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:

Buckle-up, folks – this week’s episode is quite a bumpy ride…

Angel               Andrew Baumgartner & Main Street Merchants

Things that may you go, “Huh?” 

In March, the City of Daytona Beach continued its foray into the commercial real estate business when it purchased the 39,300 square-foot former Corbin building in the heart of the downtrodden Main Street Community Redevelopment Area. 

Some of our “economic development” visionaries at City Hall suggested the property would best be utilized as a multi-functional public market, beer garden, food court, event space, food truck spot, full-service restaurant, live music venue, etc., etc., etc.

The idea being that if the stars aligned, the City of Dayton Beach could charge rent of around $546,000 annually and recoup the $3.1 million it paid for the building in six-years… 

That’s a very big “if.”    

So, after putting out a request for proposals earlier this year, Andrew Baumgartner, the owner of Savage Craft Ale Works of West Columbia, South Carolina, was the sole respondent.

To me, that ranks an “A” for “interest.”

According to a report by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Baumgartner “…transformed a historic building in a South Carolina redevelopment area and turned it into a brewery, taproom and restaurant.”  The renovation of that once dilapidated space earned Savage Craft Ale Works a Historic Preservation Honor Award from the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

Impressive. 

For that, I give Mr. Baumgartner an “A” for “experience.” 

In addition, it was recently revealed that Baumgartner has expressed interest in purchasing the property from the city and investing between $6.5 million to $8.5 million to renovate the 84-year-old building as a microbrewery and casual eatery. 

Again, “A” for “commitment & investment.” 

But in keeping with the City of Daytona Beach’s reputation for erecting bureaucratic hoops and hurdles to entrepreneurial investment, recently an internal “committee” comprised of Holly Prevatt, the city’s purchasing agent, Director of Business Enterprise Management Michael Stallworth, Redevelopment Director Ken Thomas, Economic and Strategic Opportunities Director Jeffrey Brown, Financial Business Analyst Sandra Nealy, and “E-Zone” Operations Manager Allyson Brown (Whew! That’s a lot of visionaries!) – sat in judgement of Mr. Baumgartner by “grading” his proposal on a subjective100-point scale. 

According to the News-Journal report, “Each category had a 15% or 20% impact on Baumgartner’s total score. Committee members graded him on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the best. He received his highest scores on experience, and his lowest scores on his fee proposal.

Out of 100 possible points, his highest score from a committee member was 73. His lowest was 64.

Baumgartner’s total score averaged out among the five committee members was 68.7.”

So, as I understand it (and I am not sure I do), the only person with a demonstrated history of turning a decrepit building into an award winning and highly successful business in a Community Redevelopment Area launches his efforts in Daytona Beach with a D+ from the city’s redevelopment apparatus?   

Really?   

Look, I get it. 

The process is no doubt based on the statutory requirements for local government procurement of contracted services. 

However, I seem to recall that when less than two responsive proposals are received, the city may choose to negotiate on the best terms and conditions, in the best interests of the community, rather than resolicit for competitive proposals. 

Perhaps that negotiation should begin (and end) with selling the building to Mr. Baumgartner and getting Daytona Beach taxpayers out of the brewery business while we have someone with interest, experience, and commitment willing to take a risky financial gamble on the largely dormant space. 

In 2017, Eileen Zaffiro-Kean authored the five-part exposé “Tarnished Jewel” detailing the malignant blight and civic neglect of our core tourist area.  In her seminal work, this outstanding reporter peeled the rotten onion of Daytona’s Main Street CRA: 

“Plans have come and gone to get a water taxi, marina and riverfront hotel on the west end of Main Street. On the east end, there have been failed efforts to create everything from a vastly expanded pier to an Olympic training village.

The “Take Part” studies of the 1980s, the second of which cost $380,000, were aimed at reviving the beachside core tourist area, and once again making Main Street a charming place to stroll from business to business.

The city spent $318,000 more for a 2011 plan to create a Main Street area entertainment zone, or “e-zone,” that has attracted more dust than developers.

The city has given out more than $713,000 in property improvement grants to dozens of businesses and homeowners in the Main Street area since 2006. Many of those grants went to absentee landlords or businesses that now stand empty.

The city paid for a Main Street overhaul complete with new sidewalks and planters about 25 years ago. Those sidewalks are now stained with the excesses of Bike Weeks past.”

Does anyone see substantive change six-years on? 

I’m asking. 

Because, while several intrepid entrepreneurs have staked their claim on Main Street – working hard to breathe life into an area that could/should be a major draw outside of special events – much of the boulevard still has a down-at-the-heels appearance that dissuades investment…

Many are hoping that Mr. Baumgartner’s investment will be the stimulus for change.   

Clearly, Daytona Beach City Manager Derek Feacher has done more than any of his recent predecessors to turn the dismal tide on the civic and financial stagnation that has plagued the beachside and beyond. 

While many tax-strapped residents in Volusia County are tired of the myriad corporate welfare schemes cloaked as “economic incentives” that are repeatedly heaped on all the right names with a chip in the game – Mr. Feacher has proven a true commitment to creating attractive opportunities for private investment in areas of the community that desperately need it.

In my view, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young should also be commended for his yeoman efforts to curb violent crime and nuisance conditions on Seabreeze Boulevard – recently sending a shot across the bow of a notorious area nightclub by suspending its extended hours permit following the shooting of four people in the parking lot – among other well publicized incidents that have turned Seabreeze into the Wild West.  

Although a city magistrate later reinstated the businesses after-hours privileges, Chief Young’s bold move sent a strong message that the lawlessness that has plagued the area will not be tolerated.  

To that end, the Daytona Beach Police Department has completed a new substation on the beachside – establishing a reassuring permanent presence for beleaguered residents and the business community – while Mayor Derrick Henry and the City Commission recently approved an investment of $3.5 million for crime cameras and improved lighting for Seabreeze Boulevard and, ultimately, the Main Street area.

Good stuff. 

In my view, these combined efforts represent a great “jump start” for Main Street and our core tourist area. 

My hope is Daytona Beach planning and economic development officials will drop the bureaucratic impediments to progress – and continue their renewed focus on the renovation and rebranding of the “tarnished jewel” that is our downtrodden beachside.    

Angel               Intrepid Citizens Fighting the Belvedere Fuel Terminal

If recent events prove anything, it is there is no shame in government, the rights of developers and massive corporations will always trump those of average citizens, and our elected and appointed officials will say anything to avoid accountability. 

It also proves that sometimes help comes from the most unlikely places…   

Last week, residents of Ormond Beach were shocked to learn of plans to build a 20-million-gallon bulk fuel storage farm on Hull Road as part of a hub-and-spur distribution network that will see dangerous petroleum products delivered by rail, stored in massive above ground tanks, and distributed by a steady 24/7 stream of tanker trucks on two-lane Hull Road near the city’s airport, a children’s dance studio, and a sports complex…

Sadly, they did not hear about it from their elected and appointed officials in local government. 

Instead, residents read the grim details in an article in The Daytona Beach News-Journal.  And to hear our flabbergasted elected officials in Ormond Beach and Volusia County tell it – so did they…

Bullshit.

As the news swept through the community, on August 15, concerned residents appeared in the Volusia County Council chambers, and later packed the Ormond Beach City Commission meeting, to express their growing outrage against what many rightfully see as a direct threat to their environment, property values, physical safety, and quality of life. 

Of course, our elected officials at both Volusia County and Ormond Beach were dumbstruck – completely poleaxed by the news – and our ‘powers that be’ yammered and stammered about what can be done to oppose a previously issued Florida Department of Environmental Protection “air construction permit.”

Residents also demanded to know why city and county officials failed to give them a heads-up before things progressed this far – especially now that it is too late to appeal the FDEP permit?

What followed is a textbook example of how government reacts when it gets caught out…  

Despite the usual mumbling and fumbling by our elected representatives, public records show that on June 22, 2022, the Ormond Beach Site Plan Review Committee – an internal group comprised of the Planning Director, Economic Development Director, Senior Planner, Planning Civil Engineer, Chief Building Official, Landscape Architect, Utilities Engineer and the Office Manager – met with representatives of Belvedere Terminals to discuss preliminary plans for the fuel terminal and submittals required for the permitting process.

