Hi, kids!

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

City of Daytona Beach: Perception Becomes a Destabilizing Reality

The idiom “Every man is his own worst enemy” suggests that a person’s greatest obstacles often come from within themselves rather than external factors.  An internal conflict that sometimes undermines our own success through self-destructive behaviors and errant choices. 

Trust me.  I can relate…  

Fortunately, most of us have been gifted the neurological wiring to instinctively protect ourselves – the somatic reflex that occurs without conscious thought – allowing our body to rapidly react to harmful stimuli, such as pulling your hand away from a hot stove. 

But what do we call those who ignore the obvious? 

Ostensibly smart people and organizations who know better, yet repeatedly disregard all best evidence, advice, and previous injury, then proceed to do things they know will have adverse consequences, aggravate an already dire situation, or add to the appearance of impropriety. 

At best, that’s called reckless and impulsive – the result of a “desensitization” to circumstances and admonitions that those of us who have been burned before use as a forewarning – scars that form a reliable predictor of the adverse outcomes that result from repeat harmful behavior. 

At worst, it is something far more sinister… 

By any metric, the City of Daytona Beach is in serious peril.  More so than most of its elected officials fully realize (or seem to care). 

Yet, they push forward, seemingly incapable of changing tack even in the midst of a raging tempest, pathologically committed to the same wildly careless fiscal, financial, and operational policies (and personnel) that have brought intense scrutiny to City Hall in the form of an active criminal investigation by the Public Integrity Unit of the Statewide Prosecutor’s Office.

Read that again…

For instance, knowing the devastating effects of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest political stunt that would shift fiscal responsibility for local essential services in Florida, city leaders moved forward with a $27 million Taj Mahal fire station (that replaced the Daytona Beach Fire Department’s historic Station No. 1 to make way for who knows what?)

During an elaborate ribbon-cutting ceremony last week – rather than have a subdued dedication amid the city’s current realities and questionable spending in the fire department – Daytona Beach taxpayers winced as an ostentatious “pyrotechnic” display heralded the opening of what the News-Journal described as the “palatial” new public facility located in the struggling business corridor of South Ridgewood Avenue.  

In my view, the extravagant building and equally grandiose celebration was a subliminal middle-finger in the face of state investigators, auditors, and those concerned citizens who questioned if this is the time to take on millions in additional debt.

In an excellent article by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week, we learned:

“When asked about whether he was concerned about the optics of spending that much on a fire station, during a time of intense scrutiny over finances, City Manager Deric Feacher said Daytona Beach residents “want a quality fire department.”

“They want men and women who are going to serve this community, so I don’t see any issues or concerns about what we’ve done for the residents of Daytona Beach and for our visitors,” he said.

The News-Journal reached out to the city about the cost of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. That information wasn’t immediately available on June 2.”

In my experience, with the right leadership, a “quality fire department” can be operated out of a well-maintained tin can.  Exceptional public services don’t require the trimmings of a flashy facility to serve residents with professionalism, fiscal efficiency, and esprit de corps.

I’ve seen it done. 

To add injury, last week, the Daytona Beach City Commission debated the ethics of public contributions made to groups which include individual commissioners as members.

During the meeting, the city’s dutiful watchdog Commissioner Stacey Cantu proposed an ordinance prohibiting gifts to organizations with connections to sitting officials, rightfully citing potential conflicts of interest. 

The questionable practice was publicly aired and ended in a 3-3 split vote, with the usual cast of characters – Commissioners Paula Reed, Ken Strickland, and Vice Mayor Dannette Henry (Mayor Derrick Henry was absent) – arguing that the unusual practice does not pose an ethical conflict.

Bullshit.

In my view, the entire concept of the city’s asinine “Mayoral/Zone Support Fund” – a discretionary slush fund that allows elected officials to curry favor with voters by gifting public funds to area events and organizations supposedly for the benefit of Daytona Beach and its residents – is wrong on its face.

Rather than use a competitive grant process, assessment of city needs, or independent external nominations, the scheme allows individual commissioners to request an expenditure from the city’s general fund which is then rubber stamped by resolution.  In my view, the practice of allowing elected officials access to public funds so they can politically promote themselves by offering a cumshaw to their supporters in area civic and service organizations, is ripe for abuse.

This week, another layer of this odorous onion was peeled when the Florida Attorney General’s Office issued a subpoena for “All changes made to Henry’s biography page, the dates of the changes and the identity of the person or persons who made the changes.”

In April, WFTV-9 reporter Demi Johnson reported that investigators had subpoenaed information related to:

“Bills, receipts, invoices and email transactions related to Step-by-Step Expressions inc. or themathparty.com, have also been requested. The mayor is listed as the Executive Director of Step-By-Step Expressions inc. on his bio on the city’s website. Sunbiz.com lists his wife as the CEO.

According to themathparty.com, the mayor’s wife founded that organization as well.

To be clear, just because city officials are listed in these subpoenas, does not mean they are guilty or accused of a crime.”

As of this week, it appears any mention of Mayor Henry having served as Executive Director of Step-by-Step Expressions, Inc. has been removed from the city’s website… 

Why?

Here’s hoping Daytona Beach officials will finally awake to the fact that extravagant indulgences – and the easily avoidable perception of impropriety and conflict of interest – are destabilizing, and a direct affront to the public trust, especially during this sensitive and confusing time in the city’s history.

Flagler County: BOCC Proves “FAFO” Works Both Ways…

“I believe that we need to get more information out,” said Commissioner Kim Carney, who brought up the matter during the board’s June 1 meeting, calling Ingoglia’s analysis a “campaign crutch.”

“And I don’t like it,” Carney said. “It’s not going to go away before the election. He is going to pound on this, and try to get credit on this, up through the election.”

What do Flagler commissioners want clarified about budget overspending allegations?

Commissioner Andy Dance supported the idea for the webpage and encouraged the board to be specific in what it should say.

“I think the major accusations, from the original (March 2026) press release, should be addressed,” Dance said referring to the claims in Ingoglia’s report about the addition of “80 full-time administrative employees to accommodate a 32,564 increase in population growth” over the past six years.

“Because the rest of it is just vague … it’s just generalizations,” he added.”

–Flagler Board of County Commissioners Kim Carney and Andy Dance, as quoted by reporter Brenno Carillo, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Still no audit from Ingoglia; Carney calls stunt ‘campaign crutch,’” Friday, June 5, 2026

Rather than wait for more embellished misinformation from Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, the Flagler Board of County Commissioners are finally standing up for themselves and calling bullshit on the CFO’s nonexistent “audit” by providing their confused constituents with facts, figures, and explanations.

What took them so long?

For the uninitiated, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer (and current candidate to retain the role) Blaise Ingoglia has made a cottage industry over the past year travelling around the state (on a publicly funded campaign tour?) making sweeping allegations of what he calls “excessive” and “wasteful” overspending by cities and counties. 

Not surprisingly, Ingoglia’s statewide dog-and-pony-show came ahead of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to transfer, consolidate, and centralize power from local governments to Tallahassee by changing how we pay for essential local services.   

Last week, the Florida legislature – with few specifics and no financial analysis – thought it prudent to completely upend our system of governance by asking Florida voters to transition from the reasonably equitable ad valorem system to God knows what…

Nearly two-weeks later our legislators still can’t explain it to us – because they don’t understand it either…  

When CFO Ingoglia blew into Flagler County earlier this year, he stood behind a podium emblazoned “FAFO Audit” and mercilessly eviscerated elected officials and senior government administrators.

At the time, FlaglerLive.com described the disturbing scene:

“Blaise Ingoglia, Florida’s chief financial officer, excoriated a room full of Flagler County government officials this afternoon at the Club at Hammock Beach, saying “government is spending too much, government is taxing too much,” and singling out Flagler County government for being proportionately the biggest wasteful spender in the state, according to an oversimplified methodology his office is applying to local government budgets.

Flagler’s officials didn’t say a word, took it, and applauded. The performance lasted 32 minutes. The officials seemed ready for a performance twice as long.  None had known what government–county or municipal–Ingoglia would attack.”

The problem is/was – CFO Ingoglia has failed to produce a legitimate budget analysis or audit report to prove his claims of widespread waste and abuse in Flagler County – or anywhere else –and he continues to ignore mounting public record requests from media outlets that he produce the documents, you know, as Florida law demands. 

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer should know that…

In a follow-up report to the CFO’s Flagler County bloodletting, the News-Journal explained, “Ingoglia said at the time that he reached that number from a basic calculation: He compared how much the county spent in 2019 compared to what it spent in 2025-26, factoring in population growth and inflation. He didn’t mention the inflation rate.”

That’s not a financial “audit” – it’s a wild-assed guess… 

In response, it appears Flagler County officials are preparing to explain to Candidate Ingoglia that “FAFO” works both ways:

According to a report in the News-Journal this week, “County staff is working on a webpage detailing the county’s spending and most significant financial movements over the last six years — the period in which Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia said its budget was nearly $60 million in excess.”

Good.  Nothing dispels the stench of politically motivated lies like the disinfecting light of truth.  

In my view, the only positive to emerge from Mr. Ingoglia’s attempt to fabricate a tax revolt from whole cloth – using fictional “audits,” and sensationalized terms like “FAFO” to sow widespread confusion – is the increase in fiscal transparency as humiliated local officials throw open the books and finally defend themselves from the state’s abject thuggery.  

Obviously, there is excessive spending, fraud, waste, and abuse in some monstrously bloated bureaucracies across Florida – starting with that transactional whorehouse that is the Florida State Capitol. 

But it is increasingly clear that CFO Blaise Ingoglia and his “do as I say, not as I do” strategy has ruined his personal, professional, and political credibility with inflammatory hype and horseshit that seems to paint every local government with the same brush.   

In my view, if Mr. Ingoglia has intentionally embellished spending for a political end, he has done a terrible disservice to the citizens of Flagler County, and the state of Florida.

Quote of the Week

“Everyone is talking about property taxes. Almost nobody is talking about power.

That’s strange because power, not taxes, is what this debate is really about. The sales pitch is simple: property taxes are unpopular, homeowners are angry, government has grown, and cutting tax bills will provide relief. Who doesn’t like that? But there is a difference between cutting taxes and changing who controls government. Florida is not debating a tax cut. Florida is debating a fundamental redesign of how local government is financed.

For more than half a century, Florida has embraced home rule. The idea was simple: Local communities should make local decisions. If a city council spends too much, voters can replace it. If a county commission raises taxes, voters can replace it. The people making spending decisions are accountable to the people paying the bills. That system is imperfect, but it is transparent. If your local government fails, you know exactly where to direct your frustration and exactly who to vote against.

Now imagine a different system. Imagine counties and cities that can no longer fund themselves. Imagine local officials traveling to Tallahassee not to seek a grant for a new project, but to keep deputies on patrol, firefighters in stations, and ambulances on the road. At that point, who is really running local government? The answer is not the county commission. The answer is not the city council.

The answer is whoever controls the money.”

–Former Florida Sen. Jeff Brandes, President of the Florida Policy Project, a nonpartisan public policy research organization focused on Florida’s biggest challenges. As a republican politician, he served for 12 years in the Florida Legislature, including service in both the Florida House and Senate.  This excerpt is from his commentary in the Florida Trident, “The property tax blast radius nobody is talking about,” Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Please find the rest of Mr. Brandes’ informative piece here: https://tinyurl.com/bmjwarfp

Former Sen. Jeff Brandes just said the quiet part out loud…

In recent days, I have considered opinions on both sides of the recently approved ballot initiative to “eliminate” (read: shift) property taxes (because opinions and supposition are all we have). Few of those viewpoints were more cogent that Mr. Brandes’ insider peek behind the velvet curtain revealing the true motivations of those who control the rods and strings of our state government.

Look, no one complains more about government spending, waste, and abuse than I do. 

In fact, it’s kind of “my thing.” 

A perverse pastime cogitating on the issues of the day, then taking those who accept public funds to serve the interests of their political benefactors to the proverbial woodshed.  It fits my curmudgeonly persona and gives me that sense of purpose in retirement. 

Most important, it comports well with my other hobby: Day drinking… 

That said, I’ve had a tough time wrapping my head around the property tax ballot initiative because it flies in the face of those values I hold dear – namely small, limited, and accountable government comprised of, by, and for the people it serves.

In my view, former senator Brandes brings Tallahassee’s true motivations into perspective:

“There is an irony here that should give conservatives pause. A proposal intended to shrink government could ultimately centralize it. When counties and cities become financially dependent on Tallahassee, the governor effectively becomes the mayor of communities he was never elected to run. Imagine a future governor deciding which counties receive funding for deputies, which cities receive support for fire services, and which communities must wait. Local government becomes less local. Home rule becomes a slogan instead of a governing principle.”

Forcing cities and counties under the bootheel of state government by making them wholly dependent on Tallahassee bureaucrats for their lifeblood quickly changes the power dynamic. 

Rather than continue to chip away at home rule with mandates and preemptions, it appears that on his way out the door, Gov. DeSantis wants to topple our entire system of governance through, as Mr. Brandes so aptly put it, “…one of the largest transfers of financial responsibility in modern Florida history.”

Cui bono? Certainly not Florida residents.

Be careful what you wish for – especially when an extreme “solution” is proposed by a term limited politician with higher ambitions…

As former Sen. Brandes warns, “Supporters frame this debate as a battle between taxpayers and government. That is the wrong framework. The real question is whether Florida wants independent local governments or dependent local governments. Because independent local government means paying your own bills.”

And Another Thing!

“At last Monday’s County Commission meeting the county administration threw more cold water on the proposed development of 22,000 homes on 22,000 acres west of U.S. 1 commonly known as the “western expansion.” The proposal has weathered a few public cold showers from a Palm Coast City Council member and the mayor.

“The agreement will leave in place the potential future possibility of injecting wastewater into the aquifer,” Deputy County Attorney Sean Moylan told the county commissioners Monday. “If it were approved today as written, it would not allow for that to happen immediately. There would have to be a separate approval later. But it at least opens the door for the subject, and it’s something that’s never happened in our county before. The aquifer doesn’t just follow jurisdictional lines, it really belongs to all of us.”

Moylan was referring to a particular segment of the 128-page development order, known as a master planned development agreement, or MPD, that opened the way for incinerator plants, hog and poultry farms and “deep well injection of waste products,” among other uses. None of those uses would be permitted without an amendment to the MPD and an affirmative vote by the regulatory boards. But the list had been added there in the third version of the MPD, in essence opening that door Moylan was referring to.”

–As excerpted from FlaglerLive.com, “As County Throws More Cold Water on 22,000-Home ‘Western Expansion,’ Developer Defends Retreat from Previous Commitments,” Friday, June 5, 2026

(Please find the rest of the article here: https://tinyurl.com/d3cmu5jn )

As the wrangling between the voices of reason on the Palm Coast City Council – namely Mayor Mike Norris and Councilwoman Theresa Pontieri – and developers of Flagler’s massive “western expansion” continues, another iteration of the Master Planned Development agreement is being considered. 

Let’s just say a lot of controversial issues remain to be negotiated…

In fact, Ms. Pontieri has called the most recent version, “garbage.”

As I understand it, the development agreement includes regionally impactful considerations, such as the fate of Flagler’s historic Old Brick Road, the use of public funds for construction of the “Loop Road” connector, and the extent to which the developer will assume responsibility for certain infrastructure, a “sports amenity,” and other issues posing profound consequences for existing residents.

Last week, a representative for Raydient, the development subsidiary of landowner Rayonier, told Palm Coast residents the intrusive industrial uses that would have been allowed by amendment – what Raydient called “the list of horribles” – have been deleted from the agreement. 

That said, the mere presence of these impactful industrial uses should be a wakeup call to everyone in the region.  In my view, it demonstrates how our water quality and quantity could be adversely affected by affirmative vote of compromised regulatory boards that would allow “deep well injection of waste products” into our source aquifer.  

For instance, last week Jerry Valcik, an Ormond Beach resident who describes himself as a public health/environmental engineer with expertise in safe drinking water, wrote an editorial published in the Ormond Beach Observer entitled “’Toilet-to-tap’ is not a credible issue in Ormond Beach.”   

The piece touted “…the beneficial reuse of nonpotable wastewaters…” 

According to Mr. Valcik, “First, there are approximately 300 septic tanks in Ormond and another 4,000 in Ormond-by-the-Sea, parts of which we supply with drinking water. After natural soil filtration, some resulting leachate from these tanks percolates into our aquifer where extensive dilution occurs.

Second, there are 4-5 million gallons of highly treated wastewater applied daily to irrigate and enhance lawns and landscapes throughout our city. This reclaimed water is used by 4,500+ residents (about 10% of our population), commercial businesses and in public areas. Eventually, residual leachate from treated wastewater irrigating lawns also finds its way into our aquifer where tremendous dilution occurs.

If a public referendum is authorized and all toilet-to-tap (recycling of nonpotable wastewaters) is banned, then would septic tanks be outlawed? Must lawn and landscape irrigation cease to the detriment of our paradise? How would the city replace these critical services? How quickly? At what cost? How would these major projects be funded? These critical questions must be addressed.”

Also, why is this being raised now? No direct toilet-to-tap plans have been announced by our city or county.”

(Please find the rest of Mr. Valcik’s opinion here: https://tinyurl.com/yaxw5t5d )

As is common with “wastewater experts,” (most of whom will admit they don’t have a clue about the long-term impacts of chemicals used to treat wastewater on the sensitive geology of our aquifer) Mr. Valcik went on to remind we finicky fusspots with an aversion to drinking our own waste that “direct toilet-to-tap reuse occurs on the space station.”

Whatever.   

To my knowledge, no one has asked for a charter amendment banning septic tanks in Ormond Beach or prohibiting the use of treated sewage for irrigation. 

That’s a cheap scare tactic.    

What has been proposed is a referendum asking residents to decide the question of “potable reuse,” sending treated wastewater to our taps, and the direct injection of wastewater into our source aquifer. 

In my view, it is a common-sense preemptive means of protecting public health, preserving water quality and quantity, and ensuring that development and density does not exceed the natural capacity of our finite resources by prohibiting artificial augmentation.

As the latest iteration of the MPD for Flagler’s “westward expansion” proves, despite what mealy-mouth politicians beholden to their puppet masters in the development industry will tell you, “deep well injection of waste products” is only one approved “agreement” away – and the concept of “potable reuse” is becoming a very real possibility in rapidly growing communities across the state. 

Elections have consequences. 

Development decisions made today have the potential to adversely affect the safety of our children and grandchildren; future generations who will be forced to live with the fact their health and quality of life was sacrificed on the altar of greed… 

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 news and newsmakers of the day who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life or detracted from it in some significant way:

State of Florida: Half-Baked Property Tax Shift Heads to Florida Voters

One year ago, lame duck Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a $1 million study to examine the wide-ranging effects of “eliminating” the property tax in Florida.  As a rule, before developing public policy government analyzes everything, ad nauseum – sending proposed legislation through countless committee hearings, budget studies, and legal reviews.

So why not get a comprehensive understanding of the fiscal impacts of upending Florida’s 150-year-old reasonably equitable system of funding essential local services?

Good question. 

Especially in light of the fact neither Gov. DeSantis, nor our local legislative delegation, have explained how our essential services will continue without adequate funding.  That’s because they don’t understand it either. 

If approved by 60% of Florida voters in November, the tax shift (not elimination) would fundamentally change governance in the state – transferring all power to Tallahassee – and have a detrimental impact on the responsive city and county services that protect your neighborhood and mine.

I became suspicious of Gov. DeSantis ambiguous “plan” last year when Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia busied himself traveling around the state (on our dime) promoting his bogus “audits” of some local governments – a complete shim-sham conjured out of whole cloth – a baldfaced lie that laid the groundwork for Gov. DeSantis’ half-baked call to “eliminate” most property taxes.

Damn the consequences.  Just vote to wipe away everyone’s tax burden – we’ll sell more homes to people moving here from out-of-state to ride the “Free Stuff!” gravy train.  We can sort the deleterious effects on public safety and our quality of life later…

According to a report by the Orlando Sentinel last week, CFO Ingoglia has yet to respond to serious questions regarding how much his “FAFO” dog-and-pony show has cost Florida taxpayers, why he pushed special legislation benefiting Disney while holding stock in the company (?), or “…who ordered armed officers to visit the home of a man who sent Ingoglia a postcard that said: “You lack values.”

Again, all good questions for Florida’s senior fiscal watchdog whose ethos seems to be “Do as I say, not as I do…”  

Earlier this week, while meeting in special session, the Florida legislature ignored the pleas of soon to be defunded first responders, law enforcement, and emergency medical personnel – essential services traditionally paid for with our ad valorem taxes. 

Instead, state officials pushed a modified plan that will amend the state constitution to raise Florida’s $50,000 homestead exemption to $150,000 on January 1, 2027, then $250,000 by January 1, 2028, effectively slashing revenues for local governments. 

Regardless of whether you favor the tax shift or disagree with the free ride for some while shifting the burden to others strategy, if approved, the measure will forever change the level of essential service delivery your family and mine currently enjoy.

According to reports, the legislature added protections for funding school districts and county constitutional officers, which include supervisors of elections, sheriff’s offices, and clerks of court.

In an article by Christine Sexton and Jay Waagmeester writing in the Florida Phoenix this week: 

“Despite the changes, though, the plan continues to face opposition from a disparate cohort of interest groups ranging from the Florida Association of Counties to the Florida Policy Institute.

The counties sent an email to association members following the vote, highlighting the changes made and noting that Tuesday’s vote was “not the end of the conversation, but the beginning of a new one.”

“County leaders should begin talking publicly about what local property taxes fund in their communities and what is at stake if those dollars go away,” the email reads.

“Floridians benefit from the services property taxes fund, and they deserve a clear-eyed accounting of what this proposal does and does not do, from the people who deliver those services every day.”

The nonpartisan, not-for-profit Florida Policy Institute dedicates itself to “advancing policies and budgets that improve the economic mobility and quality of life for all Floridians,” according to its website. Following the vote, the association put out a statement saying the proposal doesn’t represent a tax reduction but a tax shift.

“One that will force local lawmakers to cut local services that families rely upon or increase other taxes and fees to make up for the missing revenue,” Institute CEO Sadaf Knight said in a prepared statement. “In either case, everyday Floridians ultimately pay the price for the massive loss in property tax revenue.”

In the aftermath of the vote, similar cautions have been expressed by the Florida League of Cities, Florida Association of Counties, and even Florida TaxWatch – who said reductions in tax revenue, “…will simply be passed on to non-homestead property owners or replaced with other taxes, fees and assessments,” resulting in further inequity. 

According to the Florida Association of Counties deputy director of public policy Jeff Scala, “We know this is a tax shift. They’re framing it as a tax cut, but our small businesses, all businesses, they’re going to feel the pain. Renters, they’re not going to get an exemption.”

