Director,” “Chief,” “Coordinator,” etc., etc.

By my rudimentary calculations, Superintendent Balgobin and her “Cabinet” alone command a collective $1,189,781+ annually, not counting perks and benefits.

(I say “+” because I could not find a salary for the Chief of Human Resources – find the rest for yourself here: https://tinyurl.com/msryebsw )

Perhaps more disturbing, teachers were notified that their lives are about to be upended by mass email – a missive handed down from the cloistered Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand – just before classes were dismissed for Spring Break, a move tailormade to breed fear, speculation, and anxiety for parents, students, teachers, and staff…

To add insult, according to an article by Mary Ellen Ritter writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week, educators received the email from Danielle Johnson, director of community misinformation for Volusia County Schools, who assured “With this adjustment in the allocation process, VCS will continue to offer a full continuum of programs and electives within our district.”

I wonder why Superintendent Balgobin didn’t notify her anxious staff of these sudden changes under her own hand? 

According to the News-Journal, Johnson confirmed “Teachers will not lose their jobs as a result of the budget adjustments, Johnson confirmed, but some will be “displaced” ― either transferred to a new school or assigned a new subject to teach.”

I certainly hope the Volusia County School Board will hold Ms. Johnson accountable for that assurance… 

For a group of elected officials that claim to have such care and compassion for children, I have rarely seen a board so consistently devoid of feeling, understanding, and empathy.

How about you?

Angel               Philanthropist L. Gale Lemerand

During my productive life with the City of Holly Hill, for a time, our community experienced the disastrous effects of The Great Recession, a dire period in our community’s history that resulted in far-reaching cuts to programs and essential services our citizens had come to rely on.

Upon learning of the difficult funding decisions city administrators were facing, quite unexpectedly, the great L. Gale Lemerand appeared at City Hall and graciously offered to fund an important program that benefited underserved families in our community.

Without question, demands, or recognition – Mr. Lemerand simply saw an unfulfilled need and selflessly donated the resources required to ensure those less fortunate were cared for.

I have never forgotten how one man’s noble gift in the face of such terrible uncertainty gave hope to so many during that grim time.

In an uplifting article by Daytona Beach News-Journal reporter Mark Harper, we learned that Mr. Lemerand’s extraordinary philanthropy continues to benefit and advance our community in so many wonderful ways.

According to the report, Mr. Lemerand recently gifted Bethune-Cookman University $1.4 million to assist with the renovation of two campus buildings. 

“Lemerand, a Daytona Beach entrepreneur and philanthropist, has his name on buildings, streets and scholarships at the University of Florida, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Daytona State College, as well as B-CU. The latest gift will result in the L. Gale Lemerand Academic Multiplex and the L. Gale Lemerand Football Complex.

The complexes, at the southeast corner of East International Speedway Boulevard and North Lincoln Street, will be used for academic support, meeting and office space, recruiting, locker rooms and other similar purposes to support student athletes.

“Mr. Lemerand’s generosity and commitment to furthering education in the state of Florida can’t be overstated,” said William Berry, Bethune-Cookman’s provost and acting president. “He has been a friend of the university for many years now, and we are incredibly thankful for his kindness and investment in ensuring our students have access to the best facilities possible.”

In my view, Mr. Lemerand’s transformative generosity will have a significant and sustainable impact on the lives of Bethune-Cookman University students – and the civic, social, and economic health of our community.

Bethune-Cookman also announced last week a $420,000 donation from the Daytona Beach Racing and Facilities District – along with several other generous gifts from local organizations and individuals – which brought B-CU closer to its $1 million fundraising goal in honor of the University’s 120^th Anniversary. 

In a release by Bethune-Cookman, Mr. Lemerand said, in part:

“When there [are] problems in any organization, whether it’s a college or whether it’s a business organization, there’s a lot of publicity about that. But there’s very little publicity when things start to turn around through the hard work of the current executives of this and the management of this great university. When I found out the things that have been happening behind the scenes and all the improvement and hard work that’s gone into it, it just made me feel that I just needed to do something!”

Kudos to L. Gale Lemerand and others who have so generously supported the resurrection of Bethune-Cookman University and the enduring legacy of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. 

Angel               City of Daytona Beach Charter Review Commission

Your loyal scribe passed a personal milestone yesterday with the tenth anniversary of my retirement from local government service. 

How time flies…

During my productive life, my colleagues and I formulated rules, regulations, policies, and procedures – everything from emergency management procedures to duty manuals and continuity of operations plans for worst case scenarios – always developed during times of calm, so those responsible for the safety and wellbeing of others would know how to respond effectively during times of chaos and uncertainty.   

Many times, those guidelines were the results of previous errors and omissions – because making mistakes is an ever-present part of the human condition.  But for those willing to humble themselves to the uncomfortable process, those blunders and oversights can result in valuable lessons – and lasting solutions.

That requires an open, inclusive, and vigorous process of review, input, and reevaluation – always adjusting course to meet changing needs, correct immediate problems, and anticipate future challenges.   

While spontaneity and impulsiveness may be fun at picnics, political impetuosity and recklessness can prove disastrous when it comes to the functions and administration of government. 

That’s why a city or county’s governing document is so important. 

According to the National Civic League, since its introduction in 1915, the “council-manager” form of governance has become the most widely used structure in local governments serving populations over 10,000. 

Although the model has been refined over the years, the fundamental principle remains, “…that all powers of the city be vested in a popularly elected council, which appoints a professional manager who is continuously responsible to and removable by the council, remains the same.”

How those essential functions and responsibilities of government are administrated are embodied in the governing charter.

Over the next several months, the City of Daytona Beach will undertake the important task of reviewing and updating the city charter with the assistance of a civic-minded group comprised of Anne Ruby, Paul Zimmerman, Chris Bowler, Harry Lloyd, Phyllis Terri Malia, Ida Wright and Steve Miller.  Alternates will include Sandy Murphy, John Kenyon, Jack White, William Kamer, Katienna Brown, Russell Wetherington and Frederick Brown.

The Charter Review Commission will consider citizen input on everything from term limits for elected officials to ensuring public input in policy decisions, land use regulations, advisory boards and more, then present their suggestions in a final report to the City Commission on June 5. 

According to the City of Daytona Beach:

“Any recommended changes will be presented to the City Commission for authorization and two public hearings will be established for public input. Upon approval, a referendum is held where amendments are presented to the electorate for final adoption. The amendments will be placed on the ballot at the next general election on November 5, 2024.”

In an informative report this week by News-Journal reporter Elieen Zaffiro-Kean we learned, “City commissioners will decide what, if any, charter changes should go before Daytona Beach voters in November. Residents could also get a charter change suggestion on November’s ballot by circulating a petition and getting at least 10% of registered voters to sign it.”

(Please find the News-Journal’s report here: https://tinyurl.com/mrx8kadw )

Residents of Daytona Beach are encouraged to bring their suggestions to upcoming town hall meetings – on Monday, April 8, to be held at the Daytona Beach Police Department’s Community Room, 129 Valor Boulevard, beginning at 6:00pm – the other scheduled for 6:00pm Monday, April 22, at Schnebly Center, 1101 North Atlantic Avenue.

In my view, the charter review process embodies the best attributes of our system of self-governance – allowing everyone an opportunity to participate in formulating constructive change to the city’s governing document. 

Kudos to everyone willing to serve – and provide their valuable input in this important process.

Quote of the Week

“It was a very irregular and disappointing proceeding; after their presentations to the board, principals were sent out of the room by the chair presumably to negotiate. The plaintiff’s spokesman was not afforded his three-minute rebuttal after FDOT respondents presented.

The chair started to proceed to other agenda items, but had to be “called out” by an attendee that “public comment” had not been heard. A dozen or so speakers, representing various environmental groups, and some representing themselves as affected property owners all spoke in opposition to issuing a permit for construction of the I-95/Pioneer Trail interchange.

No one spoke in favor of the interchange. Interestingly, the “public comments” were entertained by the board while the principals were out of the room.

When the principals returned after lengthy delay, no agreements had been reached. The board made no motion on the issue; there was no discussion or “consideration” by the board; there was no vote. By default, the issue went forward to the SJRWMD executive director to issue the permit, setting aside an administrative law judge’s recommendation to deny the permit.

Overall, the St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board gets “two thumbs down.” It failed to seriously consider public input; it failed to uphold its core mission (per its website) to “protect our natural resources.”

–Rob Bridger, Ormond Beach, political committee chair of the Sierra Club, Volusia-Flagler Group, as excerpted from his Letter to the Editor, “St. Johns River Water Management Board gets ‘two thumbs down,’” Ormond Beach Observer, Tuesday, March 26, 2024

According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the purpose of the state’s five “water management” districts are to provide adequate water supply for the future, protect water quality, flood protection and floodplain management, protect natural systems.

That’s an incredible responsibility in a state growing at an estimated rate of 900 new residents per day – with a limited water supply…   

In my view, earlier this month, the St. Johns River Water Management District lived up to its checkered reputation when the regulatory agency blatantly ignored the recommendation of an administrative law judge and strategically allowed a permit for the controversial Pioneer Trail Interchange to be issued. 

What may seem shocking to the casual observer is nothing new to veteran environmentalists who, for years, have watched the SJRWMD engage in questionable permitting – including a grim period of its history when a former chairman of the SJRWMD governing board received money from public and private clients of his “environmental consultancy” to lobby for their interests in front of the very regulatory agency he oversaw…  

In my view, that weird practice reeked of the quid pro quo transactional politics we’ve come to accept as “bidness as usual” – a perfect example of how “things” work here in the Sunshine State – the biggest whorehouse in the world.

Four years ago, Judy Orcutt, President of the Clean Water Coalition of Indian River County wrote in her widely regarded primer “Here’s how to fix Florida’s water crisis”:

“DeSantis must overhaul the governing boards of all of the water management districts. Many vacancies exist and individuals should be named whose expertise is protecting and cleaning the waters of the state — not those with business-related conflicts of interest.

With strong leadership, free from political pressure and a sufficient budget, the water management districts could resolve much of Florida’s water crisis.”

What’s changed?

Unfortunately, what Mr. Bridger witnessed at the SJRWMD meeting is increasingly common in many governmental and regulatory agencies – a weird parapraxis that reveals the machinations and hidden motives – when governing boards, councils, and commissions are suddenly reminded they have skipped the critical “public comment” period and conveniently forgot to hear from the very constituents they exist to serve. 

Admittedly, I have old-fashioned notions about putting profit over people, “professionals” who knowingly compromise themselves by selling their opinions to the highest bidder, and those who would sacrifice our environment on the altar of greed.

Sound familiar?

I also believe those who have an ethical, moral, and fiduciary responsibility for developing and enforcing regulations designed to protect our dwindling natural places should always err on the side of caution and conservation – ensuring a fair and impartial playing field for challenges to direct threats to our natural systems. 

That begins with meaningful and well-considered input from all stakeholders.   

And Another Thing!

The current iteration of the Volusia County Council has created a highly effective diversion by dreaming up solutions to non-existent problems and wasting precious time in mock debate of benign issues while the pressing problems of our time go unaddressed.

Last week, Councilman Danny Robins created another tempest in a teapot by suggesting the repeal of an ordinance requiring a three-day waiting period and criminal background checks for firearm purchases at gun shows held on property accessible to the public. 

According to the staff report, the ordinance was enacted in 1999 and a similar attempt to repeal the rule was brought before the Council in August 2013, although no action was taken. 

It is increasingly apparent Danny spends his ample idle hours poring over county ordinances, choosing the ones he disagrees with, then dreaming up self-aggrandizing agenda items to get his picture in the newspaper…

In his own inimitable way, Mr. Robins donned his powdered wig and melodramatically crowed, “Repealing this policy has everything to do with good versus evil, and forcing free people to wait, forcing them into a state of unarmed helplessness.”

Look, I happen to be a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment.  The Constitution of the United States ensures that law-abiding citizens have an inalienable right to own and bear firearms, and that protection should never be infringed by an overreaching government. 

Period.  Full stop.    

I just question if this ordinance is the most pressing issue facing Volusia County in 2024?   

The only person to speak on the matter during public comment was Deltona City Commissioner Dana McCool, who recounted a heartbreaking family tragedy that she believes could have been prevented had a waiting period been in effect. 

“I haven’t heard horrible things about when people don’t get guns, but I’ve heard horrible things about when people do get guns,” she said.

In addition, Councilman Jake Johansson seemed troubled by the possibility of repealing the ordinance when he spoke of a Harvard study that found waiting periods are somewhat effective in preventing homicides involving firearms and countered that a waiting period does not prohibit a person from buying a firearm, only delays the purchase. 

Of course, the item gave Councilman Don Dempsey the opportunity to mutate into the theoretical “reasonable man” (I assume to deflect from the fact he wants to frivolously piss away $10+ million of our tax dollars on a motocross track?) who averred, “Just because something’s illegal doesn’t mean the bad guys can’t get their hands on it.  So all we’re doing now is punishing law-abiding citizens from their ability to get a gun quickly.”

Meanwhile, Chairman Jeff Brower cloaked himself as Hooterville’s own a constitutional scholar and pontificated from the dais, “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. For 200 years we’ve been infringing.”

Now, I’m not sure what Chairman Brower is trying to say (and I’m not convinced he knows how to say it) but he fell right in line with his “colleagues,” once again wasting valuable time on another manufactured issue while Rome burns…   

Meanwhile, here in the Real World, Ormond Beach Holdings, LLC – the developers of a proposed 137-unit hotel on A-1-A at the dilapidated Seminole Avenue approach in Ormond Beach – are seeking to pullback plans to build a sidewalk that would facilitate ADA compliant public access to the beach after Volusia County declined the amenity citing “maintenance and liability” issues. 

Say what?  

The last I checked, public beach access and maintenance are the sole authority of Volusia County and its sluggardly “Coastal Division” – whose very reason for existing is to “Manage, maintain and improve coastal parks, beach access and coastal recreational facilities for the quality-of-life benefit of residents and visitors.”

So what gives?

According to an excellent report by Jarleene Almenas in the Ormond Beach Observer this week:

“An Oct. 16, 2023, email from county staff to the city stated that the county already provided public access to the beach with the Seminole Avenue beach approach, and, that the hotel developers could deed it or provide an easement to the county if they wanted to. But, the county would not maintain it, and suggested that the city or the hotel developers could do so instead.

Ormond Beach Holdings LLC told city staff that they are willing to build the sidewalk — but would not have proposed it in the first place if they knew they would be required to maintain it and provide liability insurance, according to the city staff report.

The Planning Board inquired what the cost of maintaining the sidewalk would be. City Planning Director Steven Spraker said that he didn’t have an exact cost at the time of the meeting, “there certainly is a cost.”

“There’s also an unintended consequence, because the city doesn’t maintain beach access,” Spraker said. “… That is a function of the county, so now you are assuming a county function, and that may lead to other assumptions or other demands in the future.”

While I rarely agree with my friend Rob Merrell, a land use attorney who represents Ormond Beach Holdings, LLC – his assessment that it is inappropriate for a private entity to maintain and accept liability for a public access sidewalk is spot on.   

According to the Observer, “We wanted to do this,” Merrell said. “We thought it was a good gesture. The county was saying they wanted it and the city wanted it.”

Earlier this month, the Ormond Beach Planning Board unanimously voted to recommend the City Commission remove the sidewalk provision from the Planned Business Development.  

Telegraphing that he has apparently never set foot on the Seminole Avenue approach, Planning Board member GG Galloway reportedly said, “I don’t know why we would want a sidewalk there when you have a roadbed ramp that is 20 feet wide.  I would much rather be walking down a road bed than a sidewalk that — by the time I got to the end of the sidewalk — may or may to have stair steps to get me down to the beach.”

Huh? 

Per usual, I’m cornfused…   

Anyone who has attempted to use the narrow Seminole Avenue approach – with reserved hotel parking to the north, and angled public parking to the south, on what is perhaps the most shabby, uninviting, and perennially closed vehicular beach access in Volusia County – knows how beneficial an ADA compliant sidewalk would be. 

Don’t take my word for it.  Drive down to the Seminole Approach (if you can find it) and see for yourself… 

The developer’s request to remove the proposed public sidewalk will be heard by the Ormond Beach City Commission on April 16.

Now, the rest of us rubes (read: Volusia County Taxpayers) should plan on shlepping the kids, beach chairs, coolers, floats, umbrellas, and other gear down an active vehicular beach approach (if it ever reopens, that is…) 

In the meantime, rather than determine why our beaches have the most down-at-the-heels approaches in the state, perhaps the Volusia County Council can waste more time finding another solution searching for a problem… 

That’s all for me.  Have a blessed Easter, everyone! 

Hi, kids!

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Angel               City of Holly Hill

When I was young, my late father taught me that things are rarely as good or bad as we think they are. 

The events of last week proved the exception to that advice, and to say I am heartbroken is an understatement… 

Longtime readers of this alternative opinion site know that I rarely give my views on those things closest to me, including the faults and human foibles of law enforcement officers (my former career) and the City of Holly Hill (where I served for over three-decades) – neither of which are perfect – because I have an admitted bias, a conscious favoritism toward those people and institutions that I love unconditionally. 

We’re allowed to have imperfect heroes.  Is there any other kind?   

As a result, I cannot objectively express my thoughts on those subjects with any degree of honesty. 

So, I don’t.   

That doesn’t mean that I never get angry with them – question the actions and judgement of individuals, or frown on the impetus of incidents that bring discredit across my beloved organization, community, or profession. 

Despite the fact I have developed some hard bark over the years, my feelings can be hurt by those I put my faith in.   

How about you?

That’s the natural vulnerability required of those who trust, care, and love something larger than themselves.   

Anyone who doesn’t understand that should stop reading now.    

Since news broke of the Holly Hill police chief’s abrupt departure last week, I’ve heard the terrible rumors and speculation that you have – and I’ve absorbed the cheap shots and piling on from those who seized the chance to land a few low blows on me and my much-loved community. 

That’s okay.  Those things naturally circulate in times like this. 

The fact is, I know little more about the facts and circumstances than what has been reported in the media – but now, ten-years into my retirement – anything that hurts the institution of the police service I still feel like a deep phantom pain.   

While there is much I don’t understand about recent reports – what I do know is that the great privilege of my life was doing work worth doing with some incredible professionals in service to a grateful community who genuinely appreciated the effort.