On June 24, 2022, Ormond Beach City Manager Joyce Shanahan dutifully reported the Committee’s meeting to the City Commission via her weekly staff report.  According to the report, Ms. Shannahan advised, “Pre-application meeting for a parcel located in unincorporated Volusia County that seeks a fuel farm facility with railroad access.” 

In her report, Ms. Shanahan specified that annexation into the city would be required based upon the terminal’s connection to municipal utilities… 

After the news broke last week, in a “Planning Memorandum” from Ormond Beach Planning Director Stephen Spraker to his boss, Ms. Shanahan, we learned “Volusia County Land Development, Environmental, Zoning, and Planning staff received an inquiry for the development of a rail freight terminal for distribution of oil, fuel, propane.  County staff indicated that this use was a permitted use by right in the I-2 zoning classification.” 

I guess we now know who knew what, and when…

At their August 15 meeting, the Ormond Beach City Commission directed staff to compose a letter of objection to the FDEP regarding the Air Construction Permit for Belvedere Terminals, a letter of opposition on behalf of the Commission to the Volusia County Council and all Volusia County legislative delegates including the Governor and members of Congress, and a letter on behalf of the Commission to Belvedere expressing their concerns regarding the intended use not being at an appropriate location. 

Trust me.  It was the least they could do. 

Literally…

There was a similar ham-handed reaction from the equally flummoxed Volusia County Council…

During his waning comments at the Council’s August 15 meeting, District 4 Councilman Troy Kent, who claims to represent Ormond Beach residents, spoke in opposition to the fuel terminal. 

According to a report by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer:

“Kent said at the meeting that he wasn’t directing officials to pursue action that would necessarily result in a lawsuit, but because the site’s proximity to the municipal airport — about a mile north — he believed the county should notify the Federal Aviation Administration.

“I’m not trying to be a fearmonger, you’ll hear me all the time bashing people for that, but if there is a plane that hits those towers with all of that fuel in it, we are talking about a firestorm in this community,” Kent said.

Not every area in town is unsuitable for a fuel terminal, but Hull Road is, he added. County Council Chair Jeff Brower agreed.

“I hope that this council, if we have an opportunity to have any input on it, that we will stop it in its tracks,” Brower said.”

What I found most troubling was when the exasperated Councilman Kent announced that he found out about the fuel terminal from the “News-Journal.” 

For the record, Mr. Kent was a sitting member of the Ormond Beach City Commission last June when Ms. Shanahan announced the pre-application meeting with Belvedere Terminals…    

Whatever.

In turn, Councilman Danny Robins rightfully asked County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald to compile more information on the history of the terminal – which was met with Mr. Recktenwald’s usual lack of urgency – as he garbled and grumbled in some weird tongue that only Mr. Robins seemed to understand… 

Then, during a standing room only special meeting of the Volusia County Council on Wednesday evening, we learned – among other disturbing revelations – that county officials are unable to appeal the FDEP air construction permit issued to Belvedere Terminals because the county now lacks legal “standing.”

We also became painfully aware that Volusia County’s highly compensated legal and planning apparatus was asleep at the switch and completely failed to notice the required Public Notice of Intent to Issue Air Permit published in the Hometown News. 

In fact, an Assistant County Attorney confessed (to the collective gasps of assembled taxpayers), “Volusia County does not monitor the notices of other government agencies…” 

Really? 

Even when it involves a 20-million-gallon bulk fuel terminal?   

Wow. 

What followed was a long parade of angry residents who approached their elected representatives to passionately demand action to protect their lives, children, and homes from the adverse impacts of a massive fuel storage and distribution terminal in perhaps the most inappropriate location on the Eastern Seaboard.

Public comments included:

“Please lead!”

“Traffic, traffic, and more traffic.”

“An attractive target for domestic terrorism.”

“Why in God’s name do we have to defend ourselves over something you should have said no to a long time ago?”

“Why now?  And why Ormond Beach?”

“As leaders, you should know what’s happening, when it’s happening.”

“We’re sick of excuses.  You need to listen to your constituents!”

“Shame on you for not doing your job!”

“If my child dies, will you go to bed knowing you did all you could to stop it?”

Powerful…

During public comments, Debbie Cotton, President and CEO of the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce, boldly announced that the Chamber’s Board of Directors opposes the fuel terminal, saying the project represents an “undeniable threat to Ormond Beach.” 

Before Wednesday’s meeting, State Representative Tom Leek of Ormond Beach issued a strong statement claiming, “As a vehement opponent of the proposed fuel terminal project in Ormond Beach, I am working every angle to derail this project.  Additionally, I call on the leaders of the Volusia County Council to join me and make every lawful effort to stop the proposed fuel terminal project in Ormond Beach.”

I also understand Senator Tom Wright of New Smyrna Beach has voiced his opposition to the terminal. 

More important, I heard an interesting rumor through the Barker’s View grapevine this week that a certain unnamed High Panjandrum of Political Power – the ultimate ‘powerbroker’ who swings a lot more wood in Tallahassee and beyond than Rep. Leek and Sen. Wright combined – is also not happy with the idea of a massive fuel farm in once idyllic Ormond Beach…

Time will tell.  

So, what was the ultimate result of this coming together of furious residents and outpouring of opposition against the unthinkable?

Well, after hearing the fervent pleas of their constituents, those gutless do-nothings on the dais of power elected to direct the same staff that got us into this mess to “investigate” options and alternatives… 

You read that right.

After blaming everyone but themselves (or that bloated bureaucracy in DeLand), it appears to many that Growth and Resource Mismanagement Director Clay Ervin – supported by County Attorney Mike Dyer – is setting worried residents up for their patented, “Nuttin’ we can do, y’all. Our hands are tied – bidness is bidness” dodge. 

Without outside help by those in state and federal government (and the private/political sector) who have leverage over the Florida East Coast Railroad and the petroleum distribution industry – which should include the identification of alternative sites with rail access outside of heavily populated areas or adjacent to children’s playgrounds – this terminal may well become a reality for Ormond Beach residents.

Because Volusia County has telegraphed that it doesn’t have the backbone to stand and fight – and Belvedere Terminals hasn’t even rattled their legal saber yet…

Kudos to those intrepid Halifax area residents who are standing firm for that which is right and had the courage to speak truth to power on Wednesday evening. 

It was democracy in action – something our cowardly elected officials have not seen in quite a while…

Angel               Flagler Interim Superintendent of Schools LaShakia Moore

Earlier this week, Pierre Tristam of the online news site FlaglerLive! broke the incredibly disturbing story of how a group of so-called “educators” at Bunnell Elementary School isolated students in an assembly last Friday, ostensibly for a presentation on the importance of improving their standardized test scores.

In Mr. Tristam’s informative article, “Black Students at Bunnell Elementary Are Told Of ‘Early Grave’ If They ‘Clown’ Around and Don’t Perform,” we learned the shocking common denominator – “What these students had in common was one thing, and it wasn’t even low test scores. It was their skin color. They were all Black students. Only Black students.”

According to the report, “They were summoned in two separate assemblies at Bunnell Elementary, one for fourth graders, one for fifth graders, interrupting their classes. They were told that if they clowned around, if didn’t perform well, they could miss out on college. They could end up shot or dead.

They were shown a five-slide PowerPoint that told them that “AA have underperform (sic.) on standardized assessment (sic.) for the last past (sic.) 3 years.” AA are African Americans.

Astonishingly, with three errors in a single line, whoever wrote the PowerPoint would fail a basic English test: the problem at the school appears to start with its faculty, not its students.”

My God…

Please find Mr. Tristam’s excellent article here: https://tinyurl.com/2r5dn8n9

By Wednesday evening, the ill thought segregated assemblies had turned into an international embarrassment for Flagler County Schools as the story was carried by Daily Mail and other media outlets. 

