Perhaps the most important principle of crisis management is an effective public information plan – a strategy that allows local government to gather, verify, coordinate and disseminate accurate, accessible, and reliable status updates and briefings to keep constituents informed.

Does that sound anything close to what we’ve experienced in Volusia County during the coronavirus “response”?

Let’s take a brief look back, shall we:

In the early days of Volusia’s effort to establish reasonable public policy that kept a balance between personal freedoms and social distancing requirements, the Volusia Watermen’s Association – the collective bargaining unit of Volusia County’s Beach Safety Department – issued a panicked open letter to the Volusia County Council vehemently demanding the complete closure of our beach after “tirelessly and privately pressuring the County to do the right thing, but they have refused to act appropriately.”

The letter concluded with a shameful threat that, “If a single Beach Safety employee gets sick while you continue to fail to act, we will all know who to blame.”

This politically charged ultimatum was delivered to the Volusia County Council by a steward of the Teamsters Union – an act which, in my view, crossed the line as career civil servants played an outrageous game of political chicken with duly elected officials during an emergency.

That’s not how our system works.  Nor should it.

This wasn’t a union working for political change – or fighting for wages and benefits – it was ugly, and gave the appearance that our Beach Safety officers had lost their nerve in the face of a crisis – and many of my neighbors have told me they will never look at the agency the same way again.

That’s called a loss of public confidence.

Naturally, Volusia County Councilwoman Heather Post used the opportunity to break ranks (during an emergency declaration) and lobby on behalf of the Volusia Watermen’s Association – which she prominently lists on her social media page as having “unanimously endorsed” her political campaign – issuing a weird manifesto demanding that county leadership direct the closure of all “parks, beach accesses and recreational facilities.”

In addition, Ms. Post “urged” that the municipalities respond by “…shutting down businesses completely for the two-week duration.”

What followed was an unrelenting series of “executive orders” spewing from Governor Ron DeSantis’ office, changing by the hour, each slowly tightening the noose and further limiting our constitutionally protected civil liberties, while Councilwoman Post and her “colleague” Councilwoman Deb Denys, continued to spew blurbs on social media commenting on everything from airport screening procedures to beach closures and burn bans with little background or context – leaving their confused constituents with more questions than answers.

Not to be ignored, Daytona Beach’s Lord Protector Mayor Derrick “Henny-Penny” Henry unrelentingly fanned the flames by running in metaphorical circles, demanding that the last hours of Bike Week be shut down by Royal Edict, clamoring for the complete closure of our beach and monarchically discussing which businesses in our community are “essential” and which are not, as he fought for a curfew to even further restrict lawful movement and commerce.

(Why is it government officials always list which businesses are “essential,” but never provide us a record of those they have deemed “non-essential”?  Just curious. . .)

Add to that the uncertainty and misinformation surrounding screening procedures at Daytona “International” Airport – the “who did what, and when” in closing the gaping hole in our coronavirus defenses by enforcing yet another of Governor DeSantis’ disjointed orders which requires a mandatory 14-day quarantine of anyone traveling to Florida from high incidence areas – with no way to enforce it.

As a result of this Carnival of the Absurd, Volusia County’s official public information strategy now looks more like a frenzied clown act than a public education campaign – bits, pieces, speculation, manifestos and politically motivated diatribes come at us from all directions, at all hours, leaving constituents horribly confused – and increasingly frightened.

Then, on Thursday evening, everything changed when the DeSantis Lockdown took effect – a weird “do this, don’t do that” edict which our government benevolently calls “Safer at Home.”

Late that afternoon, County Manager George Recktenwald announced at a weird press conference that he was unilaterally closing all 47-miles of Volusia County beaches effective 12:01am Friday morning.

I say “unilaterally,” because that is what he was previously authorized to do.

But when the natural public backlash that comes with having something so intimately intertwined with our local culture and economy totally shuttered with little notice or explanation hit – Councilwoman Billie Wheeler announced in a post entitled “The True Story” that she strongly opposed “totally closing the beach.”

In turn, Ms. Wheeler’s stance was echoed by Councilwoman Deb Denys on Friday evening when she stated on social media, “I have just sent an official request to the County Manager and County Attorney to “…open the beach and follow Cocoa Beach’s Ordinance, to be effective immediately.”