What I know of honor, commitment, and service to a cause greater than my own self-interests I learned from them.

Nothing takes away from that.

My long association with the Holly Hill Police Department fulfilled my life’s dream – and gave me everything I have or will have – most profoundly an incredible sense of pride in service.

What a truly special place…

May God bless all who have ever worn the badge with pride and honorably served that wonderful community – and those beautiful and eccentric souls I had the great fortune to protect and serve those many years.

For now, I trust the process – and I believe in the resilience of a city that will celebrate 123 years this summer…

When the broken places heal (and they will) I am confident the department will be stronger on the other side. 

For all my former colleagues active and retired – and the wonderful citizens of The City with a Heart – please take care of yourselves and each other. 

I’m here for you always.

“It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: “And this, too, shall pass away.” How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! — how consoling in the depths of affliction!”

“And this, too, shall pass away…”

–President Abraham Lincoln, September 30, 1859

Asshole           Volusia County Councilman David Santiago

“Draft ordinance limiting comments to verbal comments during the general comment period.”

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNTY COUNCIL OF VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA, AS FOLLOWS:

Sec. 2-66. Public participation and opportunity to be heard.

“Public comment procedures.  The Council welcomes and encourages comments from the public…”

Bullshit. 

The opening line of a now tabled draft ordinance to amend the Volusia County Council’s stilted “Rules of Order” and further limit your right as a taxpaying citizen to be heard and understood by those we elected for redress of grievances was a baldfaced lie.   

Under the ridiculous “goal” of Supporting a Solution-Oriented Culture, on Tuesday, the Volusia County Council took up another time-wasting solution looking for a problem when they discussed a draft ordinance pushed by Santiago that would have prohibited the publics ability to use electronic media – such as videos, photographs, audio recordings, or any other means of helping illustrate their point during public comments.

The mere attempt was a slap in the face to everyone who has ever taken time out of their busy day to prostrate themselves before those stone-faced gargoyles on the dais of power in DeLand.  

In my view, this was another skeevy move by Councilman David Santiago – a shameless elitist with a huge opinion of himself – who doesn’t care what you have to say. 

Apparently, since November 2023, Volusia County’s best legal minds have spent countless hours determining how to further disenfranchise citizens and discourage public participation by drafting an amendment prohibiting the use of any form of electronic media by substituting the Monarchical diktat:

Achtung, pissants!

“Comments shall be limited to verbal comments.”

Of course, Mr. Santiago disingenuously couched the amended ordinance as a means of prohibiting offensive or inappropriate material.  That prompted At-Large Councilman Jake Johansson to hare off down a dark hole that would have seen citizens submitting their supporting media to the individual council members with sufficient time to allow our detached potentates to decide (outside the public view) what they will hear and see of our petty problems – and what they will not. 

Ultimately, Councilman Santigo saw which way this brazen attempt to further muffle his constituents was heading, decided to punt this political football, and made a preemptive motion to “permanently table” any further action on the item. 

Yeah.  I know…

Don’t let your guard down, folks. 

Look for variations on the theme to be brought back in the future cloaked as a “decorum” issue, being silenced because you speak at the “wrong time” or on the wrong issue, or some other thinly veiled gag – because when it comes to formulating unique ways to censor, silence, and suppress the concerns of Volusia County residents the bureaucracy’s work is never done…

The fact is, if our elected “representatives” gave two-shits about what their long-suffering constituents think about anything – let alone the development of public policy that directly effects our lives and livelihoods – they would encourage a dialog, answer timely questions, engage in the competition of ideas, or at least acknowledge the physical presence of We, The Little People who are expected to pay the bills and keep our pieholes shut.             

My God…

Residents watching from the often-packed gallery in the chamber – or straining to hear the proceedings from home on the worst audio/video feed since Alexander Graham Bell called for Mr. Watson – are routinely forced to sit through interminable “staff reports” consisting of the monotonous drone of some senior jackleg’s emotionless recitation of a mind-numbing PowerPoint presentation…   

So, why should Volusia County taxpayers be prohibited from using digital media during their three-minute audience before our elected dullards on the dais?

In my view, despite Mr. Santiago’s eleventh-hour attempt to wipe the egg off his face – it remains the hope of Volusia County Council members that marginalized taxpayers will simply disengage from the process and go away – because their time is more valuable than yours…

I’ve said this, ad nauseum, but it has become painfully apparent that most official decisions are a foregone conclusion – hashed out ahead of time in the cloistered confines of the County Manager’s office, based solely on the political insulation of a “staff recommendation” or “public policy by off-the-agenda ambush” – which all but eliminates the need for public input or strategic thought on the critical issues.

This sense of remoteness between the average citizen and those we elect to serve our interests is becoming institutionalized, an accepted part of what passes for county governance in an environment where public policy is formed in seclusion by politically unaccountable bureaucrats.

Asshole           Palm Coast City Council

“In a stunning move, Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin this morning motioned to fire City Manager Denise Bevan, without cause. The motion carried, 3-2, with Alfin and Council members Ed Danko and Cathy Heighter in the majority. Assistant City Manager Lauren Johnston was appointed acting manager.

The three votes came from the three most pro-development members of the council, with an explicit explanation from one of them: “Denise has done a well job but I do feel that we’re moving into a different era in this city,” Council member Cathy Heighter said. “We are a rapidly growing city and we do need strong management and we do need someone that’s going to address issues.

The vote and Heighter’s comment were as clear a pair of indications as any that the council majority wanted a more development-minded manager at the till…”

–FlaglerLive!, “Palm Coast City Manager Denise Bevan Unceremoniously Fired Without Cause in 3-2 Vote on Mayor’s Motion,” Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Once again, Palm Coast Realtor/Mayor David Alfin has (literally) paved the way for more malignant sprawl with the summary termination of City Manager Densie Bevan.

Apparently working in concert with Vice Mayor Ed Danko – Realtor/Mayor Alfin passed the gavel to Danko and made the motion to fire Bevan without cause.  When things shook out, Alfin, Danko, and Councilwoman Cathy Heighter were on the winning side of the 3-2 vote, with Council members Theresa Pontieri and Nick Klufas dissenting.

Following the vote, Councilman Danko showed the complete lack of class he’s become known for, abandoned his responsibilities at the business meeting, and left the dais to campaign for a seat on the Flagler County Council at the public library – a move that drew the rightful criticism of both Pontieri and Klufas. 

According to a report in FlaglerLive!:

“Both council members hinted that Danko had shown up to the meeting only to cast the firing vote, and that he therefore knew about the vote ahead of time – what would amount to a sunshine law violation. Mayor David Alfin and Council member Cathy Heighter were also in the majority. Danko said he had no knowledge of the vote. He’d shown up just for public comment, and was intending to leave after that regardless, until Alfin told him he was passing the gavel so the mayor could make the firing motion.  

“This is going to be controversial but it is what it is,” Pontieri said at the tail end of a three and a half hour council meeting. “Our vice mayor decided to show up today to remove our city manager and then get up from the dais. I have it on very good authority that he is campaigning right now at the library and Facebook-living while doing it.”

Councilwoman Pontieri continued, “To me, this indicates two things, that there was a violation of sunshine that occurred before today’s vote, because he showed up to clearly take the gavel to support the motion, and then he left, which if there was something so pressing that he had, why even come to the meeting today. He clearly came to cast his vote for this motion. And now he’s campaigning from the library when we have a business meeting that requires voting on serious city matters. This person is running for a county position. And I take real issue with this. I know we don’t have the ability to censure up here. But this needs to be addressed. This is a problem.”

(Find the rest of this sordid story here: https://tinyurl.com/ekr6msmz )

Unbelievable.

The fact is the move to oust Bevan was politics at its worst.   

Realtor/Mayor Alfin was admittedly upset that Ms. Bevan had not delayed a shocking utility rate study that found Palm Coast will need to raise $635 million over 10 years just to keep up with growing demands on the city’s water and wastewater infrastructure. 

According to a subsequent rationalization in FlaglerLive!, the pompous Alfin said he “…wanted Bevan to be more politically attuned to the reality of an election year, and to have delayed a controversial utility rate study that could be turned to political ends until a non-election year.”

Say what?

“The utility rate hike study was presented at the beginning of an election cycle,” Alfin said. “I think that’s wrong because I think it could have been done a year ago and not become part of political pandering or footballing or whatever. The problem is when you allow it to fall on the calendar this way, I don’t know that you debate and consider it on its true merits without a thought of how this will affect the upcoming campaign, and I think at the top level of leadership, those kind of questions are very important.”

My God. 

Realtor/Mayor Alfin should understand that no one gives a damn about his self-centered political aspirations.  It is time for Mr. Alfin to put the mounting needs of his constituents over the greed-crazed profit motives of his developer friends placing people over politics…   

With Realtor/Mayor Alfin’s hastily choreographed coup d’état complete, the door is open for the pro-development majority to continue the rapid buildout of Palm Coast in the same asinine ‘cart before the horse’ strategy that is destroying the quality of life for residents across the region. 

My sincere hope is that the anxious residents of Palm Coast and Flagler County remember Alfin and Danko – and their shocking irresponsibility in the name of power and greed – come election day… 

Quote of the Week

“If your people who are best able to pay the taxes are leaving your state, and not (paying taxes), the tax burden remains the same but is now spread across fewer people who are less able to support those taxes,” he said. “So you start to see the spiral.”

A couple of the questions from Tiger Bay Club members touched on Florida’s property insurance crisis, a subject Leek − whose day job is chief legal officer for Foundation Risk Partners, a Daytona Beach insurance brokerage − has contended with for years.

“You have to think of this as a macroeconomic problem,” he said. “In the state of Florida, you are going to pay more for your property insurance than you will in many other states because the demand to get into the state of Florida is so high. People want to live here.”

Fraud led insurance companies to leave the state, so lawmakers reformed the system to make it more attractive to carriers, Leek said.

“Over time, we have had six new carriers come back into the state. We need about another six carriers, maybe a dozen, before you’ll start to feel some of what I think is going to be a more moderate increase in insurance premiums, and that’s about the best I think you can hope for in a state with this much demand on it.”

–State Representative and Chief Legal Counsel for a local Insurance Brokerage Tom Leek, Ormond Beach, as quoted by reporter Mark Harper of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, during a question-and-answer session at last week’s meeting of the Tiger Bay Club of Volusia County, Monday, March 18, 2024

I like Tom Leek. 

He’s a hometown guy.  Smart, approachable, and, in my view, he has our best interests at heart. 

However, when he says, “Fraud led insurance companies to leave the state,” I question which side of the equation Representative Leek is talking about? 

As Mr. Leek knows far better than me, there are two ways insurance companies make money – the obvious is by taking in more in premiums than they pay out in claims.  The other is investing premiums that have not yet been paid out in claims then banking the accrued interest – something the industry calls “float.” 

As many Floridians have found following hurricanes, flooding, and other disasters – getting their insurance carrier to pay legitimate claims has become a virtual impossibility – a drawn-out exercise that requires engaging public adjusters, hiring attorneys, and saber-rattling threats of lawsuits… 

An incredibly protracted and time-consuming process that certainly doesn’t benefit the policyholder… 

Last month, we learned in a News-Journal piece of a U.S. Army retiree who took the fight to Tallahassee after property insurance rates on his Daytona Beach Shores condominium skyrocketed 563% last year.

Unfortunately, that story is not an isolated incident here in the Sunshine State, where homeowners are finding astronomical increases in rates and deductibles – with a corresponding reduction in coverage. 

That’s tailormade for disaster…

Something else I question is the mindset of state and local politicians who refuse to see that allowing massive sprawl then reaping the resultant increase in state coffers results in an overcrowded and claustrophobic feeling that ultimately destroys the attraction – especially when residents, both new and established, come to realize they exist to feed the ever-expanding bureaucratic machine…

According to the News-Journal’s report:  

“Leek said Florida’s economy has been “remarkable” and “resilient,” attracting high earners who bring their income with them, helping the state to continually beat revenue projections, while states where some of those new residents are leaving, California, New York and Illinois, to contend with budget deficits.

“If your people who are best able to pay the taxes are leaving your state, and not (paying taxes), the tax burden remains the same but is now spread across fewer people who are less able to support those taxes,” he said. “So you start to see the spiral.”

That’s what I like about politicians, they can justify anything to make a partisan political statement – including finding the ‘silver lining’ in explosive development and the resultant population growth as “luxury” subdivisions blanket the width and breadth of Florida – even as longtime residents are being driven out of the state due to onerous insurance rates (if they can get coverage at all), ever-increasing taxes, fees, a lack of affordable housing, and crushing congestion…

Have you seen a corresponding decrease in your tax burden now that more, more, more “high earning” taxpayers are being shoehorned into the state like ten-pounds of shit in a five-pound bag?

Do you sense more of that “remarkable” tax revenue being used to fund necessary transportation, water, and public utilities improvements – I mean, outside those pet projects preferred by wealthy insiders who need a road here, or interchange there, to facilitate even more growth?   

Me neither.   

An ugly spiral indeed…

And Another Thing!

Well, that’s a done deal. 

The “alternative education” program known as the Riverview Learning Center is moving to the once dilapidated/now perfectly suitable campus of Osceola Elementary School.

And guess what?

There’s not a damn thing blindsided beachside residents of Ormond Beach can do about it. 

On Monday, Volusia County District Schools reluctantly held a public information meeting after School Board member Carl “Namby-Pamby” Persis received permission from his boss, Superintendent Carmen Balgobin…

In a report by Mary Ellen Ritter writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week, we learned:

“The district led Monday’s meeting. Board member Carl Persis, Riverview Principal Thomas Soli and Volusia’s Chief Operating Officer Patty Corr welcomed attendees, informed them about the alternative education program, and provided context about the district’s recent rezoning and program transfers.

They led a question-and-answer-style discussion, using questions that had previously been asked at school board and city meetings. Attendees to Monday’s meeting were also able to submit questions on an index card to be answered that night. After all questions were answered, attendees could raise their hands and when called on, ask additional questions or share personal statements.”

From what I was told by some in attendance, the “Q&A” did little to alleviate the concerns of many area residents who were kept in the dark – and rightly felt the decision to relocate the Riverview students was done without sufficient notice or the benefit of citizen input.

Sound familiar? 

One astonished Barker’s View reader described the tone of the meeting as defensive and condescendingly indifferent, with flippant or non-answers to questions.  In one instance, the district’s Chief Operating Officer Patty Corr is said to have responded to two shouted questions by threatening to end the meeting – and later admonished a citizen by scolding “Sir, don’t roll your eyes at me.” 

Whoa. 

Although district officials tried their best to couch community pushback as a NIMBY issue – derisively insinuating that citizens and nearby homeowners who oppose the relocation lack compassion for “these kids” who are experiencing “a second chance” – in fact, the primary concern of residents and city officials remains the complete lack of transparency by Volusia County Schools.

On December 5, prior to the board’s vote, the district held an informational meeting regarding the relocation – but only notified students and parents involved in the program – effectively keeping area residents and city officials in the dark.

According to the News-Journal, “While some community members came to the meeting worried about an alternative education program moving into their neighborhood, Jennifer Schwartz, a neighbor to the school, said that wasn’t the sole concern.

“I don’t want the connotation being taken out of this meeting that we’re horrible neighbors that are all up in arms because we don’t want those kids,” she said. “We want the people who are responsible for the communication and upkeep of the property to do their job.”

In a follow-up article by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer this week, we learned that during Tuesday’s Ormond Beach City Commission meeting, Commissioner Travis Sargent called the district’s info session the “most hostile, unorganized meeting” he ever attended – and blasted the district for trying to blame the City Commission for not notifying area residents of the Riverview transfer. 

“I’m just absolutely flabbergasted at the way they treat our residents,” Sargent said. “It’s absurd.”

In addition, during Monday’s klatch, Ormond Beach City Manager Joyce Shanahan made it perfectly clear that the responsibility for this debacle lays squarely with the district.

“It is not a city commission or city staff position. It is 100% the decision of the Volusia County School Board, not Ormond Beach,” she said. “We are just like you … This is not a city commission issue. This is 100% a School Board issue.”

Kudos to Commissioner Sargent and Ms. Shanahan for standing up for Ormond Beach residents.  

On Monday, once again, Mr. Persis was left awkwardly explaining himself to suspicious constituents – hoping to convince anyone still listening that the School Board acted appropriately, regardless of how it was perceived:

“Was it anyone’s intent to keep it from you?” Persis asked. “No. Was it anything shady, underhanded? No, I guarantee you that. It’s just that we hadn’t done anything like this, and we notified the group that we thought we should and that wasn’t really what we should do.”

My ass…

In most public and private organizations that value their relationship with those they serve, leadership is held to account by those elected to represent the interests of stakeholders – and when things get so far afield that the credibility of the institution is jeopardized – conscientious leaders understand the importance of stepping aside as a matter of honor.

Apparently, that’s not the case in the district’s cloistered Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand…   

In my view, the time has come for the Volusia County School Board to ensure this is Superintendent Carmen Balgobin’s final embarrassment. 

That’s all for me.  Have a great weekend, y’all! Go Hatters!

Hi, kids!

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Angel               Former Director of Volusia Beach Safety Andy Ethridge

The Coconut Telegraph here at Barker’s View HQ was smoking this week as rumors continue to fly over the ‘abrupt resignation’ of Volusia County Beach Safety Director Andy Ethridge, a well-respected servant/leader who worked his way from lifeguard to specialist, sergeant, captain, and deputy chief, then spent less than three-years at the helm after being promoted to Chief in June 2021.

During his tenure, former Director Ethridge oversaw the transition of law enforcement services from Beach Safety to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, short-handedly protected 47-miles of shoreline amid the challenges of recruiting and retaining qualified lifeguards, and successfully navigated a shambolic “beach management” apparatus and that ossified bureaucracy in DeLand.   

Look, I have no way of confirming or discrediting any of the disturbing claims surrounding Ethridge’s unexpected departure – let alone answering the darker questions, like “why” he would suddenly leave 28-years into a successful career marked by promotions to positions of increasing responsibility?

All we know is what slowly oozes from the cloistered Inner Sanctum at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building – usually in the form of a canned “press release” posted on the county’s webpage…   

In my view, of the myriad challenges facing Volusia County, the most troubling aspect is that County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald and his close coterie of deputies, lackies, and senior administrators control the flow of information with an Orwellian understanding that information = power.