Yesterday, we learned that Flagler County’s Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore has placed Bunnell Elementary Principal Donelle Evensen on paid administrative leave as the district continues to sort through the fallout from last week’s “assemblies.”    

In addition, the Flagler County School Board abruptly postponed a special workshop scheduled for Thursday morning during which Interim Superintendent Moore was to be interviewed for the permanent position…

According to a piece in Thursday’s FlaglerLive!:

“Postponing the workshop—which the School Board has continuously, misleadingly labeled a “retreat”— was Moore’s request.

“After much reflection,” Moore wrote board members this morning, “I respectfully ask that the Board Retreat scheduled for this morning be rescheduled. Greater than serving as the permanent superintendent, is my desire as an educator to continue to serve the community of Flagler well. For the 3-hours we have scheduled for this retreat, my thoughts will be on what is needed at BES and the rest of this district.”

She also informed the board of placing the principal on administrative leave. (Evensen is not likely to be the only Bunnell Elementary staffer to face disciplinary action.)”

Then, Ms. Moore did the unthinkable for a sitting senior official.  She apologized. 

“As the superintendent of Flagler Schools, I apologize for any disruption to our progress that this has caused, and I ask for your support as a greater community in moving forward. We need your time, ideas and resources to address the performance needs of our students as a whole.

“I appeal to this community to come together, not just around what we don’t want to see, but around what we want to see in our schools,’ she said, outlining opportunities to get involved.”

In my view, Interim Superintendent Moore’s response to this crisis should tell the Flagler County School Board all they need to know about her character and suitability. 

By any metric, Moore has shown incredible leadership under pressure, and accepted personal and professional responsibility for a terrible error in judgment that occurred on her watch – and, in my view, she has acted in the finest tradition of demanding a level of accountability commensurate with responsibility.

That is admirable – and something other area government “leaders” could learn from… 

Quote of the Week

“The (Deltona) City Commission agreed during a workshop Monday to create a committee of residents to assist in picking the next city manager following the recent resignation of Jim Chisholm.

The commission also gave consensus to Glenn Whitcomb, the newly named interim city manager, to finalize the parameters of what the city is looking for in a manager over the next two weeks.

The commission will hold votes approving those items during its Sept. 4 meeting as votes cannot be held during workshops.

The commission also agreed to shorten the timeline of searching for a city manager by 30 days.

Whitcomb also will reach out to the city manager search firm that previously responded to the city’s call to see if they are still interested.

During Monday’s workshop however, some commissioners and residents were opposed to hiring a search firm, which can cost upwards of $50,000.”

–Wild West Volusia reporter Katie Kustura writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Deltona residents asked to help pick next city manager,” Tuesday, August 22, 2023

And Another Thing!

Last week, The Daytona Beach News-Journal published a whimsical ditty on the annual personal financial disclosure forms filed by the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker that we elected to the Volusia County Council – a statutorily mandated obligation of all elected and appointed officials governed by Florida’s Code of Ethics who hold a fiduciary responsibility to those they serve.   

Three of our Councilmen – Don Dempsey, Danny Robins, and Jake Johansson – list themselves as millionaires… 

Good on ‘em. 

My three decades in municipal public service were not nearly as lucrative – but it is good to see local boys doing well, eh?   

District 1 Councilman Don Dempsey, a DeLand attorney, took the cake with a net worth of over $4.5 million as of June 1, 2023.

At-Large Councilman Johansson – a retired naval officer and former city manager of Port Orange – lists a sizeable personal fortune with a net worth of $3.4 million – with millions in checking, savings, and investment accounts – and an annual income of $202,726 derived from a military pension, VA disability, and a company owned by Mr. Johansson and his wife, Core Concepts Leadership, (not including the $51,292 he receives for service on the Volusia County Council.)

In his disclosure, Mr. Johansson listed Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce as “major customers” of his leadership training and coaching company. 

According to the News-Journal’s report, Mr. Johansson has rightfully limited his involvement with these clients to avoid any conflict of interest…  

I have always found the Florida Ethic’s Commission’s financial disclosure requirements something of a joke, in that I have rarely known a corrupt public official who willingly detailed their graft and grift on Form 1, have you?     

Frankly, at the risk of sounding crass – I don’t give a rat’s ass about how much these pompous blowholes bring in – or how many play toys they have accumulated in their spacious backyards…

In my view, if we were serious about ensuring our elected and appointed officials remain independent and impartial – we would subject them to regular polygraph examinations, forensic audits, credit checks, analyze their personal financial stability, past criminal behavior, history of substance abuse, veracity, contacts with special interests, and regularly examine any personal and professional associations that suggest a vulnerability to compromise and corruption.

Yeah.  I know…

Most important, if “The System” were serious about preserving the public trust – we would immediately overhaul our horribly broken campaign finance system – an exercise in transactional politics that has taken on the appearance of a Turkish bazaar.

Don’t hold your breath…

As recent events in the City of Deltona, Ormond Beach, and Volusia County government have shown – once lost, the public trust is impossible to regain – especially when the same compromised hands are allowed to remain on the tiller. 

In my view, it is time those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest at all levels of government understand the importance of protecting the integrity of our system of governance by avoiding even the appearance of impropriety, accepting personal and professional responsibility, and holding highly compensated senior government executives accountable for the actions and omissions of their administration.   

It is also high time those we elect to serve our best interests live up to their campaign promises and support and defend the rights of their powerless constituents in the frequent David v. Goliath conflicts we face – like crippling malignant sprawl and the increasingly likely placement of a 20-million-gallon fuel farm in Ormond Beach…

The slapstick comedy of errors that was on full display to astonished residents on Wednesday evening – many of whom had never set foot in the Volusia County Council chambers – should have been a gross embarrassment to our blindsided elected officials, County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald, and his senior staff who either knew or should have known about the Belvedere Terminal project well in advance of last week’s News-Journal exposé. 

In my view, governmental ethics require that those who accept hundreds-of-thousands in public funds to serve in the public interest have a moral obligation to maintain situational awareness, monitor internal and external actions that may adversely impact their constituents, and take early and definitive action to protect public safety, safeguard the environment, and preserve our quality of life. 

Anything less is unethical – and inexcusable.

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

“The objective of a community is not merely to survive, but to progress, to go forward into an ever-increasing enjoyment of the blessings conferred by the rich resources of this nation under the benefaction of the Supreme Being for the benefit of all the people of that community.

If a well governed city were to confine its governmental functions merely to the task of assuring survival, if it were to do nothing but to provide ‘basic services’ for an animal survival, it would be a city without parks, swimming pools, zoos, baseball diamonds, football gridirons, and playgrounds for children. Such a city would be a dreary city indeed. As man cannot live by bread alone, a city cannot endure on cement, asphalt and sewer pipes alone.

A city must have a municipal spirit beyond its physical properties, it must be alive with an esprit de corps, its personality must be such that visitors—both business and tourist—are attracted to the city, pleased by it and wish to return to it. That personality must be one to which the population contributes by mass participation in activities identified with that city.”  

–Justice Musmanno in Conrad v. City of Pittsburgh, 218 A.2d 906, 421 Pa. 492 (1966)

During my career in local government, I was often drawn to Justice Musmanno’s opinion when I needed to refocus.  To me, it speaks to the importance of good governance – to move beyond surviving from one political calamity to another – and the significance of cultivating a vibrant civic personality and “municipal spirit” to a community’s quality of life. 

There is a true crisis in Deltona.

Unfortunately, it appears the largest community by population in Volusia County is now foundering and very much in survival mode.  

This long-simmering catastrophe reached its flashpoint last week when Interim City Manager Jim “The Chiseler” Chisholm decapitated the municipal government with no warning and a well-choreographed series of resignations – leaving the Lost City of Deltona adrift in tumultuous seas with no one at the helm during the height of the budget season…

As helpless observers of this evolving trainwreck have known for years, the community has been cursed by radical dysfunction and maladministration, its esprit crushed by political infighting and compromised elected officials – its residents repeatedly set upon and humiliated – in a place still haunted and hindered by near-constant upheaval and the documented criminal conduct of a former City Manager who weaponized the justice system against engaged watchdogs,  the stench of which still wafts through City Hall like a grim specter. 