In effect, the foolish measure approved for the ballot by the legislature seeks to eviscerate the responsive, tailored, and accessible local services we have come to rely on while preempting ultimate power to Tallahassee. 

In my view, by any metric, Florida has become an open kleptocracy – an administration that pissed away hundreds-of-millions in public funds to DeSantis donors, on political posturing, and pet projects for all the right last names, all facilitated by state legislators now wholly compromised by insatiable real estate developers.

Almost immediately after the vote, the gaslighting from our elected officials in Tallahassee began – and anyone paying attention knows this has nothing to do with ‘letting the people vote’ on a reasonable tax relief package – as they would have us believe…   

Now, those “republicans in name only” who drape themselves in the term for political advantage are effectively defunding law enforcement and first responders – disregarding the party’s once venerated commitment to limited, efficient, and accessible government – under the guise of a radical tax shift. 

Exchanging responsive small government for a system of large, consolidated, and underfunded bureaucracies who will increase fees, sales taxes, assessments on commercial and rental properties, and finding other intrusive sources of revenue to fill the very deep void is not a Republican value…

In my view, some local governments have no one to blame but themselves for this existential crisis.

Many large and cumbersome bureaucracies have raised taxes, grown the size of government, continue to build Taj Mahal facilities, provide massive pay and benefit increases to senior administrators, while inflating their actual needs year-after-year.

But what about those small, nimble, and fiscally responsible counties and municipalities that provide fiscally effective and efficient services to their appreciative constituents who are being destroyed for the sins of others? 

This isn’t meaningful tax reform – it’s a shameless power grab.

Like development decisions, reducing government spending and demanding accountability should be a local responsibility, not a dictatorial state edict handed down from on high.  A choice We, The Little People should make at the ballot box every two to four years when we elect our neighbors to represent our interests on city and county councils and commissions. 

Let’s keep it that way.   

City of Daytona Beach: Another Tale of Two Cities…   

“Rand said the city should revisit its long-term vision plan and develop a clear 20-year roadmap with measurable benchmarks to help guide future growth.

“The board recognizes the existence of a vision plan that the city has,” Rand said. “We recommend that the city be more of a collaborative process for updating and refreshing the Daytona Beach plan. Clearly articulate a 20-year vision of Daytona Beach and establish measurable benchmarks and implementation goals.”

The board also emphasized that Daytona Beach’s beachside and mainland areas function as “two really separate economic machines” and require tailored strategies while still working together to achieve broader city goals.

“The beachside and the mainland, they’re very separate. However, they need to work together to accomplish the goals of the city,” Rand said.”

— Daytona Beach Economic Development Advisory Board Chairman Bob Rand, as quoted by reporter Rich Carroll in the Ormond Beach Observer, “Daytona Beach looks to sharpen economic development strategy with updated vision, targeted growth plans,” Friday, May 29, 2026

Which “long-term vision plan” is Mr. Rand talking about?

Is it the “shove ten-pounds of shit into a five-pound bag, growth at all costs” strategy?  Or the “let the beachside rot into obscurity until it becomes the cheapest real estate on the Eastern Seaboard” plan?   

Regardless, mission accomplished on both fronts… 

In May 2017, I published a piece in this space called “A Tale of Two Cities,” my jaundiced take on the dichotomy between Daytona’s downtrodden beachside and (at the time) the unbridled excitement surrounding the then yet-to-be constructed Latitude Margaritaville in what is increasingly described by realtors as “West Daytona.”

At the time, I opined on an article by The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s business editor Clayton Park:

“According to Minto’s overexcited Senior Vice President Bill Bullock, “How could you not be ecstatic?  On both the east and west of the interstate you’ve got incredible things happening – and they’re all complementary uses – it’s putting Daytona back on the map!”

Hell, yeah.  Ecstatic.

Then, I turned the page.

It was like listening to “Happy Days Are Here Again!” dissolve into that old Depression-era dirge, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”

In the Editorial section was an enlightening piece entitled, “End the Eyesore on the Boardwalk…”

Now, nearly a decade on, it appears the Halifax area’s “economic development” types are still trying to figure out exactly what to do with the festering carcass of our crumbling beachside.

An old, ugly, and intractable problem – an embarrassing shrine to human greed and government ineptitude – a turnip squeezed dry.  A grotesque thing many turned their back on in favor of the prosperity represented by the city’s rapidly growing western expanse of big box stores and 3/2 zero-lot-line cracker boxes “starting in the mid-$300’s.”

West Daytona represents Progress. Opportunity. Money. 

The other side of that same tarnished coin – our beachside – signifies blight, failure to thrive, economic challenge, bureaucratic roadblocks, and the resultant entrepreneurial frustration.   

The baggage of the past vs. the potential of future progress.

Sadly, it appears the Daytona Beach Economic Development Advisory Board suffers from a selective memory disorder – an inability to recall the myriad recommendations of independent studies that stretch back decades. 

Instead, it appears our stagnant economic apparatus wants to immortalize that sense of separation – preserving the stark division between two parts of a whole – a bicephalous monster, one representing prosperity, the other an economic boat anchor…

“The board also emphasized that Daytona Beach’s beachside and mainland areas function as “two really separate economic machines” and require tailored strategies while still working together to achieve broader city goals.”

In my view, that assessment perpetuates a decades-long failed strategy that culminated in the seminal study of the Halifax area’s predicament by the News-Journal’s investigative journalist Eileen Zaffiro-Kean in her excellent 2017 series “Tarnished Jewel: Daytona’s Troubled Beachside.”

That in-depth exposé laid bare the plight of the beachside, ultimately leading embarrassed civic leaders to form the “blue-ribbon” Beachside Redevelopment Committee. 

In 2018, the committee, comprised of the Halifax area’s best and brightest minds, presented its bureaucratically neutered findings to the Volusia County Council on its study of the historical challenges facing tourism, revitalization, and economic redevelopment from Ormond Beach to Daytona Beach Shores.

Following the presentation, then Volusia County Councilwoman Billie Wheeler told committee members:

“I am fighting with you on this,” Wheeler said. “This is my district, and we do have a plan of action, but I want to make sure it is not one of those plans of actions that goes on the shelf, and I can tell you I am 100% committed to doing whatever I need to do in collaborating with this group on getting things moving.”

So, what happened to the plan? 

Just as former Councilwoman Wheeler feared, it appears the study ended up on a groaning shelf in a dusty corner of a dead records morgue in DeLand – out of sight and out of mind – after serving its purpose of allowing our elected dullards to say, “See, we’re on top of the problem, folks!  Go back to sleep…”

I assume the now-forgotten Beachside Redevelopment Plan is bookended by the 2013 report by Strategic Advisory Group, an outside expert who conducted a painstaking analysis of tourism marketing and its importance to the economic viability of our beachside – next to the most recent analysis of the “Economic Value of Beaches in Volusia County” completed (and ignored) in October 2025 – along with Team Volusia’s “2030 Strategic Plan,” which still refuses to acknowledge Tourism/Hospitality among its “key target business sectors…” 

Whatever.

Why are our “economic development” types looking to “revisit” a “20-year vision for Daytona Beach” – consisting of typical governmental pap that does nothing but ensure absolutely no one can be held accountable for failing to meet nonexistent “benchmarks and implementation goals”?

In my view, rather than look at the area’s health and economic welfare holistically – incorporating the best attributes of both “Old” and “New” in a symbiotic strategy – focusing on the importance of our greatest natural amenity to revive our core tourist area – is the key to improving the health and success of the region.

So, why do our economic development gurus continue to perpetuate a divide? 

Had anyone bothered to mine the treasure-trove of historical data and empirical evidence now rotting in yellowed binders holding studies past, they would have come upon this timeless gem from the 2013 SAG report, which concluded:

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

What’s changed?

According to the Observer’s report, “Rand said the board’s recommendations are ultimately aimed at creating a stronger and more resilient Daytona Beach through collaboration between city leaders, staff, and stakeholders.

“The board believes that the recommendations will contribute to a stronger and more resilient Daytona Beach,” Rand said. “Promote sustainable economic growth and long-term tax base expansion.”

What does that gross generalization mean for entrepreneurs and small businesses seeking an actionable strategy?

In my view, these dog-tired exercises only serve to give certain people titles – and ‘big shot’ board appointments to pad their personal marketing strategy.  In turn, they give us more platitudes – reconstituted crap and bureaucratese – that ignore the hard-earned lessons of the past.   

Good luck struggling Main Street merchants and longsuffering Beachside entrepreneurs. 

You’re gonna need it…   

Quote of the Week

“The Palm Coast Planning Board has approved adding commercial space to a part of the Lakeview Estates development, while denying a development amendment that would have removed green space from its other areas.

Lakeview Estates, located north of Matanzas Woods Parkway along Highway U.S. 1, is the development under construction on what was once the Matanzas Woods Golf Course, which permanently closed in 2007. Since then, Matanzas GC Palm Coast, LLC has purchased the property and been approved to develop a maximum of 272 residential units across the 280 acres.

Multiple residents surrounding the Lakeview Estates development showed up to protest the proposed changes, specifically those that would remove green space buffer.

“You would not want this in your backyard. We bought our house with a premise — and we were told — that it was green space. You could not build on it,” London Drive resident Anne Doherty said. “And now that’s being taken away.”

–Reporter Sierra Williams, writing in the Palm Coast Observer, “Palm Coast’s Lakeview Estates development OK’d for new commercial uses, but not removing green space,” Tuesday, May 26, 2026

In a dramatic scene routinely played out before councils, commissions, and planning boards across the “fun Coast,” claustrophobic residents stand before their neighbors on the dais and make impassioned pleas. 

Reminding the ‘powers that be’ of promises made when they bought their little slice of the pie – and how those assurances are being destroyed by buffer zone reductions, privacy concerns, toxic contamination inherent to building on former golf courses, transportation and utilities infrastructure, density, flooding, water quality, etc.

Last week, that sad vignette was staged in front of a packed hearing room as the Palm Coast Planning and Land Development Board considered land use changes proposed for the 280-acre site that was once the Grand Club Matanzas Golf Course which permanently closed in 2007.

According to reports, in 2021, the Palm Coast City Council approved a master planned development for the site allowing 272 “dwelling units” amid existing homes on several “tracts” around the meandering site, each with different designated uses.   

According to reports, the developer is seeking to amend the agreement and change a section of land along US-1 from “greenbelt” to “mixed use,” allowing for commercial development, which would require reducing a “view protection zone” from 150 feet to 100 feet.  That left some residents concerned their view will now consist of commercial buildings – not greenspace. 

The Carrot?  To sweeten the deal, the developer offered to donate Track 8 – an 11.2-acre parcel currently zoned for up to 51 townhouses with an estimated value of $1.5 million – to the City of Palm Coast for a community park.

The Hammer? “The applicant noted that if the amendment is denied, the developer retains the right to build 51 townhouses on Track 8, and the existing track limits remain unchanged.”

According to a report in the Flagler Bee, “The meeting, which ran nearly three and a half hours, ended with the board recommending approval of a land use change for one portion of the property while recommending denial of the accompanying zoning amendment, sending a mixed signal to the City Council, which will make the final decision.”

In my view, thanks to the state’s legislative intrusion into local planning and land use decisions – literally preempting choices that affect your neighborhood and mine to Tallahassee – local advisory boards comprised of citizens trying to help preserve the character of their community are caught between a frustrating rock and a hard place, their vital role now little more than a fading formality, another box to be checked… 

During the meeting, PLDB Vice Chair James Albano explained to his concerned neighbors: “We are volunteers. We are citizens in this community. We have faced some of the same issues that you face with developments going up in our backyards… We’re not here to represent the city. We’re here to look at things as a quasi-judicial board and vote based on facts, not heartstrings.”

But wouldn’t it be nice (just once) if the needs of existing residents who purchased homes – then had the rug pulled out from under them to facilitate more, more, more development – were considered before the next developer issues a “you do this, or I’ll do that, then you’ll really be screwed” ultimatum? 

Perhaps that’s something we should address with members of our state legislative delegation at the ballot box… 

And Another Thing!

I’ve mentioned this before, but I rarely write about the Lost City of Deltona in this space anymore. 

Whenever I do, I get a queasy feeling – like I’m pointing out something you don’t want to step in – a miasma of dysfunction and abject incompetence that continues to make the largest city in Volusia County by population the laughingstock of our metropolitan statistical area…

To be honest, I simply don’t have the countenance to kick a crippled community in the throes of a civic meltdown.  That’s not sporting – and it does nothing to help.  

In fact, it’s counterproductive and hardly fair to residents of what has become little more than a Banana Republic – run by elected officials in name only that take pride in lowering the bar – a place inhabited by repeat victims who long ago lost any influence over what happens to them.

The truth is that I have no more perception or awareness of most civic issues in Deltona (or anywhere else) than you do.  No preternatural prescience like a Cassadaga soothsayer – or a fortuneteller who gazes into a crystal ball and foretells the future.  

I simply have a different perspective on the issues. 

A view based on thirty-years in municipal government, seen through the prism of what I read, hear, or discern from those on the inside.  Insights gained from the rumors and conjecture of my fellow rubes who stand outside the closed portcullis and peer through the greasy pane of a cloistered City Hall hoping for a glimpse of the truth. 

That said, I saw the fate of Deltona City Commissioner Dori Howington, writ large, the moment she stood up to fight the forces of greed, pushing for a temporary building moratorium last year, then boldly walking point in the futile battle against SB 180, the state’s legislative preemption that virtually neutered local land use protections in Florida.

Other area elected officials openly warned their “colleagues” that opposing the state’s action could have grave consequences. 

Apparently, they were right…   

For instance, last September, a visibly frightened New Smyrna Beach City Commission voted 3-2 to opt out of a statewide lawsuit attempting to repeal Senate Bill 180 and preserve municipal growth management regulations and home rule authority for local governments.

The vote was based, in part, on New Smyrna Mayor Fred Cleveland’s public handwringing regarding serious repercussions from those very legislators we sent to represent our interests in Tallahassee…

At the time, Mayor Cleveland explained, “I don’t want us to be on the blacklist of those that get punished, one way or another, under the radar.  A majority of our county commissioners have said to me we will get punished (if the city joined the lawsuit). And it’s not right, I don’t like it, but it’s human nature … I’m concerned about a suit being our first best step.”

In my view, that’s that not good governance and collegiality – it’s base thuggery…

Now, it appears Volusia County Councilman David “No Show” Santiago and his wife, Deltona City Commissioner Emma Santiago, have successfully delivered the personal, professional, and political coup de grâce to Commissioner Howington for her unwillingness to get along and go along with the whims of the ruling junta in the Lost City of Deltona… 

It was anything but graceful.  

According to an article by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week:

“During a Deltona Commission meeting on May 4, Commissioner Emma Santiago, wife of County Councilman David Santiago, raised concerns about Howington’s role with the clerk’s office and supported getting an outside opinion about a possible conflict of interest.

The office has some involvement with the city’s finances, including withholding child support payments from employees’ checks.

Santiago told a deputy that the day after the meeting, Howington patted her on the shoulder and said “I know where you live” during a confrontation at City Hall. She also told a deputy that Mayor Santiago Avila Jr. heard Howington mutter a threat at the May 4 meeting after the commission voted to get an opinion on a potential conflict of interest.

The Volusia Sheriff’s Office forwarded charges to the State Attorney’s Office for review. The charges were simple battery and threatening an elected official or their family. As of May 29, the State Attorney’s Office had not made a decision on whether to move forward with the case.”

Rather than obtain an opinion from Florida’s Attorney General on the conflict-of-interest question, last week, Ms. Howington was summarily fired from her job as Chief Financial Officer with the Volusia County Clerk of the Court.

Not for job-related performance issues – Volusia County Clerk Laura Roth praised Howington’s contributions – but because of the petty allegations brought by the bumptious duo of Councilman and Commissioner Santiago… 

As a result, engaged citizens and activists from across Volusia County are now rightfully concerned about the danger to their personal and professional reputations should they be targeted by politically powerful forces for speaking out, seeking a place at the table, and having the courage to speak their truth to power. 

Hell, I’ve been the target of Councilman Santiago’s distortions and spooky ridicule myself. 

In fact, as a sitting elected official with more on his plate than perhaps he realizes (or cares), in March, Santiago took time to post the most cringeworthy diatribe I have ever received (and I’ve gotten a few). 

In a bizarre rant, the creepy Councilman Santiago explained he did “…some research and asked AI to suggest what you may look like during your “Blog Fiction Articles” writing time…”   

Flippin’ weird, y’all. 

At least I’m in good company. 

When local citizen and clean water advocate Greg Gimbert of Let Volusia Vote asked the Volusia County Council for a charter amendment to ensure treated sewage is never used to augment our aquifer – or sent directly to consumers (‘toilet to tap’) in Volusia County’s service area – Councilman Santiago (who is no stranger to defamation allegations) branded him a racist (for speaking Spanish to Deltona residents?) and a “con artist.”

Similarly, when engaged resident Doug Petit, a volunteer member of Volusia’s ECHO advisory board, questioned the process for developing the programs 2040 strategic plan, Councilman Santiago besmirched Mr. Petit’s good name by labeling him a “liar” from the dais.   

Add Dori Howington’s scalp to the extensive list of those who dared disagree with Councilman Santiago… 

Look, I’m not sure what the Santiagos’ do for a living (outside of dragging on the public teat) but they certainly seem to have a lot of time on their hands for political intrigue, getting in dustups with constituents, manipulating Deltona politics, and destroying the reputations of anyone who crosses them. 

I hope the longsuffering residents of the Lost City of Deltona, and Volusia County’s District 5, remember that come election time… 

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 news and newsmakers of the day who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life or detracted from it in some significant way:

Holly Hill City Manager Joe Forte, Über Alles

In my post-productive life, I’ve made a perverse pastime of harping on local politics, criticizing our distant and detached local governance, and skewering those still in the arena who make the sausage to various affect.

After a lifetime spent clawing my way to middle management in municipal government (then hanging on by my fingernails, the Peter Principle personified…), this blog serves as a cathartic vehicle to vent my political frustrations, a salon of sorts, a place to express an alternative opinion on the issues of the day, and a way of purging the guilt of my many faults, failures, and foibles during three decades in public service.

As a dilettante editorialist, criticism comes with the territory. 

For instance, I fade a lot of heat for not taking my former profession of law enforcement to task, and for sparing the City of Holly Hill from these often-bilious diatribes.  The fact is, that wonderful community on the banks of the Halifax River gave my family everything we have, or ever will have. 

I tried to give my all in return.

A beautifully eccentric place that embraced me as a young man and never let go – a city that I love beyond words. As a result, it can be difficult to see the things you love in an objective light when empathy, care, and a desire to protect obscure one’s ability to see situations through the stark lens of facts and logic. 

If you want that kind of content, there are plenty of sites that bash cops or denigrate The City with a Heart. 

Just not here…

The fact is, for the past decade, the City of Holly Hill has enjoyed a unique stability among regional municipalities.  A rare civic equilibrium seldom found in small town governments (especially around these parts…)

Having spent the bulk of my life in that beautiful coquina building that houses Holly Hill City Hall, I can say with certainty that the success the city has enjoyed – that “small town” feel inherent to a closeknit community with accessible and responsive municipal services – is a direct result of the strong leadership and financial stewardship of City Manager Joe Forte.

In my view, he set the benchmark for all who hold that difficult and often tumultuous title.

Last week, Joe called me with the news I had long dreaded – the time has come for him to hang up his well-worn spurs and retire from a very impactful civic life.  After a combined 36-years of honorable public service, he’s earned the rest… 

During a lifetime of service to others, Joe demonstrated a true care and concern for Holly Hill residents, the dedicated city employees who provide essential services, and a sensitivity for the city’s role in the mosaic of unique communities that comprise east Volusia. 

As a multitalented leader, manager, and administrator (three distinct skillsets) he guided the community through good times and bad, earning the public’s trust by breaking down barriers, ensuring transparency, always welcoming constituents into City Hall to discuss issues that are important to them.  

Speaking truth to power can be difficult, but Joe embodies the diplomacy and universal respect required to tell elected officials what they need to hear, keeping everyone on the same page, never playing favorites or controlling a false narrative. That’s a rare commodity among public administrators who survive by keeping five to seven strong elected personalities reasonably happy, often by telling them what they want to hear…  

Invariably, his insistence on accessibility and collegiality led to sound decisions based on logic, consensus, and reason, not political expediency or self-serving personal agendas.

In my view, what made Joe Forte the best in that difficult business is his willingness to listen to residents from diverse backgrounds, understand their individual concerns, offer suggestions, provide ways municipal services might help a situation, or give his own heartfelt wisdom and perspective to neighborhood issues that rarely have an easy solution. 

Most of all, I admire the fact Joe always shows up when and where he’s needed, not because it is a requirement of his role, but because he cares.  

It wasn’t all smooth sailing – but nothing worth doing ever comes easy.   

During difficult times, often under withering criticism, Joe calmly stressed the correlation between leadership, responsibility, and accountability.  Possessing the humility to admit mistakes, the strength to make unpopular decisions, and the heart to communicate in an honest and forthright way.

Using the forge of adversity to build civic resilience, find creative solutions, and foster organizational growth.

When I think back on Joe’s service, I am reminded of the best virtues of the art and science of public administration – the personal sacrifice required of leadership – the necessity of strong fiscal stewardship to a community’s future, the importance of giving credit when and where it is earned, and the essential obligation of treating those he served with courtesy and respect.

On a personal note, I am incredibly proud to call Joe Forte my friend, someone who had an indelible influence on my life, personally and professionally.  Because of his high standards and personal example of honor, integrity, and professionalism, I never wanted to let him down.

His guidance and steady hand on the civic tiller will be sorely missed.

To his immense credit, Joe Forte leaves a grateful community at the top of his game – a rarity in his often tumultuous and politically precarious profession – and a testament to the deep respect and admiration he has earned in his important role.   

Here’s wishing Joe and Dora all the best for a happy, healthy, and exciting next chapter in their extraordinary lives of service to others.   

Well deserved, my friend!  

The Birth of Avalon Park: A Real “Gamechanger” for Ormond Beach   

There used to be a favorite saying among our “Rich and Powerful” (The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s descriptor, not mine), a phrase those influential movers-and-shakers here in the Halifax area used whenever they gushed over the latest panacea project guaranteed to cure every civic ill from economic blight to pubic lice… 

Be it a megadevelopment, insurance office, hotel, or chain restaurant, we were assured anything shiny and new held the supernatural power to transform a community that had wallowed in blight, mediocrity, and neglect for so long we lost our civic identity.

These cure-all projects were hailed as “Game Changers.” 

“That’s a game changer with a capital G!” or “This project promises to be the game changer of all game changers!”

The excitement the tag generated always paved the way for the corporate welfare ask we knew was coming – public funds used to underwrite the for-profit motives of corporations and developers.