They know the ultimate political protection is the ability to channel and restrict information through a single power source.  As a result, even our elected policymakers are often kept in the dark about pressing issues facing their constituents – resulting in a near-constant roil of conjecture and assumptions leading to paranoia and speculation…

That’s the danger of rumors.

I know our ‘powers that be’ hate it when I point out the obvious (I hate me too) but the fact remains, We, The Little People who pay the bills and suffer the inefficiencies of our increasingly expensive essential services have a right to know the truth. 

Like why the senior director of our Beach Safety Department left during one of the most demanding weekends of the year – and more important – who (if anyone) is performing this vital role as Spring Breakers begin to arrive? 

The “word on the street” this week is that Director Ethridge was forced to resign his position by Director of Public Protection Mark Swanson for reasons that remain murky…  

Is that true?  Hellifiknow…

What I do know is that since his appointment in 2022, Swanson has had a tumultuous run, including the ham-handed fiasco surrounding the termination of former Corrections Director Mark Flowers – and now the clumsy departure of the highly respected Andy Ethridge – even as Beach Safety struggles to attract and retain personnel. 

Now, with Swanson assuming command (?) – it appears Beach Safety will revert to yet another destabilizing period of “acting” and “interim” leadership at the beginning of a busy tourist season…

Earlier this week, I obtained a copy of Director Ethridge’s letter of resignation submitted Saturday, March 9, offering a two-week notice. 

I also received the subsequent notification to Volusia County Council members by Director of Community Misinformation Michael Ryan – a bullshit missive which sugarcoated things by thanking Ethridge for his “approximately 25-years” service (he had nearly 29-years with Volusia County) claiming the former director was “returning to his roots in law enforcement…” – except, Mr. Ethridge’s “roots” are in a lifeguard tower on Daytona Beach…

What gives?  

In the view of many, Ryan’s shockingly specious report to our elected officials disparaged Director Ethridge’s service with fabrications and inaccuracies.

More disturbing, in my view, it represents a baldfaced lie to the Volusia County Council. 

Now there are more questions than answers…

Why was last Friday Director Ethridge’s final day on the beach?

Why was there no orderly transition – or immediate notice to citizens, visitors, and our elected representatives explaining who is responsible for beach safety following Mr. Ethridge’s departure? 

If Director Ethridge was in fact forced out – why did Mr. Ryan blatantly lie to the Volusia County Council about the nature of his exit – forever destroying the trust of the elected officials and their constituents?    

And who authorized Mark Swanson to scalp a veteran senior administrator and proven asset who was described during his 2021 promotion ceremony as “revered” within the ranks of Beach Safety? 

Perhaps most important – with Andy Ethridge out, how many more dedicated public servants will flee that sinking ship at what remains of Beach Safety?  

Nearly a week later, the questions continue to swirl, and Volusia County taxpayers want to know the truth…

Last week, a veteran government watcher and civic activist summed up what many long-suffering residents have come to believe:

“They keep firing the monkeys and giving the organ grinder a pay raise.” 

How terribly sad… 

Thank you for your dedicated service, Director Ethridge. 

The nature of your departure does not define the quality of your contributions – or your many acts of courage in service to our grateful visitors and the citizens of Volusia County. 

Asshole           Volusia County School Board

The unfortunate saga continues… 

The Volusia County School Board is embroiled in various outrages, humiliations, and bruhahas spanning multiple fronts – a constant churn excruciatingly played out in the news media – leaving elected board members staring at their shoes and stammering for answers to growing questions of gross mismanagement from taxpayers, even as Superintendent Carmen Balgobin’s administration continues to operate in virtual silence.

Now, anxious stakeholders are questioning what our dullards on the dais are trying to hide?

In January, the School Board’s contract labor attorney sent formal notice to Florida’s Public Employees Relations Commission suggesting that Volusia United Educators – the union representing the district’s teachers and paraprofessionals – falsified membership records making it appear the bargaining unit had the 60% membership required by state law.

The union’s leadership vehemently denied the allegation.

Inexplicably, in February, School Board Chair Jamie Haynes arrogantly attempted to distance the board from the district’s pernicious attempt to decertify the collective bargaining unit – and denied any involvement with either the PERC correspondence or engaging the labor attorney – a cheap alibi that quickly unraveled when Volusia County School’s General Counsel Kevin Pendley admitted that each member of the board individually authorized the action…   

Yeah.  I know.  But as the Dude said, “New shit has come to light, man…”

After being caught either openly lying to their constituents – or pitifully ignorant of events unfolding in Superintendent Balgobin’s Ivory Tower of Power – on February 29, PERC gave the Volusia County School Board until last week to file a formal response “…as to whether it is challenging the Union’s registration” under applicable Florida statutes.  

Instead, the district confused everyone by asking PERC for an extension…   

Rather than exhibit the character and courage to stand before their constituents and explain themselves to those who pay the bills – or clear the air and alleviate the fears of anxious teachers and staff – our elected officials, with Chairman Haynes on the gavel, slithered out of sight into a secret closed session – apparently to discuss their pending response to PERC.

Or was it a strategy session to determine how these vainglorious phonies can best restore their soiled reputations now that they have been individually exposed as prevaricating hypocrites by the district’s General Counsel? 

Although Chairwoman Haynes went through the clearly well-coached legal maneuverings required to meet the statutory requirements of a “shade meeting” – many believed the mysterious “closed attorney/client session” stretched the limits of legislative exceptions to Florida’s Sunshine Law.

Let’s face it – either the Volusia County School Board wants to decertify the union representing its teachers and paraprofessionals and upend the collective bargaining process – or it doesn’t; but that decision should not be made in some shadowy behind-closed-doors conclave.      

In my experience, when an embarrassed elected body starts covering its tracks, things get messy. 

Once those holding high office are caught in a lie – their constituents will never trust them again – and that’s not a positive for politically vulnerable members like the wholly ineffectual Carl “Namby-Pamby” Persis who must stand for reelection later this year…

Regardless, the board’s surreptitious session was the worst political optics imaginable – sending a clear message to everyone watching that the Volusia County School Board is keeping secrets from those of us who pay the bills.

There are several takeaways from last week’s awkward executive session – the most glaring that our elected officials are either incapable or unwilling to control Superintendent Carmen Balgobin as she crashes about like a bull in a china shop – clearly unconcerned by the political realities of her elected bosses – wholly ignoring the concerns of Volusia County residents who are time-and-again surprised by her administration’s edicts and decrees formed in a bureaucratic bubble.    

Asshole           St. Johns River Water Management District

“No one can stop it. It’s on its way. We are building homes. People are moving in. Kids are playing outside,” he said.”

— Mori Hosseini, the all-powerful chairman and CEO of ICI Homes, as quoted by reporter Mark Harper in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “How David beat Goliath: Spruce Creek conservationists block I-95 interchange – for now,” February 6, 2024

As usual, Boss Hosseini was right all along.    

He “won” this week when the historically compromised St. Johns River Water Management District – the regulatory agency charged with protecting our natural resources, water quality, and natural systems – ignored the recommendation of an administrative law judge to deny a permit for the controversial Pioneer Trail Interchange and strategically allowed the permit to be issued anyway.

Just like Mr. Hosseini promised it would.   

And the unique flora and fauna of the environmentally sensitive Spruce Creek watershed lost… 

Screw ‘em.  Fish and wildlife don’t contribute to political campaigns – and they damn sure don’t purchase three-bedroom, two-bath cracker boxes “…starting in the $400’s.”

In October 2023, a small group of intrepid environmentalists and concerned residents successfully defended the sensitive Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve and environs from the threat of the proposed interchange at I-95 and Pioneer Trail by challenging a controversial stormwater permit issued by the St. Johns River Water Management District.

To say it was a ‘David & Goliath’ tale is an understatement…

In January, Administrative Law Judge E. Gary Early rightfully recommended that the SJRWMD’s stormwater permit be revoked after determining its issuance was “not in the public interest,” citing that an area of Spruce Creek has been designated an Outstanding Florida Waterway which requires special protections because of its exceptional natural attributes.

To show just how far some will stoop to see the will of powerful special interests come to fruition, during the hearing, we learned that SJRWMD engineers made the idiotic claim that the massive 74-acre paving project would somehow “…reduce phosphorus, nitrogen and other harmful elements being diverted to Spruce Creek.” 

My God.

According to a report this week by Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida, “…the district’s proposed final order backing the permit concluded that the project “is clearly in the public interest.” It said Early improperly ruled that an “extra” environmental benefit needed to be shown to find the project was in the public interest.

“In aggregate, the district determines that the applicant (the Department of Transportation) clearly demonstrated compliance with all of the regulatory criteria, including the public interest factors addressed herein, and these factors are enough to render this project ‘clearly in’ the public interest,” the proposed final order said.”

I learned this week from a local environmentalist who attended the SJRWMD meeting on Tuesday that several opponents of the interchange met outside the boardroom with officials from the Florida Department of Transportation and the district to discuss “potential changes to the project.”

Look, I’m not sure hashing out the future health and sustainability of the Spruce Creek watershed in a Palatka hallway is the proper way forward.  But sometimes that’s the best those concerned about our threatened environment can hope for here in the biggest whorehouse in the world… 

In a follow-up piece in The Daytona Beach News-Journal by reporter Mark Harper, Katrina Shadix, founder and director of Bear Warriors United spoke of possible plans for a federal appeal of the permit:

“Shadix said her coalition has “such a great federal case now,” after the district granted the permit despite the judge’s finding.

“We don’t want to be too negative and call it a banana republic and a kangaroo court,” Shadix said. “… It’s ridiculous they used this vehicle, this tool, to permit the damage to wetlands and the environmental wildlife. I just didn’t think it was a fair process.”

Anyone who cares about the future of our threatened state should applaud the courage and perseverance of these intrepid conservationists.

This one is important…

Ultimately, a heavy price will be paid by our children and grandchildren – after those influential special interests in the real estate development community have slashed, burned, and paved over every square inch of greenspace – and squeezed the last dollar out of what remains of this place we call home. 

Asshole           Volusia County Councilman Don Dempsey

“It’s been proposed and we put it on the meeting agenda about two or three months ago when each councilman talked about what they think would be their priority if they had a wish list.  My priority was a motocross facility, because we have been needing it. We are 30 years past due for one.”

–Volusia County Councilman Don Dempsey, October 2023

“We need to just let the market play itself out and quit letting government pretend that we’re the cure-all for all the issues, so I’m a hard no on this,” Dempsey said. “I think whenever we have an opportunity to stay out of people’s lives in a free economy, we need to.”

–Volusia County Councilman Don Dempsey, March 2024

Like a recalcitrant child with skewed priorities, last week, Volusia County Councilman Don Dempsey was a “hard no” in a 5-1 vote to allow more flexibility for the development of affordable housing as the chasm between the “haves” and “have nots” continues to widen here on the “Fun Coast.” 

Because I’m pathologically skeptical of the motivations of land use attorneys, real estate developers, and the sutlers and shills who make a handsome living manipulating malleable politicians while taking advantage of increasingly lax permitting, eviscerated environmental regulations, and asinine legislation such as Florida’s “Live Local Act” – I worry how these “incentives” will be abused by greed-crazed developers with a profit motive. 

Among other things, the proposed changes to the county’s Comprehensive Plan will allow expedited permitting for affordable housing projects, deferral of impact fees, and inducements such as waivers for permit and inspection fees, density bonuses, and donations of county-owned land to encourage workforce housing. 

I found it interesting that heavy-hitters – such as Cobb Cole land use and real estate lawyers Mark Watts, Jessica Gow, and Nika Hosseini – worked with county staff to formulate the changes that many hope will incentivize affordable housing in Volusia County.

During the discussion, Councilman Danny Robins voiced his concerns – stating that he wanted the same permissive rules to apply across the spectrum of development (apparently not realizing that influential real estate developers have already been given carte blanche to blanket the width and breath of Florida with “luxury” cookie cutter subdivisions) – but that didn’t stop Mr. Robins from championing the cause of his campaign benefactors…

Whatever. 

But it was the obstinate opposition of Councilman Dempsey that seemed most misplaced.

Apparently, the hypocritical Mr. Dempsey would have us believe he gives two-shits about these relaxed regulations facilitating more, more, more development amidst rising concerns of increased traffic, environmental impacts, sardine-like density, and widespread flooding – because his ludicrous argument about keeping government out of the marketplace rings hollow as he actively lobbies to blow $10.2 million in public funds on a state-of-the-art commercial motocross facility. 

(Excuse me.  I just choked on my Tullamore Dew…)

According to an excellent report by the News-Journal’s Sheldon Gardner:

“Dempsey, a lawyer, is “heavily involved in the real estate market,” he said. A financial disclosure form showed that he was worth over $4.5 million as of June 1, 2023, with a large chunk coming from real estate. Among his assets listed were three rental properties in DeLand that bring in $3,750 a month.

He said he’s seen the real estate market fluctuate.

“We need to just let the market play itself out and quit letting government pretend that we’re the cure-all for all the issues, so I’m a hard no on this,” Dempsey said. “I think whenever we have an opportunity to stay out of people’s lives in a free economy, we need to.”

I don’t make this shit up, folks…

Look, I don’t think anyone who has experienced this willy-nilly explosive growth in Volusia County supports allowing quick-buck artists to swoop in and exploit these permitting and financial incentives for more sticks-and-glue “projects” – or infilling established neighborhoods with substandard housing done ‘on-the-cheap’ – and I found it chillingly telling when powerful land use attorneys stood before the Volusia County Council and vigorously patted our Growth and Resource Management Director Clay Ervin on the head (Goo-boy, Clay!  Good Boy!).   

Disturbing…

But with an increasing number of Volusia County families considered asset limited/income constrained – watching the dream of homeownership (or reasonable rentals) evaporate in an environment where the median sale price of a single-family home is now $361,667 – it is time our ‘powers that be’ focus on safe and affordable workforce housing.

I’m not talking about the same laissez-faire approach to general development we have seen from state, county, and municipal governments – but a visionary strategy focusing on infill, renewal, and rehabilitation in challenged neighborhoods.    

According to the News-Journal, during the meeting, Attorney Nika Hosseini explained to our dullards on the dais the importance of supporting these affordable housing initiatives – while taking a clear swipe at Councilman Dempsey’s faux-concern of government skewing the marketplace:

“The nurse that helps you at the hospital, where is she or he supposed to live when they’re just getting started? To say that this is about development or that the market will simply handle itself is, frankly, pretty appalling in my opinion,” she said. “We are supposed to be a community of individuals that help each other.”

While I appreciate Ms. Hosseini’s passion for those less fortunate – I would argue that many of the developers who are actively paving over Volusia County and beyond have been less than receptive to incorporating affordable housing into their many projects… 

In my view, like any other government “incentive,” affordable housing enticements require strict oversight from those charged with regulating what passes for growth and resource management. 

In my experience, good things rarely result when the fox is given unfettered access to the henhouse in the name of “incentivizing” development.    

Unfortunately, supervision and accountability has never been a strong suit in Volusia County government, and time will tell if last week’s measure will be a blessing, or a curse…

Quote of the Week  

“Bouaziz said he is “far more than unimpressed” with how the school and school district has handled this incident thus far.

“(I’m) disturbed,” he said. “The problem is, where’s the line? What if, instead of yelling ‘retarded’ at them or calling them all ‘retarded,’ she had put her hands on somebody? Right? Or she had, you know, called a kid the n-word? Right? Like, where’s the line that, that causes the school system to take this … seriously?”

Bouaziz said he is also concerned by the lack of transparency from the school and district.

“It makes me feel like the school system as a public entity doesn’t respect or care about the parents who fund it, right?” he said. “The complete lack of communication and just trying to sweep it under the rug until DCF stepped in was just a pretty bad play.”

— Cypress Creek Elementary parent Karim Bouaziz, as quoted by reporter Mary Ellen Ritter writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Cypress Creek Elementary teacher under investigation for using derogatory term for students,” Monday, March 11, 2024

(Please find the rest of this disturbing story here: https://tinyurl.com/25hurw76 )

Not much surprises me when it comes to the faults and foibles of human nature.  

As a horribly jaded cynic, I rarely expect the “best” from people – that’s a recipe for disappointment…

During my career in public service, I made my share of embarrassing gaffes and missteps – an experiential education that can teach valuable lessons to those willing to humble themselves and learn from their mistakes.

We all have bad days, and most people can forgive what they see themselves doing. 

I’ve said things I regret in a pique of anger or stress. 

How about you?

In my experience, it sounds like this unfortunate incident could be resolved with a sincere apology, refocusing, and stress management techniques.  It is how Volusia County District Schools left a parent feeling their complaint was “swept under the rug” due to a “complete lack of communication” that I find disturbing.    

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident in Superintendent Carmen Balgobin’s cloistered Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand…

Sometimes those in high profile positions attempt to protect themselves by circling the wagons, going mute, and protecting the status quo at all costs.  That’s when perception becomes reality for those of us peering through the greasy pane in the portcullis that separates citizens from their government.

Without exception, it is how an organization – especially one funded by tax dollars – communicates with those it exists to serve that either builds a reputation for transparency and trust – or one of confusion, chaos, and suspicion.

Sound familiar Osceola Elementary parents and Ormond Beachside residents?   

I understand that details of pending personnel matters cannot – as a matter of policy and collective bargaining agreements – be disseminated to the public; but when the media or concerned residents call, organizations can take the opportunity to explain the process to those looking on, address the concerns of stakeholders, and maintain an open and inviting path for those seeking to provide input on necessary policy revisions. 

In my view, that avoids quotes in the newspaper like, “It makes me feel like the school system as a public entity doesn’t respect or care about the parents who fund it…”

It also helps if those at the top actually care about those they serve – rather than covering their own ass.

Trust me.  I know better than most how easy it is to sit in the cheap seats and snipe and sneer at those ‘actually in the arena’ who stumble doing work worth doing.  It’s kind of a hobby of mine…

I also know the importance of shining a bright light on the pervasive mismanagement, misinformation, and inefficiencies that erode trust in government and those institutions we rely on.

Establishing a culture of doing the right thing, for the right reasons, costs nothing. 

And it means everything…

In my view, it is time our elected representatives begin to examine how Superintendent Balgobin and her senior staff can get it so wrong, so often?  

And Another Thing!