In September 2022, in a Barker’s View editorial later republished in the West Volusia Beacon, “Deltona needs stability and equilibrium,” I wrote:

“After 27 controversial years, it is now safe to say — based on the empirical evidence — that the City of Deltona has been a failed experiment, a cartoonish sideshow that has destroyed the public trust and organizational effectiveness of the local government.

Prove me wrong?”

Sadly, that dour challenge remains equally valid today.

In my view, this most recent debacle – a despicable series of organized events that saw the municipal government come unwound following a contentious City Commission meeting on August 7 – was the malicious handiwork of the vindictive Interim City Manager Jim Chisholm.

Rather than explain his role in the mysterious resignation of Director of Planning and Development Services Joe Ruiz, Chisholm started a camouflaging conflagration at City Hall that began with the abrupt departure of Deputy City Manager Rick Karl – just before The Chiseler fled the building like a diseased rat – followed by the quick exit of the horribly redundant second Deputy City Manager Suzette Cameron, who, after just six-months on the job, seems more interested in having her 80-hours of accrued sick leave paid than the disorienting effects of her departure on worried residents.     

In his letter of resignation submitted August 15, Director Ruiz wrote, in part:

“I realized that my vision and goals for the city of those on his planning program do not align with that of our city managers at this time. Therefore, I would rather leave the room for someone who can better align with his vision and future plans…”

In my view, Mr. Ruiz’ disturbing explanation deserves an in-depth investigation.

Because it is now clear that the only ‘vision and goals’ Jim Chisholm had for the beleaguered City of Deltona involved his own mercenary instincts, professional vanity, and egoistic self-interests, which he placed over the needs of the citizens and elected officials he was paid $200,000 plus benefits to serve.

Now, in a shameless display of arrogance, Mr. Chisholm steps away from the carnage he caused – refusing to provide a definitive explanation for deserting the community he had both an ethical and fiduciary responsibility to safeguard – dismissively stating in the News-Journal, “I am retired now and I love it.”

Let this serve as a cautionary tale to any entity or local government who would consider bringing this horribly damaged has-been out of hibernation…

Now that this suppurating lesion has been excised from the heart of Deltona, my sincere hope is that controversial City Attorney Marsha Segal-George will do the right thing and follow The Chiseler out the door and let the healing begin. 

Fortunately, offers of critical assistance are coming in from DeBary City Manager Carmen Rosamonda, County Councilman David Santiago, former City Commissioner David Sosa, previous candidates for the job Chisholm highjacked, citizen activists, and others who are trying desperately to keep the largest municipality in Volusia County afloat until a professional manager can be found.  

As I concluded in this space last September:

“If the City of Deltona is to remain a legitimate entity, then the elected officials must begin the painful process of sorting through the divisive baggage and set a collective vision, putting aside the mean-spirited “gotcha” politics, collusions, and accusatory maneuvers, to find a means of working cooperatively with community stakeholders to achieve civic equilibrium.

The good citizens of Deltona deserve better.”

___________________________

(The Deltona City Commission will hold a workshop at 5:30 p.m. Monday in City Hall to discuss the city manager search.)

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:

Assholes          Volusia County Council

“As someone who has followed County Government, I have watched as (Volusia County Manager) Recktenwald has become more and more arrogant and as many in upper management at the County have followed his lead. Recktenwald, and many in the County’s leadership, show great disdain for us little people who are paying the bills and for those who are doing the real work for us at the County down in the trenches and this attitude has only been bolstered by most, if not all, members of the Volusia County Council present and past. I know these things to be true because I have experienced them and watched them in person.

Try and email Recktenwald or the assistant County Manager Suzanne Konchan and see if you receive a reply and watch and listen to Recktenwald and his senior staff as they sit on the dais. As someone who has attended many County meetings of various kinds, I can tell you because of the tone that is set by leadership it is one of the most uninviting experiences you will have. It is beyond time for Recktenwald to be replaced.”

–Keith Chester, West Volusia, writing in the Facebook forum Volusia Issues, in response to the Barker’s View post, “Another Can of Worms,” Thursday, August 10, 2023

Human performance experts say that “leadership” is difficult to define. 

But, like many of you, I immediately recognize those important qualities when I see them – and when I don’t… 

So, how is it that the myriad issues that continue to hamper substantial progress here on the “Fun Coast” – the lock-step conformity to the stagnant status quo, strategic procrastination, ignorance of important issues, lack of clarity and communication, the dangerous state of our emergency medical services, public protection, beach safety, and other essential services – go perennially unaddressed by those we have elected to protect our interests? 

For instance, during Tuesday evening’s Volusia County Council meeting, a Lieutenant with the beleaguered Department of Corrections implored our elected officials to alleviate the increasingly dangerous conditions at our jail facilities before tragedy occurs and set a living wage for struggling corrections personnel. 

Crickets from the dais…

Another speaker described the Department of Corrections as “broken.”

In mute response, our elected officials stared silently like a flock of catatonic Potoos…

In addition, corrections officers and a union official described continuing dissatisfaction with mandatory overtime in the “tinderbox” that is Volusia’s jail facilities – where inmates are arming themselves with “shanks” (improvised edged weapons) fashioned from dining trays – and single corrections officers are frequently forced to violate safety protocols and transport dangerous inmates without adequate support.

Again, and per the council’s asinine policy of ignoring taxpayers who approach them for redress of grievances, the speakers were condescendingly snubbed by councilmembers…

I hope I am wrong – but I fear something horrific is going to happen at a Volusia County Jail facility – and now that they know about the conditions and choose to remain silent – that preventable blood will be on the hands of the Volusia County Council…

When citizens sought to speak on behalf of the Volusia Forever Advisory Committee’s much anticipated plans and goals (which were crammed onto the consent agenda) for the tax supported program designed to preserve conservation lands for future generations – they were lectured by At-Large Councilman Jake Johansson that they should have known how the County Council would vote on the issue before opening their pieholes and pestering the elected elite with their unsolicited and unwanted input.  

Bullshit.

Look, I realize most of what happens at these interminable time–wasting shams is choreographed behind closed doors well in advance of what passes for a “public meeting” – but Mr. Johansson should respect the right of citizens to be heard on matters important to them.

In fact, perhaps it is time Mr. Johansson – and his “colleagues” – spend less time scolding and dismissing the concerns of residents and county employees, and more time monitoring and correcting the rampant incompetence and mismanagement in County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald’s administration…

Time and again, we see worried citizens like Mr. Chester vent their growing frustration as taxpayers are forced to stand outside the locked portcullis of County government – trying desperately to make sense of the who, what, when, where, why (and how much) of the weird maneuvers and machinations playing out on the dais of power. 

Frankly, Mr. Chester’s spot-on observations of County Manager Recktenwald and his senior staff should shock the conscience of our elected officials – at least those who still value transparent and responsive government – because they are the ones who will ultimately be held responsible by voters for the arrogance and “distain” projected by senior bureaucrats with no political accountability. 

Look, I realize that is not the reality in Volusia County politics where the same Big Money insiders who consistently benefit from the corporate welfare, tax breaks, infrastructure, and other “economic incentives” influence the outcome of our elections with artificially inflated campaign contributions to their hand-select candidates who, in turn, protect the status quo and perpetuate the good old boy system that keeps the public teat patent for all the right last names. 

As an informed voter, I hope you will keep that in mind – along with the abysmal state of many of our county’s essential services – as the 2024 election season begins to heat up…

Angel               The Citizens of Deltona

Earlier this week, Deltona’s Interim City Manager Jim “The Chiseler” Chisholm took his football and went home in a huff…   

Two of his deputies followed suit leaving no one at the helm.

Good riddance.