What followed was public outcry and speculation that, perhaps, the beach could be partially reopened to walking, fishing, jogging, surfing, swimming, etc. – activities that comport with the DeSantis Lockdown’s recreation provisions – essentially anything that doesn’t involve sitting down, relaxing and enjoying the beach.

I happen to agree.

The beaches should be open to responsible use – but whenever I voice that opinion, it prompts backlash from the other side of the issue who always invoke the “public safety” argument that paints anyone opposed as a socially irresponsible asshole.

Whatever.

Like Ms. Post’s earlier demand to close the beaches, I’m not sure the public requests made by Wheeler and Denys conform to the Volusia County Council’s agreement to allow County Manager Recktenwald to make emergency management decisions either – but these are the times in which we find ourselves. . .

On Thursday, Volusia County issued a press release which stated, unequivocally, “Volusia County Beaches Closed” – then, 48-hours later, we learned through various unofficial sources that County Manager Recktenwald had apparently come to his senses and reopened the beach – or did he?

The county’s public information apparatus issued a convoluted release with the contradictory language that, while the beach remains closed, something called the “Fifth Directive of Emergency Measures” (?) “relaxes” the prohibition of certain exercise-related activities on the beach.

It gave the impression that Councilwoman Denys – who is actively running for County Chair – had won the day – and once again resulted in more questions than answers – allowing jogging, but not sitting, fishing but no “loitering,” etc., etc.

Then, I read a news article containing an official statement from a Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue mouthpiece that, during the initial hours of the first coastal blockade, officers issued some 120 warnings to hapless beach goers – including one citation to a recalcitrant skateboarder who reportedly became “belligerent” when told his otherwise lawful activity was now a criminal offense – before announcing that, when it came to throwing people off a public beach, “It was heartbreaking for us, too.”

Wait a minute.

Didn’t the Beach Patrol’s union demand at the point of a political spear that our beaches be closed immediately or else? 

Then, when the County Manager caved to the pressure and actually closed their jurisdiction to all public access – the work of enforcing the order they insisted on is “heartbreaking”?

My ass.

But I guess it’s never too soon to start rehabilitating your image, eh?

Mixed messages, indeed.

In my view, when the COVID-19 threat has passed, and we return to whatever the “new normal” will be – we need to have a critical discussion about single-point information management, consistency of message and Volusia County’s ability to provide essential communications to residents in an age where elected officials feel free to circumvent the responsible leadership and compromise the public’s trust in whatever incident management system has been established, simply to get their name in the paper during an election cycle.

Because what has happened over the past two-weeks bears no semblance to a coordinated response – and we simply cannot allow this hodgepodge process to become the new reality.

Hi, kids!

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

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

Asshole           County of Volusia & FDOT

There’s an old saying “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.”

In Volusia County, perhaps that adage is better stated – “We knew what we had, we just never expected it to be stolen from us.”  

Earlier this week, gripped by acute cabin fever and the corona-paranoia that comes from the media’s non-stop, around-the-clock flogging of this pandemic, I took a leisurely drive around The Loop – one of the true jewels of east Central Florida – which covers the circuit from the Granada Bridge in Ormond Beach to High Bridge near the Flagler County line.

As I drove north on A-1-A, I noticed that certain sections of most off-beach parking areas had florescent traffic cones and barrier tape blocking spaces, effectively prohibiting residents and visitors full use of the public lots – limiting the opportunity to park and enjoy the relatively unspoiled beaches of the North Peninsula.

I’m told the parking restrictions were designed to enforce social distancing requirements before the DeSantis Lockdown, and Volusia County’s knee-jerk reaction, by regulating the number of people who could access the beach on overcrowded weekends – but this was noontime on a Monday – yet, the tape and cones (and at least one Beach Patrol vehicle) were still in place, dutifully protecting us from ourselves.

“But I helped pay for that parking space with my hard-earned tax dollars. . .”

“Tough shit, you subservient villein.  This is an “emergency,” asshole – we control your life now.”

Whatever.