Whenever I kicked and bitched about the platitudinous label being attached to everything – from another failed hotel or now defunct eatery to a multi-million-dollar publicly subsidized “retail and entertainment hub” – my concerns were summarily dismissed by those with a chip in the game as the ravings of a nay-saying asshole…

The pathologically positive catchphrase eventually became something of a sick joke when the promised “revitalization” never caught up to the hype and horseshit used to sell the tax breaks, concessions, and public giveaways that always sweetened the pot.

Nearly a decade ago, The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s excellent editorialist Mark Lane mentioned the hard-earned wisdom of outgoing Daytona Beach City Commissioner Pam Woods.

According to a 2017 op/ed by former Editor Pat Rice, “Lane asked Woods what she had learned in her time on the commission, and she replied: “Whenever you hear somebody get up and say to you, ‘This is the project that’s going to change this town’ and ‘this is the game changer’ … Do. Not. Believe. Them.”

Like the proverbial ‘boy who cried wolf,’ eventually we wary villagers simply tired of being lied to, and the term went out of vogue.    

I hate to say it, but I think the time has come to dust it off one more time, y’all.

This one’s different…

Six years ago, “Fun Coast” residents awoke to an article by The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s business reporter Clayton Park, announcing “Latitude Margaritaville is about to get a big new neighbor.” 

Boy howdy, is it ever…

An Orlando-based developer named Beat Kahli purchased some 2,600 acres south of State Road 40, west of Interstate 95, stretching from Tymber Creek Road west to Tiger Bay State Forest with a plan is to construct Avalon Park – a massive development consisting of a residential element with some 8,818 homes with one million square feet of supporting commercial/retail space, etc. 

That’s a real “game changer,” folks… 

As I understand it, the latest “city within a city” will rely on the City of Daytona Beach for essential services, and possibly the City of Ormond Beach for water utilities.  The details are currently being litigated in a federal lawsuit brought by Avalon Park Daytona LLC, alleging that Ormond Beach – the sole provider of utility services under a 2006 interlocal agreement – has stalled construction by denying connection information required to complete engineering plans.

Last week, the Daytona Beach City Commission unanimously approved the project’s rezoning and annexation, paving the way for things to get started at Avalon Park.

According to a report by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Khali said he’d like to get things moving as quickly as possible. Ideally, he’d like to start building houses in 12-18 months, he said.

Initial businesses will likely be retail and a bank. The development also plans to bring in a charter school. Kahli said Avalon Park Daytona will offer a range of housing, from higher priced homes to what would be attainable for firefighters and teachers.

“Our idea is, you know, this will be a town where people can live, learn work and play,” Kahli said.”

Great. 

But what about existing Ormond Beach residents who will be adversely impacted by an estimated 30,000 new neighbors accessing West Granada Boulevard? 

The city’s main east/west thoroughfare and commercial corridor has already been classified an official “traffic nightmare” by claustrophobic motorists who are demanding relief from malignant development that has far exceeded the limits of existing infrastructure. 

To alleviate citizen concerns, Mr. Khali said “We will invest our money, $125 million, to this value and probably over time, inflation, it’ll probably even go up; we will build parallel roads to 40.”

According to reports, plans include a new cut-through connecting State Road 40 to the equally congested LPGA Boulevard.  Under the developer’s agreement with the cities and Volusia County, infrastructure improvements must be completed to meet the needs of each phase before construction can advance to the next.

Time will tell… 

Traffic congestion and already overwhelmed civic infrastructure – and the question of who will ultimately pay for it all – are why unrestrained growth, and the resultant quality of life issues, are becoming the singular focus of our local elections this year.

The fact is, Volusia County has gotten development wrong for years. 

That’s why wary residents increasingly question development agreements, including the waivers and unspoken “flexibility” developers are often gifted for seemingly small things that ultimately result in big impacts to existing residents, our dwindling greenspace, and wildlife habitat.

Compromised politicians, both locally and in Tallahassee, have kowtowed to every whim of speculative developers who own the paper on their political souls, including their laissez-faire approach to low-impact development requirements, ignoring concurrency, and preempting local growth management regulations, all to allow more, more, more 3/2 cracker boxes to increase the homogenized sprawl.  

While Daytona Beach long ago succumbed to the “shove ten-pounds of shit in a five-pound bag” growth at all cost strategy, the future of Ormond Beach will be indelibly shaped – and our civic culture defined – by Avalon Park.

Residents of the Halifax area and beyond are legitimately concerned about what tens-of-thousands of new residents and commercial space massed on the southern border of Ormond Beach will mean for our limited civic resources, roads, and utilities – and how it will fundamentally change what we remember of the character in this once unique community… 

I hope Beat Khali and his partners in this regionally impactful project live up to their promises. 

This one’s a true “game changer.”

Tomoka Oaks: Development Decisions Shouldn’t Be Made at the Point of a Spear

“You should not be under that much duress when you are trying to make decisions about whether or not they are meeting the land development code,” said Michelle Zirkelbach, a Tomoka Oaks resident and volunteer HOA president. “And the land development code is very clear that we, as existing residents, are also offered protections.”

–Reporter Jarleen Almenas, writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “Tomoka Oaks HOA files appeal of golf course development approval by Ormond Beach,” Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Last month, claustrophobic citizens from across the region watched as desperate Ormond Beach residents gathered in a final valiant push to convince their bureaucratically hamstrung elected officials to deny a development order allowing 254 homes to be shoehorned onto the former Tomoka Oaks Golf Course.

During the emotionally charged hearing, it appeared the chessboard, all the pieces, the table, the game room, and the building that housed it all were wholly owned and controlled by the development consortium and their land use attorneys. 

In a subsequent editorial in the Observer, Commissioner Lori Tolland rightfully described the feeling of duress she felt making a difficult decision “with a virtual gun to our heads.” 

That pressure was reinforced by the pessimistic drone of the city’s legal counsel and senior planning apparatus who assured the elected body that their hands were legally bound by reiterating the serious financial implications to every citizen of Ormond Beach should they fight the inevitable…  

That left bewildered residents feeling the approval had been coerced…   

Now, residents of Tomoka Oaks have filed an appeal of the 3-2 vote that approved the development order for Tomoka Reserve claiming that, along with other procedural concerns, the decision was made under the pressure of a lawsuit.   

According to a report in the Ormond Beach Observer last week, “The HOA’s appeal states the federal lawsuit “tainted” the development’s approval.

“Without the approval, the City Commission was told that they would face monetary damages, attorneys’ fees and damages amounting to millions of dollars for which they would have to assess residents, including Petitioners as citizens of the City of Ormond Beach,” attorney Ralf Brookes writes in the appeal.”

As I understand it, the residents of Tomoka Oaks also contend the approval bypassed the city’s land development protocols, and involved substantial changes to the developer’s initial proposal, to include less stringent environmental buffers.

“The plan wasn’t the same,” Tomoka Oaks resident Missy Herrero said. “And if it was a continuation of the same plan, that plan was recommended for denial by city staff and the Planning Board.”

In my view, the citizens of Ormond Beach have a right to demand that proper development protocols – and what remains of the city’s land development regulations – be applied equally to ensure fair treatment for both the developer and existing residents. 

Longtime residents of Tomoka Oaks and beyond should be protected from inappropriate or intrusive projects in places (like golf courses) that were never intended for residential development without the hammer of multi-million-dollar lawsuits hanging like the proverbial Sword of Damocles each time they are asked to consider a development order.  

I’ve said this before, traumatic civic events that shake the core of a community should not pass without a thorough review.  An objective and independent post-mortem to determine what went wrong – and what (if any) legislative, organizational, or administrative changes could have positively affected the outcome.

In my view, everyone on both sides of this issue deserves the benefit of a thorough examination of the facts and circumstances that led to that very telling “checkmate” on a dark April night in an Ormond Beach City Commission meeting… 

Quote of the Week

“A charge from a Budapest, Hungary hotel linked to Mayor Derrick Henry and financials involving the “Mayor’s Math and Fitness Boot Camp” are a few of the targets in a series of recently issued subpoenas in a Florida Attorney General’s Office investigation.

The office is digging into the spending and financial practices of Daytona Beach city government, and the investigation has reached officials inside and outside of City Hall.

A subpoena is an order to provide information, such as records or a sworn statement in an investigation.

The city is facing multiple controversies, including financial issues highlighted by an internal auditor and investigations by state auditors and state prosecutors.”

–Reporter Sheldon Gardner, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “New subpoenas target Daytona Mayor Derrick Henry, other officials,” Wednesday, May 27, 2026

I’m certainly not a defender of beleaguered Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry, but I thought everyone in town was aware of his May 2023 junket to Budapest as a guest speaker at something called Hungarian Summit 2023.

No?

It was in all the papers… 

In fact, at the time, it struck me as just another waste of public funds dedicated to that “Good Old Boy’s Travel Club” over at Team Volusia – and I said so: 

“Those high-flying globetrotters over at TVEDC – that redundant public/private scam that throws our hard-earned money around to bring all those “high paying jobs” you hear so much about (but never materialize) home to the “Fun Coast” – recently accompanied Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry on a junket to Budapest.

That’s right.  Budapest…

According to media reports, Team Volusia’s President and CEO for Life Keith Norden led a group to the Hungarian Summit 2023 earlier this month – ostensibly an economic/cultural/educational confab “…bridging the gap between the two countries in business and higher education.”

A similar “summit” was held in Daytona Beach last year, sponsored by something called HungarianHub, a not-for-profit operated by Piros Pazaurek, a local resident who claims the title “Honorary Consul of Hungary in Central Florida.”

Which makes sense, I guess.  

I am certainly no expert on international business affairs – so, perhaps there is a Hungarian logistics company looking to cram an industrial warehouse offering $15 an hour scutwork at the increasingly crowded interface of zero-lot-line subdivisions and gridlocked thoroughfares in Daytona Beach?

Because that seems to be TVEDC’s stock in trade…

This week, our jetsetters over at Team Volusia are enjoying the sights and sounds of Paris in Spring at the International Paris Air Show…

How fun!

How’s by you?  Yeah, I know…

Now, I have no idea what Norden and Company hope to lure here from Le Gai Paris! – but under the current process, we could be vying for a massive distribution center, a modern manufacturing operation, or a toxic waste incinerator – because any endeavor will be cloaked under a secret squirrel code name requiring our elected officials vote in the blind to authorize a lucrative publicly funded incentive package.

In this political environment, where oversight is abhorred – anything is possible…

As a result, in Volusia County, our “economic development” efforts have become a bad “Let’s Make a Deal” episode – where elected officials are asked to give away our money on dubious corporate welfare schemes with little, if any, prior knowledge of what is behind door number three.

That’s wrong.  But nobody who should seems to give two-shits.

According to the excellent reportage of Charles Guarria in Hometown News Volusia, perhaps some public good may inadvertently come from Mayor Henry’s jaunt to Budapest:  

“The mayor referred to the cleanliness of Budapest. He noted how trash is hardly seen when moving about the city. Mayor Henry intended to speak to Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony to gain an understanding of how they keep the city clean. He will share his findings upon his return.

Mayor Henry also was part of a group that toured an Audi manufacturing plant, a university and a public school. Daytona Beach was gifted a statue by representatives of the Hungary government. The statute will be on display at a yet-to-be-determined location. Mayor Henry said the Hungarian Summit “has been great.”

Great…”

I suppose (for good reasons) the Statewide Prosecutor is looking into every nook-and-cranny at Daytona Beach City Hall – and there are certainly enough questions surrounding why taxpayers floated a $1,121.06 bill from the Hotel President in Budapest, Hungary for the mayor of a down-at-the-heels beach town with an apparent spending problem…

The fact is, politicians and public/private “economic development corporations” routinely waste public funds – spending millions on corporate welfare scams whenever government insinuates itself in the marketplace.  Picking winners and losers, voting in the blind, ensuring ludicrous minimum revenue guarantees, building private infrastructure, gifting tax breaks, and lavishing public funds on private entities. 

In my view, a public integrity investigator could make a career setting up shop in Volusia County and following the money trail of public funds used to offset the entrepreneurial overhead and startup costs of wealthy private for-profit entities as more local mom-n-pops wither and die on the skewed playing field.

Perhaps Mayor Henry would be smart to print off a copy of this blogpost and send it to the prosecutor with a note: “See, this is just how we do things around these parts…” 

That’s as honest an explanation as any.

And Another Thing!

“In 1999, my husband and I built a home in Lake Helen. In 2000, we learned that Victoria Park (with all its various communities) would be built on the peaceful, unspoiled grazing land between Lake Helen and DeLand on Orange Camp Road, encompassing all directions. Can you imagine how we felt about that? Can you imagine how beautiful and peaceful it used to be?

It’s been at least 26 years of pro-growth County Councils and city commissions throughout Volusia County bowing to greedy developers that has resulted in our overcrowding, nightmare traffic and environmental degradation. The creation of the city of Deltona in the 1960s was the beginning of the destruction, and our local officials and developers never looked back.”

–Carol Curry, DeLand, as excerpted from her op/ed in the West Volusia Beacon, Letters to the Editor, “Irresponsible growth nothing new in Volusia County,” Tuesday, May 19, 2026

I find the lamentations of longtime Volusia County residents both heartbreaking and extremely telling.  The similarities in experience, our mutual fears, and the slowly evolving realization that we have been lied to by those we gave our trust, and our sacred vote… 

In her touching essay, Ms. Curry wrote of the fallacy of “responsible growth,” a hackneyed political dodge trotted out by elected officials – usually right after they approve the latest land use change, variance, or “planned” development. 

It’s a classic political sleight-of-hand – often couched as “smart growth,” or “infrastructure-first development.” 

It’s a magical misdirection that – when combined with acronyms and confusing bureaucratese – leads the masses to believe our local and state elected decision-makers actually take their enormous responsibility to ensure planned, regulated, and appropriate growth seriously.  

It’s a sham. 

Don’t take my word for it. 

Look up and down the spine of Volusia County, on both sides of the Palmetto Curtain, and see for yourself what the fictitious term “responsible growth” means to mercenary developers, their minions in the state legislature who run interference, and those elected marionettes on local councils and commissions who rubber stamp it like clockwork.  

As a longtime political voyeur, I shake my head whenever I see well-meaning people (and not-so-well-meaning elected officials) demanding that we accept everything coming out of those spinmeisters ensconced in a government “community information” office as the divine truth. 

In turn, they ask that we discount our own conclusions, intuition, and the observations/experiences of our neighbors on the popular soapbox of social media as “misinformation.”  

Bullshit.

I happen to believe that most people chose to believe what they see with their own eyes, rather than what they are told by a bureaucratically biased mouthpiece…

As Ms. Curry so aptly said, “It just takes a quick look outside one’s window to see that responsible growth hasn’t been a priority in Volusia County for more than 60 years.”

She’s right.

During election season, we frequently hear incumbent politicians pounding their chest with righteous indignation, crowing to their incredulous constituents/victims, “I’ve never been asked for anything by a real estate developer or campaign contributor!”  

We get it.  They don’t have to ask. 

Special interests know the minute these bought-and-paid-for hacks accept that first $1,000 campaign contribution exactly who – and what – they are purchasing.  It’s called a return on investment – all perfectly legal here in The Biggest Whorehouse in the World – the green grease that lubricates the interface of politics and governance, whether we like it or not.

This isn’t an original thought. 

Years ago, the question of why power brokers spend a small fortune on hand-select candidates for local elective office was put to The Brennan Center for Justice, a law and policy institute at the NYU School of Law that seeks to improve our democracy and system of justice:

“There is a growing disconnect between average citizens and elected officials.  Part of the blame lies with a campaign finance system that unfairly stacks the deck in favor of the few able to give exceptionally large contributions.”

 Sound familiar?

This campaign season I encourage you to remember: Votes beat money every time.

Pay attention.  Do your homework.  Become an ‘informed voter’ (that’s what politicians fear most).

Then vote your conscience, oust entrenched incumbents with an abysmal track record on malignant growth, and let’s elect state and local candidates with the moral and political courage to think for themselves, the independence to speak the truth, and the will to preserve that which We, The Little People hold dear.  

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

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance now officially established as the last Monday in May.  It is the day we honor and memorialize those brave men and women who have given their lives in defense of our nation.

Each Memorial Day, Barker’s View publishes the remarkable story of Spike Team ASP – an incredible tale of the heroism and ultimate sacrifice of three United States Army Special Forces soldiers on a covert mission in the Laotian countryside on March 28, 1968 – and their enduring legacy of service and devotion.

Never forget.

________________________________________________________

In late March 1968, United States Army Sergeant First Class George “Ron” Brown of Holly Hill, Florida, Sergeant Alan Boyer of Missoula, Montana, and Sergeant Greg Huston of Shelby County, Ohio, along with six indigenous personnel – collectively known as “Spike Team Asp” – conducted a top-secret intelligence operation behind enemy lines approximately 12-miles northeast of Tchepone, Laos.

Assigned to the Military Assistance Command Vietnam/Studies and Observation Group (MACV/SOG) this team of elite Special Forces soldiers was tasked with setting Air Force wire-tapping equipment and sensors along the labyrinthine Ho Chi Minh trail system, the main north-south supply line for the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army.

The men had been covertly inserted into the area after launching from Nakon Phanom, Thailand aboard a CH-3 from the Air Force’s 20th Helicopter Squadron call sign “Pony Express.”

More than 25 special forces soldiers and many indigenous troops had already been killed or gone missing in our deadly secret war in Laos.

At approximately 11:00am on the morning of March 28, the team reported that they were in contact with an enemy force and requested an immediate emergency extraction from the area.

A helicopter arrived in the area a short time later and quickly located the team on the ground.

Due to thick canopy jungle and rough terrain the pilot was unable to land so a rope ladder was dropped from the open doorway of the aircraft to the men below.  Five of the six indigenous troops climbed the ladder and were safely taken into the helicopter.

As the sixth was going up, Sergeant Boyer was seen beginning his ascent on the bottom rung of the ladder.

Just as Boyer started climbing, one of the rope’s mounting brackets either broke free or was shot away by heavy enemy ground fire.  Personnel on the helicopter reported observing the indigenous soldier and Sgt. Boyer falling to the ground.

According to reports, Sgt. Dave Mayberry, who served as the chase medic on the extraction helicopter, observed the Green Berets still very much alive and heroically returning fire and defending their position.

When Sgt. Mayberry turned to treat one of the wounded he lost sight of the men on the ground.

Brown, Huston and Boyer were never seen again.

Numerous air assets were diverted to the area and a rescue team was assembled, but the mission was called off later that afternoon when there were no further communications from the men.

On April 1, 1968, Special Forces Sergeant Chuck Feller, along with several indigenous soldiers, launched on a mission to locate the lost men of Spike Team Asp.  After just six hours on the ground, Sgt. Feller and his team came into direct contact with the enemy and called for an emergency extraction.

Again, a rope ladder had to be dropped and one of the indigenous soldiers was forced to dangle from the rungs as the helicopter returned to the airbase in Thailand.  Sgt. Feller later reported that his search found no evidence of Spike Team Asp.

Interestingly, after Al Boyer went missing in action, his best friend since childhood, Doug Hagen, was attending North Dakota State University when he heard the news.  He decided he needed to find out what happened to his friend, and enlisted in the Army, ultimately joining the 5^th Special Forces Group, just as Boyer had done.

On August 7, 1971, 1^st Lieutenant Doug Hagen was killed during heavy fighting while leading a reconnaissance team – RT Kansas – on a secret mission deep within enemy controlled territory.

For his heroism, Doug received the Medal of Honor, the United States highest decoration for valor.  He was the last United States Army soldier to earn the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam war.

In January 2000, a team from the former Joint POW/MIA Accounting Office conducted extensive excavations of the Laotian countryside near where Spike Team Asp was last seen.

During the latter part of the war, the Ho Chi Minh trail was heavily bombed leaving the earth deeply cratered and much of the topography completely different than it had been in 1968, making search and recovery efforts extremely difficult.

However, the archaeological excavation uncovered several personal artifacts attributable to U.S. military personnel, to include a metal boot insert and several uniform buttons.

In addition, a single human tooth was recovered at the site.

The tooth was later linked to Ron Brown through dental x-rays at the Department of Defense Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii.

In May 2003, Sergeant Brown’s daughter, Ronda Brown-Pitts, was notified by the Army that her father’s remains had been found in Laos.  Unfortunately, dental records provided to her showed that her father’s tooth had a filling – and the tooth recovered did not.

Due to the confusion, Ronda demanded a DNA test, but it was refused based on the Army’s policy of “body desecration.” A DNA test would have destroyed “all of the remains.”

In 2006, a casket containing the remains of Master Sergeant George “Ron” Brown was delivered to his daughter and later interred with full military honors in Dayton, Texas.

Many years ago, I received a POW/MIA bracelet bearing Ron’s name.

When I was a young boy growing up during the Vietnam era, these bracelets were a fairly common sight, but not so much anymore.  In the 1970’s many school children wore the bracelet as a means of ensuring that the POW/MIA issue remained a priority until they all came home.

For those whose adopted POW didn’t come home, the bracelet holder became the keeper of the eternal memory of one man’s sacrifice.

The silver band has become both a personal memorial, and a public reminder, that there are some debts of gratitude that cannot be repaid.

This small token has allowed me to learn about Ron’s military career and his incredible heroism; and I have had the honor of speaking with his friends and family, and to meet and correspond with some of the men he served with on Okinawa and in Vietnam.

He was a husband, a father, a former member of the U.S. Army Parachute Team “The Golden Knights,” and a professional soldier of incredible skill and dedication.

Even though Ron’s “remains” have been repatriated, I still wear his bracelet as a personal remembrance of one man’s sacrifice to the high cost of freedom – and in memory of Greg Huston, who remains missing.

Incredibly, the story of Spike Team Asp continues.

On March 7, 2016, one day before what would have been Sergeant Alan Boyer’s 70th birthday, United States Army and DOD officials presented his sister with Alan’s military decorations, to include the Silver Star and Purple Heart.

During the visit, Judi Boyer Bouchard, now of Leesburg, Florida, was notified that a single leg bone fragment had been located by the Defense Department POW/MIA Accounting Office.  The bone shard was apparently purchased by a Laotian activist from Lao nationals described as “remains dealers,” and later positively identified through mitochondrial DNA analysis.

On June 22, 2016, Sergeant Alan Boyer was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 28.

He was laid to rest just 15-feet from his best friend, Doug Hagen.

Currently, more than 1,573 Americans remain missing after the Vietnam War.

Overall, there are more than 81,600 missing personnel from past conflicts, including World War II, Korea, the Cold War and the Global War on Terror.

On this Memorial Day, and every day, let us remember the extraordinary service of men like Ron Brown, Al Boyer, Greg Huston and Doug Hagen – and all those brave souls who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our great nation.

Never forgotten.

Hi, kids!

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

Volusia County District Schools: A “Priority Problem”  

“Board member Donna Brosemer said she vacillated between no and letting voters decide. But she believes the district has wasted money.