It is no secret that the long-suffering citizens of Deltona have rightfully developed deep distrust and dissatisfaction with the cheap façade that passes for their municipal government.  It is equally clear that, to coin a well-worn phrase, “they’re mad as hell, and aren’t going to take it anymore…”

That seismic change was evident during last week’s Deltona City Commission meeting as a standing room only crowd packed the chamber to fight proposed increases in stormwater and solid waste fees – and to let their elected and appointed representatives know they will no longer tolerate the wholesale looting of public coffers by vendors and “charter officers” – or stand for mercenary tax and fee increases that are pricing some out of their homes.

Raucous public meetings are nothing new in the Lost City of Deltona – the natural result of years of suppression and frustration – but during the August 7 City Commission meeting, things reached a tipping point as residents stood together and fought valiantly against the rate hikes.  

During a spirited discussion of the fee increases, a steady stream of angry residents approached the podium, some providing compelling evidence of fund transfers – a weird form of budgetary three-card-monte – overcharging, bureaucratic incompetence, cuts to service delivery, and potential conflicts of interests by those elected officials who accepted campaign contributions from the very solid waste hauler they regulate… 

Following each impassioned plea, the audience erupted in cheers and applause.

After successfully dissuading the City Commission from approving the fee increases – the citizens let their thoughts be known on other questionable practices – including their suspicions surrounding the long-awaited agreement with Deltona’s controversial City Attorney Marsha Segal-George – which many saw as gifting Segal-George a blank check that could result in charges of $42,000 a month for her dubious legal services.

In fact, it was painfully apparent that residents had done more legal work analyzing the murky terms of the proposed contract than Interim City Manager Chisholm or any elected official on the dais…  

In addition, residents noted that Ms. Segal-George has been a precipitating factor in three lawsuits currently pending against the City of Deltona, formerly served as a principal in the very law firm the city terminated last year, openly questioned her bearing (she always appears to be a discombobulated spectator to me) and professional competence and challenged her basic eligibility to serve as a charter officer.

Citizens also demanded a hard stop to a proposed change to the fiscal checks and balances that would have allowed Interim City Manager Chisholm to exceed the $25,000 spending cap for already budgeted items.

Then things got interesting…

During comments, Commissioner Jody Lee Storozuk asked that the long-delayed City Manager search begin as soon as possible after dropping a bombshell that Rick Karl, another local government retread who Chisholm handpicked as Deputy City Manager three-months ago, told him that he would not remain in Deltona when Chisholm leaves…

Obviously seeing the handwriting on the wall, last week, Mr. Karl quickly submitted his resignation from the $165,000 post and skedaddled, citing the usual “personal and family” horseshit – rather than admit his loyalty lay with The Chiseler – rather than the good citizens of Deltona who paid his obscene salary and benefits package…   

It was obvious that the sustained nature of the brutal public criticism hit too close to home for Chisholm’s mammoth ego – which isn’t used to having his omnipotent power challenged – causing him to wail to the heavens, “I’m tired of listening to people saying how unprofessional I am, and how stupid you are, when we’re trying to move forward.  I’ve had it up to here!” to the mournful strains of “How Great Thou Art…”

In the end, like the classless asshole he is, on Tuesday, The Chiseler abruptly quit – tendered his resignation and scurried out the door of City Hall – haughtily declaring himself on “administrative leave” until September 14, and advising his blindsided constituents that he “…will be available for consultation while on administrative leave by cell to assist with the transition.”

My ass.

In an open letter to Deltona residents announcing Chisholm’s abrupt departure, Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr. explained:

“I’d earlier called for a Special City Commission Meeting to discuss the City Manager’s performance and my thoughts on the matter. Under Florida Law, the only time this type of matter can be discussed (with multiple commissioners providing input and feedback) is an open meeting. 

I was concerned that the Commission was not receiving previously promised information in a timely manner. As well as direction that was being given was not being executed.”

In the end, Chisholm’s legendary arrogance was on full display as he took a cowards exit rather than have his performance (and rumored behind-the-scenes shenanigans) openly critiqued – always putting his own professional vanity and egoistic self-interests over those of the citizens and elected officials he was paid $200,000 plus the perquisites of a Potentate, to serve.

Right in the middle of the municipal budget cycle…

Once again, The Chiseler lives up to his well-deserved moniker.

Then, in a weird twist, just yesterday, Suzette Cameron – who served as “Assistant to the City Manager” before recently being promoted to deputy city manager, also fled the sinking S.S. Chiseler…

Last evening, the Deltona City Commission meeting in special session appointed Glenn Whitcomb, Director of the City’s Water Department, to serve as Interim City Manager.

In my view, in brusquely abandoning his sworn responsibilities to Deltona residents and the City Commission that put their faith in him, Mr. Chisholm violated a key tenet of the Florida City County Management Association’s Code of Ethics, which requires professional managers to dedicate themselves “…to the highest ideals of honor and integrity in all public and personal relationships in order that the member may merit the respect and confidence of the elected officials, of other officials and employees, and of the public.”

The fact is the good people of Deltona have been gored and ignored by those they should have been able to trust for far too long – subjected to the insatiable greed and incompetence of a long stain of charlatans – and abused by self-serving opportunists masquerading as senior public officials who repeatedly took personal advantage of the chronic leadership void. 

In my view, the long-suffering citizens of Deltona demonstrated a courageous example of citizenship in action – a galvanizing moment of coalescence between neighbors tired of the dysfunction, mismanagement, and gross fiscal irresponsibility that has left them feeling both victimized and disrespected.

The fortunate departure of Jim Chisholm, and his minions, should give hope to Deltona residents that change is possible as the City Commission begins discussions regarding what everyone hopes will be an open, transparent, and apolitical search for bold new leadership.  

Quote of the Week  

“The Ormond Beach Planning Board is holding its second hearing on Monday, Aug. 21 to continue the board’s hearing regarding building 276 homes on the Tomoka Oaks golf course property.

Please plan to attend to demonstrate your concern regarding this proposed development. The location of the hearing is Tomoka Christian Church, located at 1450 Hand Ave. in Ormond Beach. Hearing starts at 6 p.m. (This August hearing location is different from the July hearing location, so please be sure to write down the correct church address.)

We realize this is a busy time of the year with school starting and people taking end of summer vacations, but all Ormond Beach residents are encouraged to attend if possible to let our planning board members know we are opposed to the overdevelopment occurring in our city. The Tomoka Oaks neighborhood entirely surrounds the golf course property. If development is ultimately approved for 276 homes (or any number of homes) on the current green space, whose green space will be swallowed up next?”

–Carolyn Davis, Ormond Beach, writing in the Ormond Beach Observer Letters to the Editor, “Planning Board hearing for Aug. 21,” Monday, August 14, 2021

Good question, Ms. Davis… 

And Another Thing!

You read about this earlier in the week. 

Read it again…

Earlier this week, I began preliminary research to take advantage of the current “anything goes” development strategy at Ormond Beach City Hall and have my postage-stamp residential property here in the Northbrook neighborhood rezoned and permitted to accommodate an industrial medical waste incinerator which I hope to locate smackdab in my backyard.

Smart thinking, eh?  Yep, strike while the iron is hot, I always say…

While I am doing much of the legal legwork myself, I am not opposed to hiring the venerated Daytona Beach firm Cobb Cole to smooth out the bureaucratic humps and bumps once the trivial details are sorted with the malleable Volusia County and Ormond Beach planning and permitting apparatus.

Of course, I will ensure all appropriate “campaign contributions” are properly distributed… 

My vision is to construct a batch load, direct fire industrial medical waste incinerator running 24/7 at a constant 1,800-degrees – capable of handling all regulated medical waste – to include trace chemotherapy and pathological refuse, amputated limbs, rotten organs, biological tissue, bloody gauze, gowns, and dressings – you name it! 

You’ve got dangerous materials deemed too hazardous for normal solid waste handling?  

Well, just haul that shit over to idyllic Overbrook Drive and let Barker deal with it!

Out of sight and out of mind, amiright!