Earlier this week, we learned a few lessons about what works – and what doesn’t – when it comes to the “revitalization” of Downtrodden Downtown Daytona.

We also learned how much that renaissance can cost…

In the fall of 2017, insurance magnate King J. Hyatt Brown, gathered his loyal subjects before him at an “invitation only” event – and announced bold plans to construct his Grand Headquarters on Beach Street – something HRH J. Hyatt’s handmaidens in government and industry hailed as the ultimate panacea for Daytona Beach’s perpetually struggling downtown.

It was the very answer to our collective prayers – a catalyst for transformative success.

At the time, then City Manager Jim “The Chisler” Chisholm gushed, “It’s a game changer for the downtown area,” and Dr. Kent Sharples of that mysterious camera stellata over at the CEO Business Alliance swooned, “It’s the biggest and best thing that’s happened since General Electric in terms of the number of jobs created, salary, and impact on our community.”

Just weeks later, both the City of Daytona Beach and the County of Volusia ponied up millions-of-dollars in public infrastructure improvements, financial incentives, and property tax abatement – which, we were told, would assist Brown & Brown in obtaining even more tax credits from the State of Florida for the promised six hundred “new high-paying jobs” the HQ would bring to Daytona Beach.

The town was abuzz with exciting words like “rejuvenation,” “recovery,” and “revitalization” – as our ‘powers that be’ assured skeptical taxpayers that downtown restaurants, boutiques, and bars would be brimming with free spending insurance executives – something that gave strapped area merchants reason to hang on by their splintered fingernails just a little while longer…

To prepare for the second coming of the once vibrant Downtown Daytona, taxpayers acquiesced to a plan that gifted the riverfront park to HRH J. Hyatt for his lavish “esplanade” – with the Brown’s generously donating $35+ million and the citizens of Daytona Beach agreeing to pony up some $800,000 annually for upkeep. 

In addition, a bizarre plan was hatched to replace a perfectly serviceable streetscape, a project that further disrupted Beach Street…

Remember?

And who can forget the continuing boondoggle that became the publicly subsidized (and horribly misnamed) First Step Shelter – a $6 million magic potion born of a shambolic process that began with a 2014 ($135,000) “study” which recommended a 250 bed come-as-you-are homeless shelter – before morphing into an insanely expensive social program that takes homeless people who submit themselves to a mysterious process and, we hope, magically ends in sustainable permanent housing…   

But what about those who don’t want to participate in First Step’s convoluted “get your shit together” program? 

Well, according to an informative article by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week – a story that read like a Steinbeck novel – at least some of those ambulatory drunks, lunatics, vagrants, and malevolent vagabonds (who apparently didn’t get an invitation to HRH J. Hyatt’s Grand Plan) have once again turned Downtown Daytona into an unsafe and unsanitary “battleground.”

According to the disturbing report:

“For nearly 14 years, Sweet Marlays’ Coffee has been serving up freshly brewed java, delectable desserts and a sun-filled retreat overlooking the Halifax River across the street.

At times it’s also been a battleground between shop owner Tammy Kozinski and the vagrants who wander inside the Beach Street café to lobby for free food, rant for no particular reason, urinate on the floor and steal. One angry man recently cursed at Kozinski and threw his cup of hot coffee at her.”

Whoa. 

I guess publicly subsidized glass and steel office buildings and elaborate “transitional programs” aren’t the cure-all we were promised, eh?

Please find the rest of the News-Journal’s interesting exposé here: https://tinyurl.com/2fhzr8zt

Now, the City of Daytona Beach has formulated a plan that will bring the same private security service that patrols the squeaky-clean Brown Esplanade to the mean streets of downtown to take on these marauding miscreants head-to-head… 

According to the News-Journal, “The city is getting ready to launch a (60-day) pilot program that will provide security officers six days a week along Beach Street between Orange Avenue and International Speedway Boulevard, where the city’s redevelopment director said “most of the issues have been.”

“Two unarmed officers will cover foot patrol shifts from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day except Sunday, and when they see problems they’ll use their radios to summon police for help.”

After meeting with downtown merchants to discuss their concerns, Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry announced the plan during a public meeting last week.

I agree with Mayor Henry.  This idea has legs.

Literally, four of them, walking a beat on Beach Street… 

(I hear you, “Who is behind that keyboard and what have you done with our beloved Barker the Bitcher?”)   

Listen – rather than put the cost on the backs of already tax-strapped Beach Street residents and merchants, the program – estimated at $2,400 per week for two officers – will be underwritten from the reinvestment of Downtown Redevelopment Area funds under City Manager Deric Feacher’s discretionary spending authorization.   

According to the report, “If the city wants to make the guards permanent, it will have to put out a request for proposals. City staff would choose the bidder with the lowest cost who met all the city requirements. City commissioners would then make the final decision.”

In my view, with the City of Daytona Beach preparing to invest $30 million on needed upgrades to Jackie Robinson Ballpark – and $12 million on more streetscaping at the north end of Beach Street – using redevelopment funds to better secure the core downtown commercial area without further burden on struggling business owners is a sound idea. 

But the $1.5 million-per-year question remains – with the First Step Shelter continuing to pick and choose who they will accept into the “shelter program” and who will be turned away – where will those aggressive “vagrants” go when they are once again displaced from Downtown Daytona? 

That’s all for me.  Have a great St. Patrick’s Day, y’all!

Hi, kids!

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Angel               Volusia County Councilman Troy Kent

In 2021, Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower attempted to make good on his primary campaign promise and announced he wanted the council to consider eliminating beach access tolls for county residents.

His compassionate rationale was the fact taxpayers already pay for beach management and maintenance and should not be billed twice. 

It was a key plank of his successful 2020 run – a topic Mr. Brower had become known for after more of our beach was closed to driving by an asinine 2015 ordinance benefitting Hard Rock Daytona – and access tolls were doubled in 2018, with a day at the beach going from $10 to $20, prompting residents who could afford it to opt for the $25 annual pass.

Both issues remain contentious points for many who live and pay taxes in Volusia County.   

Unfortunately, Mr. Brower’s idea was dead on arrival – a non-starter that never enjoyed the support of Volusia’s “Old Guard” – those influential insiders who control the rods and strings of county government. 

To anyone paying attention, it was abundantly clear that when Brower beat the “darling of the donor class” and upset the carefully crafted succession plan of our ‘powers that be,’ his bread was never going to land jelly-side-up again…    

Equally unfortunate was the fact Chairman Brower did not appear to have an articulable plan for feeding the insatiable bureaucratic machine by replacing the revenue lost by eliminating residential beach access fees.

Of course, Brower took a public thrashing at the hands of his “colleagues,” with Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins accusing him of engaging in “pay to play” politics and manipulating public policy “…so the chair’s friends can drive on the beach for free.”

At the time, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported on Robins’ ridiculous projection:

“You are feeding your base support, only with other people’s money. Welcome to the swamp,” Robins said from the dais Tuesday. “Talk about ‘bought and paid for’ and ‘pay to play,’ something you campaigned — and we all campaigned — so hard on.”

The goading and badgering continued…

“You are only one vote. That is it. Everyone, including staff, is not subservient to you and the beach crowd. This isn’t a dictatorship. There is no room in here any longer for a bully,” Robins said.

By October 2021, Chairman Brower proposed a revenue generating plan in support of his plan to eliminate tolls for residents by allowing naming rights and sponsorship of beach access points – something that was roundly panned by the I Hate Brower Brigade when it was first discussed earlier that year. 

In short, because doing away with beach tolls for residents was Jeff Brower’s idea – it never had a snowball’s chance in hell… 

Business as usual in the Kingdom of the Status Quo.

Then, in March 2023, freshman County Councilman Troy Kent brought forward a well-thought idea to eliminate access tolls for Volusia County taxpayers.

To his credit, unlike Mr. Brower – Kent’s proposal came with a carefully considered solution. 

According to Mr. Kent’s plan, Volusia County would charge out-of-town visitors more for vehicular beach access and off-beach parking and generate enough additional revenue to reduce the burden on residents.

In my view, Kent presented a workable strategy for making our greatest natural resource a more fun and accessible place for Volusia County families – a plan that was uncomplicated, well-organized, and clearly communicated.

At the time, the council voted 4-3 to table any further discussion of changing beach access and parking fees – with Jeff Brower, Troy Kent, and Don Dempsey (who wanted to raise fees) voting against the Old Guard’s gag order.

Then, on Tuesday, Mr. Kent’s suggestion was resurrected during a staff presentation on automating tolls and parking fees – using license plate readers, cameras, credit card kiosks, fully automated access at low volume beach ramps, and a bombshell idea – complimentary annual parking registration for Volusia residents. 

Yep.  You read that right. 

Using Councilman Kent’s funding plan, if adopted, out-of-town visitors would pay $30 per day for beach access (and $20 for off-beach parking) with enhanced fines for violators – generating sufficient revenue to off-set allowing Volusia County residents to access our beach without additional cost. 

Now, county staff will return with the necessary ordinances and legalities – including a “sunset clause” which will require the resident exemption be formally renewed by action of the council on a date certain.

Keep your fingers crossed…

In my view, Mr. Kent’s refreshing proposal represents the first solid improvement to area beaches since the misguided 1986 charter amendment that allowed Volusia County to seize control of the strand from beachfront municipalities and enact homogenized “uniform rules,” eliminating the distinctive characteristics that made Halifax area beaches a destination for millions of families.    

The rest, as they say, is history – as our horribly mismanaged beach became miles of “do this/don’t do that” sign pollution, wooden poles, traffic cones, unchecked erosion, closed ramps, walkovers, etc., etc. – now totally devoid of anything fun or unique.   

Speaking of history… 

In 2014, when Mr. Kent served as the District 2 representative to the Ormond Beach City Commission, he called for giving the cities a meaningful say on beach issues, “In my opinion, this beach is a broken system.  I’ve been taking it, and taking it and taking it. … I’m not taking it anymore.” 

At the time, several elected officials from other coastal municipalities suggested forming a beach advisory board – formally recognized by the Volusia County Council – that would give local governments, residents, and beachside businesses a voice on beach management, access, and maintenance. 

Obviously, that never happened.

In my view, Mr. Kent is on the right track, and I applaud his efforts on behalf of Volusia County families.  Now that he has a seat at the table in DeLand – the beach advisory board is another great idea ripe for resurrection.   

Asshole           Volusia County School Board

It was ‘put up or shut up’ time for members of the Volusia County School Board this week. 

Per usual – they did neither… 

As you may recall, on January 18, the School Board’s contract labor attorney sent formal notice to Florida’s Public Employees Relations Commission suggesting that Volusia United Educators – the union representing teachers and paraprofessionals in the district – falsified membership records making it appear the bargaining unit had the 60% membership required by state law. 

The leadership of Volusia United Educators vehemently denied the spurious allegation – with VUE President Elizabeth Albert describing the board’s actions as “disappointing” and “malicious.”

Last month, Chairwoman Jamie Haynes desperately attempted to separate the board from the growing public perception that the elected body engaged in union busting tactics – saying unequivocally that the elected board members had no part in the district’s communications with PERC – and never authorized the hiring of an outside attorney.

With a haughty air of indignance, Chairwoman Haynes puffed, “It has been stated that we – the five of us – have gone after the union,” – then proceeded to assure everyone watching that the board did not authorize the hiring of an outside attorney – and, in fact, no one on the board had any knowledge of the district’s correspondence to PERC.

Bullshit. 

Unfortunately for Chairwoman Haynes and her fellow dupes on the dais – that assertion was shattered in dramatic fashion by Volusia County Schools General Counsel Kevin Pendley, who reported that at Superintendent Carmen Balgobin’s direction, he individually communicated with each of the elected board members – and all five agreed to the district sending the notification to PERC.

After getting caught either openly lying to their constituents – or pitifully ignorant of events unfolding in Superintendent Balgobin’s Ivory Tower of Power – last week, the Public Employees Relations Commission gave the Volusia County School Board until yesterday to file a formal response “…as to whether it is challenging the Union’s registration” under applicable Florida statutes.    

Perhaps PERC was as confused by the School Board’s machinations as everyone else?

In my view, denying their surreptitious involvement in commissioning the accusatory correspondence to PERC – a blatantly untrue statement that was publicly refuted by the district’s General Counsel – effectively exposed the School Board’s complicity in Superintendent Balgobin’s attempt to decertify Volusia United Educators and besmirch the character and reputation of its leadership.

Regardless of your views on public sector unions – this outrageous backstabbing should not be ignored.

Volusia County taxpayers deserve answers. 

They deserve the truth…   

While it is one thing for public employers and unions to fervently disagree on important issues during the collective bargaining process – even coming to impasse at times – it is quite another when the district’s administration actively works to decertify the organization, while the elected body that oversees it falsely denies any knowledge of the pernicious activity.

That speaks of something more disturbing – more ominous…

Time will tell how the School Board responds to the PERC request for clarification of their motives.  As I understand it, the district’s labor attorney has asked for an extension until March 15, and the board will meet in executive session today to decide how they wish to proceed…   

In another development this week, concerned Ormond Beach residents attended their City Commission meeting to demand answers about why their elected representatives on the School Board took action to move the Riverview Learning Center – an “alternative education” program for students who can’t follow the rules – to the former Osceola Elementary campus.

According to an excellent article in the Ormond Beach Observer, we learned:

“Resident Lindsey Wolf said she and her neighbors, all who live by Osceola, were never notified of a Dec. 5, 2023, community meeting to discuss the transfer. She was also concerned that having an alternative educational facility in the neighborhood would negatively impact property values. 

“The amount of buyers who look for homes based on the schools in the area is astronomical,” she said. “To think that having a school like that in our neighborhood wouldn’t have a detriment impact is putting your head in the sand.”

I’m not sure “sand” is where our Volusia County School Board member’s heads are wedged… 

According to the report, District 4 board member Carl “Namby-Pamby” Persis attended the Commission meeting and agreed that Ormond Beach residents were not adequately informed of the December 5 meeting. 

“Persis said he thought that was strange, and when he asked the district about it, staff told him a mailer wasn’t sent. Instead, a notice of the meeting was posted on the district’s website and on their social media.

“But, unless you have kids in school, you’re not looking at the Volusia County Schools website or anything else affiliated with it,” Persis said. “I thought, ‘Well, that’s a major error right there.’”

Persis said a community meeting is necessary — both to make amends and explain what students Riverview sees. These are not kids that are dangerous, he said.

“It makes me feel so sad that we’re talking about children,” Persis said.”

Amends?

Look, I’m just spit-balling here, but Mr. Persis should understand that taxpaying homeowners get weepy too – especially when they watch detached politicians make critical decisions detrimental to their property values and quality of life in a virtual vacuum – with little, if any, input from those impacted. 

In my view, this chaos and confusion sends a clear signal of how little our elected “representatives” respect their constituents – or their sworn oath to “well and faithfully” perform their duties in the public interest.     

I hope you will remember that at the ballot box this year… 

 Quote of the Week

“Homeowners in Deland told FOX 35 News that they have been battling flood water since neighborhoods were built nearby at higher elevations.

JC Figueredo and his family bought over a dozen acres of Volusia County land in 2016 to build their dream home.

“It was flat,” he said. “It was dry. This is what life has turned into for us.”

A submerged driveway and several feet of water surrounded his property off Jackson Woods Road. In 2018, the homes behind his property started going up as part of the Victoria Park and Sawyer’s Landing neighborhood in the City of DeLand – all built at a higher elevation.

“As soon as construction started with a lot of the retention, we started having standing water issues,” Figueredo said.

He provided FOX 35 with aerial images from a geographical consulting firm study that showed his land without flooding for decades before the construction. It’s not just affecting Figueredo’s home. Lisa Latham has a farm next door. She said her pasture hadn’t been dry in four years.

“I have cows in my front yard now because there’s no pasture and nowhere to put my cows,” she said.

Just down the road lives Ronnie Mills, who built his home 15 years ago.

“What you’re looking at here is my pasture – this is not a lake,” Mills laughed.

The homeowners live in flood zone X, which is known as the zone with the lowest risk of flooding in all of Florida.

“I’ve had this property since the ‘70s, and we’ve never seen this,” Mills said.”

–As excerpted from a report by Fox35 Orlando’s Amanda McKenzie, “Flooding fears in DeLand have homeowners on edge: ‘The infrastructure is ruined,’ Thursday, February 29, 2024

(Find the disturbing story here: https://tinyurl.com/msh48zu5 )

I understand petty politics and the self-serving motivations of those who practice it.

But I despise the stench of lies…

This week’s response to Fox35 Orlando’s eye-opening exposé of serious flooding concerns in Wild West Volusia was an interesting window into how far some elected officials will sink to run interference for their well-heeled supporters in the real estate development industry – while completely ignoring their sworn responsibilities to long-suffering constituents.

According to the report by Fox35’s Amanda McKenzie, some West Volusia residents have lost their homes – or are on the verge of having their lives destroyed – due to persistent flooding, something many have attributed to the proliferation of surrounding subdivisions, a problem County Council Chair Jeff Brower admitted both Volusia County and the City of DeLand have known about for the past five-years…

“It’s a lot worse now,” Brower said.

He said he agrees with the homeowners that the development has resulted from the flooding.

To be clear, the Victoria Park and Sawyer’s Landing neighborhood developers followed county and city guidelines and did everything legal before putting in the development.

“The developers aren’t breaking the law,” Brower said. “We’ve got to change our development pattern and stop approving every development that’s doing the exact same thing, paving over acreage and putting in a retention pond and thinking that we can hold all of that water in a retention pond that used to be dispersed over hundreds of acres.”

According to DeLand officials, aerial photographs from 2005 show some standing water in the area. 

If that’s true, why in the hell did city and county officials allow anyone to build anything – let alone a subdivision – in identified flood-prone areas in the first place?  And why are those same complicit developer shills still receiving public funds to serve in the public interest?

“Brower said he does not want to see this happen again.

“I am not willing to approve another single development in Volusia County until we know how to deal with this situation,” Brower said.”

That clearly didn’t sit well with Volusia County Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins – a needling facilitator who lost all credibility with many of his astonished constituents this week after taking to social media to dismiss the concerns of suffering Volusia County residents by posting pictures and articles of past regional flooding events, some dating to the 1920’s…

In turn, Councilman Robins tried to use my prior public service in a pernicious effort to add credibility to his ridiculous apples to acorns comparison.