“I think about how many times we have to redecorate executive suites because we don’t like the color or we don’t like the furniture,” she said.

“I do not see a revenue problem for this district. I see a priority problem,” Brosemer said. “I believe strongly that this is on us to fix for the teachers.”

–Volusia County School Board Member Donna Brosemer, as reported by The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Mark Harper, “Volusia School Board won’t ask voters to support tax hike,” Thursday, May 14, 2026

“The Singularity” is a sci-fi-esque term used to describe the increasingly probable theory that technological growth will soon accelerate to a point where it overtakes human control, cutting us out of the loop, leading to the destruction of civilization and eventually biological extinction.  

(Call me a paranoiac, but I’ve always suspected that Roomba and Alexa are plotting against me whenever I leave the room…)

The singularity hypothesis suggests that when technology reaches the point where it perceives its environment and begins taking autonomous actions to adapt – every self-replicating iteration learning, remembering, and functioning more like a human mind, but at unimaginable speed. 

Each version becoming “smarter” until a “superintelligence” emerges.  An “Artificial Intelligence” that ultimately surpasses human brainpower making us, well, obsolete.

Other experts believe the opposite, that AI will fail to match the requisite “human-level intelligence across all cognitive domains” resulting in decreasing returns.  Without that, some scientists are convinced AI will eventually level off, never reaching the cognition and general intelligence of the biological brain, ultimately becoming little more than a convincing imitation.

Like some people you probably know…

Last week, Volusia County District Schools reached what I call the “Stupidity Singularity.” 

That point where the arrogance and ignorance of a cloistered bureaucracy exceeds all logic – and the self-serving administration abdicates responsibility and votes itself into obsolescence – eliminating the need for a superintendent, general counsel, senior administrators, or an elected oversight board, for that matter.   

During the same meeting where Superintendent Carmen Balgobin overstepped her non-political administrative role by actively lobbying to suppress a ballot initiative that would have allowed Volusia County voters to decide whether to approve a small property tax increase to pay for teacher salary improvements, the School Board voted 4-1 to approve a $121,000 annual contract with a private firm to produce public policy, administrative guidelines, board bylaws, procedures, and forms.

You know, all the things we hired Superintendent Balgobin – and those overpaid denizens of the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand – to accomplish when they’re not knitting together positive academic statistics, nominating each other for awards, and telling us how great they are… 

In my view, the reason we employ these highly compensated senior administrators – some 38 Chiefs, Executive Directors, Directors, Coordinators, and Administrators by my count – is to use their institutional knowledge, professional skills, stakeholder relationships, and local insight to craft unique policies and procedures that best serve Volusia County students and staff.

That is literally why their positions exist within that thick rind of fat sitting atop the district’s bloated bureaucracy in DeLand.  

Instead, the horribly conflicted District/School Board General Counsel Dr. Gilbert Evans will apparently sit around, polishing a wingback chair with his backside, while an Ohio-based contractor sends him boilerplate templates (formulaic pap in place of his own intellectual product) – canned policies and one-size-fits-all administrative guidelines the Volusia County School Board will later rubber stamp on a 4-1 vote.

I’m not an attorney, just another rube wandering the wilderness, but while breezing over the contract, I found it interesting that the company included a caveat making it clear they have “…no obligation to verify or approve the accuracy, validity, or completeness of the District-Specific Materials.”

Which (I guess) now makes Dr. Evans an extremely well-paid proofreader?    

To her credit, District 4 representative and true servant/leader Donna Brosemer was the only member of the School Board to vote “No” to farming out policy and administrative responsibilities to an out-of-state company…

During public participation, the incredibly bright Kim Short, a civic activist who serves on the Education & Workforce Committee for five area Chambers of Commerce, lambasted Superintendent Balgobin and her dutiful minions on the School Board, saying aloud what everyone watching was thinking:

“Tonight you paid for a service for yourselves.”   

To her credit, Ms. Short rightfully decried the fact that, as the district’s senior administration continues to grow, students are faced with dwindling resources and instructional staff.  She then asked the most pertinent question of the evening:

“What’s wrong with all of you?

In my view, aside from the obvious arrogance of power, overconfidence, hubristic egotism, and overweening sense of invincibility that permeates the Balgobin administration, I think the answer to Ms. Short’s question is that many of our elected and appointed officials overseeing Volusia County Schools possess the financial IQ of wallpaper paste… 

Unfortunately, Ms. Short’s righteous admonition was met with a dismissive snicker from the egoistical Balgobin, in my view, a pretentious poseur who seems pathologically incapable of using constructive criticism to her advantage or listening to the concerns of her increasingly bewildered constituents.   

As a result, her administration has become a top-heavy echo chamber where elected officials receive only that information the Superintendent wants/allows them to hear – controlling the narrative in support of the Board’s long-standing tactic of strategic ignorance and plausible deniability – which provides political insulation when things inevitably turn to shit.

That’s a recipe for disaster in a public school system with an annual budget of $1.4 Billion…      

In my view, the toxic “culture” fostered by Superintendent Balgobin has created an environment where a false sense of bureaucratic infallibility, bolstered by contrived “accomplishments,” provides the camouflage that masks serious leadership and communications issues, long-term problems that continue to impact staff morale, learning opportunities, and financial stewardship.

How long will Volusia County taxpayers allow this travesty to continue?

I encourage you to educate yourself on the myriad issues facing Volusia County Schools – attend a School Board meeting and voice your concerns – then vote your conscience to change the culture and trajectory of our incredibly challenged public school system.  

Our children – and those who teach them – deserve better.

Note: With just two-days’ notice to concerned families, this afternoon, the district will hold a “Community Reimagining Discussion” (whatever the hell that means) to provide information on the asinine (and potentially dangerous) mistake of collocating the Riverview alternative learning center on the Holly Hill Elementary School campus. 

As I understand it, the “plan” is to cordon off a compound with fencing in an effort to physically separate older Riverview students with documented disciplinary and behavioral issues from young children attending Holly Hill Elementary.   The meeting will be held on the school campus, 1500 Center Avenue, Holly Hill, beginning at 5:30pm.)  

Palm Coast Councilman Charles “The Toady” Gambaro: Pollyanna Politics in Palm Coast

“Do you want me to be diplomatic or be Mike Norris?,” the Palm Coast mayor this morning asked the three dozen people gathered for the groundbreaking of the $125 million “loop road” that will connect Matanzas Woods Parkway to Palm Coast Parkway through thousands of acres set for the development of 22,000 homes.

The question answered itself. The only filter Norris favors is on his cigarettes.

“I don’t support this project, and I’m going to fight it all the way,” Norris said, discarding the speech city staff had written for him and looking at a stone-faced audience. “For the representatives from Rayonier, don’t think that you’re going to do what was done on this side of the railroad, on that side of the railroad. We’re not going to stand for it. Pringle Branch is part of the Pringle Branch Forever forest out there, and we’re going to cut a line right through it. I understand the state’s priority as far as putting corridors in, out to 2209. I can understand that. But when you cut through and you drain the swamp, I don’t agree with that. I grew up in a swamp, and this is not something that I can support.”

–Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris, as quoted by FlaglerLive.com, “Palm Coast Mayor Norris Turns Loop Road Groundbreaking Into Lashing of Western Expansion and Developer,” Thursday, May 14, 2026

Anyone who pays attention knows that Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris can be confrontational – especially when it comes to threats posed by malignant growth and the outsized influence of developers on local government.    

For his refusal to ‘go along and get along,’ Mayor Norris has garnered more than his share of scorn and ridicule from his “colleagues.”

You’ll see what I mean in a minute…

In my view, Mike Norris is an excellent example of the courageous no-nonsense plain talkers We, The Little People need standing in the breach between mercenary development interests and our dwindling quality of life. 

Elected officials who are not afraid – or financially beholden – to those who would pave over every square inch of greenspace with an impervious blanket of 3/2 wood frame zero-lot-line cracker boxes, sacrificing our natural resources and our children’s future, on the altar of greed.

Last week, Mayor Norris stood firm against the coming “western expansion,” massive development in areas west of U.S. 1 on timberland owned by Rayonier and set to be developed by a subsidiary known as Raydient. 

According to FlaglerLive.com, the development will include “The 6.2-mile “loop road,” so far entirely funded by taxpayers, is to eventually connect with State Road 2209, itself connecting I-95 south of Jacksonville to Orlando and planned as an additional hurricane evacuation route, though the plan is conceptual for now.”

During a recent meeting, the Palm Coast City Council was told by staff that some 547 miles of the city’s existing roadways are in desperate need of resurfacing.  According to a recent analysis, a fifth of arterial roads and half the residential roads have a pavement condition index of “fair to poor.”

What? 

You want current streets and thoroughfares widened, reengineered, or properly resurfaced before any “loop road” is built to accommodate more growth?   

You’re tired of waiting through three cycles of a light at (insert intersection here) and want greater civic focus on improving existing transportation infrastructure before adding even more traffic?

Tough shit.  “We’re expanding west, Rube.  If you’re not growing, you’re dying…”

So much for “growth pays for itself,” eh? 

Apparently, things took an unctuous turn at the groundbreaking ceremony when appointed, not elected Palm Coast Councilman Charles “The Toady” Gambaro – a sycophantic developers stooge and current candidate for Florida’s Sixth Congressional District – launched himself to the podium following Mayor Norris’ remarks so he could kiss the collective ass and smooth the feathers of Raydient executives.

According to the report, Gambaro told FlaglerLive.com, “What we saw today was an absolute lack of leadership,” he said. “It’s disgraceful, and quite frankly, it just shows that Mike Norris continues to be an embarrassment for our community.”

“Gambaro had all but jumped from his seat to take the mayor’s place after the smattering of applause that accompanied Norris off the podium after his three-minute speech. Gambaro wasn’t part of the lineup of speakers (only City Manager Mike McGlothlin had preceded Norris), but he said he had to speak.

“Going to jump in here and end on a positive note,” Gambaro told the audience. “Everybody’s done a great job. Everybody’s worked hard. This project is important for our community for a lot of different reasons, but I want to end on a positive note. There’s no reason to be negative here, okay? Everybody has their own opinions, but this is a time to celebrate a major achievement for our community. We must remain positive. Our residents want us to remain positive as we move forward.”

Ah, another sighting of that foul bird the shameless brownnosed shill in the wild…  

Councilman Gambaro should understand – his claustrophobic constituents don’t want faux positivity and political platitudes – they want those who were elected to stand firm and protect their quality of life from unchecked overdevelopment.

Now.  Before it’s too late.

If you live in the Sixth Congressional District (south of Saint Augustine to South Daytona, inland to the outskirts of Ocala, Leesburg, and Sanford, to include the city of Daytona Beach) I encourage you to do your homework.  Learn the “who’s who” of developer-funded campaigns, and consider the source of those canned endorsements, pap, and fluff from compromised finger-puppets who take their marching orders from deep-pocketed political donors.

Let’s start electing people at all levels of government who care more about us than those special interests who buy-and-sell them like chattel…  

Quote of the Week

“We’ve all heard the mantra: Property Owners’ Rights.

However, both are property owners.

Regarding Tomoka Oaks — because “the system” favored the developer (it almost always does) those homeowners who bought/own property on the golf course will now see their property value decrease significantly. As well, all Tomoka Oaks residents and nearby residents will see their quality of life deteriorate.

The system needs more balance where the rights of the incumbent property owners (homeowners) are considered equally. Right now, they are not.”

–Ken and Julie Sipes, Ormond Beach, Letters to the Editor, Ormond Beach Observer, “Developer Rights vs Homeowner Rights,” Tuesday, May 12, 2026

When an asinine plan was announced that would have allowed a foreign bulk fuel supplier to build a 20-million-gallon petroleum storage and distribution terminal adjacent to the Ormond Beach Sports Complex, the city’s municipal airport, and the coming monstrosity that will be Ormond Crossings, I decided to have some fun. 

As an inveterate smartass, I facetiously wrote that I planned to take advantage of Florida’s “anything goes” development strategy and have my postage-stamp residential property here in the Northbrook neighborhood rezoned to accommodate an industrial medical waste incinerator.

Right smackdab in my weed strewn backyard.

My entrepreneurial vision was to construct a batch load, direct fire industrial medical waste incinerator running 24/7 at a constant 12,000-degrees – capable of destroying all regulated medical waste at the molecular level – to include pathological refuse, amputated limbs, rotten organs, biological tissue, bloody gauze, gowns, and dressings – you name it!

I saw it as a “win-win,” as land use attorney’s always say (right after they forcibly bend elected councils/commissions over a barrel – then hold them hostage with the threat of a lawsuit – just before their developer client is gifted carte blanche to build what, when, and where they want…)

Hell, I was even prepared to throw some serious coin around. 

You know, make lavish campaign contributions to local and state incumbents as a means of smoothing out the humps and bumps of having my side yard classified as a Subtitle D landfill where the resultant cremated dust and ash could be dumped. (MBA’s call that “collocating complementary industries” to reduce cost and increase revenues. Ma Barker didn’t raise no dummy, y’all…)

Alas, my dream of becoming a titan of industrial waste disposal was not to be…

Well-meaning elected and appointed officials were quick to explain that local, state, and federal environmental protections, comprehensive plans, and zoning districts prevent discordant and environmentally impactful operations in residential neighborhoods.

Apparently, they have these things called “land use regulations” that are designed to protect the health, safety, welfare, and property values of surrounding homes from intrusive or incompatible uses.  

Who knew?

So, why do those same protections never apply whenever a speculative real estate developer decides their “property rights” trump those of existing homeowners?

In many instances, regionally impactful projects revert back to historical changes to land use regulations that were approved decades ago – rezonings that no longer comport with the character, density, and infrastructure of the modern community – yet the development is invariably rubber stamped without question.

Why is that?

In my view, the inherent inequity in “property rights” is an excellent question to ask those members of our state legislative delegation at their next reelection campaign stop.

We deserve hard answers from those bought-and-paid-for finger-puppets who went to Tallahassee and sold out their constituents, preempting local growth management regulations to the state, ignored flooding and density concerns, and continue to burden our natural resources and overtaxed infrastructure, while stuffing their campaign war chests with developer dollars.

As I once understood it, Equality Before the Law meant that everyone faces the same legal rules and processes – regardless of wealth, status, or political power. The concepts of isonomy, fairness, and impartiality that contrast with the outsized influence and skewed playing field inherent to oligarchies.  

Now an antiquated notion that no longer applies here in The Biggest Whorehouse in the World…

And Another Thing!

“Suzanne Scheiber is founder and president of Dream Green Volusia, which describes itself as “a grassroots non-profit organization working on environmental issues across Volusia County.” She is also a member of the Charter Review Commission.

She said a main concern she has with the proposed amendment is that the County Council would get to decide how the land is used, not the public. Another concern is that the county could use the lands for a public purpose.

She believes the public should decide how the conservation land is being used, since taxpayers are footing the bill for purchasing the land.

“There’s not protection if the County Councils of the future … can vote to sell the land or develop it. The people that voted to tax themselves should be able to determine (the future of the land),” she said.”

–Environmental activist Suzanne Scheiber, Ormond Beach, as quoted by reporter Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Would amendment actually protect Volusia lands? Critic says no,” Monday, May 18, 2026

From protecting Ormond Beach’s Scenic Loop, standing for flood victims in Edgewater, and championing the preservation of environmentally sensitive areas for future generations, the intrepid Suzanne Scheiber and her grassroots advocacy Dream Green Volusia has been on the front lines of conservation efforts throughout the region.

Most recently, Ms. Scheiber served as a member of the Volusia County Charter Review Commission. 

The Volusia County Charter requires that the County Council assemble a Charter Review Commission at least once every 10 years to “examine the Charter, ordinances, and workings of Volusia County’s government and, if needed, recommend Charter amendments to be placed on the general election ballot.”

After eight-months of deliberation, “public input,” and anticipation, the fifteen member “Blue Ribbon” panel – led by prominent land use attorney Mark Watts (of course it was) – came up with five bureaucratically neutered charter amendments for the Volusia County Council to consider putting on the ballot in November.  

On Tuesday, the Volusia County Council held the first of three required public hearings on the proposed amendments.

When you remove the housekeeping measures, the remaining ballot questions are essentially limited to removing We, The Little People’s ability to elect our County Chair, whether to compensate elected officials for “work-related” expenses (despite the fact they already receive a paycheck), and a backhanded means by which the Volusia County Council can sell conservation properties that we were promised would be held in “perpetuity” i.e., forever, despite the fact the lands were purchased by taxpayers under the voter-approved Volusia Forever program.

In my view, this is the pernicious result of another “public policy by ambush,” this time orchestrated by Councilman Don Dempsey who, after ramrodding his pet publicly funded motorcross facility on land purchased with Volusia Forever and ECHO funds (?), concocted a tempest in a teapot about tying the hands of future councils from impacting conservation lands as they fight to stave off a contrived Armageddon scenario.   

At the end of a March VCC meeting, Councilman Dempsey pounded his little fists, dug in his heels, and bellowed that he didn’t like the idea of a council in future millennia being contractually blocked from building a nuclear reactor in Volusia County should the need arise…

By Dempsey’s weird logic – when fossil fuels are exhausted and the Floridan aquifer runs dry, “Fun Coast” residents 1,000 years hence will be doomed to a Mad Max dystopia – all because we prehistoric Volusians perceived an existential threat of our own and selfishly voted to conserve some ecologically sensitive greenspace in a previous epoch when every inch of ground around us was being slashed, burned, and churned into a black muck to accommodate more, more, more growth…

Bullshit.  

There’s a reason why Volusia’s “Old Guard” wants to keep the preservation of so-called “conservation” land out of our hands and under the control of compromised elected officials.

Trust me.  It has nothing to do with protecting environmentally sensitive areas for future generations.  In my view, what we are witnessing is a brazen attempt to provide a legal loophole for future development, commercial extraction of resources, and conversion to incompatible uses.

In keeping with the letter and spirit of Volusia Forever, Ms. Schieber and other area environmentalists are asking that our elected officials put a charter amendment on the ballot mirrored after a similar measure approved by Alachua County voters in 2008.

The Alachua amendment establishes a registry of protected public places, and states that listed properties “…may not be sold, or converted to a use that will result in a loss of a value or values for which a property was placed on the registry, except by a majority vote of the electors voting in a countywide referendum election.”

Of course, Ms. Schieber’s suggestion that taxpayers have a say in how lands purchased with our tax dollars are ultimately disposed of was immediately pooh-poohed by county staff, who now claim the Alachua amendment would be unlawful here, should it ever be challenged…  

Why would anyone challenge letting the people vote?

According to the News-Journal, the county issued a statement explaining “…Volusia County Charter Amendment’s land registry proposal complies with state law. The Alachua-like amendment like Scheiber suggested would not, according to the county.”

Why? 

Apparently, a similar measure in Sarasota County faced a legal challenge, “because the provision deprived the County Commission of its authority under state law,” according to the county. “The court further noted that requiring a referendum to sell the property also violated state law for the same reason.”

Of course it does.  Because whenever the needs of We, The Little People conflict with the wants of special interests, we lose.

In my view, that makes the entire charter amendment process – like the voter-approved provisions of Volusia Forever – an orchestrated sham. 

At best, the ludicrous “Dempsey Amendment” makes conservation in Volusia County a bait-and-switch confidence scam – at worst, a “good old boy’s investment club” – where you and I provide tax dollars to purchase environmentally sensitive land at a premium, then a future council (read: wholly-owned developer shills) can sell the properties to their political benefactors for pennies on the dollar to facilitate the for-profit motives of future speculative land developers.

Here’s a charter amendment to consider: How about we return a government of the people, by the people, and for the people to Volusia County? 

Let’s replace this flagrant kleptocracy that exists to serve the wants of the few with the representative democracy so many have sacrificed so much to preserve.

Vote like your quality of life depends on it. 

That’s all for me. 

Here’s hoping you have a meaningful day of solemn reflection, remembrance, and gratitude for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our rights and freedoms this Memorial Day.  

Hi, kids!

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

The Debacle at Daytona: Welcome to the Twilight Zone

“This highway leads to the shadowy tip of reality: you’re on a through route to the land of the different, the bizarre, the unexplainable…Go as far as you like on this road. Its limits are only those of mind itself. Ladies and Gentlemen, you’re entering the wondrous dimension of imagination.

Next stop…The Twilight Zone.”

a/k/a The City of Daytona Beach… 

During a bizarre episode of the Twilight Zone last week – that “fifth dimension” beyond right and reason – the Daytona Beach City Commission defied logic (which isn’t a new concept) when they voted 4-3 to retain embattled City Manager Deric Feacher.

The inexplicable move restarted the clock and extended Mr. Feacher’s contract for three more years. 

In my view, the simple (and cost effective) alternative would have been to allow Feacher’s current five-year contract to expire at the end of this month allowing him to depart amicably – no severance, no drama, and a distinct demarcation between what has been, and what comes next. 

A clean break at a time when the City of Daytona Beach desperately needs to find transformative leadership.

Instead, the commission opted for a ham-handed “performance evaluation,” a past due administrative requirement they had previously neglected, a ludicrous process tantamount to scoring the captain of a foundering ship while his vessel is on fire and being dashed against the rocks… 

It wasn’t fair. To Daytona Beach taxpayers, that is.

According to a report by Sierra Williams writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, on a scoring system of one to five, “(Commissioners) Cantu and May gave Feacher overall scores of 2.18 and 2.94. Mayor Derrick Henry and Monica Paris gave him overall scores of 3.05 and 3.27, while Reed and Commissioners Ken Strickland and Danielle Henry gave him overall a 4.86, 4.82 and 4.27.”

Based upon an aggregate score of 3.63, Commissioner Paula Reed gushed that Mr. Feacher has “…met the expectations of the commission.” 

Seriously.  I don’t make this shit up, folks.

Despite the escalating controversy at City Hall that is dominating media coverage across the region, Commissioners Reed and Ken Strickland rated City Manager Feacher nearly perfect in ten performance areas. 

To their credit, for reasons obvious to anyone familiar with the concepts of leadership and accountability, Commissioners Stacy Cantu, Quanita May, and Monica Paris all voted against renewing Feacher’s contract.  

In my view, it was clear to anyone watching that the results of the evaluation – and the outcome of the internal and external maneuvering (complete with an overexuberant cheering section) that kept Feacher in place for the time being – had been carefully orchestrated off-the-dais. 

A painfully obvious attempt at self-preservation by embattled elected and appointed officials who are desperately embroiled in a state financial audit turned criminal investigation led by Florida’s recently formed Public Integrity Unit… 

That became painfully evident during comments from the dais when every trope and dodge was knitted together and trotted out, to include ridiculous allegations that the multilayered crisis facing Daytona Beach was conjured up by a “certain television station” and Commissioner Cantu, a civic watchdog who has been openly critical of the city’s stewardship of public funds since before multiple internal audits and media scrutiny proved her right.   