In my experience, when it comes to Volusia County Beach Management, sometimes things get done in a timely manner, and sometimes they don’t – or, maybe some high-level staffer thought, “Screw it.  We just have to put the tape back-up next weekend anyway, leave it, the sheeple will get used to it eventually.”

Regardless, I chalked up the weekday parking snafu to typical bureaucratic inefficiency and kept driving. . .

As I approached ICI Homes’ new seaside development, Verona, in beautiful Ormond-by-the-Sea, I saw the Florida Department of Transportation’s handiwork in the form of a physical blockade to beach access disguised as a “sand fence” – a godawful series of treated wooden posts with slat fencing attached, ostensibly designed to reestablish the natural dune-line as a protective barrier for the adjacent roadway.

Continuing north, I was met with a large sign announcing, “State Prisoners Working,” just before encountering a scene out of Cool Hand Luke – a clutch of inmates in faded prison uniforms  actively driving even more wooden poles into another stretch of sand that had been leveled by a small excavator – equipment which was now parked on top of the very vegetation nature uses to anchor the dunes.

I noticed that no one on the jobsite was practicing anything resembling social distancing – I guess those mandates only apply to us little people who are expected to keep quiet and do what we are told. . .

Question:

Are the state prisoners augmenting the paid workforce of the contractor who won the bid to erect the fencing? 

I’m asking.  Because, if so, that’s a pretty sweet deal for someone. . .

Then, perhaps most disturbing, as I approached the North Peninsula State Park, I noticed another line of gaudy traffic cones completely blocking the beachside parking area – this time due to the statewide closure of all state parks in response to the coronavirus.

And it hurt my heart.

If we hadn’t been told differently by FDOT representatives after-the-fact – I would swear this ugly, intermittent wooden barrier has been strategically placed to block parking at traditional beach access points on the North Peninsula.

I’ve been going to the beach at the far reaches of the North Peninsula for over fifty-years.

It holds a very special place in my life – a place of refuge from the world, a place to think and watch the ocean, a place to enjoy the golden coquina sands that make that section of beach so unique – and it is where I’ve directed my remains be scattered when I finally shuffle off this mortal coil.

That is, if we can find a parking space. . .

Angel               The Daytona Beach News-Journal

I have a soft spot in my heart for our local newspaper of record.

I know many of you no longer read The Daytona Beach News-Journal – and some that do often take exception to their editorial content – but the fact remains, these are hard times, and I was taught to leave no one behind in a crisis.

Besides, it’s easy to kick those people and institutions we disagree with when their down – I do it all the time – but the character of our community demands we help preserve our foundational elements.

To say the News-Journal has taken it on the chin of late is an understatement, and I fear for the long-term viability of our newspaper in the aftermath of this global financial downturn that has small local businesses and multinational corporations alike fighting for their lives.

Let’s face it – the handwriting is on the wall – and the News-Journal is trying hard to adapt.

It’s difficult not to notice the subtle daily changes to what was once ‘our paper’ as it slowly transitions to what increasingly looks like a homogenized regional USA Today – as those intrepid local journalists who earned our trust and brought such institutional knowledge, flair and hometown feeling to the news are moved to other assignments – or moved-along altogether. . .

This week, we learned that publishing giant Gannett, which owns The Daytona Beach News-Journal, has instituted severe measures to further reduce costs, including immediate furloughs in newsrooms across the nation, as it struggles to find ways to survive the current economic pressures.

That hurts – and our thoughts and prayers are with News-Journal employees who will be affected by these cuts.

I was moved by the irrepressible Mark Lane’s recent Footnote column, “This is no time for April foolery,” a plaintive look at the importance of local journalism to the life of our community and an introspective take on the efforts a newspaper goes through to ‘get it right.’

Look, I’m the first to admit that the News-Journal can be its own worst enemy – I’ve often questioned its objectivity when it comes to reporting the machinations of our local “Rich and Powerful” oligarchs – and many have been critical of their wall-to-wall coverage of the darkest aspects of the COVID-19 outbreak.

However, on balance, our newspaper has served us well through good times and bad.

Look, no one is more hypercritical of our local public and private institutions than I am.

Hell, sniping from the sidelines is my stock in trade.

My sincere hope is you will help support the last vestiges of local journalism by subscribing, reading, and, when possible, advertising with The Daytona Beach News-Journal during these dark and difficult times.