My God…

Apparently, during his exhaustive research to prove waterlogged residents wrong, Robins found a 2009 article in The Daytona Beach News-Journal quoting me during my service as Chief of Police for the City of Holly Hill.

The quote came from an interview conducted with reporter Eileen Zaffiro-Kean while I was actively managing a critical incident impacting thousands of area residents when unusual atmospheric conditions dumped 30-inches of rain in 72-hours – forcing an estimated four-billion-gallons of water into Northeast Volusia stormwater systems – overwhelming infrastructure and inundating the area with massive flooding resulting in a Presidential disaster declaration. 

During that difficult time, I reported to Holly Hill residents, “(The rain) just overwhelmed the system,” Barker said. Pumps couldn’t even be used in some areas because there was no dry place close enough to send the water, he said.  “Once the rain stopped, our system worked efficiently, Barker said.”  

Because that was the truth. 

Maybe Mr. Robins should look that concept up in the dictionary?

(I wonder how much could be accomplished if Danny spent half as much time worrying about the serious issues facing his constituents as he does scheming to marginalize the concerns of residents who fear the imminent loss of their homes, agricultural properties, and quality of life?)

In the aftermath of Mr. Robins’ flippant brushoff, a rightfully indignant long-time Volusia County taxpayer and business owner sent me a note regarding Mr. Robins’ social media post:

“The nerve of that Danny Robins to gaslight us and try to make us believe that the 2009 100-year storm was the equivalent to the flooding we are experiencing with these trickling minor rainstorms.” 

Other area residents reported that following malignant sprawl and the resultant destruction of greenspace, their properties – which never saw flooding in the past – are now inundated each rain event. 

Yet, Robins – and those malleable “experts” on the public dole in the cloistered Inner Sanctum at Volusia County – refuse to admit that explosive development has drastically changed the topography of the land, paved over recharge areas and permeable surfaces, filled wetlands in a weird “hurt here, help there” mitigation strategy, overwhelmed estuaries, drowned outdated drainage systems, and resulted in standing water on once dry adjacent properties causing millions of dollars in damage and displacement.

Why is that?

Last week, the City of New Smyrna Beach – whose citizens are “represented” by “Gaslight” Robins – adopted an emergency ordinance temporarily blocking building permits in the Venetian Bay area. 

According to a report by Brenno Carillo writing in the News-Journal, the move came following recurring flooding that has resulted “…in property damage concerns but also in public health and safety concerns for affected residents, who are calling for a resolution to problems identified in the area’s stormwater system.”

One resident quoted in the article said what everyone else in Volusia County (except those holding high office) are thinking, “The additional impervious surfaces and runoff will only exacerbate the existing serious drainage issues that we have within the area…”

Many of Mr. Robins’ worried constituents agree.

In my view, it is easier for our dullards on the dais to deceive residents and dismiss the concerns of affected property owners – refusing to admit the problem even exists – manipulating the truth, causing residents to question their own perceptions and experience, downplaying concerns, and sending a clear message that those we elect and appoint to address these threats care more about facilitating additional growth for their greed-crazed benefactors and influential insiders than they do about protecting the lives and livelihoods of existing residents.

More to the point, quality mitigation efforts require strategic vision – the ability to learn from the past – and an unselfish willingness to put pet projects and petty politics on the backburner and direct critical time and resources to serving the common good. 

With that as a benchmark, don’t expect anything of substance from Councilman Robins or this shambolic shit show of a county government that our tax dollars continue to underwrite – now a massive public trough filled to the brim with some $1.2 billion of our money annually…  

And Another Thing!

By what must be official design, the portal through which taxpayers can provide input on the issues important to our lives and livelihoods is getting smaller all the time, now reduced to a three-minute audience before those stone-faced gargoyles on the dais of power who are strategically prohibited by internal “policy” from responding to citizens seeking to participate in the decision-making process.

If you have the time and stomach for it, residents can contact their elected “representative” directly and listen to a few minutes of disingenuous gladhanding, backslapping, and commiseration before being shunted into the bureaucratic ether. 

Just don’t expect anything of substance to come from either option. 

It’s not about you.

The concept of citizen advisory boards is to provide a diverse perspective on the issues, encourage “buy in,” and increase communication and transparency.  These committees improve the democratic process by involving the active participation of those who pay the bills in shaping public policy.  

So, while the critical issues of our time go unaddressed – and the majority of our wholly compromised hand-puppets on the dais turn their full attention to undermining Chairman Jeff Brower ahead of a critical election that will determine complete conformity to the whims of special interests – this week, the Volusia County Council took up the time-wasting exercise of considering eliminating or consolidating citizen advisory boards.    

Boy, did they get an earful…                 

On Tuesday, over thirty active and engaged citizens let our elected victims of bureaucratic aphasia (a weird malady contracted by pompous politicians that prevents them from hearing, or responding to, the needs of their constituents) know their serious concerns about the possible elimination or “consolidation” of several boards, to include the Cultural Council of Volusia County, the Environmental and Natural Resource Advisory Committee, and the Volusia Forever and ECHO boards.

It did my beat-up old heart good…

Former Volusia County Councilmember and veteran civic activist Pat Northey used her three-minutes to call “BS” on the idea and asked that the agenda item be voted down in its entirety. 

Good for her.

As a long-time proponent of both the Volusia Forever and ECHO initiatives, Ms. Northey was concerned about the council combining the individual governing boards – something Councilman David “No Show” Santiago scoffed at – puffing that the council has never discussed the notion (apparently not realizing the agenda item clearly said it “May be possible to combine (the ECHO board) with Volusia Forever Advisory Committee…”) 

Chairman Brower pointed out that the presentation merely contained staff “suggestions” – not recommendations: 

“Apparently, everybody has read the item (apparently not “everybody”), which is really encouraging,” Brower said. “I’m glad that you’re paying attention — we need that.”

When talk turned to the 14-member Environmental and Natural Resource Advisory Committee (ENRAC) – who work with county staff on policy, goal setting, and ordinance implementation regarding growth management, environmental resource management, and minimum standards for the protection of the environment – it became apparent our slippery “representatives” envisioned a convenient scapegoat for one of the most emergent issues of our time…  

During a subsequent discussion, Councilman Santiago suggested that ENRAC take a larger role in stormwater issues (read: “widespread flooding”) – creating another political insulation committee – an expedient group to blame for Volusia County’s abject failure to find solutions to this growing problem as the bulldozers continue to roar.

Especially now that property owners throughout Volusia County see the standing water slowing creeping toward their door – and are demanding answers…   

For a glimpse of their grim future, ENRAC members should skim what is euphemistically known as the “Grippa Report” – the final work product of an impressive committee once charged by the Volusia County Council with developing a comprehensive revitalization strategy for the Halifax area’s struggling beachside.

I suspect they can find a copy of the ill-fated Beachside Redevelopment Committee’s findings moldering on some dust-covered shelf in the bowels of a musty dead records morgue in DeLand – right next to the yellowing remnants of the unread “2011 Tourism Study” – another time-wasting exercise, wherein the Volusia County Council paid $100,000 to an out-of-state consultant to conduct a review which found that our beachside “tourism product” was a serious impediment to attracting visitors and economic development, and concluded “…there is no “plan” for who is leading the effort and how these challenges can be improved.”

“Without resources – leadership and economic – the overall tourism experience in Volusia County will decline.  An overall collaborative strategy is needed.”  

What’s changed? 

Sorry ENRAC volunteers.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

For the moment, it appears the Cultural Arts Council, Volusia Forever, and ECHO boards are safe from either the chopping block or bureaucratic blender – but I don’t hold out much hope for the Code Enforcement Board (which will be replaced by a special magistrate), Library Advisory Board, Animal Control Board, or the Business Incubator Advisory Board…

It seems Councilman Jake Johansson believes some of these county committees are stifled by the openness and transparency provided by Florida’s Sunshine Law.

He seems to think that without those pesky legal constrictions – those wishing to participate in the process could meet over coffee, chat amongst themselves, develop substantive solutions, then come before the Volusia County Council – where their suggestions can be wholly ignored by those catatonic do-nothings who refuse to interact, answer questions, (or even acknowledge) anyone who takes the time to appear before them.  

Whatever.

In Volusia County, the more things change – the more they remain the same… 

That’s all for me.  Have a safe and enjoyable final weekend of Bike Week 2024, y’all!

Hi, kids!

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Asshole           Volusia County Council

Has anyone ever listened to a State of the City/County address that began:

“Ladies and gentlemen, I have grim news to report. 

In our overweening desire to please those wealthy masters who finance our campaigns and control everything but the ebb and flow of the Atlantic tide here on the “Fun Coast,” we have allowed explosive growth to outpace infrastructure and essential services, resulting in massive flooding, the ongoing destruction of our sensitive environment and wildlife habitat, disruptive school rezoning, traffic gridlock, and myriad quality of life issues, all while saddling our children and grandchildren with the crippling debt that will ultimately be required to fix it. 

As such, our chief priority this fiscal year will be using your tax dollars to construct a $10.2 million motocross track…” 

Of course you haven’t.  Because that’s the unvarnished truth.

Following Chairman Jeff Brower’s State of the County address last month, it seems the remainder of our elected dullards on the dais of power didn’t like what he had to say.  I guess Brower’s call for an end to destroying wetlands to facilitate new development and open more of our beach to those who pay for it was too much for his “colleagues” to swallow… 

So, last Tuesday, the majority took it upon themselves to ignore the dictate of the Volusia County Charter and stripped Chairman Brower of his right to independently report to Volusia County residents on “the activities of county government,” and present “new and revised goals and objectives for future action.”

In yet another off-the-agenda “public policy by ambush” vote, the majority will now “review” the Chairman’s speech ahead of time – censoring the content to ensure dubious goals, objectives, and “accomplishments” fit neatly into their template of conformity.

As this latest timewasting political theater progressed, the bought and paid for chattel of our wealthy overseers took the opportunity to cut into Chairman Brower over his single-handed attempt to protect our environment, ensure water quality and quantity, and make our beach more accessible. 

Then, after spending the last year haranguing, opposing, and ridiculing him at every turn – they painted Mr. Brower as “unprofessional.”

Apparently, Volusia’s “Old Guard” – those behind-the-scenes puppeteers who control the rods-and-strings of their obsequious marionettes on the dais – also took exception to Brower’s stance on restoring beach driving from East ISB to the Boardwalk, citing “That taking of public beach has done great harm to the economy of local businesses in the area and our personal enjoyment.”

He’s right. 

Don’t take my word for it.  Ask struggling beachside business owners what they think of the idea…

In addition, the majority also demanded that Brower stop using county letterhead to correspond with Gov. Ron DeSantis and others touting any position that could be misconstrued as coming from the council as a whole.

That includes anything other than lockstep groupthink and faux optimism as Rome burns – and strategically blocks Mr. Brower’s future efforts to bring attention to the pending destruction of the Spruce Creek watershed with runoff from the proposed Pioneer Trail interchange, his staunch opposition to Belvedere Terminal’s plan to put a 13-million-gallon bulk fuel storage site in Ormond Beach, destructive flooding, and other ecological disasters in the making.   

Who are these egotistical shitheels to tell the County Chair what he will and won’t do in service to his constituents? 

An excellent article by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week captured the spirit of their well-coordinated and meanspirited attack:

“District 3 Councilman Danny Robins raised concerns about arguments on the council.

“Think it’s highly unprofessional,” Robins said. “We all get our time up here. If we have opposing views, we use our time. We don’t get into a back-and-forth spat with each other. It just doesn’t look good. It looks like two fools arguing.”

Robins also took issue with Brower’s message to the governor.”

Bullshit. 

In his weird form of political gaslighting, Councilman Robins has repeatedly balled up his hands, stomped his little feet, and launched into one of his long-winded stream-of-consciousness blusters – openly goading Chairman Brower into an angry confrontation every time he has opened his mouth on an issue since he took office…

In turn, Councilman David “No Show” Santiago – who couldn’t be bothered to attend the State of the County address even though it was held in his district – got his licks in:

“That letter that’s out there should be corrected or taken down because I did get a copy of it from someone on social media — because it’s inaccurate,” Santiago said. “Again, I’m not trying to take anybody’s right to speak, but that’s what happens when you get into these areas. It gets dangerous. And if you make mistakes, you get called out on it. And that was one particular mistake, and I don’t appreciate words being put in my mouth.”

Santiago also criticized Brower for his comments on beach driving because that isn’t the position of the council.”

It didn’t end there… 

“At-Large Representative Jake Johansson said he believes it’s “extremely important” for the council to review a template of what the council will present at the “State of the County” event.

“This is not the president’s State of the Union. We don’t have a chief executive elected official,” he said.

Johansson added that he doesn’t want to be surprised by the contents of the “State of the County” event. Johansson made a motion to have the council pre-approve the contents of the “State of the County” event, including the chairman’s speech. Brower is running for reelection this year, so it’s not clear whether he’ll still be the chairman in 2025.

The County Council approved that motion 6-1, with Brower dissenting.”

In his defense, Brower explained that “…county staff told him the State of the County address is his speech and gave him “free rein.” Brower said he made clear in his speech what goals were his personal goals that he would bring to the council.”

Interesting set-up, eh?

The fact is, our County Charter directs the Chair to address both the Council and Volusia County residents annually – and some cheap power move by these carping Monarchical figureheads does not usurp that responsibility – or dictate that the Chairman only speak of things that feed the enormous egos of the other six…      

In my view, Chairman Brower should have made a point of publicly telling these lecturing weasels just where they could shove their haughty notion of ‘going along and getting along.’

In a pique of pomposity, Councilman Johansson said he would not attend next year’s address if it weren’t scripted in advance – then accused Chairman Brower of taking his brutal tag-team thrashing “a little personal.”

My God.  What a pretentious blowhard…  

Look, I’m the first to admit – Chairman Brower can be his own worst enemy. 

When he announced his reelection campaign last May, Mr. Brower promised supporters he was “taking the gloves off” – now, I’m not even sure he knows what the term means.  Let’s face it, being publicly kicked in the crotch repeatedly by petty politicians without punching back doesn’t inspire confidence…  

Regardless, this pernicious practice of Brower’s “colleagues” campaigning for his competition from the dais is horribly divisive – ethically and morally wrong – but it is nothing new.

Trust me.  There is a reason our uber-wealthy insiders want lockstep conformity on the Volusia County Council – and it has nothing to do with reducing the size and cost of government, making essential services more efficient, protecting our threatened environment, or preserving what remains of our increasingly claustrophobic quality of life. 

Chairman Brower was right about one thing:  Volusia County residents deserve better…

Asshole           Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito

Once again, Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito has left her elected bosses feverishly backpedaling, this time after she fired off a missive to School Superintendent LaShakia Moore suggesting Flagler County would be reducing or eliminating its $1.4 million commitment to the School District as part of a decade old 50/50 cost-sharing plan, most of which funds the School Resource Deputy program.

Let’s face it, this is not the first time Ms. Petito has left County Commissioners scratching their heads as they tried to recall authorizing one of her brusque communiques – which often have all the subtlety of a fart in church – such as insinuating to parents that protecting their children isn’t a priority for Flagler County Commissioners…   

According to an informative article in FlaglerLive! last week, we learned:

“Petito’s letter was phrased in a way that makes it seem as if the county has already made its decision. It has not: commissioners are interested in having that discussion, but Commission Chairman Andy Dance said the 50-50 cost-sharing approach is no longer sustainable. Dance was previously a school board member. He understands the district’s budget and the pressures it’s under.

“I am writing to inform you of an important decision regarding our ongoing financial commitment to the school district,” Petito wrote Moore on Feb. 13 (the day before the sixth anniversary of the Parkland school massacre), summarizing the county’s support “through various legacy expenditures” over the years. “However, after careful review and consideration, we have concluded that we can no longer sustain annual legacy expenditures that are not directly aligned with our strategic plan or mandated by state statute, while at the same time achieving our responsibility as county government.”

Wow.  Sounds cut-and-dried to me…

I’m just spit-balling here, but it seems like there are other areas to trim in Flagler County government before eliminating funding for school security – a point well made by Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly in a December 2023 letter to the Board of County Commissioners following a mention of the funding cut at a budget workshop.

Sheriff Staley said, in part:

“After the horrific tragedy of the high school shooting in Parkland in 2017, which left 17 students and staff dead and 17 injured, the Florida Legislature passed new laws in 2018 and 2019 encompassing a number of significant changes and requirements for school safety.

What they didn’t change was the Florida Department of Education Safe Schools funding formula, which they should have. The current formula, developed in the 1980s, penalizes school districts that are in low-crime rate counties, such as Flagler County. Now that school safety requirements are the same across every county, the formula should have been changed, too.

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has 12 Deputies plus a supervisor assigned to Flagler County’s traditional schools, who provide security, investigate campus incidents, mentoring, and leadership to over 13,000 students at nine public schools, plus one charter school. Each campus has one SRD (School Resource Deputy), with the exception of our two High Schools, which have two SRDs at each campus.

These campuses, especially our high schools, are small cities. Flagler County SRDs are equipped with all necessary equipment to include medical kits with tourniquets, bandages, and gloves. They also wear ballistic vests with a rifle plate and have immediate access to an AR-15 to help protect them and others and to immediately stop a threat to our children.”

Now, parents, board members, and other stakeholders feel “blindsided” by Ms. Petito’s notice – and the tone of the correspondence left many believing the funding cuts had already been decided.  

A follow-up article in FlaglerLive! reported that both Dance and Commissioner Dave Sullivan walked back comments regarding Petito’s missive in an interview – with Dance claiming that his comments at the December workshop were merely to “open a discussion” about transitioning the expenses – and that the Commission had given consensus to “look” at the expenses,” clarifying that there was no agreement to end funding.  

In an earlier interview with FlaglerLive!, it was reported that Flagler County Commissioner Leann Pennington said she was “caught off guard” by Petito’s letter – and while she recalled the budget discussion regarding “legacy expenses,” Ms. Pennington could not remember the Commission giving consensus for Petito to act.

Last year, at the BOCC’s direction, Ms. Petito sent a letter to all Flagler County municipalities soliciting support for a sales tax increase – correspondence that some felt contained erroneous information – including a statistic that “..almost 40% of the funds collected will be paid by non- residents,” which was, in the view of many, complete bullshit.