Adding to the abject absurdity, Commissioner Ken Strickland, a political chameleon who has become everything he hated when he first ran for office, went on a weird rant, claiming the pitiful fact that no city official is currently in jail somehow justifies retaining the City Manager (?).

Really?

According to the Observer’s report, Mayor Derrick Henry “…said that the recent allegations against the city have not been shown to be Feacher’s fault. Mayor Henry said he has seen nothing that shows the commission should terminate Feacher’s employment.

If anything were to happen in the future that shows he should be, Henry said, the commission can always return to this.

“His evaluation does not reflect an evaluation that says that you need to be terminated,” Henry said.”  

In addition, Mayor Henry droned on in one of his patented rambling and nonsensical diatribes – flippantly explaining away questionable expenditures with broad strokes – minimizing the misuse of purchasing cards, blaming former City Manager Jim “The Chisler” Chisholm for causing problems with JLAC, and accusing the state of failing to give direction (besides state statutes?) as to how they could spend $14 million in improperly amassed permit fees…

Shockingly, Mayor Henry looked his constituents in the eye and said “I haven’t seen anything.  And I haven’t seen anything that says we should terminate him,” essentially asking bewildered Daytona Beach residents to believe that – just because there’s smoke, heat, and raging flames in every corner of City Hall – the circumstances don’t necessarily indicate there’s a fire… 

One symptom of toxicity in government is the delusional self-denial that always comes before the fall – that phase of a civic crisis when elected and appointed officials convince themselves of a false reality, point fingers, brand their detractors, and abdicate their sworn responsibility – all while ignoring the facts in order to preserve their contrived narrative.

A strange organizational psychosis based on political self-preservation that results in a growing distrust among those of us on the outside looking in. Citizens who recognize the grave threat posed by the dysfunction and distraction who cannot understand why those in a position to affect positive change, won’t?

Good question.

Kudos to Commissioners Stacy Cantu, Quanita May, and Monica Paris for having the courage to lead during this disastrous period in Daytona Beach’s history…     

City of Ormond Beach: Let the People Vote, Dammit  

You can always tell when a “grassroots” initiative is unpopular with an entrenched bureaucracy.    

The opposition becomes evident during what they refer to as the “education” phase.  That’s when the “experts” are brought in – typically other bureaucrats with a cottage industry selling one position or another to elected officials.  Self-appointed “specialists” who stand in front of a mind-numbing PowerPoint, droning on, ad nauseum, manufacturing political insulation until the original point is lost in the ether.

In this case, the question surrounded whether We, The Little People of Ormond Beach deserve the opportunity to vote on a charter amendment banning potable reuse in our community.

Often called ‘Toilet to Tap,’ the practice permits development beyond the natural carrying capacity of our finite water resources by injecting treated sewage into the aquifer for “storage,” or sending treated wastewater directly to consumers via the water distribution system.

The practice isn’t just gross, it’s potentially harmful to the aquifer and public health. 

In the estimation of many, the real reason it is being promoted is to allow developers to blanket more of the land with 3/2 wood frame cracker boxes, half-empty strip centers, and impervious pavement by “augmenting” our limited natural water supplies with treated sewage… 

In my view, given the claustrophobic density already foisted on us, the concept is obscene.

When water quality activists and environmentalists sound the alarm, compromised politicians claim that the process is akin to Dick Tracy’s two-way wrist communicator – technology years in the future and far from practical implementation – tut-tutting that demonstrating initiative or taking proactive measures is a timewasting exercise in protecting their anxious constituents from a nonexistent threat. 

Bullshit.

Potable reuse pilot programs are currently underway in thirteen communities around the state (with more on the way) as officials in Tallahassee (read: developer shills) tout Florida as a “national leader” in the use of treated wastewater for drinking purposes.

In recent years, experimental reuse programs have been permitted in the City of Daytona Beach (thankfully, the process was never foisted on unsuspecting consumers) and test wells have been allowed by state regulators in Deltona that would permit water from Lake Monroe and reclaimed water to be injected and “stored” underground (read: in our source aquifer).

According to a report by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, during last week’s water supply and reuse workshop, development maven (and current mayoral candidate) Commissioner Lori Tolland said “…the initiative needs to be accompanied by an education piece as the “toilet to tap” label is “misleading.”

“It wants you to believe that all reuse water directly goes to your spigot,” Tolland said. “It does not want you to know that reuse undergoes advanced multi-barrier treatment designs and meets strict safety standards.”

With some $96,200 in her campaign war chest (for an Ormond Beach mayoral race?) much of it from development interests, per usual, Ms. Tolland strategically misses the point…

The clean water advocacy Let Volusia Vote is simply asking the Ormond Beach City Commission to place a charter amendment on the ballot to allow residents the opportunity to vote their conscience on the issue. 

A chance to determine the future of our community through the democratic process, rather than sit helplessly in the gallery watching Ms. Tolland and other elected officials sell out to their political benefactor’s time-and-time again.

The chance to cast our ballot without the rah-rah agitprop of those with a profit motive or being subjected to expensive “public indoctrination” programs presented by hand-select “experts” who tell us exactly what the bureaucracy wants us to hear.

In my experience, the vast majority of citizens are capable of gathering information, enlightening themselves on the issues from a variety of sources both for and against, then casting an educated vote absent the static and obstructionism that comes whenever an initiative threatens the lucrative status quo.

To their credit, Ormond Beach Mayor Jason Leslie and Commissioner Harold Briley are on record supporting our right to vote. 

According to the Observer’s report, Commissioner Briley explained:

“Any commission can undo what a previous commission has done, but the voters can also undo what previous voters did,” Briley said. “But I think if you put in the charter and you give the residents the ability to vote on it.”

Mayor Jason Leslie agreed.

“They’re educated people and they’ll make their own choice,” he said.”

Why wouldn’t our elected officials want their constituents to have a say on potable reuse (or any other issue effecting their children’s future) in this era of explosive growth that is straining public infrastructure and threatening our natural resources across Florida? 

What’s the harm in letting the people decide this controversial issue for themselves? 

This election season, I encourage you to follow the money – educate yourself on who is funding the campaigns and political ambitions of certain candidates – then ask the $96,200 question:

Why would an elected official deny your right to vote? 

Find all you need to know here: https://tinyurl.com/3dbnd7hw

I encourage everyone in Volusia County to sign the Let Volusia Vote petition and reinforce our collective opposition to drinking our own reclaimed sewage simply to facilitate the insatiable appetite of development interests.  

Please find the petition and further instructions here:  https://tinyurl.com/3b2f8cej

While we’re on the topic, if you live in beautiful Ormond Beach, please take a new survey hosted by our friends at the civic advocacy Protect Ormond Beach. 

“The purpose of this survey is to listen to the community, gather real data, and help ensure resident voices are part of the conversation moving forward.

The survey is ANONYMOUS and takes less than 3 minutes to complete. Aggregate results and updates will be shared in our Facebook groups Protect Volusia and Ormond Beach Citizens: Protect Ormond Beach.

Thank you for making your voice heard!”

Your community.  Your voice.

Find the survey here: https://tinyurl.com/4pvbwr2p

Quote of the Week

“Kim Barrett, who works on the boardwalk, said, “We used to have a Ferris wheel, roller coaster, bumper car, cars. We have nothing here on the boardwalk. So they’re going to extend the boardwalk. Hopefully, they have some entertainment for children.”

The city purchased a half-acre piece of beachfront land for over $2 million in June to facilitate the project. Final renderings are still being completed, and city leaders hope the new addition will be finished by the fall of 2027.

Residents are hopeful the extension will bring new life to the area. “It’s 12:00, and they got the rock concert in town and the Daytona Speedway. This place should be jumping. And it’s not,” said Daytona Beach resident Michael Daly.

When completed, the new extension will match the existing boardwalk designs, including the pavers and width. It will also connect to a beach access point near Harvey Avenue.

The final construction cost has not yet been determined, as the project remains in its design and permitting phase.”

–Reporter Pamela Comme, WESH-2 News, residents react to a possible extension of the Daytona Beach Boardwalk on city owned beachfront land, “Daytona Beach’s iconic boardwalk could get a lot bigger,” Friday, May 8, 2026

In my view, Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry, and the majority of his “colleagues” on the City Commission, have become their own worst enemy; allowing mishandled finances, bungled purchasing, and policy failures to suppurate into a civic inferno of state financial audits and public integrity investigations.

As a result, the public’s trust in this wobbly and unpredictable city administration is at an all-time low.

And falling fast…

Unfortunately, the swirling controversy at City Hall has exposed an entrenched instability and gross dysfunction that is overshadowing every other aspect of the municipal government.  Now, residents are coming to the daunting realization that they are faced with a political problem that requires a political solution, as the subpoenas continue to fly.

This week beleaguered residents of the long-languishing beachside learned that work has begun to expand the city’s historic boardwalk.  The new section will extend south along a 245-foot stretch from the southern end of Breakers Oceanfront Park to the north side of Harvey Avenue to incorporate the beach approach.

According to reports, seawall construction is underway with the Boardwalk portion of the project still in the preliminary “design and permitting” phase.

Construction is expected to be complete in “Fall 2027.”

The cost of construction – and how to pay for it all – has yet to be determined… 

In the summer of 2023, Halifax area residents were told that the Mexican restaurant consortium Grupo Anderson was bringing a Señor Frog’s to a publicly owned beachfront lot in the city’s core tourist area.  

Remember?  I do.

It was all the rage…until it wasn’t.

According to a July 2023 report in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Señor Frog’s has agreed to lease the city-owned property just north of Harvey Avenue for the next 50 years, and the city will give the project a boost by covering $500,000 of its construction costs. The city will also pay a broker’s commission subsidy of $61,625.”

As I understood it (and I’m not sure I ever did), the return on investment for Daytona Beach taxpayers who were suddenly thrust into the restaurant business was that the city would serve as the eatery’s landlord – collecting monthly rent of $10,000 – which would double to $20,000 per month by the sixth year of operation with a 3% annual increase beginning in year seven.

According to the News-Journal, “The city will also charge Señor Frog’s percentage rent, collecting 3% of annual restaurant revenue that exceeds $5 million. The 3% payment on all sales over $5 million can provide an additional $30,000 per $1 million in sales.

The city is also getting a $9 million development on the .75-acre parcel between the beach and Ocean Avenue that’s been empty for decades and only used for parking in recent years.”

Even with a guaranteed half-million buildout spiff and code waivers, nearly three-years later, we haven’t heard a croak out of Señor Frog… 

Despite my longstanding aversion to offering lucrative public subsidies (“corporate welfare”) to for-profit interests, in my view, an attraction like Señor Frog’s would be a wonderful addition to our beleaguered beachside, one that has the potential to serve as a catalyst for more good things in our down-at-the-heels core tourist area.

In my view, this is an excellent opportunity to change the face of our core tourist area, something Daytona Beach and Volusia County officials should not take lightly. 

However, before blundering forward without any reasonable idea what a taxpayer investment in the extension will look like, those who accept public funds to plan economic development opportunities should determine why the “iconic” Daytona Beach Boardwalk has been a colossal failure for decades before tacking on 245-feet of ‘more of the same.’

Let’s determine why similarly situated communities around Florida and elsewhere enjoy successful boardwalks – scientifically and aesthetically designed places that offer a consistent draw – while ours languishes amid vacant lots and bad headlines…    

Let’s ask what others are doing/not doing that produces active public spaces where people want to be, then build something that reflects Daytona Beach’s unique history, beach culture, and civic identity.  

Sorry, I forgot.  Thanks to those dullards at the Halifax Area Advertising Authority, we don’t have a defined identity – forever stuck somewhere between a “family destination” and the debauched “Wide. Open. Fun.” of bikes, boobs, and beer.  

I’m cool with either civic personality – just pick one…

Once we’ve determined what works, what hasn’t, and why – city/county officials can form a strategic plan (hopefully not one that molders on a groaning shelf in a dusty dead records morgue) – taking lessons learned from other beachfront attractions and emulating those best practices here. 

(Or just dust off the 2013 Volusia County Tourism Marketing Analysis that was wholly ignored…)

I’ve said this before, but the future of our beachside should start by partnering with private “placemaking” experts.  Bringing together professional planners, engineers, and designers who can collaborate with residents and stakeholders to craft a vision that incorporates our unique oceanfront environment into the experience, increase entrepreneurial investment, and change the tragic trajectory of the most neglected stretch of dilapidated oceanfront on the Eastern Seaboard.  

In my view, a “build it and they will come” more of the same strategy, led by a horribly dysfunctional municipal government in the throes of a civic meltdown, is an incredibly expensive gamble for Volusia County taxpayers during these uncertain times.

And Another Thing!

“What has happened down here is the wind have changed,

Clouds roll in from the north and it started to rain,

It rained real hard and it rained for a real long time,

Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline…

They’re trying to wash us away,

They’re trying to wash us away…”

—Louisiana 1927, Randy Newman

That old song came to mind last week when I read the heartbreaking news from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who, after a two-year multidisciplinary analysis of flooding in Daytona’s historic Midtown neighborhood, have determined that there’s nothing they can do to stop the inundation…

The winds have changed, alright.  All across the width and breadth of Volusia County.

So have political loyalties.

No one who should gives two-shits about Midtown – or your established neighborhood, for that matter.  As the “Big Money” moves west, so does the focus and attention of our movers-and-shakers.  Now, complications from inadequate infrastructure are meant to be marginalized or covered up – not openly discussed – especially when they become intractable problems with no viable solution.

Trust me, those who stand to profit most from malignant growth wish people like me would stop mentioning the unpleasant side effects in public.  But if you think this problem is limited to Midtown, just look at the fill-and-build construction happening next to your neighborhood, then think again…    

During last week’s City Commission meeting, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers representatives explained the area of Midtown and Fairway Estates is, topographically speaking, a “bowl.” 

When storms come, rainwater and “unmanageable runoff” quickly fills the low-lying area and is devastatingly slow to recede.  The problem is worsened by a number of factors, to include inadequate drainage infrastructure, the antiquated 100-year-old Nova Canal that was never designed for current demands, and the challenges of draining water east to the Halifax River due to tidal influences.

The situation has resulted in extensive repeat flooding in an area that can least afford to rebuild due to generational poverty, civic neglect, and other economic constraints.   

According to the experts, there are no practicable solutions to the problem.   

In an article by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week, she explained “The Army Corps engineers were tasked with finding a feasible solution, and they concluded anything that would help would be prohibitively expensive.

They suggested the city pursue federal funds to buy out about 40 of the most flood-prone properties in Midtown.

“I know it’s bad news, and it’s going to take time to process,” Jim LaGrone, a project manager with the Army Corp’s Jacksonville District, told city commissioners.”

If it’s any solace to residents soon to be displaced from their homes, Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry is apparently unconsolable, “You have brought to us the worst news. Our biggest dream was we’d have a solution. If I said I was anything less than heartbroken now, I’d be lying.”

Whatever.

Look, historically speaking, there’s enough blame to go around – and few answers as to why a neighborhood was allowed to be built at the bottom of a natural retention pond – or why more wasn’t done to upgrade drainage infrastructure once these problems were identified years ago?

Unfortunately, that same question could be asked in most places across the “Fun Coast” where development-induced flooding repeatedly inundates homes and property, as the bulldozers continue to roar… 

According to the News-Journal, “There’s also very little green space in Midtown and Fairway Estates to absorb rainwater, and many of the buildings there are older and have their first floors at or below street level.”

Sound familiar?

The Corps of Engineers representatives explained that each of the proposed solutions – to include building storm surge barriers, raising canal berms, and even turning the municipal golf course into a large drainage area using 15-foot levies – were prohibitively expensive, costing much more than the structures they would be saving. 

That means competing for federal funds with other jurisdictions having more “feasible and economically justified projects” puts Daytona Beach at the bottom of the list…

Apparently, the only feasible alternative is for the City of Daytona Beach to partner with the federal government and mitigate future expenses by purchasing the most flood prone properties, something that will leave hundreds of other homes and commercial properties subject to continued inundation.

Unfortunately, it appears Midtown is literally being washed away – culturally, economically, and physically – and there’s not a damn thing anyone can do about it. 

I have no doubt some soulless developer will exploit this tragedy to their advantage – slash, burn, fill, and build around the perimeter of what was once historic Midtown – then market their new wood frame cracker boxes as “waterfront property from the $400’s.”

Sad, but infinitely possible, in an era of abject corruption in Tallahassee where anything goes.

As our region continues to be paved over with little (if any) consideration of expanding public utilities and infrastructure – a perfect storm (as it were) of a bought-and-pain-for state legislature intent on preempting local control of growth management – expect to see more of these “Nuttin’ we can do, y’all” explanations coming to more areas across Volusia County and beyond…  

Is your neighborhood next?

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 news and newsmakers of the day who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life or detracted from it in some significant way:

The Debacle at Daytona: Justice Demands Accountability  

In legal parlance a “fishing expedition” is described as seeking broad, unspecified information that is seemingly irrelevant to the focus of an investigation.  Casting a wide net in hopes of developing evidence of wrongdoing or confirming unsubstantiated allegations.  

Based upon information contained in the latest round of subpoenas issued by Special Counsel Richard Mantei, a special prosecutor with the Florida Attorney General’s Public Integrity Unit investigating questionable spending in Daytona Beach municipal government, it is now apparent this is no prosecutorial fishing trip… 

After initially compelling Deputy City Manager/Fire Chief Dru Driscoll and Deputy Fire Chief Jessica Matthews to provide sworn statements and additional information regarding disturbing audit findings in the fire department, last week the Office of Statewide Prosecution issued additional subpoenas to key city officials.   

These latest subpoenas demand information, documents, “electronically stored information,” and communications from city owned and personal devices of City Manager Deric Feacher, Mayor Derrick Henry, Growth Management and Planning Director James Morris, Fire Chief Dru Driscoll, Business Enterprise Management Director Michael Stallworth and Commissioners Paula Reed and Dannette Henry.

According to a follow-up report by WFTV-9 investigative reporter Demie Johnson, “Also, on the list – all city purchasing cards, their transactions, and who is using them.

Bills, receipts, invoices and email transactions related to Step-by-Step Expressions inc. or themathparty.com, have also been requested. The mayor is listed as the Executive Director of Step-By-Step Expressions inc. on his bio on the city’s website. Sunbiz.com lists his wife as the CEO.

According to themathparty.com, the mayor’s wife founded that organization as well.

To be clear, just because city officials are listed in these subpoenas, does not mean they are guilty or accused of a crime.”

According to a report earlier this week by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, the scope narrowed further on Friday afternoon when another subpoena arrived at the City Clerk’s office, “…seeking records connected to Feacher again, Chief Financial Officer Natalia Eckroth, and former Daytona Beach city employee Amber Spears, who worked in purchasing. There’s also a specific inquiry about the Mayor’s Math and Fitness Bootcamp, and a 2024 Childhood Obesity Grant.”

In addition, “The assistant state prosecutor said he wants all records and emails, including attachments, relating to city purchasing cards containing the following terms alone or in any combination: circumvent, violation, hemorrhaging, non-employees, splitting charges and out of contract.

Mantei is also seeking any agenda summary, application, bid or description regarding funding of the Mayor’s Math and Fitness Bootcamp, and the city manager office’s acceptance of Childhood Obesity Grant 2024 together with documentation of any payouts or spending from that fund including all accountable payments for the total value of the grant.”

Look, it doesn’t take the deductive reasoning of Hercule Poirot to recall that in 2024, the City of Daytona Beach received a $125,000 grant as a part of the Childhood Obesity Prevention & Environmental Health and Sustainability Awards sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the American Beverage Association’s Foundation for a Healthy America.

It was in all the papers…

At the time, Mayor Henry said the grant funds “…will be instrumental in positively impacting the children participating in the city’s summer programs. With a focus on math and fitness strategies, the grant funds will help improve our youngest residents’ academic, physical, and emotional well-being.”

Say what?  “Math and Fitness” go together like kittens and sauerkraut?

Now, we learn that Mayor Henry and his wife own a company with a website called themathparty.com – which just happens to advertise “…a motivational musical method of mathematics created by Dr. Stephanie Pasley-Henry, to amplify the interest, retention and achievement levels of students who struggle in mathematics.” 

It also uses the “Mayor’s Math and Fitness Bootcamp” in its online marketing… 

Look, I’m not hurling accusations here – just connecting the increasingly visible dots – but surly Mayor Henry didn’t use city sponsored youth programs as a conduit to direct grant funds to a company owned and operated by himself and his wife?   

Let’s hope not. 

Because, in my view, that would come perilously close to violating Florida’s statutory prohibitions on elected officials, acting in a private capacity, selling goods or services to their own agency… 

The metaphorical term “House of Cards” describes the precariousness of a delicate situation, relationship, or plan – where seemingly insignificant or unrelated actions or events can cause the entire system to collapse on itself.

It is commonly used when describing a criminal enterprise that falls like a “house of cards” when people get nervous, start talking to law enforcement, and the evidence mounts against co-conspirators… 

In this case, it appears the significant questions surrounding how the municipal government has stewarded public funds – to include increasingly credible allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse – may prove to be the downfall of a pernicious system where certain entrenched insiders and outside influencers have played fast-and-loose with government funds – or enriched themselves at the public’s expense.

Despite Mayor Derrick Henry’s rambling diatribe last evening supporting City Manager Feacher’s continued employment while attempting to sugarcoat serious financial irregularities, time will tell, as the cards begin to fall…

If the state’s investigation, and any resultant prosecution, proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Daytona Beach elected officials or city employees violated the ethical and fiduciary standards expected of those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest – someone should go to jail. 

This is as serious as it gets. Preserving the public’s trust in their government is all-important and justice demands accountability.

Based upon what has been reported by WFTV’s Demie Johnson, the News-Journal’s Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, and others, it appears Mayor Henry and senior city administrators are about to be reminded of that… 

Volusia County Council: The Benefits of an Election Year

Ah, that every year could be election year here on the “Fun Coast,” eh?    

A topsy-turvy time when up is down, down is up, lambs lay down with lions, dogs and cats live in complete harmony – those halcyon days every two to four years when those running for reelection treat We, The Little People as though our concerns and input actually matter to them…

For instance, on Tuesday, Volusia County residents got a glimpse at the fleeting benefit of election year optics when our County Council suddenly transmogrified from bought-and-paid-for development shills into tree-hugging dirt worshipers when they voted unanimously to allocate $20.1 million in Volusia Forever conservation funds to purchase the River Bend Ranch, an ecologically sensitive parcel consisting of 1,299-acres in southern Volusia County.

To show just how wild and wacky things can get during election season, District 1 Councilman Don Dempsey – who previously joined with his “colleagues” to misappropriate $4.62 million in Volusia Forever and ECHO funds to purchase 356 acres off S.R. 44 to accommodate his pet motorcross track – pasted a fake smile on his face and somehow championed the effort from the dais without choking on his own sarcasm: “To me, this is exactly what Volusia Forever’s all about.”