The absolute beauty of my ingenious business plan is to simply have my side yard classified as a Subtitle D landfill where the resultant dust and ash can be dumped! 

The way I’ve got it cyphered, that should be absolutely no problem in Florida’s wink-wink-nudge-nudge fox in the henhouse regulatory environment.  

What?  Screw the neighbors… 

I am not going to sit here and let a bunch of carping tree-huggers and dirt worshipers stand in the way of “High Paying Jobs,” dammit!

(Oh, one old crone up the street told me she didn’t want “heavy metals, PFAS, and dioxins, blah, blah, blah” in her grandchildren’s water supply – so, I’m going to bury her with a crippling lawsuit under the Bert Harris Act for violating my God given right as a Floridian to do whatever the hell I want on my slice of heaven, whenever I want to do it.  That’ll teach her to infringe on the goddamned economic viability of my property…”)

Besides, those living here in north Ormond will either get used to the odor, ash, and rumble of delivery trucks – or they won’t – but they will soon learn this is Volusia County and, by God, nothing stands in the way of “progress,” right?

Whatever…

My satirical plan makes about as much sense as placing a 20-million-gallon bulk fuel farm off two-lane Hull Road adjacent to a children’s play area and sports complex…

Shockingly, the murmurs and rumors that have swirled around the community for months were confirmed last week in a disturbing article by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal who announced that a massive petroleum farm is being built near Ormond Beach’s sports complex, municipal airport, and the Bear Creek subdivision. 

According to the report, “The planned facility will consist of 16 tanks, some 40 feet tall, that will store more than 20 million gallons of fuel and feed a steady stream of tanker trucks.” 

You read that right.

The complex, operated by Belvedere Terminals, is part of a planned hub-and-spur fuel distribution system located along the Florida East Coast Railway.  Of course, if you listen to Belvedere’s Chief Operating Officer Mike Benedetto, the operation will be so safe and “state of the art” those “active 55+” residents of Bear Creek won’t even know it’s there…

I’ll bet… 

Look, Florida needs a safe and reliable fuel supply chain – something typically confined to major shipping ports at Tampa, Jacksonville, Port Everglades, Port Canaveral, and the Central Florida Pipeline Terminal at Taft – but no one I have spoken with in recent days could think of a more inappropriate location for a bulk fuel distribution site than the once quaint community of Ormond Beach.

On August 1, with little notice and, to my knowledge, no public input in the process, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection issued the final “air construction permit,” which authorizes construction of the Ormond Beach Terminal.

After residents voiced their concerns before both the Volusia County Council – and a standing room only meeting of the Ormond Beach City Commission this week – it became apparent our elected officials were as awkwardly out-of-the loop as residents were! 

According to meeting minutes from a meeting of the Ormond Beach Site Plan Review Committee made available this week, city planning and economic development officials met with representatives of Belvedere Terminals in June 2022 to discuss preliminary plans for the fuel terminal.

As I understand it (and I am not sure I do), the property is zoned heavy industrial and currently located in unincorporated Volusia County.  But because the terminal will be supplied by Ormond Beach utilities, once the project is complete, the 60-acre site will be annexed into the city as required by law. 

According to the News-Journal, “Belvedere Terminals will have to provide traffic impact information as part of the site review process with Volusia County ― the site is adjacent to city land but is in the county government’s jurisdiction.

“The project engineer will need to provide information during site plan review that the site and nearby infrastructure can handle the increased truck traffic. Improvements may be necessary,” according to Carol McFarlane, Volusia County’s director of Planning and Development Services.”

Which tells anyone paying attention that at least one high-ranking member of County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald’s administration was aware of the project in advance of this week’s News-Journal report…

So why are our clueless elected representatives in Volusia County and Ormond Beach acting like this is the first they’ve heard of this? 

According to the News-Journal, “While some have only recently learned about the project, it’s been known to city officials for more than a year, at least ― as well as its potential traffic impacts.

The Ormond Beach Site Plan Review Committee spoke about the project in June of 2022, according to meeting minutes. At the time, officials expected the project to bring about seven trucks an hour and over 160 trucks in a 24-hour period. The truck route was expected to be from Harmony Road to Hull Road, and out to U.S. 1.”

With the facility designed to accommodate a constant 24/7 flow of tanker trucks – entering the terminal presumably from Pineland Trail, taking the roar past those once pastoral ranchettes along Harmony Road, ultimately dumping the tankers onto US-1 at its unsignalized intersection with Hull Road – now, officials have swung a wild-assed guess and revised the traffic count to an estimated four trucks per hour…

Understandably, many residents who just found out about the planned monstrosity – in a largely residential community where most equate “heavy industry” with unobtrusive suntan lotion bottling facilities, warehouses, and light manufacturing – are rightly concerned about what the Belvedere Terminal will mean for their property values and rapidly diminishing quality of life.

They are also righteously pissed off at city and county officials for not giving them a heads-up…

So, why wouldn’t Ms. McFarlane bother to advise County Manager Recktenwald so he could brief members of the County Council?

And why did senior planning and building officials in Ormond Beach keep this news from the Ormond Beach City Commission before one of the most potentially inflammatory (pun intended) issues of the day became breaking news?    

Now, those poleaxed officials who should be in-the-know – heavy hitters like Chairman Jeff Brower, Councilman Troy Kent, and clueless Ormond Beach City Commissioners – are left scrambling to file letters of objection, appeal the FDEP permit, and fret over the specter of lawsuits should they fail to rubber stamp what everyone knows is coming…

In my view, heads should roll at City Hall and the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Complex. 

They won’t – but they should. 

Because I will bet you a Donnie’s doughnut that some of these “dumbfounded” elected and appointed officials were well aware of this insult months ago…  

This one bears watching, folks.

When We, The Little People are gaslighted and lied to long enough, watch helplessly while those we elect only represent the interests of their “Rich & Powerful” political overseers, repeatedly approve greed-crazed development with Pavlovian efficiency, and keep major projects that will drastically impact our lives and livelihoods hidden behind closed doors and secret “code names” – we become suspicious of government’s motivations and cynical of the process.

This is the result.  

Now, we are left to wonder if/when our elected representatives (who increasingly act more like corporate fixers than public servants) were aware that residents of Ormond Beach are about to be subjected to the lifechanging adverse impacts of an industrial fuel storage farm – and why there has been no public outreach by either Volusia County or Ormond Beach? 

And why the secrecy and faux astonishment by those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest?

Trust me.  This isn’t how a government of the people, by the people, and for the people is supposed to work.

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

Last month, the Volusia County Council rubber stamped the appointment of Michael Ryan to serve as Director of Community Information – our county government’s new chief mouthpiece. 

During his coronation, Director Ryan gushed, “I’m honored to join such a creative and dedicated team with a proven track record of effective messaging and a strong foundation of transparent and proactive communication.”

Last week, perplexed residents of Ormond Beach found out just how “transparent and proactive” local governments can be when they want to keep a secret…

The murmurs and rumors that have swirled around the community for months were confirmed in a disturbing article by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal who confirmed that a massive petroleum farm is being built on Hull Road – near Ormond Beach’s sports complex, municipal airport, and the Bear Creek subdivision. 

According to the report, “The planned facility will consist of 16 tanks, some 40 feet tall, that will store more than 20 million gallons of fuel and feed a steady stream of tanker trucks.” 

You read that right.

The complex, operated by Belvedere Terminals, is part of a planned hub-and-spur fuel distribution system located along the Florida East Coast Railway.  If you listen to Belvedere’s Chief Operating Officer Mike Benedetto, the operation will be so safe and “state of the art” those “active 55+” residents of Bear Creek won’t even know it’s there…

My ass.

Look, Florida needs a safe and reliable fuel supply chain – something typically confined to major shipping ports at Tampa, Jacksonville, Port Everglades, Port Canaveral, and the Central Florida Pipeline Terminal at Taft – but no one I have spoken with in recent days could think of a more inappropriate location for a bulk fuel distribution site than the once quaint community of Ormond Beach.

