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!