(Now I’m gagging…)

The River Bend Ranch is directly adjacent to the county-owned 1,385-acre Deering Preserve at Deep Creek and includes approximately two miles of frontage along the St. Johns River, and 1.3 miles of frontage along Deep Creek, providing water resource protections in addition to land conservation.

According to a county report, the conservation land holds some 561 acres of wetlands and “The property lies within the St. Johns River floodplain and supports natural water storage, filtration, and flood attenuation for the Middle St. Johns River basin.”

The purchase satisfied Councilman Dempsey because it was completed without state or federal partnerships, which means some distant iteration of the Volusia County Council can theoretically say “screw the wishes of those puritanical pilgrim’s way back in 2026,” and sell the property for development or use it to meet the needs of the county…  

“I’m in full support of this,” Dempsey crowed. “The fact that we own it fee simple, the fact that there’s no partners, the fact that in 500 years, if the city and council finds some emergency need for it, they have that ability to do what they need to do to, take care of whatever the issue at hand might be in the future. I have no problem with it being forever in perpetuity, as long as the county owns it by themselves.”

Bullshit…

In my view, the acquisition of River Bend Ranch is the very essence of the voter approved/tax supported Volusia Forever program and speaks well of those intrepid local environmentalists who worked hard to spread the word on the importance of conserving this sensitive land to future generations, forever.  

Here’s hoping the Volusia County Council will heed the will of the people, respect the letter and spirit of Volusia Forever, and place a charter amendment on this year’s ballot requiring a vote of We, The Little People – those who paid for the properties and expect them to be protected in perpetuity – before conservation lands can be sold, removed, or degraded by a manipulated “supermajority” vote of the council the next time developers stack the deck…    

I know you rarely hear this from “Barker the Bitcher,” but absent a brief bout of bilious nausea caused by Councilmen Troy Kent and David Santiago’s shameless politicking from the dais during their closing comments, it was a surprisingly good meeting. 

While I didn’t agree with everything they “accomplished” (and kept waiting for the wheel to come off the cart as Chairman Jeff Brower droned on about God knows what before mercifully adjourning the festivities) it was a rare example of a (relatively) painless and productive public meeting.

For instance, in approving the consent agenda, the VCC allocated $477,113.08 to “update” antiquated audio/video capabilities in the council chamber. 

About time…

For years, what passes for a meeting of the Volusia County Council has sounded like it was being broadcast from the dark side of the moon – transmitted between rusty tomato cans connected with taut waxed twine – as our ‘powers that be’ conduct what passes for the “people’s business” and us rubes who pay the bills put in our ear trumpets and lean closer to our choppy YouTube feed. 

I’ve heard clearer communications transmitted in chirps and squeaks from space probes in the Kuiper Belt…

While things have gotten slightly more comprehensible in recent years; historically, the sound quality, unreliability, and physical manipulation required to remain marginally connected to these staged bimonthly hootenanny’s sucks.

Am I wrong?

Kudos to the Volusia County Council for bringing communications with their long-suffering constituents into the 21^st Century… 

The Lost City of Deltona: A Community in Flames

I’m frequently asked why I rarely write about the conflagration that is the Lost City of Deltona anymore, and the reason is simple: I take no pleasure in kicking a horribly crippled and self-destructing municipal government now that it is hopelessly beyond repair.

In my dim view, there is no hope of saving Deltona in its present form and configuration.

Well-meaning people send me the latest ugliness coming out of Volusia County’s largest city by population – a toxic kakistocracy “governed” by an elected body that, in my view, should be uniformly purged from the dais and prosecuted by Gov. Ron DeSantis for gross malfeasance and abject stupidity – that includes the oafish cartoon character of a mayor that I believe represents the worst of the worst in local governance.  

In my view, Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr is a shameless political poseur with a history of shady self-promotion who relies on a public paycheck to feed his family absent any visible means of support. 

That’s dangerous, because he’s desperate.

By any metric, Mayor Avila is a political vagrant who survives by promoting the whims and wants of those special interests willing to fund his feeble political ambitions, a disreputable hack who exploits a vulnerable community and uses public funds as his personal piggybank – much like a parasitic leech who survives off the blood of its host.

This week, Councilwoman Dori Howington, a mawkish political amateur whose redeeming quality is she fought valiantly against unchecked development in Deltona (to no avail) had something of a psychological meltdown during a shambolic public meeting. 

It was a godawful sideshow that saw Howington removed/resigned as Deltona’s representative to Team Volusia’s executive board (that “good old boys travel club” that is perhaps the biggest corporate welfare shim-sham ever to infect Volusia County governance). 

During the meeting, that disastrous cabal of half-brights that now control the Lost City of Deltona insinuated that Councilwoman Howington’s employment as Chief Financial Officer with the Volusia County Clerk of the Court may be a conflict of interest.

Why? Because the Clerk has ancillary dealings with the City of Deltona (and every other municipality in Volusia County).

Bullshit.

This week, an off-the-dais City Hall dust-up between Councilwoman Howington and Councilwoman Emma Santiago – whose husband, Volusia County Councilman David “No Show” Santiago (another perennial scrounger whose only viable income appears to be based on political connections) who fancies himself a behind-the-scenes puppeteer of Deltona politics – dissolved into the latest shitstorm to befall the long-suffering community. 

According to a report in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Deltona Commissioner Emma Santiago is seeking criminal charges against fellow Commissioner Dori Howington, alleging that Howington threatened her and touched her without her consent at City Hall.

The tension began at a Deltona City Commission meeting on May 4, according to the report filed with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.

During an audit presentation, Santiago raised concerns about Howington’s employment with the Volusia County Clerk of Court and asked whether the city should get an opinion on a potential conflict of interest.”

According to the report, Ms. Santiago’s complaint has been forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office for review.  In typical form, Volusia County Councilman Santiago saw reason to weigh in, huffing-and-puffing that Howington should resign.  From someone who routinely attacks citizens and civic volunteers who disagree with his self-serving antics, I find that rich…

I wonder why they want Howington gone?   

Is it because she championed a lawsuit challenging Florida’s SB 180 that preempted local control of development regulations and granted Mr. Santiago’s benefactors in the development industry carte blanch to build when, where, and what they want?

Or because she won’t get along and go along with the status quo?

I’m asking.  

If you live and pay taxes in the City of Deltona, you should too – then follow the money…    

Quote of the Week

“Local transportation engineer Maryam Ghyabi White, CEO of Ghyabi Consulting and Management, said the project has been years in the making and is critical for the region’s continued growth.

“This project has been a long time coming,” Ghyabi White said.

She said the improvements will help address traffic concerns while supporting residents, businesses and visitors traveling through the area.

“The initiative reflects a focused effort to improve connectivity, reduce congestion and support the needs of growing communities,” she said.

Ghyabi White added that without the accelerated funding approach, the project likely would have remained years away from construction.

State leaders say the broader initiative represents a significant investment in Florida’s transportation system, targeting key bottlenecks across the state.

For Volusia County, officials say the I-95 and U.S. 1 interchange reconstruction project represents a major step toward improving one of the region’s most heavily traveled corridors and preparing for continued population growth.”

–Reporter Rich Carroll writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “DeSantis visits Ormond Beach to announce I-95 and U.S. 1 interchange project,” Friday, May 1, 2026

Our areas preeminent transportation engineer (and all-around good egg) Maryam Ghyabi White and I are the most unlikely of friends – we shouldn’t agree on anything, but I always come away vastly more enlightened on the issues of the day whenever we have a chance to talk.

She truly cares about transportation infrastructure and its importance to public safety and our quality of life.

By any metric, Maryam is infinitely smarter than I am – and much better connected in Tallahassee and beyond – which means, like the old E. F. Hutton ad implored, when she speaks, I listen.  

I know how hard she has worked to see the I-95/U.S.1 interchange in Ormond Beach, and other long neglected local transportation infrastructure improvements, become a reality in our fast-growing region.

That said, I could do without the Florida Department of Transportation’s disingenuous hype and spin that erodes the public’s trust in the process.     

Last week, many of our local political “movers & shakers” donned their finery and gathered with Gov. Ron DeSantis near the most dilapidated interchange in Florida as he announced the launch of a much-anticipated reconstruction project that has languished for decades.

For years, area residents have been forced to accept the decrepit appearance of the wholly inadequate span – one of the oldest interchanges in the Florida highway system – which has stood as a repellant gateway to Ormond Beach’s largest commercial corridor.   

As a result, it became another monument to mediocrity – a shining example of how infrastructure and concurrency have been considered an afterthought by local and state officials – during this period of unprecedented growth.

A key component of any political dog-and-pony-show is a fabricated whopper – a contrived spin that allows senior officials to take credit for something/anything that can be couched as a positive after the bureaucratically laborious (and insanely expensive) process of prioritizing, engineering, and funding public infrastructure projects. 

Last week’s scripted announcement by Gov. DeSantis at Destination Daytona was no different.

After decades of waiting, in September 2023, some FDOT mouthpiece in Tallahassee swagged a wild-ass guess and arbitrarily pulled a date out of their backside, then announced construction of the interchange was set to begin in “Fall 2027.” 

At the time, then Ormond Beach Mayor (now the District 28 representative in the Florida House) Bill Partington said the obvious: “That intersection has failed at a mind-boggling level on a daily basis,” he added. “For the last few years, there have been a number of deaths and serious traffic accidents.” 

Even though the interchange was repeatedly identified as “antiquated” by senior FDOT officials – and universally seen as an eyesore by area residents and business owners – no one in state government seemed interested in expediting the project as years drug into decades.

“Mind-boggling” indeed.

Thank God for the astonishing power of an election year…

Now that Gov. DeSantis is nearing the end of his term and turning his eye to what comes next, we’re told he is using something called “accelerated funding” to start the project a year ahead of schedule.    

Great.  Whatever it takes…  

Given the fact that area residents have been forced to accept the shabby landscaping and run-down appearance of the now dangerously outdated span – an overgrown blot on the landscape that has kept much of north US-1 a blighted wasteland – as far as I’m concerned, FDOT and Gov. DeSantis can couch it anyway they want. 

Look, I don’t care who takes credit for the reconstruction of the US-1/I-95 interchange, let’s just hope FDOT moves swiftly to ensure the “3-4 year completion estimate” (read: 5-6 years and millions in subsequent “budget modifications”) is anywhere close to accurate. 

The City of Ormond Beach has deserved better for a long, long time…

And Another Thing!

“For the good of the city, for the restoration of public trust and for the stability of this council, I’m asking you to reconsider and step down from your position,” Knight said.”

–Orange City At-Large Council Member Dana Knight, speaking to Mayor Kellianne Marks, as quoted by reporter Robin Mimna writing in the West Volusia Beacon, “Orange City mayor faces renewed calls to resign after tense council meeting,” Wednesday, April 29, 2026

During last week’s Orange City Council meeting, Councilmember Dana Knight reiterated what many residents of her beleaguered community have been openly shouting for months – it is time for Kellianne “My Name is Mayor!” Marks to resign.

Following Ms. Knight’s remarks, a clearly overwrought District 3 Councilmember Dawn Tiamson added to the tragicomedy by reading from a melodramatic memorandum announcing she is withdrawing her candidacy for re-election.

According to the Beacon’s report, “In the memo, dated April 28, Tiamson cited concerns about “the conduct and operational dynamics of both staff and council,” writing that current conditions fall short of “the standards of professionalism, accountability, and effective governance” expected by residents.

“I will not associate my candidacy with an environment that does not support those principles,” Tiamson wrote.”

In light of the constant churn and roil that has gripped the community, in my view, Mayor Marks should follow suit and step aside.  

It’s time.

The tension that shrouds Orange City like a shit-fog is a direct result of the embroglio started by Mayor Marks last December when – in a petty pique of personal embarrassment and hubristic arrogance – she demanded an “emergency” city council meeting in order to fire City Clerk Kaley Burleson. 

That didn’t work out quite as Mayor Marks expected…

As a result, many in the small West Volusia community have continued to call for the mayor’s resignation during subsequent public meetings. 

It seems each council meeting, after first receiving a brusque “blanket first warning” from Mayor Marks – an off-putting monologue letting citizens know they will be removed should they breech her subjective notion of “decorum” – concerned residents dutifully approach their elected officials to demand an independent investigation and ask that Mayor Marks’ show some dignity and leave.   

When emotions get high and citizens react from the gallery, Mayor Marks goes off on a gavel slamming power trip, and the entire affair devolves into a theater of the absurd.

As a veteran voyeur of local civic affairs, I have found that megalomania is common in politics.  In my view, Ms. Marks’ gross hypocrisy, vindictiveness, and willingness to destroy others in order to deflect blame marks the nadir of that particular political personality disorder…

As a result, Mayor Marks’ reign has become a farcical sideshow – a source of division and controversy – as evidenced by her reference to engaged constituents as “riff-raff,” flippant dismissal of legitimate citizen concerns as a “witch hunt,” and increasingly bizarre behavior, like engaging an 11-year-old boy to defend her at the podium during a public meeting.

In my view, it is time for Mayor Marks to overcome her pathological persecution complex and awake to the sobering realization that she alone is responsible for this ongoing distraction. 

The good citizens of Orange City have every right to feel anger and disappointment, and to seek the removal of Mayor Marks as they work to restore dignity to the dais and public confidence in their municipal government.

That’s all for me.  Welcome to Rockville, y’all!

Hi, kids!

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

The Debacle at Daytona: Crossing the Rubicon

Primum non nocere

–The Golden Axiom of Chomal

One of the first lessons new medical professionals are taught is the honored concept of First, do no harm.  A precept often expressed as “given an existing problem, it may be better not to do something, or even to do nothing, than to risk causing more harm than good.”

In my view, that maxim should hold true for anyone in a profession that requires strict adherence to a strong moral code, and I cannot think of any pursuit worth doing that doesn’t incorporate guiding principles and values that shape ethical behavior in its practitioners.  

That is especially true for those who accept public funds and serve in the public interest.

My heart sank last week when the latest chapter in the Debacle at Daytona unfolded – first reported by the intrepid WFTV-9 investigative reporter Demie Johnson – regarding what many see as the retaliatory termination of Battalion Chief Andre Chaney, a 26-year veteran of the Daytona Beach Fire Department who was recently identified as a confidential whistleblower who has been assisting Internal Auditor Abinet Belachew in his inquiry into questionable spending practices in the fire department.   

Shockingly, Chaney was summarily terminated when he missed a “mandatory meeting” last month…  

  

As I understand it, Chaney believed he had received prior approval to skip the meeting in order to take his son to a doctor’s appointment. 

When the situation changed and he no longer had a family obligation, rather than attend the meeting, Cheney chose to teach at his part time job at Daytona State College’s fire training academy instead.

That apparently prompted a no-stone-unturned internal investigation that rivaled the Lindbergh case…  

According to reports, Deputy City Manager/Fire Chief Dru Driscoll believed the investigation proved Cheney lied about missing the meeting and he fired him for it. 

For his part, Chaney said he received a text message from a deputy chief before the meeting answering “Okay” to his request to be excused.  In my view, the deputy chief’s affirmative response could clearly be mistaken as approval – although the sender said he was merely acknowledging Chaney’s text.     

According to a report by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week, “On April 17, the same day Driscoll and Matthews received their subpoenas from the state attorney general’s office, Chaney was given a written notice of intent to terminate his employment with the fire department.”

I find that troubling.

In my experience, absent serious progressive discipline, what may well have been a miscommunication between Chaney and a superior is hardly a terminable offense for a highly trained and experienced 26-year veteran. Especially one who has been providing substantial assistance to the city’s auditor as a documented confidential whistleblower…   

In my view, given the questionable circumstances – and the potential legal ramifications/financial exposure under state and federal whistleblower and witness protections – Chaney’s abrupt termination unavoidably smacks of the vengeful and self-protective elimination of a whistleblower.  

According to Demie Johnson’s report:

“City Auditor Abinet Belachew confirmed that Chaney is a whistleblower who supplied him documents for his investigation. In a lengthy public records request, Fire Chief Dru Driscoll asks Belachew for all documents, call logs, voicemails, texts, and online submission forms for his audit.

Driscoll also asks for:

“A list of all employees of the city of Daytona beach who have reported claims or allegations to the city auditor and a list of all employees who have been granted whistleblower status.”

Belachew reminds the city clerk that “there are ongoing criminal investigations.”

Belachew then gets an email from city attorney Ben Gross citing public records laws. Gross said

“Should you continue to maintain your position that all audit workpapers and notes remain confidential… I will be obliged to present this issue to the city commission.”

Belachew eventually turns over his material, and Chaney is sent a notice of termination the next week.”

Increasingly concerned residents recently learned that a statewide prosecutor issued subpoenas to Deputy City Manager/Fire Chief Dru Driscoll and Deputy Fire Chief Jessica Matthews related to the findings of a recent “P-card” audit in the department.  The subpoenas were signed by Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Richard Mantei, who earlier this year was appointed to lead Florida’s Public Corruption Unit by Attorney General James Uthmeier. 

Although it is no indication of their involvement in unlawful activity, the subpoenas compelled Driscoll and Matthews to appear earlier this week before an assistant statewide prosecutor and provide a sworn statement and other materials related to a “lawful investigation.”

To his credit, Mr. Belachew cited active criminal investigations for his reluctance to reveal the names of confidential whistleblowers to the fire department’s command staff and city administrators.  Rightfully, Belachew cited the logical, necessary, and statutory exception to Florida’s public records law which protects the integrity of criminal investigations – and the names of confidential sources – from public disclosure. 

According to a follow-up report by WFTV, “In one email, Gross warned Belachew that refusing to release investigative work could lead to criminal consequences.”

Something tells me city attorney Gross either knew, or should have known, about the statutory exception before he threatened “criminal consequences.”

The law works both ways…

In my view, Mr. Gross made a terrible error in judgement by forcing the identification of confidential sources assisting the city auditor in ferreting out possible waste, fraud, and abuse in the fire department and elsewhere.

Given the extraordinary scrutiny and resultant speculation, exposing whistleblowers to adverse employment action or worse represents the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.  A vivid demarcation from honest mistakes, oversights, and policy failures to credible questions of something more sinister…     

In most council/manager forms of government, the latter has sole responsibility for hiring and firing decisions.  While department heads can recommend employees for termination, the separation comes under the signature and authority of the manager, and never without permitting the employee adequate due process under the law. 

In fact, the road to hell is paved with the smoldering careers of feckless public administrators who engaged in retaliatory terminations without first consulting a competent and objective labor attorney… 

The disturbing firing of an identified whistleblower represents an escalation – a point of no return – for beleaguered City Manager Deric Feacher, his deputy, Dru Driscoll, and city attorney Gross, who are forever tainted with the stench of reprisal, revenge, and coverup while the city is under an apparent criminal investigation.

In a follow-up report by Central Florida News 13 this week, Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry said, “We are committed to cooperating fully with the legal process. I remain committed to transparency in all city matters, and I expect the city manager to hold individuals accountable who have come short of their responsibilities. However, we will not rush to judgement and will always support fairness in our pursuit of accountability.”

Mr. Mayor, did the same concept of fairness apply to Battalion Chief Cheney? 

I’m asking. Because, at best, the circumstances stink, as they say, like rotten mackerel in the moonlight…

According to Ms. Johnson’s report, State Senators Tom Wright and Tom Leek “…both called the situation wrong.”

“Every day it seems more and more information comes to light about how the City of Daytona Beach is being run. This is yet another disappointing example of the city’s failure of leadership. If true, this is wrong and cannot and must not be tolerated. It’s time for a change.”

Senator Tom Leek (R-Ormond Beach)

“It is my opinion that the City of Daytona Beach should be prepared for recourse in light of the fact that the state of Florida has the whistleblower act to protect those that take the courage to step forward when something is going wrong and potentially unlawfully wrong.

Further, the city would be wise to get prepared for additional subpoenas that are anticipated coming shortly.”

Senator Tom A. Wright

Look, it takes a helluva lot for me to agree with Sen. “Terrible” Tommy Wright – but he’s right… 

Florida’s Whistleblower Act protects public and private employees from discharge, suspension, demotion, or reduction in benefits when they report gross mismanagement or violations of law. In addition, there are strict statutory penalties for those who engage in the intentional intimidation of witnesses in criminal matters… 

Those protections ensure that public employees can disclose wrongdoing and expose possible acts of corruption, while promoting transparency and accountability, without fear of losing their jobs or being subject to other adverse actions.

In my view, now the irreparable harm is done, and the city’s internal auditing system will never again have the trust of potential whistleblowers. As City Commissioner Stacy Cantu has previously suggested, this alarming revelation will have a chilling effect on other employees who may fear coming forward.    

It also forces the hand of Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry and City Commissioners who – with the exception of Commissioners Cantu and Quanita May – have been content to politically procrastinate on the issue of City Manager Feacher’s continued fitness amid this raging dumpster fire that is quickly turning into a conflagration engulfing City Hall. 

A Safety Paradox: The Cost of Gross Incompetence in Ormond Beach

Those who are paid to think strategically call it the Safety Paradox – a counterintuitive phenomenon that occurs when efforts to increase safety actually create more dangerous conditions – a situation caused by a number of factors, to include piss-poor planning, “unintended consequences,” and old-fashioned incompetence.

Last week, flabbergasted residents and parishioners of Ormond Beach’s Prince of Peace Catholic Church on busy Nova Road, approached city and county officials to sound the alarm on a dangerous condition resulting from the $5.1 million “redesign” of Hand Avenue.

In short, an ill-thought median will block an entrance to the church, requiring that motorists accessing Prince of Peace make a U-turn on the incredibly congested thoroughfare…   

According to an article by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “The median, which is under construction, blocks the church’s entrance on Hand Avenue to drivers traveling east seeking to make a left-hand turn into Prince of Peace.

“We understand these projects are meant to benefit the broader community,” Prince of Peace Rev. Justin Vakko said. “However … the newly installed median directly in front of our west entrance has created a significant and unintended hardship.”

Look, I’m not a lawyer.  Just another rube wandering the wilderness, but I understand the legal and ethical obligation to act in a way that protects others from foreseeable harm. 

As I understand it, the “reasonable man” standard is a legal benchmark cited in negligence cases to determine whether a defendant breeched their duty of care.  The doctrine asks if a hypothetical ‘everyman’ – a person of reasonable intellect and ordinary “prudence and caution” – would have acted differently in a given situation. 

With that standard in mind, I was shocked to read the response church member John Malafronte – chairman of the church’s facilities committee – received after placing “numerous” calls to make Volusia County officials aware of the situation:

“When we started planning for our new store, we had to solicit input from our neighbors and businesses and hear their concerns,” Malafronte said. “We held open meetings for local residents and then asked the city of Ormond Beach for approval.”

The church wasn’t notified that its eastbound access from Hand Avenue would be impacted until the county placed the barriers for the new median.