On August 1, with very little notice and, to my knowledge, no public input in the process, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (sorry, I just upchucked in the mouth a little) issued the final “air construction permit,” which authorizes construction of the Ormond Beach Terminal.

While you and I were kept in the dark, those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest at Volusia County and the City of Ormond Beach were well aware of the fate that awaits area residents who will be impacted by near constant heavy truck traffic on already overstressed roadways. 

So, what happened to all that “transparency and proactive communication” horseshit Director Ryan crowed about?

“While some have only recently learned about the project, it’s been known to city officials for more than a year, at least ― as well as its potential traffic impacts.

The Ormond Beach Site Plan Review Committee spoke about the project in June of 2022, according to meeting minutes. At the time, officials expected the project to bring about seven trucks an hour and over 160 trucks in a 24-hour period. The truck route was expected to be from Harmony Road to Hull Road, and out to U.S. 1.”

With the facility designed to accommodate a constant flow of tanker trucks – entering the terminal presumably from Pineland Trail, taking the roar past those once pastoral ranchettes along Harmony Road, and ultimately dumping the loaded tankers onto US-1 at Hull Road – now, officials have swung a wild-assed guess and revised the traffic count to an estimated four trucks per hour…

Understandably, many residents who just found out about the planned monstrosity – in a largely residential community where most equate “heavy industry” with unobtrusive suntan lotion bottling facilities, warehouses, and light manufacturing – are rightly concerned about what the Belvedere Terminal will mean for their property values and rapidly diminishing quality of life.

They are also righteously pissed off at their elected representatives for not giving them the courtesy of a heads-up…

As I understand it (and I’m not sure I do), the property is zoned heavy industrial and currently located in unincorporated Volusia County.  But because the terminal will be supplied by Ormond Beach utilities, once the project is complete, the 60-acre site will be annexed into the city as required by law. 

According to the News-Journal, “Belvedere Terminals will have to provide traffic impact information as part of the site review process with Volusia County ― the site is adjacent to city land but is in the county government’s jurisdiction.

“The project engineer will need to provide information during site plan review that the site and nearby infrastructure can handle the increased truck traffic. Improvements may be necessary,” according to Carol McFarlane, Volusia County’s director of Planning and Development Services.”

I don’t know about you, but Ms. McFarlane’s robotic response aside, since when did Volusia County give two-shits about ensuring that adequate infrastructure is in place before permitting development anywhere? 

That’s the compounding effect of deception and distrust.

When We, The Little People are gaslighted and lied to long enough, watch helplessly while those we elect only represent the interests of their “Rich & Powerful” political overseers, repeatedly approve greed-crazed development with Pavlovian efficiency, and keep major projects that will drastically impact our lives and livelihoods hidden behind closed doors and secret “code names” – we become suspicious of government’s self-serving motivations and cynical of the process.

Now, we are left to wonder if/when our elected representatives (who increasingly act more like corporate fixers than public servants) were aware that residents of Ormond Beach are about to be subjected to the obvious adverse impacts of an industrial fuel storage farm – and question why there has been no public outreach by either Volusia County or Ormond Beach? 

Don’t waste your time asking them – Volusia County Councilmen David Santiago and Don Dempsey couldn’t find Ormond Beach on a map – and the rest have proven, time and again, that taxpayers should pay the bills and keep their pieholes shut…

Trust me.  This isn’t how a government of the people, by the people, and for the people is supposed to work – and its time those who swore an oath to protect our interests are held politically accountable for their pernicious actions.

Now that the unthinkable has become a reality in Ormond Beach, I hope you will let your voice be heard at the ballot box next year and begin the important process of finding a political solution to the corrosive problem of misrepresentation and incompetence while there is still something left of our collective quality of life to worry about.

(Photo Credit: Belvedere Terminals Company, LLC)

When I reflect on my time in a public safety leadership role – responsible both to, and for, others – what I regret most were those missed opportunities when I refused to listen.

Unfortunately, the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” rut – coupled with ego and obstinance – makes it is easy for senior administrators to forget that those who provide essential services are having their own experiences, gaining knowledge, and developing contemporary solutions to difficult day-to-day challenges on the fly. 

In time, those at the tip of the spear gain a unique perspective – a situational awareness that can be a tremendous resource for those willing to listen.   

I was reminded of that this week in a disturbing article by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal when a veteran Volusia County Corrections officer described critically low staffing levels at jail facilities, a dangerous situation which “…has made an already hazardous and stressful job even worse.”

According to Senior Corrections Officer John Miranda, acting as spokesperson for the Volusia Corrections Association, the union estimates that the Corrections Division of the Department of Public Protection is down some 70 officers and cautioned, “This is the most dangerous I’ve ever seen it since I’ve been here.”

Of a total compliment of 272, the Corrections Division has a staff of just 193 corrections officers, trainees, and supervisors overseeing an average daily inmate population of 1,291…

Senior Volusia County bureaucrats in the Ivory Tower of Power dispute Officer Miranda’s assessment – claiming the department needs 36 officers to be considered “fully staffed” – countering that they are “…unaware of any complaints about unsafe conditions.”

Really? 

It should now be apparent to anyone paying attention that there are many things County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald seems conveniently (and consistently) “unaware” of…

Inexplicably, our new County mouthpiece, Michael Ryan – a marketing flack turned expert penologist – coarsely dismissed Officer Miranda as a liar, claiming “We absolutely disagree with the characterization that the conditions of the jail are unsafe for either the inmates or staff.”

As history proves, Ryan’s despicable tactic is not surprising. 

Discrediting anyone who blows the whistle on serious problems in Volusia County government is the Recktenwald administration’s modus operandi. 

According to the News-Journal, “Corrections officers are seeking higher pay and better conditions as part of their contract negotiations. Key issues include the amount of overtime hours officers work to make up for the lack of staff. Officers also raised concerns about the issue during negotiations in 2021.”

Another significant issue confronting corrections personnel is the slow creep of mismanaged wage compression. 

During a recent bargaining session, Senior Officer Harvey Sutton described how new hires start at just $2.00 an hour less than 20-year veterans – and, according to a county job description, newly certified correctional officers receive just $21.32 an hour…   

In response, “Jeff Mandel, outside counsel for the county, told Sutton that the labor market keeps pushing the county to raise starting pay, and there’s not enough money to commit to a corresponding pay increase for everyone on staff.

“It’s an issue everywhere, and all I can say is that we’re trying our best,” Mandel said.”

Wait…  Outside counsel?

“Trying our best”?

Say what?

In my experience, correctional officers are the unsung heroes of public safety – serving under incredibly stressful and dangerous conditions – in close proximity to the worst of the worst. 

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, these brave souls served honorably – some working 14 to 16 days straight on forced overtime in confined spaces for considerable periods of time at significant risk to their personal safety.

Despite Director Ryan’s bullshit infused bilgewater, Volusia County correctional officers have been sounding the alarm for years. 

In 2021, the union stated that some correctional officers were afraid to come to work – ominously fearful that “something bad” was going to happen due to inadequate staffing – shortages which have forced officers to violate safety protocols, such as having a single officer check on high-risk offenders, and an inability to allow inmates adequate time outside their cells.

At the same time, Volusia County was awash in $107.4 million in federal COVID-19 recovery funds…

To add cruel insult, in December 2022 – during the height of the Flowers scandal at the jail – our elected dullards on the Volusia County Council – with no objective evaluation of their performance beyond the usual good ‘ol boy backslapping and anecdotal accolades from the dais – lavished a 4% pay increase on County Manager Recktenwald and County Attorney Michael Dyer – skyrocketing their obscene compensation to $246,706 and $230,607 respectively…

Earlier this month, for reasons known only to them – the majority of the Volusia County Council, acting on a motion by Councilman Danny Robins – arrogantly shot down a suggestion from Chair Jeff Brower calling for a public workshop to discuss serious problems with the county’s Emergency Medical Services. 