That “miscommunication” turned into something of a good ‘ol Flagler County bruhaha that left County Commissioners red-faced… 

Now this? 

The ruckus prompted Flagler County Commission Chair Andy Dance to issue a long-winded manifesto this week – alternately blaming the messenger, FlaglerLive!, for the confusion – then reassuring parents that there is no “immediate threat” to alter current SRD funding, stating “…there will be meetings occurring soon to initiate a collaborative approach to evaluate funding constraints and opportunities that face the District and the County to address the County’s concerns. There is no predetermined timeline for action on these discussions. School Resource Deputies are not leaving school campuses.”

Find Chairman Dance’s rambling declaration here: http://tinyurl.com/mtxkmj5b

Regardless, as often happens when people feel “blindsided” on both sides of the dais – there remains righteous public backlash that has left the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners clearly scrambling with egg on their face…

That’s rarely a good look for a County Administrator…  

Given the explosive growth that Flagler County and Palm Coast officials continue to advance – it is time to determine how the infrastructure and essential services required to meet increasing demand will best be shared – preferably in an environment free of chaos, confusion, and mixed-signals from Ms. Petito. 

Angel               Defenders of the former Osceola Elementary School

It is bitter-sweet when those who take a stand against the machinations of those we have elected to represent our interests are vindicated – and this week it became apparent that the intrepid parents, staff, and officials who sensed something strange afoot and fought so hard to save Ormond Beach’s only beachside school were right all along…

In 2021, in a shambolic process that defied any reasonable concept of “due process” – with inadequate public notice and virtually no public input – the Volusia County School Board voted to close Osceola Elementary in favor of spending millions in public funds to build a new school on the site of the former Ortona Elementary in Daytona Beach, then consolidate students and teachers at the new Beachside Elementary.     

The decision, which disrupted hundreds of lives – one that had been clearly reached in advance – was challenged by parents and stakeholders of Osceola Elementary, to include a petition signed by some 600 concerned residents, and a controversial $2 million pledge by the City of Ormond Beach to help with renovations and repairs of the campus. 

In the end, none of it mattered.  

Then, last October, we began to hear rumblings that our district’s “brain trust” was considering relocating Riverview Learning Center – an “alternative education” program for students who have violated the “code of conduct” and been removed from other schools – from its current location on North Wild Olive Avenue (with a satellite location ten-miles away on Herbert Street) to the former Osceola Elementary campus in Ormond Beach.   

In turn, taxpayers heard the usual dirges about how the Riverview campus – constructed in the 1920’s – has been allowed to rot into such disrepair that renovations are now estimated at $5 million (I always assume those arbitrary estimates are arrived at by the same facilities maintenance, operations, and management “experts” who allowed the property to decay in the first place…)   

Whatever.

At the time, Elizabeth Albert, president of Volusia United Educators, the union representing teachers and paraprofessionals, demanded answers for those displaced during the consolidation: “They don’t understand this,” Albert said to the School Board, “Some of the comments here: ‘It wasn’t good enough to restore for us, but now it is?'”

To my knowledge, Ms. Albert never got an adequate explanation…

Neither did disappointed Ormond Beach residents. 

But now we know the miraculous answer. 

On Tuesday, the rumors and speculation inherent to Superintendent Carmen Balgobin’s administration were confirmed when the School Board voted to approve the transfer of the Riverview campus to Osceola.   

In an excellent article this week by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, we learned:

“School Board members Ruben Colon and Anita Burnette said the district should commit to making some improvements to the Osceola campus to better accommodate the Riverview students. While School Board member Carl Persis agreed, he also said that the board needs to be informed of how much those improvements will cost and what they will look like.

“We decided to abandon Osceola because it was going to cost too much money to renovate it,” Persis said. “And we said, ‘Let’s just build a brand new school’ … I don’t want students to be a substandard facility.”

I found it interesting how much things have magically improved at the Osceola campus… 

According to the Observer, Superintendent Balgobin now reports “…the improvements suggested for the Osceola campus would be minimal. District staff confirmed that facilities, like the cafeteria, were in good shape.”

What about the dilapidated Riverview facility, you ask?   

Well, it appears that facility has also undergone some supernatural transformation and is now perfectly capable of housing offices for district staff!

According to Patty Corr, chief operating officer for Volusia County Schools:

“We were just having a conversation before the board meeting that we are in desperate need of space, for office space, for personnel in all parts of our county and looking at repurposing the physical building of Riverview,” Corr said.”

What a crazy coincidence!  

Amazing how everything has a way of miraculously working itself out when you simply ignore the input and objections of your constituents, eh? 

I hope Volusia County voters will remember this mystical legerdemain come election time…

Quote of the Week

“Imagine the following ad for the recruitment of a city manager for Deltona:

“HELP WANTED — Someone with the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, the humility of Jesus, the compassion of a missionary, the thick and armored “skin of an alligator,” the toughness of a Marine, the warmth of a golden retriever, and the resolve to maintain these qualities during natural disasters, storms and human-caused crises. Apply today.”

More than four years after Jane Shang exited as city manager, Deltona’s quest for someone to come into town and solve all the problems is once again gaining attention and traction. With the City Commission’s blessing, Colin Baenziger and Associates, the executive-search firm Deltona has contracted to lead the search, has prepared a brochure to supplement its advertising in publications and online to reach potential applicants for the position.

Newly appointed City Commissioner Troy Shimkus noted Deltona has a reputation for being “dysfunctional,” beset with plenty of challenges in a time of nonstop growth.”

–Reporter Al Everson, West Volusia Beacon, “HELP WANTED: Applications open in Deltona manager search,” Friday, February 23, 2024

The Lost City of Deltona’s advertisement for its next City Manager isn’t so much a call for applications as it is a cry for help – an “S.O.S.” of extreme distress – an urgent appeal by citizens and city staff desperately seeking stability. 

Sorting out this mess isn’t going to be easy…   

My three decades in public service provided many lessons about human nature and the effect of unbridled power on small minds in the confines of a municipal government – and the devastating fallout that ensues.    

One key lesson is that a community’s inability to attract and retain quality senior administrators is a key indicator of a government in crisis – and by that metric the Lost City of Deltona has soared past the “crisis stage” and is now an abject shit show – choreographed, produced, and performed in the raging inferno of a dumpster fire…

For instance, earlier this week, Deltona became a front-page/above the fold laughingstock when Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr. – for what he must have thought the best of reasons (?) – unilaterally named March 13 “L. Ron Hubbard Day” in honor of the controversial founder of the Church of Scientology – then clumsily rescinded the proclamation in a ham-handed social media post…   

Perhaps worse – after embarrassing himself, Mayor Avila couldn’t shut-up about it.  Later claiming in a solo statement on social media that he had single-handedly “made the choice” that the City of Deltona will no longer issue faith-based proclamations…

That on-going confusion is why not too many experienced administrators worth their salt – some of whom have been chewed up and spit out in internecine political wars in other unfortunate places – will be willing to try their hand at sorting the gut-wrenching dysfunction of a Civic Thunderdome like Deltona. 

In my view there is plenty of blame to go around – and that ugly history should be unpacked, spread out, and openly aired beyond a blurb in a headhunter’s brochure that reads, “…some in the public have lost trust in the government,” and “Commission meetings have, on occasion, become raucous.”

The sales pamphlet also (almost comically) warns, “Deltona has a variety of competing interests. The ideal candidate will be immune to pressure. He/she will be strong but diplomatic, and have the skin of an alligator. Finding common ground, and bringing people to a consensus will be key to success.”

Tall order.  I would add bring your own whip, chair, and asbestos underwear to the list… 

I’ve said this before, now is the time for the Deltona City Commission to put their petty personal agendas aside, act responsibly, and come together for the common good (look that term up in your “Elected Official” handbook) and remain vigilant at this critical time.

Because there will always be self-serving opportunists waiting to take advantage of a leadership void – fakes and frauds with one good suit and a briefcase – failed screwballs, and “managers in transition,” looking for their next victim – confidence artists who speak in acronyms and bureaucratese who will offer their services in hopes of backdooring a six-figure gig in the sun. 

As things play out, those behind-the-scenes power players in Deltona who manipulate their hand-select Muppets on the dais should allow this process to progress free of external meddling. 

There is a time to work the system – and a time to allow the system to work – and this one’s important…     

And Another Thing!

“Volusia County is giving serious consideration to the construction of a $10.2 million motocross track in the county.

The County Council heard a presentation this week from Hunden Strategic Partners about options for a track. The council asked for more information on each option presented by the consultant, so the matter will come back for further discussion.

The options include the county building and managing the track on its own or creating a public-private partnership, where a private firm manages operations and pays the county a share of the profits.

County officials are considering an area off Tomoka Farms Road west of the city of Port Orange.”

–Reporter Sheldon Gardner, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Volusia council mulls $10.2M motocross facility,” Friday, February 23, 2024

“Come with me and you’ll be, In a world of pure imagination…”

“Take a look and you’ll see, Into your imagination…”

“We’ll begin with a spin, Traveling in the world of my creation, What we’ll see will defy explanation…”

–Willy Wonka, 1971

One year ago, Volusia County Councilman Troy Kent expressed interest in establishing what would later become a dog friendly section of beach.  He also resurrected the possibility of allowing double-taxed residents to drive on the beach toll-free by charging out-of-county visitors a little extra for vehicular access and parking in beachfront parks.

That didn’t happen… 

As you may recall, Kent’s suggestion dissolved into a grim discussion of metered parking in off-beach lots for everyone, and the specter of raising beach tolls and fees for residents and visitors alike.  

Remember?  I do. 

Initially, naysayers painted the dog beach idea as so prohibitively expensive that it would cause financial Armageddon for Volusia County.  At the time, Councilman Danny Robins moved to squash the idea early, wringing his hands, and moaning the Poormouth Blues:

“The big elephant in the room is, how are we going to pay for it?  I don’t want to hear that we have a $1.2 billion budget — that’s not a sufficient answer … We’re in an economic decline.”

In turn, Councilman Don Dempsey was more direct – warning that Volusia County families should “suck it up” and expect to pay more for a day at the beach.   

Yeah.  That didn’t age well…

In October 2023, in a blatant example of a self-absorbed elected official using public funds to feather their own nest – Councilman Dempsey sprung a cockamamie idea for a taxpayer funded “public motocross facility” in an off-the-agenda sleight-of-hand for the ages. 

While the rest of us rubes (Read: “Taxpayers”) are shaking in our boots over the complete lack of a comprehensive transportation infrastructure plan, overstressed public utilities, dwindling water quality in area rivers and lakes, massive flooding across the width and breadth of Volusia County, dangerous fuel terminals near residential areas, a complete lack of beach management and hodge-podge coastal erosion control, struggling emergency medical services, a broken zoning and permitting apparatus, dangerous conditions in correctional facilities, public safety concerns, lack of “high paying” jobs, safe and affordable housing, an artificial economy where government picks winners and losers, rising taxes and fees, density, congestion, malignant overdevelopment, etc., etc. – we learn that Councilman Dempsey’s most pressing priority – his Number One concern – the greatest single urgency facing Volusia County residents – is our lack of a motocross track? 

Really?

“It’s been proposed and we put it on the meeting agenda about two or three months ago when each councilman talked about what they think would be their priority if they had a wish list,” Dempsey said. “My priority was a motocross facility, because we have been needing it. We are 30 years past due for one.”

I don’t make this shit up, folks…                       

   

Unbelievably, what everyone thought was just a weird fantasy dancing around in Mr. Dempsey’s Wonkaesque imagination is now gaining traction as the Volusia County Council spent public funds hiring a consultant to tell them that a publicly funded motocross track, built on publicly-owned land near Port Orange, will cost you and I an estimated $10.2 million (I say “estimated” because I’ve never known a government project that came in close to the initial estimated budget, have you?) 

What?  You’re a senior citizen living on a fixed income, worried about the dearth of affordable housing, astronomical insurance premiums, and explosive sprawl that is making traffic unbearable and forcing you to wait hours for treatment in overcrowded area emergency rooms, and you don’t want your tax dollars shunted to a ridiculous $10.2+ million “nice to have”? 

Tough shit, Granny.  Don Dempsey has his ‘priorities’…

As history proves here on the “Fun Coast”, those malleable Good ‘ol Boys who “get along and go along” and protect the stagnant status quo get whatever they want – and those who refuse to conform and stand for the real needs of their long-suffering constituents get the Bastinado treatment on the dais – in front of God and everybody, during an election year – for even acknowledging the pressing issues of our time.    

Sound familiar? 

That’s all for me.  Have a great Bike Week 2024, y’all!

Hi, kids!

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Asshole           Volusia County School Board

In the wake of last week’s hyper-dramatic production of the Volusia County School Board, many have reached out with their thoughts on the clueless disconnect of our elected representatives – and the shocking revelation of the school district’s morally repulsive behind-the-scenes machinations to undermine the collective bargaining unit representing teachers and paraprofessionals. 

The common reaction is, “That was crazy!”   

I agree.  Totally nutso…      

The study of Political Psychology is defined as “an interdisciplinary academic field dedicated to understanding politics, politicians, and political behavior from a psychological perspective.”  

In my jaded view, a political headshrinker could have a field day in Volusia County…

My layman psychoanalysis of our current crop of elected and appointed officials on certain commissions, boards, and councils throughout Volusia County finds a contagious psychosis at work – a virulent disorder that ensures lock-step conformity to the status quo and a pathological need to compromise themselves in the pursuit of power.

An infectious disease that renders its victims completely incapable of independent thought or strategic vision.

A weird neuropsychiatric malady I’ve dubbed “Volusia Dysfunction Syndrome.”

Those most vulnerable include small-minded authoritarian personalities with enormous egos, a limited capacity for critical thought, parasitic loyalty to wealthy insiders, a propensity for mutism when questioned by constituents, and a voracious appetite for tax dollars. 

Over time, its feeble victims become catatonic drones who single-mindedly take public funds and transform them into huge salaries for senior bureaucrats and underwrite the for-profit wants and whims of insiders with a chip in the game.

Just my unscientific diagnosis.  But is there another explanation?

For instance, last week, teachers, parents, and taxpayers watched in horror as Volusia County School Board Chair Jamie Haynes fell victim to another common ill spreading like a plague among area politicians – a weird compulsion known as “Coprolalia” (from the Greek kópros, meaning “dung or feces”, and laliā́, meaning “speech”) – in short: “Talking Shit.”

There was no obvious reason for it. 

The item Chairwoman Haynes seemed irresistibly compelled to discuss didn’t appear on the agenda – and it certainly wasn’t a Pandora’s box her perplexed “colleagues” seemed anxious to unpack during a public meeting. 

Yet, Ms. Haynes, apparently overcome by a compulsive need to lash out at those who instruct our children and support their education in the classroom, droned on – denying the School Board’s involvement in a spiteful scheme to decertify Volusia United Educators – the union representing some 3,000 teachers and paraprofessionals in Volusia County District Schools.

In a mewling monotone, Ms. Haynes explained that the five elected members of the board were completely unaware that an outside attorney had been employed by the district to write a letter questioning the number of dues paying members reported by Volusia United Educators to Florida’s Public Employee Relations Committee – a move that could set in motion a process leading to the union’s decertification as a bargaining unit.   

There was simply no stopping Chairwoman Haynes fit of coprolalia – like a victim of selective amnesia – she denied any knowledge of the district’s attempt to torpedo the union and hammered on, personally castigating VUE President Elizabeth Albert by accusing her of spreading “inaccuracies.”

Then, the room was plunged into reality when the district’s General Counsel Kevin Pendley openly contradicted Ms. Haynes’ delusional yarn – explaining that each member of the board personally authorized employing the districts outside labor attorney to send the notice to PERC challenging the union’s membership density.   

The reaction of board member Carl “Namby-Pamby” Persis was even more bizarre as he questioned Mr. Pendley like someone just aroused from a deep coma – stammering, “…like, you told me at a board meeting? Or, you told me on a telephone call? Or in a private setting?, Or…?”

Like reminding a dementia victim what they had for lunch, Mr. Pendley carefully explained to Persis how, at Superintendent Carmen Balgobin’s direction, he contacted each board member individually, discussed the ramifications, and all agreed to send the notice to PERC.

That clarification resulted in Mr. Persis suffering a weird form of echolalia – as he seemingly repeated the noises, words, and phrases uttered by Mr. Pendley – rehashing what had just been explained to him as though he was hearing it for the first time. 

Weird.   

I can only imagine that Ms. Albert, being of reasonably sound mind, was doing cartwheels through the chamber doors after watching the Volusia County School Board come unwound in a public meeting – openly exposed by the district’s General Counsel as either naïve lumps or baldfaced liars (or both) – in a dramatic exchange captured for posterity on video… 

Now, the fallout continues…

In my view, it is incumbent on Superintendent Carmen Balgobin to openly explain to teachers, staff, parents, taxpayers, (and confused board members) how this union busting tactic got so far afield.

Then, she should step aside.

Stakeholders (and that includes everyone who pays taxes in Volusia County) deserve to know why the district insinuated itself into VUE’s certification process with the Florida Public Employee Relations Committee, how this could have happened without the direct knowledge and support of the Volusia County School Board, and what steps will the board and district take to improve relations with its employees, and restore the fractured trust of its wary constituents… 

Angel               Thomas Baker, Daytona Beach Shores

When property insurance rates on his Daytona Beach Shores condominium skyrocketed 563% last year, Thomas Baker – a Vietnam Veteran and U.S. Army retiree donned his uniform bearing the insignia of a Ranger qualified Special Forces officer – and literally charged up the hill. 

Recently, Mr. Baker took his gallant fight against what he aptly calls “grand theft” to Tallahassee, along with sound ideas for returning sanity to Florida’s growing insurance crisis – one that has strapped residents suffering astronomical increases in rates with reduced or non-existent coverage. 

According to an excellent exposé this week by Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

“Baker, a resident of Marbella Condominiums in Daytona Beach Shores, brought with him two messages: He’s angry and he has ideas on how to reduce rates for condo owners across the state.

Marbella, as did much of the state, suffered damage during the hurricane season of 2022. And that was on top of the insurance industry’s disruption with the deadly Champlain Towers South condo collapse in Surfside in 2021.

During Ian and Nicole, the Atlantic Ocean battered Marbella’s seawall, leading to extensive damage to the pool deck. None of that was covered by insurance.