After numerous calls to county staff members, Malafronte said he received a call back from County Engineer Tadd Kasbeer, who informed him the change was made for safety — and that those wanting to enter the church’s thrift shop can make a U-turn at the Wellington Station condominiums’ entrance.

“I asked him if there was an appeal process and he said no,” Malafronte said.”

Really?    

In my experience, when a fellow resident points out how a techy senior public official treated them when they pointed out a dangerous oversight – believe it. 

Rather than accept first-hand evidence of the inconvenience and safety hazard posed by forcing motorists to make a U-turn on Hand Avenue, County Engineer Tadd Kasbeer essentially explains “Don’t you understand, we had to make it more dangerous to make it safer!” then refuses a concerned citizen due process when he attempts to protect those who risk our lives transiting Hand Avenue. 

In my view, that’s not simple bureaucratic incompetence – it borders on the legal definition of gross negligence.

I don’t know about you, but I lost all confidence in Tadd Kasbeer when he was tapped to oversee construction of the Tom Stead Veterans Memorial Bridge in Daytona Beach.  The project that turned into an obscene joke, plagued by interminable delays and ham-handed missteps, ultimately taking nearly as long to complete as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

There were nonsensical ADA compliance issues, “superficial” (yet visible) cracks, bickering with contractors, simple misspellings on signage, etc., etc. – a comedy of errors performed by a confederacy of dunces – that would have seen most professional engineers seeking to put as much distance as possible between the problematic project and their future career path as possible.

But not here.

Instead, Mr. Kasbeer has remained firmly ensconced in Volusia County government – responsible for civil engineering during a period of explosive sprawl – unchecked growth that has resulted in widespread development-induced flooding, traffic gridlock, and growing civic claustrophobia as the bulldozers continue to roar…    

Given the almost criminal negligence committed by the Florida Department of Transportation on Granada Boulevard, A-1-A, and beyond – a careless redesign that fundamentally ruined the safe and smooth flow of traffic on increasingly congested Ormond Beach roadways – area residents have every right to up-in-arms over this latest monumental cluster on Hand Avenue. 

Here’s hoping Ormond Beach officials will listen to their concerned constituents and do more than send a tepid “pretty please” letter to Volusia County meekly asking that the Hand Avenue project be reworked by a competent traffic engineer before tragedy ensues…    

Quote of the Week

“Reports indicate the ruins of the Hewitt Sawmill site, built in the 1700s, may have been significantly damaged during the ongoing development of Sawmill Estates. The full extent of that damage remains unclear, but there is still an opportunity to prevent further loss. Ideally, the developer will work with local historians to protect what remains and incorporate the site as a meaningful community asset. Few places can offer residents the opportunity to live alongside and walk through a tangible piece of colonial-era history. This one can.

Local historians, as well as families who have lived here for generations, understand better than most what has already been lost. It is well documented that ITT Corporation bulldozed the remains of St. Joseph’s Plantation near Old Kings Road and Palm Coast Parkway. Once these resources are destroyed, they are gone forever.

Property rights have been a cornerstone of this country since the adoption of the United States Constitution, and they must be respected. But respect for property rights and preservation of history are not mutually exclusive. We can, and should, do both.”

— Flagler County commission District 2 candidate Greg Feldman, as excerpted from his op/ed in the Palm Coast Observer, “My View, Greg Feldman: Growth and heritage can coexist in Flagler County,” Friday, April 24, 2026

I don’t know Mr. Feldman, or anything about his campaign for the Flagler County BOCC, but he does a yeoman’s job threading the needle on the lopsided property rights v. historic preservation argument.

Unfortunately, it appears the “western expansion” of Palm Coast is coming, and there’s not a damn thing anyone can do about it. 

The preservation of our threatened historic sites be damned.  The future is paved with 3/2 wood framed zero-lot-line cracker boxes “from the $300’s…”

Given the way our state legislature has prepared the battlefield, absolutely nothing – certainly not commonsense environmental, archeological, or density regulations – will stand in the way of another 22,000 “dwelling units” and related commercial development, malignant sprawl that will nearly double the population of infrastructure starved Palm Coast over the next thirty-years.

The question, as Pierre Tristam, editor of FlaglerLive.com recently put it is:

“…can we preserve a few natural and historic treasures along the way? Old Brick Road is a national treasure. It is the last remnant of the Dixie Highway built in 1915 between Detroit and Miami. It is almost literally Flagler County’s equivalent of the Appian Way in Italy, the last remnant of a Roman road that, thanks to Roman engineering, endures to this day. Old Brick Road wasn’t built as well. Not even our interstates are built as well as Roman roads were. But close enough. It is being demolished by logging trucks, and the westward expansion risks reducing it to an enclave, starting with a planned highway that would parallel it way too closely and too many planned crossings of the road itself.”

To their credit, the Flagler Board of County Commissioners appears committed to preserving the county owned historic Old Brick Road (to the extent possible) using whatever limited local power hasn’t already been preempted by the state. 

That includes a possible agreement with the City of Palm Coast limiting at-grade crossings by requiring “flyovers,” ensuring adequate environmental buffers, placing limits on destructive utilities excavations, and assurances that the character of the increasingly fragile road and its surroundings will be preserved to the extent possible.   

Time will tell, but don’t hold your breath…

As Mr. Tristam so aptly put it, “Private development should not be subsidized at the expense of public treasures, though heaven knows this one has already been subsidized to the tune of $126 million so far (that state money Paul Renner’s generous cronyism appropriated on behalf of his friends at Rayonier for the “loop road” from Matanzas Woods Parkway to Palm Coast Parkway).”

For the uninitiated, former Speaker of the Florida House and developers shill Paul Renner of Palm Coast is a declared candidate for governor… 

Unfortunately, the evidence is now undeniable: Real estate developers (with the direct assistance of their bought-and-paid-for tools in the Florida legislature) have proven time-and-again they have no qualms destroying everything in their path – environmental, historical, cultural, old growth forests, wildlife habitat, and natural resources – in pursuit of more, more, more sprawl. 

Nothing of our heritage or unique environment is sacred, just something to be exploited.

Unfortunately, that’s nothing new.  

Now that our compromised state legislature has stripped virtually all local regulatory impediments to unchecked growth – and local opportunists like Volusia County Councilman Don Dempsey desperately trying to find a workaround to unambiguous terms like “perpetuity” and “forever” in regard to publicly owned conservation land – the deck is stacked in favor of speculative developers with a chip in the game.

In exchange, the quality of life of existing residents – and the future of our children and grandchildren who will be forced to live with the resultant environmental, historical, and cultural devastation – continues to be sacrificed on the altar of greed. 

I hope “Fun Coast” voters remember that at the ballot box this year.   

And Another Thing!

“Volusia County’s voters will decide on five proposed changes in the county’s home-rule charter later this year.

The 2026 Charter Review Commission [CRC] wrapped up its work April 13, when it issued its final report at its last scheduled meeting at Daytona Beach International Airport.

The charter amendments reported out by the CRC are:

— (1) Changing the method of choosing the county chair from a general election for a four-year term to having the seven-member County Council select one of its members to serve as chair for a one-year term;

— (2) Allowing members of the County Council to be reimbursed for work-related expenses;

— (3) Whether to eliminate now-obsolete language in the charter regarding the constitutional officers elected to serve in the county;

— (4) Whether to eliminate other outdated language now in the charter regarding the personnel and requiring a merit system for employees of the county government; and

— (5) Whether to establish a registry of county conservation lands and to provide for the addition or removal of such properties from the registry.”

–Reporter Al Everson, writing in the West Volusia Beacon, “Blue-ribbon panel OKs ballot measures for county charter,” Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Welp, there you have it, folks…  

By monarchical edict of the Volusia County Council, We, The Little People have been specifically prohibited from voting to protect our drinking water and limit future development by prohibiting “toilet to tap” – the practice of introducing treated sewage into our potable water supply – but a charter amendment to “reimburse them for work-related expenses” is a civic priority?    

Bullshit.

After months of deliberation – and many suggestions from concerned residents – at the end of the day, these lukewarm charter amendments (and a few equally tepid “policy recommendations”) represents the work product of Volusia’s “Blue Ribbon” 2026 Charter Review Commission. 

When you remove the housekeeping measures, these bureaucratically neutered ballot questions are essentially limited to removing We, The Little People’s ability to elect our County Chair, paying elected officials for “work-related” expenses (what the hell are their current county paychecks for?), and what appears to be a backhanded means for the VCC to offload conservation properties that we were promised would be held in “perpetuity” i.e., forever…   

According to the Beacon’s report, “Amendment 5 would create a registry of “conservation lands owned by the County of Volusia.”

The properties yet to be placed on the registry may not be added to the registry, sold or transferred unless the County Council approves such transactions with a supermajority vote, meaning a majority vote of its members plus one. Thus, with a seven-member council, a minimum of five members must vote in favor of the deal.

The conservation registry comes amid debate about the duration of terms like “in perpetuity” and “forever.”

Wait, do they mean the protections afforded by a “supermajority” of Volusia’s stagnant “Old Guard”? 

How many 6-1 votes has Chairman Jeff Brower found himself on the losing end over the past six-years anytime he tried to defend what remains of our environment, water quality, and greenspace?   

Whatever.

In addition, Amendment 2 would “remove charter limitations regarding reimbursement of work-related expenses incurred by County Council members. As matters now stand, council members receive salaries that are supposed to be “full compensation for all services and in-county expenses.”

As of 2025, the Volusia County Chair received $67,394.40 while individual council members command $56,162.00 in annual compensation.

For what?

This isn’t the first time this ludicrous notion of increasing the take for elected officials has come up. 

In 2020, that iteration of the Volusia County Council saw the handwriting on the wall and voted 4-3 to remove a ridiculous ballot question that would have drastically increased council salaries at a time when residents were out-of-work and losing their businesses due to the pandemic.

In my view, we should not pay council members anything beyond reasonable reimbursement for documented out-of-pocket expenses specifically related to county business that cannot be conducted during monthly meetings or workshops. 

That would exclude galas, “grip-n-grins,” political travel, what passes for “debates,” hobnobs, ass-kissing contests, and any other backslapping soiree staged for their own shameless self-promotion. 

Let’s make them whole.  Period.

Lucrative allowances for day-to-day “expenses” can quickly become something different when the public purse becomes their private piggybank.

In my view, if we’re going to continue pissing away good money paying salaries to elected officials (who are far more indebted to those special interests who stuff their campaign war chests), I suggest that the Volusia County Council consider a charter amendment setting attendance regulations. 

That includes establishing written procedures for approving authorized absences from council meetings, workshops, and ancillary committee assignments, such as the River to Sea Transportation Organization.

You know, rules that apply to anyone who receives public compensation to perform a service.

That’s fair to everyone.  For a change.

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 news and newsmakers of the day who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life or detracted from it in some significant way:

Leadership in Crisis: Questions Continue to Mount in Daytona Beach

“Decision making is easy when your values are clear.”

–Roy Disney  

There are a variety of reasons why the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker get involved in local politics.  That “fire in the belly” that spurs a call to civic duty, a means of advocating for one’s neighborhood, or the leverage to settle a score.  Others just need the paycheck or crave the inherent name recognition as a means of promoting themselves or their small business.

Some candidates are drafted by party bosses, identified as useful tools to further the needs of special interests.

In those cases, brains and leadership rarely play into it… 

Most of the time, local elected bodies administrate the mundane minutia of government, approving allocations required to sustain essential services, setting policy, legislating ordinances, approving zoning changes, holding required public hearings, cutting ribbons, presenting proclamations, rubber stamping the annual budget, etc.

Most of those elected to public office don’t have a clue what any of it means.  Fumbling over an agenda package stuffed with weird acronyms, purposely written in bureaucratese, issues framed in a way they cannot possibly understand – hoping to ‘fake it till they make it’ – amid the constant carping and criticism of cantankerous crackpots like me…    

Typically, local elected bodies have two direct reports – the city/county manager and the city/county attorney – both of whom know the stakes of the game.   

Unfortunately, when the wheel comes off the cart (and eventually it will), that’s when taxpayers look to their elected representative for strong leadership, guidance, and governance.  During times of crisis, We, The Little People expect our elected officials to make good on their campaign promises, demonstrate the character and stewardship we voted for, and take swift and decisive action to right the ship during turbulent times.

That’s when beleaguered elected officials look to the manager and attorney for answers.  When sound solutions aren’t forthcoming, that can be a real problem…    

It’s no secret that the City of Daytona Beach is in serious trouble.  A burgeoning crisis with the potential for long-term ramifications for this challenged community.     

The fact is, the city has been embroiled in a multifaceted mess for the past two-years – a real quagmire that has resulted in internal and external financial audits, scathing criticism from state lawmakers, dissention among city commissioners, and mounting evidence of fiscal mismanagement supported by inside whistleblowers.

A deteriorating situation now compounded with reports that two members of the Fire Department’s command staff have been issued subpoenas by state investigators – lending credence to suggestions that the recent audit of city purchasing cards may have triggered an active criminal investigation. 

That includes rumors that a ranking member of Florida Attorney General James Uthmeir’s recently formed Public Corruption Unit was seen at Daytona Beach City Hall in recent weeks…

In a report by WFTV-9 investigative reporter Demie Johnson – who broke the story of possible financial irregularities last year – a quote by Senator Tom Wright fueled the speculation, “I have heard that criminal charges are a possibility, and in that case I intend to offer full cooperation and I would encourage everyone involved to do the same.”

Adding to the confusion (and rampant speculation), in the same report, Daytona Beach City Manager Deric Feacher claimed he was unaware of any investigation, “I am not aware of any active criminal investigations related to the audit findings. If any are initiated, I am confident they will be handled appropriately, professionally and without delay. Our administration remains committed to addressing the audit findings directly and maintaining the highest standards of transparency and accountability.”

Last week, concerned residents watched as the Daytona Beach City Commission decided to table a vote on renewing City Manager Feacher’s contract until next month.  During the meeting, Commissioner Stacy Cantu – who has been critical of the city’s administration and fiscal management – rightfully sought a comprehensive evaluation of Mr. Feacher’s performance before deciding whether or not to continue his five-year contract which expires May 31.

According to a report by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week:

“Cantu argued that since commissioners are about to each formally evaluate Feacher, it makes much more sense to decide whether to keep him on as city manager after those written evaluations have been completed and discussed.

City Commissioner Paula Reed said it would be enough just to talk about Feacher’s accomplishments and time as Daytona’s city manager. Feacher had employees in the city’s various departments submit reports on what has been achieved on Feacher’s watch, and commissioners could have considered that, Reed maintained.

But the mayor and two other city commissioners agreed with Cantu, which shut down the three commissioners who wanted to vote on the manager’s contract renewal before they walked out of City Hall for the night.” 

For reasons known only to them, Reed, Commissioner Ken Strickland, and Commissioner Dannette Henry wanted to vote on Feacher’s contract at last week’s meeting without any formal evaluation to guide them. Something many saw as an attempt to secure Feacher’s position despite the raging controversy that is rapidly consuming Daytona Beach City Hall.

Mayor Derrick Henry (who has an uncanny clairvoyance for sensing the political ramifications of any situation) swapped allegiance (for the moment) and astutely voted in support of Commissioner Cantu’s effort to table the matter until next month.

According to the News-Journal’s report, “(Commissioner) May said she has heard “strong concerns about the way the city is being run.” Cantu said she has as well.

Henry said he’s heard “a remarkable number of opinions” both critical of the city’s management over the past 6-12 months, and concerned that the city manager is “under persistent assault.”

In my experience, the role of city manager is a hard dollar, akin to a plate spinner precariously perched on the three-legged stool of a politically incendiary elected body, the myriad moving parts and personalities of a functional local government, and the citizens who pay the bills and expect to have an active role in determining how those dollars are spent.

That inherent instability is why the position typically pays far in excess of the median income of the community they serve – in Mr. Feacher’s case nearly $300,000 annually plus perquisites – along with a lucrative “Golden Parachute” to soften the fall when the inevitable happens… 

As a professional manager, I suspect Mr. Feacher understands the dynamics. 

The longer the Daytona Beach City Commission permits this multifaceted boil to fester, the more chance for it to systemically infect the rest of the body.  That’s when focus switches from an appointed itinerant administrator who understands the volatility of his role, to the longevity of elected representatives who are politically responsible to their angry neighbors.  

Something tells me things are about to get interesting…

First Step Shelter:  New Leadership – New Beginnings?

The First Step Shelter’s Executive Director Victoria Fahlberg abruptly resigned last week, a move that apparently blindsided the board of directors and threatened to leave the shelter rudderless, leaving citizens who foot the bulk of the bill speculating on the reasons for her departure amid larger concerns at Daytona Beach City Hall.   

In the aftermath, First Step board member and self-anointed mouthpiece Mike Panaggio was quick to point out on social media that Fahlberg is “retiring not quitting,” weird semantics which tend to contradict her ambivalent explanation in The Daytona Beach News-Journal that “I have some other options,” Fahlberg said. “I am talking to some people.”

Whatever.

In my view, Fahlberg’s departure mimicked much of her tenure – leaving more questions than answers…

When I learned that Fahlberg will be staying on until her replacement is seated, I thought that was the perfect opportunity for Daytona Beach officials to put Internal Auditor Abinet Belachew to work ensuring financial accountability – and the public’s trust – before she departs the building.  

Per usual, the always prickly Panaggio took exception to my valid suggestion (a best practice in most public and private organizations during a leadership transition), accusing me of “…looking for something negative.”

“As for oversight, the organization is audited annually, and governance is handled by a full board, not any single individual. The structure is exactly what it should be.

If you have constructive ideas that improve outcomes, bring them forward. If not, repeating vague criticisms does nothing to help the people you claim to care about.”

Welp.  There you have it – nothing to see here, folks!  Everything’s great over at First Step! 

How do we know that?  Because Mike Panaggio said so… 

Look, I’m an uneducated rube – a provincial bumpkin, devoid of any formal education, degrees, or academic credentials – a hillbilly Diogenes with a Mittyesque imagination, always tilting at windmills, real and perceived.

That said, something that has never sat well with me is that the First Step Shelter’s website states, “Dr. Fahlberg has a PhD in Clinical Psychology and a Master of Public Health in Population and International Health from Harvard.”

That’s sorta accurate…I guess.

According to her LinkedIn curriculum vitae, Fahlberg says she holds a “Doctor of Philosophy, Psychology,” from the now defunct Union Institute and University of Cincinnati, Ohio, which went bankrupt last year and lost its accreditation after failing to pay employees and disperse federal student loan refunds. 

So, why isn’t Union Institute and University mentioned on the First Step Shelter’s “About Us” page?

I’m asking.

Because, in my view, the unfortunate wording of Dr. Fahlberg’s First Step bio leaves anyone visiting the site to speculate if this represents a grammatical error – or an intentional omission to add Harvard’s “Ivy League” imprimatur to her Doctorate?

I was reminded of Dr. Fahlberg’s credentials earlier this week when I learned that she has convinced the flummoxed FSS oversight board that she is the only one in the organization who can perform her role.  As a result, the majority of board members voted on a cockamamie plan that extends Fahlberg’s tenure beyond her May 10 resignation. 

What well-educated person operates a tax supported program without a sound continuity of operations plan? And what oversight board doesn’t demand one?

Apparently, the agreement allows her a one-week unpaid vacation – then picks up with a four-week renewable contract that would hike Fahlberg’s pay from the current $69 and hour to a whopping $125 an hour – nearly DOUBLE her current salary until a replacement can be found.

You read that right. 

To his credit, board member and Ormond Beach Mayor Jason Leslie was the lone “No” vote to protect Volusia County taxpayers from this latest abuse of public funds at First Step Shelter, claiming he didn’t like the fact “Victoria has all the leverage.”

He’s right.  

So much for Mr. Panaggio’s perfect organizational structure that allows the executive director to hold the board over a barrel because she alone knows how to administrate the facility and program, eh?   

Something stinks at First Step…

As a Volusia County taxpayer, I’d feel much better if Mr. Belachew had the opportunity to have a look under the hood – conduct a comprehensive audit of spending, purchasing policies, and interview employees regarding actual fiscal management practices to guarantee accountability – especially in light of the fact that whistleblower lawsuits are still pending against the First Step Shelter.

Here are some “constructive ideas to improve outcomes” for Mr. Panaggio to consider: 

The departure of Victoria Fahlberg is the perfect opportunity to completely overhaul the management and oversight at First Step Shelter, and a chance to evaluate its role, practicality, and value going forward. 

That should include the fresh vision of a new board of directors – along with a comprehensive review to determine if the current program is meeting the needs of homeless persons – and the changing requirements of Volusia County municipalities – who continue to face the entrenched (and very visible) problem of homelessness and open vagrancy in a struggling tourist destination.    

When a Politician Tells You Who They Are – Believe Them  

“There were some organizations within the arts community that were promoting trans shows and some of these programs that weren’t appropriate use of tax dollars,” Robins said. “And I refuse to support and promote a well-known mental health issue — not with what we have going on now and not never.”

–District 3 Volusia County Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins, as quoted by The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Volusia Pride criticizes councilman over ‘mental health’ comment,” Friday, April 17, 2026

Admittedly, I’m an unrepentant sinner and a congenital asshole.

I just assume other people have the same self-awareness to recognize and admit their own shortcomings.  Perhaps that’s why I am frequently disillusioned, especially by those egocentric self-promoters who hold themselves out for high office for all the wrong reasons…   

For instance, if you’re shocked that a sitting elected official allegedly “representing” Southeast Volusia is a homophobic nob, don’t be. 

This isn’t the first time Danny “Gaslight” Robins has exposed himself for what he is (and isn’t) or used this polarizing trope to influence bad public policy and play to the worst instincts of his crumbling base. 

What should anger you more is that Councilman Robins routinely plays fast and loose with the truth…     

Last year, Danny’s whaleshit tactics came into full view when – after initially approving the allocation of annual cultural grant funding – the Volusia County Council staged one of its flamboyant melodramas as Councilman Robins effectively killed artistic and cultural pursuits in Volusia County by callously pulling the rug out from under thirty-two local nonprofit organizations at the eleventh-hour.

Why?

Because Councilman Robins saw an opportunity for shameless self-promotion when he clutched his pearls and priggishly carped that the tiny Shoestring Theater, a Lake Helen playhouse that has served Volusia County for 75-years – allowed a privately funded “Volusia Pride Pageant” – while the iconic 103-year-old Athens Theater in DeLand permitted an outside group to rent the venue to screen an adult only production of the “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which included a “drag show” before the movie.

What Mr. Robins failed to mention was that both venues were rented by outside entities – privately funded – and no tax dollars or grant funds were used to produce or promote the events.  To my knowledge, not one person was shanghaied off the street by drag queens and forced to watch either production… 

However, in practiced fashion, when the facts are inconvenient to Mr. Robins’ narrative, he simply ignores them, and repeated his baldfaced lie for effect at a campaign event last week.