We don’t have to agree with each other – I believe a healthy diversity of opinion strengthens the fabric of our community – but it is vitally important that our local newspaper survives this crisis.

These are our neighbors and they deserve our help.

Asshole           Florida’s Broken Unemployment System

Extraordinary circumstances often expose the atrocious inefficiencies and bureaucratic bottlenecks that exemplify the ossified status quo at all levels of government.

Just a few weeks ago, I doubt anyone could have predicted the overnight statewide closure of small businesses which left thousands of service-industry workers unemployed – many of whom will rely on our state’s meager unemployment benefits to feed their families.

The fact is, we pay government bureaucrats to do just that – predict and plan for the worst-case scenario!

So, what happens when they don’t?

In Florida, unemployment benefits are administrated by the Department of Economic Opportunity – yes, that Department of Economic Opportunity – under the direction of Ken Lawson, a former Marine Corps officer and federal prosecutor who has enjoyed a diverse and profitable career in state government under Rick Scott and now Governor Ron DeSantis.

In December, DeSantis moved Mr. Lawson from his cushy job as president of VISIT Florida to his current role as director of the multifunctional DEO, which, in addition to processing workforce unemployment benefits, is also responsible for Florida’s corporate welfare and “community development” initiatives.

Trust me – the abject failure of DEO to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers, who, through no fault of their own, find themselves financially ruined and worried about feeding their children in the immediate future – will far eclipse the agency’s past sins, like the $1-million Pit Bull debacle, the toxic spending at CareerSouce Tampa, etc., etc., etc.

In my view, as a former military officer, it is time Director Lawson accept personal responsibility for this colossal disaster – one that has left some applicants waiting over two-weeks just to access the online system, while others are left guessing if their application was accepted at all – and resign his position so someone, anyone, who knows what they’re doing can take the wheel.

My God.

I mean, imagine the shock of attempting to access these life sustaining benefits, only to find that Florida’s unemployment system is so horribly broken you can’t even log-in to the website, let alone get your phone call answered?

According to an eye-opening editorial in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Fix Florida’s jobless benefit,” we learned that our state is “…one of only a few states that cuts off benefits after 12 weeks (most states allow 26) even for people who are demonstrably trying very hard to find work. And benefits are capped at only $275 a week – a number that hasn’t increased in two decades.”

In addition, many are coming to the disturbing realization that state regulations create an intentional roadblock to “casual, tourism-based” employees seeking to claim benefits – even as hundreds of traditionally low wage hospitality workers in Volusia County and beyond are being furloughed.

Now, we are being told the DEO will also be responsible for coordinating workers benefits under the federal stimulus package. . .

That’s wrong.

In my view, once we’re on the other side of this crisis, it is time we begin holding our state legislators politically accountable for determining how Florida’s unemployment system could become so mind-bogglingly inept – so terribly unfair – as struggling Florida workers find themselves essentially blocked from accessing their rightful benefits by this dreadfully faulty system.

Quote of the Week

“DeSantis and local officials can’t go back and make more timely decisions, but they can make it clear to Floridians: This is real. Follow these orders, or the restrictions will only get tougher.”

–The Daytona Beach News-Journal Editorial Board’s Our View column, “Right call on shutdown,” Thursday, April 2, 2020

Have we reached bottom yet?

I’m not talking about the number of people effected by the COVID-19 outbreak – I am referring to the non-stop assault on our civil liberties and basic freedoms – something our newspaper of record should be scrutinizing, not celebrating.

Is tightening the noose on law-abiding citizens who have followed the recommendations of the CDC and tried diligently to inform themselves, assist in “flattening the curve” and stop the spread of the coronavirus the new American Way?

Achtung!  Follow the orders or the restrictions will only get tougher!  

My God.

What are we becoming?

And Another Thing!

 Earlier this week – before Governor Ron DeSantis put us all in solitary confinement with little consideration for our collective sense of personal and community responsibility, or any thought for the millions in our state who voluntarily self-isolated and closely followed the recommendations of the CDC – the Daytona Beach City Commission met in “special session” to implement a nonsensical 10:00pm to 5:00am curfew to further sequester their constituents.