Then, as 2023 started, the homeowners were dealt a second blow: that nearly six-fold increase for casualty coverage, as reported in The News-Journal last November.

That set Baker off.

“We got a bill, but no coverage,” he said.”

Please find Mr. Harper’s report here: http://tinyurl.com/ywm5vcmw

After writing letters to those who should care – state legislators, the Governor, and others – Mr. Baker got little response to his concerns and began discussing the issue with other condominium owners in Daytona Beach Shores.

Ultimately, Mr. Baker produced some commonsense ideas for reducing casualty insurance rates, to include allowing non-standard mortgages for condominiums that wouldn’t require property insurance coverage, having companies write policies for individual units, or eliminating the requirement for property insurance all together. 

Because the state legislature is now in session, ostensibly doing the “people’s business,” most of the lawmakers Mr. Baker contacted didn’t have time and shunted him, and his problem – one facing thousands of Floridians – off on their staff.

According to the report, Baker was able to meet with Sen. Jay Trumbull of Panama City and our own Rep. Tom Leek of Ormond Beach.  “Baker said Leek took notes and said one of his ideas might have some merit and that he’d research it.” 

While reading the News-Journal report, I found it interesting (and infuriating) that an assistant for Sen. “Terrible Tommy” Wright of New Smyrna Beach, arranged a telephone call for Mr. Baker with a representative of the Florida Department of Financial Services – but after the News-Journal called the agency “…seeking comment about Baker’s ideas, Baker said he was told the call was off, as he had been discussing it with the media.” 

In a December 2023 News-Journal article discussing the octogenarian’s fight for condominium insurance reform, Mr. Baker was quoted:

“Baker said he’s most disappointed in Sen. Tom Wright, R-New Smyrna Beach, who represents Daytona Beach Shores.

“For one year, I’ve been trying to get an appointment with Sen. Wright,” Baker said. “I even went to his office. He walked right past me. He didn’t extend me the courtesy of shaking my hand.”

Wright did not respond to a request for comment.”

My God…

Interestingly, after Mr. Baker began making waves about his condominium’s “atmospheric” insurance bill in 2023, Citizens Property Insurance offered a reduced rate for the property in 2024 – about 50% less than the previous year. 

I guess that goes to prove the power of civic activism – and the extraordinary difference one man with a righteous mission can make. 

Unfortunately, Floridians continue to suffer the deleterious effects of a greed-crazed insurance industry run amok, as our legislators remain occupied with preempting local governance, incentivizing explosive sprawl, and undermining the rights of citizens to complain about it…   

Kudos, Mr. Baker.  Thank you for so courageously taking the fight forward.

Soldier on, sir.

Asshole           Volusia County Council

Hey, residents of Wild West Volusia! 

Guess what?

This week, a majority of our elected dullards on the Volusia County Council approved a request to put some 100 townhomes near the northwest corner of State Road 44 and Kepler Road – one of the worst intersections in, oh, the known universe (and that’s saying something when it comes to clogged “Fun Coast” intersections). 

Yep. 

Despite the pleas of area residents, one of whom advised her “representatives” that she won’t make a doctor’s appointment before 9:30am in DeLand because she cannot physically access the intersection during the busy morning drivetime – in their infinite wisdom, Councilmembers Danny Robins, Jake Johansson, Matt Reinhart, and David “No Show” Santiago voted to plop one hundred new townhomes, a grocery store, and assorted “shops” – along with the additional “trips” and traffic that come with each new commercial and residential unit – at what has been described as a “well-known trouble spot.” 

Of course, those members of our elected “brain trust” in DeLand approving the project validated their asinine vote by opining that a proposed loop-de-loop at the intersection (which should be built sometime around the return of the Comet Kohoutek) will alleviate the massive traffic tie-ups. 

My ass…

According to an excellent report by Sheldon Gardner writing in the News-Journal:

“The County Council approved a rezoning and a small-scale Comprehensive Land Use Plan Amendment for the land. Council Chairman Jeff Brower, Vice Chairman Troy Kent and District 1 Councilman Don Dempsey, whose district includes the intersection, voted against the project.

Kent said he gets aggravated by traffic delays at the intersection when he travels to council meetings.

“I’m going to admit to you, these are things I say in my truck when I’m on 44 … ‘What the what?’ ‘Are you kidding me?’ ‘Stop the insanity,’” Kent said.”   

(You are going to want to take a strong antiemetic and read the rest of the article here: http://tinyurl.com/yu8wd4yu )

For the record, both Chairman Brower and Councilman Kent are up for reelection this year. 

In keeping with the Rites and Rituals of Volusia’s “Old Guard,” it was Councilman Santiago’s turn to publicly pillory Chairman Brower after he voiced a concern that the development would add to widespread flooding in the wake (literally) of Volusia’s massive overdevelopment.

“I can’t approve another project that I believe is going to flood out more neighborhoods in DeLand,” Brower said.”

In turn, Santiago – a habitual politician who found his place in and around government and has hung on like a tick – took umbrage with being rightfully named part of the problem, and asked “Growth and Resource Management” Director Clay Ervin (who always looks like one of those bobble-heads when asked a question supporting more, more, more development) if the project would exacerbate flooding?

According to the News-Journal report:

“Well, hold on, the chairman is laughing and it’s on TV,” Santiago said. “I want to make clear. So, I did not know you were a scientist or you were an expert in this area. That’s why I’m asking them. And you made the statement.”

“I did. We have flooding. … Am I saying they designed it to flood? No, they did not. But it still floods,” Brower said.

Santiago said, “You’re insinuating that if we approve this —” “I’m not insinuating,” Brower said. “It’s going to flood; you said it,” Santiago said. “You said I’m not going to allow this to happen.

So you put the rest of this council in a perspective if they’re going to vote for this that you’re saying that we’re going to make everything else flood. So your comments have to be clarified by people that are experts that know more about this than any of us.”

“The experts that gave us all the flooding,” Brower said.

“Okay, here we go. That’s what we’re dealing with,” Santiago said.

Hey Councilman Santiago, if the galoshes fit, wear ‘em… 

Of course, Mr. Ervin tap-danced in his patented bureaucratic pule about ‘minimum requirements for stormwater management,’ and the unknown effects of “a 25-year, 24-hour storm event” – all but admitting that both he, and senior state water management officials, continue to plausibly deny the clear implications of paving over the landscape on areawide flooding. 

I know it’s painful to watch but expect the brutal thrashing of Chairman Brower to continue through the election cycle as his “colleagues” repay their debt and shamelessly campaign for his competition from the dais…

Good luck, Delightful DeLand from your friends in this ugly and overcrowded Planned Unit Development east of the Palmetto Curtain. 

You’re next…

Angel               News-Journal Editorialist “Mark Twain” Lane

“Any blogger, keyboard soapboxer, Facebook political commentator, online environmental activist or local gadfly speaking to a group could be shut up by deep-pocket interests under this rewrite of defamation law. Note that the Senate sponsor of this bill, Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Lake Mary, is the same senator who pushed for a state political blogger registry last year.

It goes without saying that the political class has never loved the media in whatever form the press has taken over history. But because of the ways the powerful have weaponized libel law to suppress free speech during the Civil Rights Era and the days of criminal libel laws, courts have rightly evoked the First Amendment to make libel suits hard for public figures to win.

The fact that so many Florida legislators are eager to see their critics hauled into court tells us something, and it’s not about the media.”

–The Great Mark Lane, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Defamation law rewrite threatens free speech,” Sunday, February 18, 2024

The late, great Big John had a nickname for everyone he cared about – and he rightfully dubbed our intrepid News-Journal editorialist “Mark Twain” Lane.

He really is that good, and his Footnote column is the first thing I turn to each Sunday.   

Last week, Mr. Lane cut to the heart of a pernicious bill working its way through the legislature that would permit thin-skinned politicians to continue their skeevy shenanigans in Tallahassee and beyond – only you and I, the citizens of the “Sunshine State,” would be effectively muzzled from complaining about it.

How? 

By weaponizing the law to permit public officials the ability to file crippling lawsuits against anyone who bruises their delicate sensibilities, suppressing the free speech provisions enshrined in the First Amendment – the same inalienable Constitutional right United States fighting men and women have given their lives to protect – eliminating the time-honored journalistic use of anonymous whistleblowers, reducing the burden of proof to “You hurt my feewings,” and allowing lawsuits for something published on the internet to be filed in any county in the state. 

Perhaps most chilling, the provisions of this tyrannical edict would apply equally to conservative talk radio hosts, liberal podcasters, bloggers, editorialists, political pundits, media outlets, soapbox orators, and anyone who vents their political spleen on social media (ever do that?) 

Look, this isn’t about silencing blowhards like me – or punishing professional editorialists like Mr. Lane – in my view, it is about suppressing political dissent by fundamentally attacking the ability of We, The Little People to openly participate in the marketplace of ideas and express our opinions by arming our powerful overseers with the ability to financially crush anyone who calls out their transactional politics for what they are.

So much for Governor Ron DeSantis’ fabled “Free State of Florida,” eh?  A moniker this bill exposes as nothing more than a cheap Iowa stump speech…  

If you have ever taken an oath to “…support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic,” I hope you will use your sacred vote to hold accountable any incumbent state legislator who supports this assault on our most basic freedom. 

I can’t think of anything more un-American – or dangerous to the fabric of our democracy.   

Keep spreading the good word, Mr. Lane.  We need your sharp mind and exceptional voice now, more than ever…

Quote of the Week

“Here in the Sunshine State, our elected leaders have taken to the idea that endless growth and sprawl are the only paths forward. Rich developers and their special interest groups pour millions of dollars into electing the officials who will serve them most eagerly, and from where I’m standing, it looks like most of the politicians in our state are more than happy to bend to the will of their corporate masters.

What is in the public interest doesn’t seem to matter much. In a state once known for its pristine and untamed natural beauty, we have bulldozed most of it to make way for strip malls and tract homes, losing forever the most sacred attributes that make this land special. Surely, many developers and real estate folks have been greatly enriched in the process. But for the rest of us, the price of this so-called “progress” has been steep.

Many people in our community felt welcome vindication this month when hearing of our legal victory against the Florida Department of Transportation and their efforts to bulldoze sixty acres of wetlands in the Spruce Creek watershed to make way for an unneeded $200 million interchange on I-95.

To me, it was bewildering that our state government would even consider doing such a thing – that private citizens would need to battle them and their army of expensive lawyers – just to prevent the government from destroying the sensitive habitat it has often vowed to protect. It seems like hypocrisy, and it is.”

–Conservationist Bryon White, as excerpted from The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Guest Opinion, “Spruce Creek legal victory over proposed interchange was ‘welcome vindication,’” Tuesday, February 20. 2024

Powerful. 

And Another Thing!  

Every four years or so, well-meaning people ask if I would consider running for (insert elective office here) – an apocalyptic sign that we have reached the absolute nadir of political options here on the “Fun Coast.” 

My answer remains the same.

In the words of William Tecumseh Sherman, “If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve…”

For those joining us late, let me explain:

While I sincerely appreciate the confidence of those misguided souls who ask me to throw what’s left of my tattered hat in the ring – with three marriages under my belt, a lifelong career in law enforcement, and a propensity for strong spirits – I have more demons and skeletons in my closet than a haunted house…

Besides, if I was allowed to get snout deep in the public trough you might never get rid of me. 

After all, as my literary hero Dr. Hunter S. Thompson was fond of saying about government, “In a closed society where everybody’s guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity…”

Selah.

As a perennial naïf, I believe most people who hold themselves out for elected office, at least at the local level, enter politics for all the right reasons – a willingness to serve and be a good steward, born of a heartfelt desire to improve the lives of their neighbors.  I also believe that most first-term elected officials have the best interest of their constituents at heart, especially in matters involving the expenditure of public funds.

However, in the cloistered Halls of Power, it doesn’t take long for the ego-driven transmogrification from public servant to self-important shitheel to begin. 

Inexplicably, our “representatives” mysteriously become morally and mentally superior to the rest of us, then metamorphose into pious ninnies with a God complex – convinced they know what’s best for the rest of us – thus earning their coveted invite into the secluded inner sanctum of the bureaucracy. 

When I see those who ran for office with the best intentions of making their county or municipal government more lean, accessible, and accountable – now rubbing elbows and having their picture taken with C-list phonies and so-called “dignitaries” on social media at (insert the latest oh, so elegant “gala” here) – I know the transformation is complete…

No thanks.

I want no part of that charade.

In my view, Volusia County has become a despicable example of just how pernicious cronyism, through the corruption of the campaign finance system, can be when uber-wealthy individuals and their corporate entities repeatedly secure a political quid pro quo from local office holders.

It’s subtle – but pay attention the next time all the right last names assemble in a council or commission chamber ahead of a vote vital to their self-interests and watch what happens… 

To my jaded mind, it represents a legal return on investment in a system that permits a privileged few to develop financial relationships with potential and current office holders, then obtain direct access to the public purse in the form of preferential tax breaks, infrastructure (even interchanges?), and direct subsidies for private for-profit projects.

For reasons I can’t quite figure out, in this atmosphere even viable candidates for high office – those with the personal wealth and wherewithal to finance their own campaign, demonstrate independence, and change the grim trajectory of Volusia County politics – succumb to the lure of “big money” contributions and the imprimatur of importance that comes with it. 

These chummy associations will become more prominent as what passes for our cut-throat campaign season heats up.    

For instance, I recently shook my head at the utter disconnect between We, The Little People who pay the bills and our exalted “Donor Class” when I saw a very exclusive fundraiser for a perennial politician held at the home of a prominent philanthropist where Volusia’s “who’s who” were shuttled to the soiree via limousine. 

Yeah.  I know…

Earlier this week, Volusia County Councilman Troy Kent held a clubby klatch – with a “Host Committee” comprised of all the right last names – to mark the kickoff of his latest reelection campaign. I must admit, the optics seemed odd to me, considering Mr. Kent is desperately trying to shed his skin and reinvent himself as an “everyman” in the wake of the Belvedere Terminal’s debacle… 

Although those in power are quick to deny it, in exchange for the all-important financial resources and political clout local candidates receive as an anointing from Volusia’s “visionaries” they must feel at least subliminal pressure to perform their role like the bought-and-paid-for chattel they are, especially when an issue directly involving the self-interests and profit motives of their campaign benefactors presents itself before the dais of power.

The result has been a slow erosion of the public’s trust in the legitimacy of their own government – and a recurring Sophie’s Choice in local elections – as wealthy developers get richer…   

I don’t have the answers, folks.

And I certainly don’t want to paint all local elected officials with the same brush – we have some selfless individuals in key positions who demonstrate incredible leadership and serve with humility, vision, and values.

They deserve our respect and support.      

My sincere hope is that those creative change-makers – engaged citizens who have proven they can work collaboratively with others to seek the solutions we desperately need – will find the courage to stand for elective office and end the stagnant status quo.

I think that begins by banding together – developing a formidable coalition of the various groups, factions, and loose knit activists who are working hard, spending their time and talents in the fight to conserve our environment, ensure our children’s safety, and protect our fleeting quality of life – many voices, speaking as one. 

Trust me.  Citizens united in the pursuit of positive change is the last thing compromised politicians and entrenched bureaucrats want…

As for my complete lack of “political ambition,” I may be a low-life sot with no redeeming social graces – more of a “complainer” than a “doer” – but I have what remains of my threadbare dignity, something I am not willing to compromise for a bit part in this privately underwritten Theatre of the Absurd that passes for “governance” here on the “Fun Coast.” 

That’s all for me.  Have a great weekend, y’all!

Hi, kids!

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Asshole           Volusia County School Board

The Volusia County School Board had a collective out-of-body experience this week when they were flagrantly exposed as either clueless lumps suffering from selective memory disorder – or baldfaced liars who engaged in a skeevy behind-the-scenes scheme to decertify Volusia United Educators, the union representing some 3,000 of their teachers and paraprofessionals.

Frankly, the horrific sense of vicarious embarrassment I felt for Chairwoman Jamie Haynes and her fellow quisling saboteurs on the dais of power was excruciating – an unexpected emotion that surpassed my overwhelming feeling of schadenfreude watching these rat finks get hoisted on their own petard…    

If I were Superintendent Carmen Balgobin – I would be packing my desk and slinking out the back door of the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand – because the political implications of this week’s ugly exposé will be long remembered by Volusia County voters. 

Last year, Volusia County District Schools activated a labor attorney they keep on retainer to write a letter to the state’s Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) alleging that Volusia United Educators failed to comply with a controversial new law that requires certain public sector unions (namely teachers unions) to report, among other things, dues-paying membership data to the state proving at least 60% participation – or face possible decertification as a bargaining unit. 

According to a January article in Orlando Weekly:

“Elizabeth Albert, president of Volusia United Educators in Daytona Beach, told Orlando Weekly that her union submitted the required information (including membership numbers) to the state in October 2023, using guidance the union had received from PERC, the state agency tasked with implementing last year’s law.

“We stand on telling the truth,” she asserted. The Volusia County school board, however, has cast doubt on the union’s calculation. A private attorney, writing on behalf of the school board, sent a formal notice to PERC on Jan. 18, insinuating that the union had falsified information, specifically to make it appear as though they had surpassed the required 60% membership threshold.

The board did not take a legal position, but merely notified PERC that the union representations did not appear to meet statutory density requirements by the recertification deadline,” a spokesperson for Volusia County Schools told Orlando Weekly in a statement. Albert believes this interference was unnecessary and described the board’s move as “disappointing” and “malicious.”

(Find the Orlando Weekly article here: http://tinyurl.com/2yw2vtmc )

On Tuesday, the truth was revealed in a shocking turn of events…    

At the end of the public meeting, Chairwoman Haynes desperately attempted to separate the school board from the growing public perception that the elected body is engaging in union busting tactics – saying unequivocally to teachers, staff, parents, and taxpayers that board members had no part in the district’s communications with PERC – and never authorized the hiring of an outside attorney. 

With a haughty air of indignance, Chairwoman Haynes puffed, “It has been stated that we – the five of us – have gone after the union,” – then proceeded to assure everyone watching that the board did not authorize the hiring of an outside attorney – and, in fact, no one on the board had any knowledge of the district’s correspondence to PERC. 

In a tense exchange, VUE President Elizabeth Albert countered that all correspondence to PERC was clearly referenced as having come from the school board – explaining that the outside labor attorney clearly stated in documents they were working on behalf of the “Volusia County School Board.”