This wasn’t ‘institutional wokeness,’ as Robins has portrayed – it was two long-established nonprofit organizations who tried to live up to their obligation for self-sustainability by renting space to a private entity – then were publicly flogged because the productions didn’t appeal to Mr. Robins politically expedient taste.    

In March, the VCC voted 5-2 (with Robins and Councilman Troy Kent voting against) to release $572,000 to make good on the previously approved grants, partially fulfilling their broken promise to countywide arts and cultural organizations that sponsor fairs, art festivals, galleries, and theater productions that enhance our quality of life and add millions of dollars to our regional economy annually.

Not anymore. 

By majority vote, the Volusia County Council discontinued all future funding, essentially turning the “Fun Coast” into a cultural wasteland, all because Volusia Pride rented a theater that applied to a county grant solicitation.

At the end of the day, “Gaslight” Robins’ cheap political parlor trick prevailed – and everyone else in Volusia County lost.  

In my view, Danny Robins represents everything wrong with Volusia County’s warped version of “governance.”  A political whore who long-ago sold his political soul to those special interests who fund his ambitions (and work him like a finger-puppet), while callously ignoring the needs, wants, and quality of life of his constituents.

When candidates show you who (and what) they are: Believe them.

With so many quality candidates challenging the stagnant status quo this election season, I hope you will use the power of the ballot box to help send Danny “Gaslight” Robins, and his compromised confederates on the Volusia County Council of Cowards, to the political ash heap while there is still something left to protect.  

Quote of the Week

“Palm Coast and Flagler County officials live here. They hear from residents every day. They understand our unique coastal challenges, our growth patterns, and our desire for balanced, responsible development. Local control means faster permitting for projects that make sense here, smarter zoning that protects neighborhoods, and policies shaped by the people who will actually live with the results.

This is the Reagan form of government — the philosophy that built America’s postwar prosperity. Ronald Reagan reminded us that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” He believed in getting Washington — and by extension, any distant capital — out of the way so that free people, free markets, and local leaders could solve problems closest to them. Reagan trusted communities, not centralized power. Tallahassee should do the same.”

–Palm Coast Vice Mayor and candidate for Flagler County Commission Theresa Pontieri, as excerpted from her op/ed in the Palm Coast Observer, “My View, Theresa Pontieri: Keep housing decisions local — let the free market work,” Monday, April 20, 2026

I rarely agree with Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri and her “colleagues” on the Palm Coast City Council, but she makes a critical point – local government matters. 

The concept of representation and accountability – residents elected by, and accountable to, their neighbors – establishing public policies to address shared needs, ensuring adequate public infrastructure, providing tailored essential services, and safeguarding the unique character of their community by adopting responsible growth management strategies.

Local governments reduce barriers to government services, focus on neighborhood needs, and (in most cases) provide accessibility and encourage public participation in the process. 

That’s not the case in Tallahassee and beyond.

For various reasons (read: money) our state legislators have set about preempting local control of everything from rural and environmental protections, development regulations, to water quality – essentially tying the hands of city and county governments – in favor of handing their political benefactors in the development industry carte blanche to build when, where, and what they want.

When the session is over and the damage is done, they saunter home from Tallahassee – their campaign war chests groaning with newfound corporate contributions – ingratiating themselves on social media, and expect We, The Little People to welcome them “home” (and cast our ballots to reelect their compromised ass) as though nothing happened… 

Bullshit.  

In my view, the City of Palm Coast isn’t exactly the poster child for responsible growth – in fact, for decades, the municipal ‘powers that be’ have allowed themselves to be bullied, bought, and coerced by industry forces to the point growth has far outpaced current infrastructure.   

Inconceivably, existing residents are now facing the specter of a “westward expansion” that includes plans for some 10,000 new “dwelling units” – malignant growth that will require even more taxes and fees to pay for it all.  

Look, I’ve been around long enough to know that politicians say a lot of things during the election season, but it is refreshing to see a sitting elected official call the intimidation coming out of Tallahassee for what it is. 

(Please find Vice Mayor Pontieri’s recent criticism of Palm Coast’s westward expansion development proposal FlaglerLive.com here: https://tinyurl.com/m8pbdjt3 )

This election season, let’s hope claustrophobic “Fun Coast” residents start asking the tough questions of our state legislative delegation – like, why they act one way in front of voters, then sell themselves to the highest bidder once they are sequestered in the cloistered confines of the Florida State Capitol?  

And Another Thing!

In my view, employers have a moral and ethical responsibility to ensure their employees receive an honest days pay for an honest day’s work.  That includes accurate withholding and IRS reporting to avoid long-term financial implications. 

As the largest employer in the region, Volusia County District Schools has an obligation to its staff to stop the canned excuses and find a technologically sound payroll and benefits system that works as advertised.    

In February, those of us who pay the bills and are expected to keep our pie holes shut or face the wrath of Superintendent Carmen Balgobin, learned that thousands of district employees were the victim of a “technical payroll error” that left some overpaid by thousands of dollars in retroactive pay.

According to a report last week in the Ormond Beach Observer, “The impacted employees included both current and former employees who were due retroactive pay after the recent salary raises.

The technical error caused these employees to receive close to double, and, in some cases, triple the slated amount of retroactive pay.

“It definitely was an eye opener to hear it from the employee perspective,” said Martina Henry, director of ERP and customer success for FOCUS, which works with 10 school districts in the state.”

I’ll bet it was… 

Of course, district leadership placed the blame on the vendor who sold them the system, with Superintendent Balgobin (per usual) pointing to more “misconceptions” that have been foisted on employees, before playing CYA and painting herself the hero:

“Implementing a system like FOCUS, Balgobin said, for any superintendent in the state’s 67 school district, is a “nerve-wracking process.”

“No matter how preventative you are and all of the parameters that you will put in place, there will be issues,” she said. “It’s about the understanding that we create and how we handle when issues arise.”

Whatever that means.

This week we learned that another technical snafu has resulted in errors on the 2025 W-2 tax forms of numerous district employees… 

According to yet another report in the Ormond Beach Observer, “The error was during last year’s payroll system migration from the district’s last enterprise resource planning system; the district has shifted from CrossPointe to Focus, with a full implementation scheduled to be complete by July 1.

“Many of the people who received this letter are teachers, support staff, and district staff who show up every single day for our kids,” Superintendent Carmen Balgobin said in the news release.

“They don’t come to work expecting to deal with a tax problem we created. That weighs on me personally. I acknowledge the responsibility and assure you that corrective actions are being taken promptly. All affected employees will receive comprehensive support throughout this process.”

The report states that affected employees will be made whole, with “free” tax accounting services available through Fix-It Accounting – or a $150 reimbursement should the employee opt to use their own accountant – with the district also agreeing to cover “…any penalties by the IRS and access to Addition Financial for those who need short-term financial help.”

In addition, the district has hired a third-party firm to conduct an audit of the system migration and payroll processes. 

No word on how much the remediation will ultimately cost – or who will pay for it… 

When does it end?

As Superintendent Balgobin admonished while besmirching this blogsite during a recent School Board meeting, “enough is enough.”

Eventually, our elected oversight on the Volusia County School Board will be forced to come to the realization that either the buck stops with the Superintendent – or with them – at the ballot box.  

Despite Balgobin’s patented ability to avoid accountability using blame deflection, finger wagging accusations of “misinformation” and “misconceptions,” and a thin camouflage of arrogant overconfidence, it is time for our elected representatives to stop the reactive management by crisis, change tack, restore stakeholder confidence, and replace this cheap charade with competent leadership going forward.  

That’s all for me.  Have a great Jeep Beach 2026 this weekend, y’all!

Hi, kids!

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

Ormond Beach: Positive Change Begins with Civic Introspection

The undervalued concept of “civic introspection” refers to the process by which community leaders reflect on their values, reinforce a civic culture, identify responsibilities, determine accountability, examine needs, shortfalls, and encourage positive citizen engagement, particularly in response to significant events.

I’m not talking about bureaucratic navel gazing. Rather, a comprehensive review of what works, what doesn’t, and what can be changed organizationally and legislatively to better meet current and emerging challenges.

That’s not as easy as it sounds. 

Especially in the cloistered confines of a government administration building – or the politically-charged pressure cooker of an election year – when incumbents would prefer to keep warts and blemishes away from the light of day.

Last week, Ormond Beach City Commissioner Travis Sargent demonstrated the best qualities of civic self-reflection when he began to question how, when, where, and why his city’s legal staff seeks outside legal counsel. 

Commissioner Sargent’s questions came in the still smoldering aftermath of two development-related lawsuits – the travesty at Tomoka Oaks, which will see 254 homes shoehorned onto the former golf course – and the ongoing push-and-shove with the City of Daytona Beach over utility service to Avalon Park (the future “city within a city” that will fundamentally change both communities forever).

According to a report in the Ormond Beach Observer, “During his closing comments on Tuesday, April 7, City Commissioner Travis Sargent asked staff to look into the city ordinance on legal representation and bring back a consideration to add language concerning the use of lawyers outside of the city’s legal department.

“I’m not trying to take away anything,” Sargent said. “I’m just trying to add to our decision-making process.”

It was painfully apparent that the Tomoka Reserve development consortium’s ultra-sharp land use attorneys simply outpaced the city’s legal apparatus at every turn – publicly beating them like a cheap gong – leaving a battered and bullied Ormond Beach City Attorney Randy Hayes on his heels, with a grim thousand-yard stare, and a discernable trepidation about what the inevitable loss would look like.

It didn’t help that Ormond Beach was fighting with both hands and legs hogtied behind its back as the Florida legislature continues to serve its masters in the development industry, stack the deck, and preempt local growth management regulations…

In late March, the Commission rejected a settlement offer in the Avalon Park case, something many see as an increasingly risky (and expensive) proposition now that the developer and Daytona Beach have marched the matter into federal court.

According to the Observer, “…the commission once again rejected a $2.3 million settlement offer in the ongoing Avalon Park dispute with the developer and the City of Daytona Beach. A suit has now been filed at the federal level, claiming the delay in development caused by the utility dispute (Ormond was designated as the water provider for the land in 2006) has caused Avalon Park a $50 million loss.”

The vote to reject the settlement offer was 4-1, with Sargent casting the lone vote against.

In both cases, the City Attorney’s office engaged the same outside law firm…

In my experience, most local governments have a process whereby the elected body can authorize outside legal counsel and establish limits on compensation.  A commonsense (and fiscally responsible) procedure that puts everyone on the same page, establishes a scope of work, sets expectations and defines the services sought.

For his part, Mayor Jason Leslie said, “We have a lot of decisions to make here sitting on the dais, right, and then some of these other decisions are made outside of our purview here.  Things change. These ordinances that we have, things were probably done differently back then than they are now.”

In my view, it is refreshing in this election year to see Ormond Beach elected officials beginning to think beyond the “That’s the way we’ve always done it” civic myopia that keeps many communities mired in bureaucratic mediocrity.  

It is abundantly clear to anyone watching that it is time for the Ormond Beach City Commission to get their heads in the game – engage in a comprehensive self-examination – and take an active role in decisions that have been abdicated to senior staff for far too long.

Only then can the elected body begin the process of ensuring their constituents are being adequately (and aggressively) represented in matters with potentially catastrophic impacts on the community.   

Volusia’s County: “When First We Practice to Deceive…”

“When in danger or in doubt, run in circles scream and shout!”

–Herman Wouk, The Caine Mutiny

What I witnessed during a March meeting of the Volusia County Council still bugs me.  That weird uneasiness that comes when what we suspect is suddenly revealed – the unspoken said aloud, the glimpse behind the curtain, a brief revelation that suddenly proves our worst suspicions were true all along.

It caused me to recall ol’ Nick Copernicus’ thoughts on “epistemic humility,” the insight to recognize the limits of one’s knowledge: “To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.”

That hard-earned wisdom reminded me that We, The Little People have no idea what these people we elect to represent our interests are capable of when it comes to furthering their personal interests or those of their political benefactors. 

It is increasingly apparent that our elected officials on the Volusia County Council have given up on the concept of truth, transparency, and honor in public service in favor of some grossly chaotic sham – a weird pastiche of Three Stooges slapstick performed as a gut-wrenching Greek tragedy…

Those who hold senior public leadership positions know (at least they should) that perception becomes reality for outsiders peering in at the complex watchworks of a cloistered bureaucracy when what they are told does not comport with what they see with their own eyes.

Those suspicions became reality last month as concerned residents looked on in stunned silence as Councilman Don Dempsey’s cheese slipped off his cracker… 

During a March meeting, Dempsey suffered a very public meltdown, his petulant tantrum eerily reminiscent of the mad Captain Philip Francis Queeg in The Caine Mutiny, obsessing over Volusia Forever and the contractual provisions of conservation easements, perpetuity provisions, and partnerships with state environmental agencies.

In the view of many, it appeared Dempsey was suffering a weird delusional disorder, living in an illusory world where only he could sense the existential danger posed by partnerships that further the goals of the venerated voter-approved conservation program.

Many residents were taken aback when Dempsey began raving about urgent threats, like being contractually blocked from building a nuclear reactor in Volusia County when fossil fuels are exhausted and the Floridan aquifer runs dry – leaving “Fun Coast” residents 1,000 years from now doomed to a Mad Max dystopia – all because we selfishly voted to conserve some ecologically sensitive greenspace in a previous millennia… 

When Councilman Danny Robins made a motion to remove the discussion of “policy considerations” surrounding the voter-approved Volusia Forever conservation program from the agenda, many in the standing room only crowd that packed the Volusia County Council chambers were relieved.

But not Mr. Dempsey.  He continued to pout and pule like a recalcitrant child… 

Then, in a typical VCC eleventh-hour ambush, Dempsey continued to press the issue during closing comments, claiming his “colleagues” were attempting to “gag” him – publicly embarrassing his fellow elected officials by equating them to that moon bat California Governor Gavin Newsome – apoplectic that no one wanted to hear more of his Clarence Darrow routine.

At the end of the day (literally) Dempsey finagled a future workshop to discuss contractual issues and the potential effects of pending legislation on the tax supported conservation program.

It’s what happened next that raised eyebrows.

Many observers were shocked (not surprised) by the brazen suggestion of Councilman David Santiago to sanitize the intent of Dempsey’s “workshop” as a means of easing it past those who left thinking the issue was dead by rebranding it an “educational session.” 

That’s psychological semantics, not transparency.

This manipulative “small bites” tactic was also urged by County Manager George Recktenwald who explained:

“When you bring the whole thing, I think that it brings the impression that you are trying to overhaul.”

Many Volusia County residents enjoyed an “aha!” moment as the behind-the-scenes deception and choreography that routinely happens in the secluded inner sanctum was suddenly on public display:

How are we going to polish this turd to camouflage our intent?

How can we keep this contentious issue at a bureaucratic simmer while diverting the attention of our constituents?

In my view, this council’s pathological need to whitewash controversial issues is indicative of the conniving behavior that is destroying the public’s trust in their government.  Let me reassure everyone that what you hear and observe at what passes for Volusia County Council meetings is correct – hard to believe – but accurate.

It really is a shit-show of epic proportions.  

Your eyes aren’t playing tricks and the everyman’s soapbox of social media isn’t always wrong.  

We’re not all mistaken. 

Our cogent assessment of the acts, omissions, and premeditated procrastination we watch month in and month out is valid – and you have the right to form an alternative opinion to the bureaucracy’s carefully crafted narrative – free from the bullying and spite of hubristic perennial politicians.

That’s strategic distraction, not statesmanship.

These political finger puppets have already proven, time-and-again, who they work for – and it isn’t us…

This election season, I urge you to do your homework, get involved, become educated voters and elect quality local and state candidates with the temperament, ethical courage, transparency, and sense of civic and environmental responsibility to represent the interests of all Volusia County residents. 

We deserve better.

Quote of the Week

“If something has already been zoned a certain way, Board Chair Doug Thomas said he wasn’t interested in trying to take property rights away from owners and tell them what they can or can’t do.

“There’s a lot of residents in the city who would like you to put a sign out at the border of Georgia and say nobody else can move to Florida,” Thomas said. “But just because that’s what those people, that minority of people, say doesn’t mean that that’s what’s best for everyone.”

–Ormond Beach Planning Board Chairman Doug Thomas, as quoted by reporter Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “Ormond Beach Planning Board members weigh property rights and city planning,” Friday, April 10, 2026

I’m sure Chairman Thomas and his fellow members of the Ormond Beach Planning Board have the best interests of established residents at heart. 

Right?   

Surely, they temper the cold letter of zoning regulations by considering our quality of life, health, safety, greenspace, and the unique character of our neighborhoods when making life-altering recommendations regarding the number, frequency, and physical appropriateness of residential and commercial projects that will our forever alter our grandchildren’s lives and livelihoods, right?    

Because when the chair of our planning board tells the Ormond Beach Observer he’s not interested in curbing obscene sprawl in this once quaint community because people want to move here – describing the overwhelming number of his neighbors who are screaming for commonsense planning and zoning regulations and an end to state preemptions as “that minority of people,” I get confused…

And concerned.

If our planning and zoning process has become little more than a Chinese menu, why do we need a “Planning Board” gumming up the works? 

In my experience, when a hotel reaches maximum occupancy, management hangs a “No Vacancy” sign to alert potential lodgers that the property currently has no more available space.

Because the alternative – packing guests like cordwood in every nook and cranny, placing cots in hallways and ballrooms, overburdening recreational amenities, gridlocked parking lots, and overcrowding limited facilities – is unsafe and unsanitary.

Letting potential customers know there is no room at the inn is a temporary measure that protects the property from the ravages of excess and overuse, frees staff to meet current needs, ensures existing guests have a quality experience, and allows management time to plan – and improve infrastructure to accommodate more customers within set parameters – so that expansion does not infringe on neighbors, current residents, or detract from the unique character of the hotel that attracted visitors to begin with.

Unfortunately, our ‘powers that be’ in local governments here on Florida’s Fun Coast – Ormond Beach included – have failed to grasp (or manage) the myriad issues that occur when one attempts to shove ten pounds of shit into a five pound sack – a crude metaphor for the malignant growth that is rapidly metastasizing along the spine of Volusia County from Farmton to the Flagler County line – sprawl that is now threatening once rural areas of West Volusia with high-density development and its detrimental impacts to our environment, infrastructure, and quality of life.

With evidence mounting that unchecked growth is the principal concern of residents across Volusia County, why do those we have elected and appointed to represent our interests continue to ignore the fears of their constituents?  

Elections have consequences.  This is one of them…

And Another Thing!

Since I retired, few things spark my legendary ire. 

During my productive life, I was rightfully accused of having sharp elbows, vociferously defending my position with no qualms engaging in an argument, fistfight, or footrace to prove I was right.  Call it passion, or the arrogance of an outsized ego (it was both), but I can admit now that my approach could have been different, softer, more collegial, less defensive, and far less confrontational…     

Now, in my old age, I get more annoyed than angry. 

For instance, running out of vermouth is a personal pet peeve – and I’m not a huge fan of the roar of a leaf blower on a quiet Sunday morning when I’m nursing the night before – but it takes a lot to ignite my incendiary anger as I age not-so-gracefully.

That said, sitting up here in the cheap seats watching elected and appointed officials – those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest – deflect responsibility for their actions, omissions, and procrastinations (and those of their subordinates), “gaslighting” their constituents with contrived narratives designed to avert accountability, while projecting blame on those with the courage to speak out on the issues, makes my blood boil, dammit…   

On Tuesday evening, during a contentious meeting of the Volusia County School Board, I watched as Superintendent Carmen Balgobin spun a whopper, openly crafting a skewed plot to escape the fact she was caught flatfooted sneaking through a half-baked plan to move the Riverview Learning Center – an alternative program for students of all grades with intense emotional, conduct, and behavioral needs – to a fenced off building on the Holly Hill K-5 campus.

Last week, Holly Hill city officials and residents were blindsided – taken by complete surprise – when news of the Riverview move escaped the cloistered confines of Balgobin’s Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand leaving confused stakeholders rightfully feeling left out of the planning process. 

Because they were.

Unconscionably, Balgobin used her sizeable soapbox Tuesday evening to mischaracterize the situation – claiming that her staff was “disrespected” in a meeting with overwrought city officials – turning the focus from her lack of transparency to a virtue signaling description of “our kids” in the Riverview program, insinuating those students assigned to the “alternative” program were mischaracterized as delinquents by what she described as a “handful of individuals” spreading “erroneous information.”

Bullshit.

This latest debacle has nothing to do with the virtues of Riverview Learning Center – which, according to Balgobin, spends up to $3 million a year to provide “mental health services” to just 30 students who, as Balgobin describes it, have experienced “trauma” – and everything to do with the district’s pathological secrecy and abysmal communication practices.     

For instance, in 2024, after the Balgobin administration caused a community uproar by failing to notify Ormond Beach residents and city officials that the Riverview facility was being moved to the Osceola Elementary campus, former District 4 School Board member Carl Persis was left staring dejectedly at his shoes, attempting to deflect blame using the same tired “misinformation” tactic in a report by WESH-2:

“Volusia County School Board Member Carl Persis said there’s a lot of misinformation out there about these students being dangerous.”

“These are just just regular kids that just made some some errors,” Persis said.”

“Persis says most of them are there because they either got into a fight, used some bad language, or brought a small amount of drugs to class, but none of these kids have been in jail.”

But that’s not the only reason Ormond Beach residents are upset, many near the former Osceola School say they weren’t properly notified this vote would happen.”

Sound familiar?

On Tuesday, to my complete surprise, Superintendent Balgobin denigrated Barker’s View from her high and mighty perch on the dais – accusing me of “never verifying” sources. 

How in the hell does Carmen Balgobin know who my “sources” are? 

Or how I vet information received from dedicated employees at all levels of Volusia County District Schools who reach out to express their silent disgust with Balgobin’s gross mismanagement, self-aggrandizement, and manipulation of data to skew outcomes and control the narrative?  

In turn, Balgobin unraveled in a paranoid lecture – spewing scary stories that we have people in our community who are “…truly committed to disrupting the educational process and the success of our students…”

Really?

It was a cheap diversion – a reversal of blame. Bureaucratic DARVO on full display.

How dare Superintendent Balgobin wag her finger in the face of engaged residents, taxpayers, staff, and stakeholders who voice their very real concerns for the education of Volusia County students – the very future of our community – and take exception to the gross mismanagement of a massive bureaucracy now commanding $1.4 billion annually amid declining enrollment and dubious school grades that defy logic?

Superintendent Balgobin ended her impetuous dressing down with an ominous “enough is enough.”

I agree. 

In this election year, I’ve had enough of those in government and publicly funded organizations that we generously compensate with our hard-earned tax dollars hectoring us with a constant stream of “you’re wrong, I’m right,” “miscommunication,” “erroneous information” while gaslighting constituents with virtuous tall tales as a means of disguising the blunders and secrecy of a bloated bureaucracy intent on covering its wide and increasingly obvious tracks.

Enough is enough.

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