Now, given the sweeping nature of the DeSantis Lockdown, that curfew has been logically lifted.

But the intent is what matters to me.

Once again, Lord Protector Derrick “Henny-Penny” Henry demanded even more closures – openly contemplating which businesses are “essential” and which are not – in essence, waving his monarchical hand over those enterprises which will be permitted to survive, and those that will be sacrificed on the alter of government overreach.

In my view, this senseless restriction of lawful movement represented a slap in the face to the vast majority of Daytona Beach residents who are dutifully following proper protocols and acting in the best interest of their families and community.

Now, it’s a moot point.

Under political pressure to “do something,” His Excellency Governor Ron DeSantis caved and extended his cleverly disguised lockdown, benevolently known as “Safer at Home,” from high incidence areas in South Florida to the entire state – ordering that anyone not engaged in activities the government has deemed “essential” remain inside their homes.

Now, as of 12:01am this morning, County Manager George Recktenwald has ordered the complete closure of our expansive 47-miles of public beach.

Why?

“…because the county does not want to send an inconsistent message about social distancing to stop the spread of the coronavirus.”

See, it has nothing to do with the concept of “public health” – or even enforcing the Governor’s stay at home order – and everything to do with how Volusia County’s “message” is received.

And, by any metric, their “unified” message has been an abject mess since this crisis began.

That’s called “criticism mitigation” and it is cowardly.

And speaking of people afraid to do the job they were hired for – will the complete closure of the beach mean that the 54 sworn law enforcement officers of the Beach Safety Department (who’s union vehemently demanded their jurisdiction be fenced off two-weeks ago in a politically threatening open letter to the County Council) be deployed to augment our courageous deputies and police officers throughout the county to support the coronavirus response – or merely sent home to hide until the bogyman leaves?

Just curious.

Because I, for one taxpayer, damn sure don’t want to pay a full complement of beach patrol personnel when they have absolutely nothing to do for the next 30-days or longer.

I’m weird that way.

For many of our elected and appointed officials turned Nanny-State hand-wringers, it wasn’t enough that 99% of citizens were guided by personal responsibility and sense of community to stay home, self-isolate and adopt commonsense measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Because trusting their constituents to do the right thing, for the right reasons, doesn’t get their name in the paper.

Instead, they came to believe it is imperative that government bureaucrats must tell us what to do and when to do it, to control our movements, to insinuate themselves into our homes and businesses and demand submission to their increasingly restrictive edicts and orders without question – or face fines and imprisonment – because it is in our “best interest.”

Stop thinking for yourselves.

That is now being done for you in some obscure state office in Tallahassee – and no one wants your input anyway.

For our friends and neighbors who have demanded, ad nauseam, that our local and state bureaucracies “do something to protect us from ourselves,” well, you finally got your wish.

Sleep well – your government is in complete control now.

Just make sure your ‘travel papers’ are in order.

Bullshit.

Most thinking people understand the horrible severity of this crisis and are voluntarily willing to do whatever is necessary to protect themselves and those most vulnerable – and consider these excessively harsh measures to be an insult to their intelligence and constitutionally protected civil liberties.

Because they are.

In my view, since Mayor Henry has no problem putting his boot on the throat of small businesses – placing hundreds more area residents on the unemployment line – perhaps he should be willing to show some true leadership and donate his mayoral salary – estimated at $27,500 annually, plus a “weekly expense allowance” of $246.00 (about what an unemployed worker will receive in weekly benefits, that is, if they can log on to the system) along with an $18.23 per week cell phone allowance – official perquisites worth somewhere north of $40,000 annually – to a local service industry relief effort.

You know, let Hizzoner put some actual skin in the game – show some solidarity with his subjects – instead of simply issuing Royal Proclamations from on-high that will have an astronomically detrimental impact on struggling families – and our regional economy – long after the threat of coronavirus is quelled.

Don’t hold your breath. . .

Unprecedented times, indeed.

That’s all for me – be well, friends.

 

 

“…their presence, without quarantine, is a significant public health problem and a risk to the rest of us in this area.  This is a problem requiring various agencies: the hospitals, the Volusia County Health Department, and the various city police forces and the sheriff’s department to implement the governor’s standing order.  If it is not implemented or enforced, it has no effect and exposes our population to increasing and unnecessary risk.”