Chairwoman Haynes emphatically reiterated that she did not authorize the hiring of an outside attorney and openly accused Ms. Albert of making “inaccurate” statements about the board’s involvement. 

Then, in a hyper dramatic moment right out of a bad Perry Mason episode, the district’s attorney Kevin Pendley – his head turning an odd shade of ochre that laid bare a thinly suppressed teeth-gritting rage – dropped a bombshell that literally shook the room…

Speaking pointedly before the board, Mr. Pendley explained that the School Board is represented by Sacha Dyson, the districts outside labor attorney, in the matter before the Public Employees Relations Committee – then openly contradicted Chairwoman Haynes by revealing that the board had in fact authorized the correspondence from Dyson to PERC disputing the union’s membership density. 

Chairwoman Haynes asked, “So, we voted here in the boardroom?” 

To which Mr. Pendley responded, “No.  You told me personally.”  

In turn, Mr. Pendley explained that at Superintendent Balgobin’s direction, he individually communicated with each of the elected board members – and all five agreed to the district sending the notification to PERC. 

Yeah.  I know.  Whoa. 

That direct confirmation from Pendley, the district’s General Counsel, left board member Carl “Namby-Pamby” Persis suffering a fit of embarrassment-induced amnesia – an awkward discomfiture that sucked the energy right out of the batteries in his neon pink sport coat…

(Please don’t take my word for it.  Get yourself a big batch of Jiffy Pop and watch the hijinks for yourself here: http://tinyurl.com/3mvyu5eb (To protect your digestion, tune to the 5:29:00 mark…you’re welcome.) 

Ugly. 

From there, the soothing sounds of board member Ruben Colón’s comforting rendition of Kumbaya wafted over the chamber – a soft drone explaining why the elected board members would insinuate themselves into VUE’s recertification process with a state regulatory agency, etc., etc., etc.

Nobody heard a word of it.   

Everyone was busy picking their jaws up off the floor…

The damage had been done – and the shockwave produced when Mr. Pendley exposed the elected board members as obfuscating liars/disengaged rubes who tried to convince us they were not engaged in a coordinated effort to undermine the representation of its teachers and staff outside the public eye – left everyone reeling.

Kudos to Kevin Pendley for speaking truth to power – and for acting in the finest traditions of his office to correct the public record, expose an attempted smear, and ensure transparency.

That took guts.

In my experience, avoiding even the appearance of impropriety is omnipotent in public office – because any conduct perceived to impair the ability of an elected or appointed official to fulfill their important responsibilities with fairness, impartiality, objectivity, and integrity is detrimental to the public’s trust of the institution.

I’m not sure how Chairwoman Haynes begins the arduous process of rehabilitating her scorched reputation – or if restoring trust is even possible – given the blatant and malicious nature of her conniving attempt to besmirch Elizabeth Albert’s character and sabotage Volusia United Educators. 

In my view, this latest dreadful episode in the sad history of the wholly dysfunctional Volusia County School Board should serve as a cautionary tale to other elected bodies of the corrosive effect of lies and deception on individuals and organizations.

Now, constituents are left with the overpowering fear that these unashamed transgressions by sitting elected officials charged with stewarding our children’s education may conceal even more ominous untruths – duplicity and deceit yet to be revealed…       

Asshole           Volusia County Council

The theme of the glamorous 2024 State of the County address and notorious “free” lunch was “Shaping Volusia’s Future Together.” 

(Urrrp, ahem.  Excuse me.  Sorry.)   

Presenting his fourth State of the County address – this year held at The Center in The Lost City of Deltona – Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower once again called for cooperation and collaboration between his “colleagues” on the dais of power:  

“This is a time in our history in Volusia County where we all have to come together, to work together, with the common goal of improving our coun………”

Yawn…Zzzzzzzz, Zzzzzzz, Zzzzzzz, Zzzzzzz, Zzzzzzz, (snork), Zzzzzzz, Zzzzzzz, (snuffle), Zzzzzzz…

Asshole           Disinterested “Fun Coast” Officials

Just as mismanagement and neglect can result in a series of disastrous events spiraling out of control (see “Volusia County School Board”) a “vicious cycle” of dysfunction – attentive leaders can also create a “virtuous circle” – defined as a chain of events in which one desirable occurrence leads to another resulting in a continuous process of improvement. 

For instance, a constructive circle of civic engagement is one where citizens share input on the issues important to them, elected officials listen and use that feedback to address problems, the government entity shares progress and openly admits challenges, trust in government increases, and the cycle repeats.

Increasingly, many of our elected officials here on Florida’s “Fun Coast” have strayed from the democratic imperative of citizen input – ignoring the voices of their long-suffering constituents – becoming insular, less receptive, more focused on the wants of those with a chip in the game or the self-serving directives of entrenched bureaucrats.

Others simply dissolve into disinterested lumps – empty suits who have mentally checked out – repeatedly proving to colleagues and constituents they would rather be anywhere but on the dais representing those who have put their trust in them.

That usually begins with rumblings about the amount of time set aside for the ceremonial duties inherent to public office – and using restrictive edicts to limit public participation – administrative “efficiencies” that widen the gap between elected officials and those they represent.   

Recently, Flagler County School Board member Sally Hunt exemplified this expanding chasm when she – in her own inimitable way – literally “phoned it in” to a board “retreat” to suggest too much time is spent on proclamations, public participation, and formal recognition of the achievements of students, teachers, and staff.

According to a disturbing piece in FlagerLive!:

“Something that I just would like for my fellow board members to think about just for the sake of our parents and community,” she started, using a preface she’s often used before – “for the sake of our parents and community” – as cover for a concern of hers more than anybody else: “We’ve got some business meetings where our kind of intro is taking up to, like, 45 minutes. So by the time we read proclamations, by the time we maybe have different spotlights like from the [Education] Foundation, we can be at, like, 6:45.”

She seemed to suggest that the proclamations and public comments would take place at 6, but that the board meeting itself, which she was seeing as distinct from the spotlights, would start at 6:30. She referred to the “working mom” waiting to see her kids who rushes over to the Government Services Building by 6 for whatever reason, “and now it’s already 6:45, the meeting is just now really starting, and then several minutes later for public comments.”

According to the report, Ms. Hunt has developed a “distant” relationship with those she serves – refusing to respond to emails, failing to attend graduation ceremonies, district celebrations, or recognition dinners – and recently “…complained that members of the public are not following the “chain of command” when they have a complaint, and are soliciting board members’ help when they should first bother someone else with their concerns, like a teacher or a school principal or administrator.”

Please find the article here: http://tinyurl.com/8z6kpced

In my view, what Ms. Hunt and others like her fail to understand is – as outsiders peering into the inner sanctum of local governments through the opaque aperture that separates us from those who accept public funds to serve in our interest – We, The Little People are forced to use scripted public meetings to catch a glimpse of where our “leadership” stand on the pressing issues of the day.

Adding to the thick rind of insulation is the increased use of paid government mouthpieces, “Community Information Directors” – who sanitize, manage, and condense “the message” into canned press releases while running interference for public officials – leaving those stilted bimonthly theatrical productions by various city and county commissions and the boards of taxing districts as the only knothole we have left.

It has become painfully apparent that most official decisions are a foregone conclusion – hashed out ahead of time in the city or county managers office, based solely on the political insulation of a “staff recommendation” – which, in the minds of disinterested elected officials, all but eliminates the need for public input or strategic thought on the critical issues.

This sense of remoteness between the average citizen and those we elect to serve our interests is becoming institutionalized, an accepted part of what passes for local governance in an environment where public policy is formed in seclusion by politically unaccountable bureaucrats. 

Inconceivably, these detached public officials – their egos massaged by the same insiders – completely ignore that the resultant “trust issue” even exists.

A vicious cycle indeed… 

I’ve said this before – this summer, when incumbent politicians come out of their bunkers in the Ivory Towers of Power across our increasingly claustrophobic region to shake hands, slap backs, and ask for another bite at the apple – please take a minute to ask them when those of us who pay the bills and suffer in silence became an afterthought?

Ask them why they sold their political soul for a walk-on role in an overchoreographed Kabuki that no longer bears any resemblance to a representative democracy – or service in the public interest.

If you pay taxes, you deserve an answer…

Quote of the Week

“The “hearsay” prohibition would include media exposés — the basis for most of the commission’s complaints.

“I’ve never seen a power grab like this,” says Ben Wilcox of the nonprofit watchdog group Integrity Florida. “This legislation will do away with ethics enforcement in Florida.”

“Incredibly destructive and corrosive,” Carolyn Klancke, a past deputy executive director and general counsel for the commission, told the Florida Center for Government Accountability.

Klancke, who now heads the Florida Ethics Institute, said it would prevent the commission from acting even on official audit and inspector general reports, which are not sworn complaints.

“Wrongdoing by public officials rarely takes place at times and in places accessible to the general public,” wrote Bonnie Williams, a former executive director of the commission, in an email to the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board. “Rather, it occurs in the rarefied air of political culture or within the confines of officials’ private lives. Of necessity, citizens rely on documents and reports, investigative journalism, information from persons close to the potential violation or violator, or other indirect means.

“Restricting filers of complaints to those with direct knowledge restricts citizens’ participation, will significantly restrict the number of complaints filed, and will abridge public faith in enforcement of the ethics laws,” Williams said.

It could extinguish what remains of public faith in the Legislature.”

–Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, “A sneak attack on state ethics laws shatters trust in 11 words,” Friday, February 9, 2024

The evisceration of longstanding protections that help Floridians ferret out unethical conduct by those they elect to positions of trust continues.

As the current legislative session slogs on, lawmakers are quietly working to move bills in the house and senate that would block citizens from filing valid allegations of official misconduct with the Commission on Ethics by “requiring complaints to be based on personal knowledge or information other than hearsay.”

As former director Williams said, rarely do public officials engage in wrongdoing at times and places accessible to the public – or law enforcement.  Which means watchdogs must rely on public records, outside research, anecdotal information, credible informants, and the findings of investigative journalists to develop reasonable suspicion.     

In my view, this isn’t legislation in the public interest – it’s an intentional weakening of ethical safeguards – a legal roadblock designed to protect the weakest links here in the biggest whorehouse in the world…

Restricting complaints exclusively to those with first-person direct knowledge of ethical misconduct closes the door on citizen access to the Commission on Ethics – an autonomous authority who should rightfully be the unbiased arbiter of an allegation’s legal sufficiency based upon an independent investigation.   

For instance, earlier this week, the Orlando Sentinel broke the shocking story of how Democratic State Senator Linda Stewart, a former Orange County commissioner, secretly schemed with a lobbyist from the mega-firm GrayRobinson to craft legislation that would have severely limited the authority of the Orange County Commission to reduce or eliminate tourist-tax funding for Visit Orlando.

This sordid plot was exposed when the Orlando Sentinel requested and reviewed text messages between Stewart and Carmody. 

According to the report, GrayRobinson lobbyist Chris Carmody, represented both Orange County and the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association – something that should sound familiar to area residents opposed to the bulk fuel terminal planned for Ormond Beach – as GrayRobinson represents Belvedere Terminals in their lawsuit against Volusia County, while simultaneously representing the Volusia Growth Management Commission… 

According to an excellent commentary by the Orlando Sentinel’s intrepid Scott Maxwell:

“There’s one more text you should know about. Three days after Stewart filed the legislation drafted by a GrayRobinson lobbyist, another GrayRobinson lobbyist let Stewart know he had some money for her PAC. “I’ve got a check for you,” GrayRobinson lawyer and lobbyist Robert Stuart Jr. texted Stewart on Jan. 8. “Are you around for a quick handoff?”

Could this stuff sound any more mafioso? I mean, why are lobbyists hand-delivering checks unless it’s to also deliver a message? Remember who took care of you.

Stewart and Carmody say everything they did was on the up and up — which suggests they may be directionally challenged.

Stewart has long preached the value of local control. Yet she says she filed this bill meant to override local control — and require a super-majority vote by county commissioners to trim Visit Orlando’s $100 million-a-year budget — because she genuinely believes Visit Orlando provides a valuable service to the community and economy.”

While both Stewart and Carmody deny any wrongdoing (Carmody claims he wasn’t working in his capacity as a lobbyist – just helping a “longtime friend”) the implications resulted in Orange County Mayor Jerry Demmings abruptly terminating the county’s relationship with GrayRobinson. 

In an article by Stephen Hudak that appeared in the Orlando Sentinel yesterday:

“Clearly, Mr. Carmody created a conflict of interest when he advised a State Senator about a matter contrary to the best interest of Orange County Government,” Demings said in a letter Thursday to Dean Cannon, CEO and president of GrayRobinson. “As a result, the County has lost confidence in his ability to objectively represent the County.”

Good on Mayor Demmings.

In my view, this represents one more gut punch for longsuffering citizens who are slowly becoming acclimatized to a dark and cloistered campaign finance environment where “quid pro quo” should be inscribed on the Great Seal of the State of Florida…    

Imagine a Florida where concerned citizens, whistleblowers, and others with circumstantial evidence of official misconduct are prohibited by law from referring a good faith complaint to the Commission on Ethics for review? 

Consider the ramifications of a “Sunshine State” where sitting elected despots crush free expression and legitimate criticism, use legislation to limit a journalist’s use of anonymous sources, and weaponize the courts to allow elected officials to file crippling lawsuits against reporters, editorialists, and the average citizen who complains on social media, further eroding First Amendment protections?

Pay attention, folks.   

That grim reality is closer than you might think this legislative session…

And Another Thing!

As the dust settles from the Volusia County Council’s recent vote to deny a short moratorium that would have allowed time to reassess the I-2 heavy industrial zoning classification – a move that paved the way for Belvedere Terminals to move forward with plans for a controversial 13-million-gallon bulk fuel terminal on Hull Road in Ormond Beach – weary residents are left with the queasy feeling their elected “representatives” took the path of least resistance – and sold them out in the process.

The vast majority of those I speak with remain in shock, shaking their heads in utter frustration that their fervent pleas were ignored by haughty elected and appointed public officials they had every right to assume had their best interests at heart. 

In the aftermath of any hard-fought civic loss – from environmental protections to beach driving and access – times when spirited grassroots activists put their busy lives on hold and fight threats to their safety, livelihoods, and quality of life – there is a period of confusion and self-reflection that leads to questions like, “How could anyone in a politically accountable position of power refuse to protect their constituents from a clear and present danger?”

“Why is it so difficult for sitting officials to listen to the concerns of those who pay the bills?” 

“What could we have done differently to change the outcome?”  

Ultimately, the question becomes, “How can we ensure this never happens again?”

As disappointment turns to anger, those who feel they have been ignored begin studying the mechanics of changing our leadership – hoping that by replacing the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker on the dais of power, We, The Little People will finally have a voice at the table, never realizing that – like an iceberg – the problems run fathoms deeper that those wooden figureheads at the surface who play their carefully choreographed roles twice a month, acting out scenes directed by “staff,” and condescendingly staring down at their ‘subjects’ like monarchical gargoyles…    

In my experience, most public policy comes about despite our elected officials on the Volusia County Council – not because of them. 

Real power moves in the increasingly cloistered Halls of Power at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building among senior staff – incredibly well compensated pencil pushers who oversee essential services, establish the agenda, and control the narrative with little external oversight and virtually no accountability. 

When you add to that the “subliminal” influence exerted by those extremely wealthy insiders who purchase a very lucrative chip in the game with massive campaign contributions each election cycle – money that pays for scripted television advertisements and thousands of those “glossy mailers” for hand-select candidates – efforts strategically choreographed by partisan powerbrokers who play on the apathy of disengaged voters, you begin to see how Volusia’s entrenched political system works, and how very little control average citizens have on those policies and decisions that control our lives and livelihoods.   

In my view, there is something else at play that I think We, The Little People tend to overlook. 

I’ve come to the uncomfortable conclusion that a key factor we fail to consider is the effect of old-fashioned stupidity on some who hold high office.  

Institutionalized dumbness fed by egotism and a false sense of infallibility.   

In his seminal work, theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer espoused a theory that stupidity is more dangerous than evil, or as one sage philosopher explained it, “More harm is done by one powerful idiot than a gang of Machiavellian schemers,” and, more ominously:

“Against stupidity we are defenseless.”   

From personal observation, I have long agreed with Bonhoeffer’s theory that many who ascend to powerful positions are quickly taken into “the system” – made to feel part of the established power structure (although they aren’t) – and even critical thinkers who once railed against the inefficiencies and madness of the bureaucracy succumb to the fawning of sycophantic appointed administrators, enamored by the trappings of office, rubbing shoulders with the “rich and powerful,” consumed by the perception of perfection that comes with power, and ultimately “deprived of their inner-independence.”  

That dynamic allows our elected officials to become easily influenced and controlled by senior staff – who are wholly dependent on the proliferation of the bureaucracy – and protect their positions by controlling the flow of information in the insular halls of power.   

They alone become the recognized “experts” on any matter of public concern – while citizen activists are marginalized as a vocal annoyance.      

In time, those we elect to high office become everything they hated when they entered politics – and the bureaucratic machine hums along, greased by an endless supply of our tax dollars…  

Sound familiar? 

Pastor Bonhoeffer’s story does not have a happy conclusion.  

Tyranny never does.

As a staunch anti-Nazi, well-known for his active resistance against Hitler’s dictatorial persecution, Bonhoeffer was officially forbidden to speak, print, or publish his thoughts, and required to report his activities to officious martinets before ultimately being imprisoned in January 1943. 

Three months later, Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by hanging at Flossenbürg concentration camp…   

Although we may be defenseless against the pernicious influence of stupidity – I believe an informed and engaged electorate remains our best hope of bringing true servant-leaders to high office – rather than those who succumb to the false sense of aloof superiority that results in this disconnect that allows entrenched problems, suspicions, and speculation to fester.  

Look, I no longer “endorse” candidates in this space.  Who am I to tell you for whom to cast your sacred vote?    

I merely ask that citizens identify candidates who support the issues important to them – then vote their conscience. 

It’s important. 

I hope that those who feel ostracized and ignored by our ‘powers that be’ will consider a run for public office – never forgetting how this disappointment felt – or the importance of a receptive government of the people, by the people and for the people.   

That’s all for me.  Have a great Daytona 500 weekend, y’all!