–Dr. Hal Kushner, Daytona Beach, American hero and Senior Member of the Volusia County Medical Society, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Is Volusia County Under Invasion?” Sunday, March 29, 2019

Something doesn’t smell right to me.

Last Friday, the News-Journal reported that no provisions had been made to screen and educate passengers arriving at Daytona Beach “International” Airport as required by an executive order issued by Governor Ron DeSantis on March 23, which requires anyone arriving in Florida from high incidence areas to self-quarantine for 14-days.

In his very informative article, “Officials: No screenings at local airports,” reporter Clayton Park wrote, “At this time, no one is being screened,” said Daytona Beach International Airport spokeswoman Joanne Magley. That would be up to the Department of Health. They’re the ones coordinating the efforts.”

It was bureaucratic finger pointing at its worst – and shocking to many who thought airport executives were asleep at the wheel during an unprecedented threat.

Because they were. . .

In response, Dr. Hal Kushner, writing on behalf of the Volusia County Medical Society, issued a persuasive plea in Sunday’s News-Journal asking officials to close the gaping hole in our local coronavirus defenses at Daytona International Airport.

Not to let a good opportunity go to waste, on Monday, I penned a little ditty calling attention to the fact that – despite Governor DeSantis’ executive order of March 23 – Volusia County’s leadership had yet to institute even cursory passenger vetting and education measures for persons arriving in our area.

Because that’s what we were told by the always arrogant Volusia County Councilwoman Deb Denys, who, on Sunday afternoon, shared official information on social media advising “The county has been informed by the state that it is phasing in this screening process first at major airports.”

And, “DAB has not been notified yet when screening will begin here.”

Not to be outdone, on Monday morning, District 4 Councilwoman Heather Post echoed Ms. Denys information on phased screening – then took her “colleagues” to the woodshed:

“Not taking action now because it’s not mandated, “there’s nothing to see here” or for fear that the monies won’t be reimbursed by the state or federal government is not responsible and not acceptable. I have expressed this to the County Manager and staff. If you agree, please email my colleagues on the County Council and let them know.”

Then, in an article published by the News-Journal on Wednesday, we were essentially told by Volusia County’s senior mouthpiece, Kevin Captain, that the Councilwomen were apparently full of shit – and, in fact, screening procedures were in place on Sunday?

Wow.

Were Denys and Post openly lying to us – or just out of the loop?

According to Captain, during a press conference on Friday, Governor DeSantis mentioned the need for small airports to step up, and “County leadership took that as permission to take a proactive approach rather than wait for implementation by the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Transportation.”

Really?

In addition, the always effervescent Captain foolishly claimed that Dr. Kushner’s letter in Sunday’s News-Journal, “was not a factor in the decision to start screening at the airport.”

Bullshit.

In truth, late Wednesday we learned that the “screening” being conducted by county officials at DAB consists of asking arriving passengers to complete a form listing their travel, then sign a statement documenting they understand the Governor’s order.

These “forms” are then filed with the Florida Department of Health.

Oh, participation is voluntary. . .

My ass.

Look, I realize spinning horseshit into cotton candy is Mr. Captain’s bread-and-butter, but he should know that attempting to protect the vanity of a few tinpot assholes who got caught behind the curve is what they call a “career limiter” in his business.

That said, to insinuate that the universally respected Dr. Hal Kushner and the Volusia County Medical Society’s urgent warning wasn’t a factor in establishing screening procedures at DAB defies reason.

In my view, this latest debacle exposes the importance of having a single point of official information during times of crisis – and the imperative that elected officials respect the emergency response system and suppress their natural instinct to grandstand.

These people couldn’t organize a one car parade – now, they are running our lives.

You will notice in coming days that politicians and the media are using terms like “we’re on a war footing now,” or “we are at war with an unseen enemy,” – emotional tropes designed to exploit our natural patriotism and make us feel we’re part of a pitched battle against microbial forces who are mounting an intelligent offensive to kill us all – sensationalism that will allow our ‘powers that be’ extraordinary latitude with our liberties and freedoms as they work to “win the war.”

Just remember the old adage, “The first casualty of war is the truth.”