Instead of demonstrating leadership, providing policy direction (or a kick in the pants) to our lethargic County Manager, or discussing growing public safety needs in a transparent way – Councilman Robins and his “colleagues” once again abdicated their sworn responsibilities and deferred to Recktenwald (who painted us into this corner in the first place) to “…handle employee issues without interference from the council.” 

My God.

How far into this trainwreck are they going to allow Recketenwald to keep his hand on the switch?

This week, according to a half-page article in what remains of the “Local” section of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, we were told that Councilman Robins now is off to catch and kill snakes in the Florida Everglades – all while ignoring the massive can of worms at the Thomas C. Kelly Administrative Center that are threatening the health, safety, and welfare of staff and residents alike… 

I don’t make this shit up, folks.  

We deserve better. 

So do the brave men and women of the Volusia County Department of Corrections.

“When a fellow says it hain’t the money but the principle o’ the thing, it’s th’ money…”

–Hoss Sense and Nonsense, 1926

Sometimes during the legislative process, through the mind-numbing presentations, contrived distractions, and infuriating political posturing – a moment of schadenfreude emerges that makes me chuckle. 

That perverse pleasure I derive from watching stuffed shirt politicians wiggle and squirm over minor, but politically charged, issues – like whether or not they deserve a raise…

For instance, anyone remember back in 2021 when a previous iteration of the Volusia County Council voted 4-3 against a ballot initiative that could have resulted in a substantial pay increase?

For the record, Volusia County is different from many Florida counties in that our charter overrides the state mandate that defers to the legislature in setting salaries for elected commissioners. 

In Volusia, our charter states:

“The salary of a council member shall be 50% of that prescribed by law for the office of county commissioner. The salary for the county chair shall be 60% of that prescribed by law for the office of county commissioner. The salaries shall constitute full compensation for all services and in-county expenses, except that out-of-county expenses, as permitted by law, shall be authorized.”

Without that limitation, the legislative recommendation for Volusia County Council members would have gifted them an obscene $95,596 a year…

At present, the Chair commands $57,351 – while each of the district council members receive an ample annual salary of $47,798 – essentially for attending two meetings a month and schlepping around to a slate of ceremonial timewasters that never seem to improve our quality of life or lower our already exorbitant tax rate…

Damn.  If $48K doesn’t cover incidentals, I don’t know what will…

During a 2020 workshop, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth from our elected officials about how the position is far from a part-time gig, complaints about the cost of gas, and the imposition on their time that comes with fielding the piddling problems of their constituents. 

With many asset limited/income constrained Volusia County families struggling to find affordable housing, our elected elite had the unmitigated gall to publicly wallow in their own egotistic angst over how terribly expensive shameless self-promotion has become for politicians.

So, at the time, the Volusia County Council tuned their proverbial guitars to the doghouse bass and moaned the Poor Mouth Blues – openly mewling about out-of-pocket expenses, a lack of personal assistants or a vehicle allowance, and the high cost of their automobile insurance – before determining how to best couch ballot language for a pay increase that gullible voters might swallow.

Ultimately, it didn’t go anywhere – but it was fun to watch…  

Last year, the Palm Coast City Council voted itself a 151% increase for council members and hefty 163% bump for the mayor and added health benefits.

Last week, the Daytona Beach City Commission had the uncomfortable discussion about whether to increase their $23,650 annual stipend – and the $41,059 the mayor receives – with the majority agreeing that, after 17-years, it is time for an upward adjustment.

Perhaps it is. 

Now, the City Commission must appoint a citizens advisory committee to explore salary changes at least one-year ahead of the November 2024 election.

In a recent article by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, we learned that, due to city charter constraints, “An ordinance increasing commission salaries has to be adopted at least six months prior to the next regular city election. So commissioners would have to take their first vote on a pay hike by April 17 next year, and they would have to adopt the measure no later than May 1, 2024.”

According to the report, “City Commissioner Dannette Henry, the mayor’s sister, said the rising price of gas is one reason the raises are needed.

“It’s very expensive to be at all the events,” she said.

While the mayor and commissioner positions are considered part-time, that’s not the reality for those who make themselves accessible to their constituents and go to the many meetings and events held in addition to commission meetings.

City Commissioner Stacy Cantu said she logs more than 40 hours per week handling her commission duties.

“My emails and phone never stop,” Cantu said. “All the gas money comes out of my pocket.”

Cantu said she didn’t become a commissioner for the money.

“But I didn’t get into this to lose money,” she said.”

My God. 

These tales of the depravities of poverty in public service are like something out of an old Flann O’Brian novel…

Look, I realize that most politicians have a high opinion of themselves – but building resentment by publicly complaining about their remuneration in front of the tax-strapped folks who foot the bill (after they begged us for the job with the full knowledge of what it paid) is never a good look.

In fact, it’s loutish.

For the record, according to United States Census Bureau statistics (2021 dollars), Volusia County’s per capita income is $32,231 – with 13.8% of the population living in poverty.  

In the City of Daytona Beach, per capita income is just $26,196, with an astounding 21.8% of residents living at or below the federal poverty line (which, for a single-person household is $14,580, adding $5,140 for each additional person.)   

Perhaps our ‘powers that be’ have finally gotten a small taste of what financially strapped Volusia County families deal with every day – and the burden isn’t attending some stilted meeting, grip-n-grin, gilded soiree, Tallahassee hot air generator or political hobnob – but the real and ongoing struggle of keeping a roof over their children’s heads and putting food on the table.

I wholeheartedly agree:  It is time We, The Little People changed the way in which our local county and municipal elected officials are compensated for their “public service.” 

Look, elective service is a demanding and often thankless task that invites constant criticism from blowhards like me; yet each election cycle the same perennial politicians fight tooth-and-nail to seek and retain seats on the dais of power – even selling their political souls to the highest bidder to amass the campaign funds required to compete – knowing full well what the job pays before entering the ring.

In my view, public service is a privilege – one that requires sacrifice – giving back and devoting oneself to a cause greater than our own self-interests, while living up to the sacred trust that says those we elect will have our collective best interests at heart and give of themselves to improve our lives and livelihoods.  

The real reward being the knowledge that each day in office they have the opportunity and responsibility to make their community, county, or state a better place for everyone.

I have an idea.

Perhaps, in the true spirit of public service, we simply make our elected officials whole – reimbursing them for all out-of-pocket expenses, milage, and approved travel as required – with a reasonable cap and regular audits to prevent abuse.  

In my view, that is a fair, equitable, and across-the-board solution that eliminates these recurring compensation arguments – and the inevitable hurt feelings on both sides of the dais – so that the only expenditure our elected representatives have is their time and talents in service to their constituents.

Hi, kids!

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

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

Angel               Daytona Aquarium & Rainforest Adventure

In many ways, the City of Daytona Beach has become a paradox – with contradictions and differences between existing neighborhoods, our core tourist area of the beachside, long-neglected Midtown, and the burgeoning “New Daytona” along Boomtown Boulevard east and west of I-95. 

For many who live and work on the beachside, hope continues to dwindle as our ‘powers that be’ seem content to take a piecemeal approach – throwing Chanel No. 5 on the tired old hog with a taxpayer supported restaurant here, the purchase of private property with public funds there, and still unrealized assurances of a Main Street renaissance – rather than present a comprehensive plan for revitalization and renewal.

For instance, we were promised the long-awaited $22 million East ISB overhaul would be underway this year – transforming our dilapidated gateway to The World’s Most Famous Beach – a goal that has been the fervent promise of every incoming chairperson of the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce for decades.

Now, here it is August – and the only visible movement on the project is some unfinished utilities work that has destroyed the expensive landscaping at the intersection of ISB and Atlantic Avenue during the summer tourist season…  

Whatever.

In my view, this unfulfilled potential and chronic stagnation have left many feeling disheartened – reluctant to enter the byzantine maze of permits, hoops, and hurdles required for entrepreneurial investment in the Halifax area. 

Afterall, who wants to invest in infill and renovation, when it is so much easier to rezone and clearcut a piece of undeveloped pine scrub near shiny new “theme” communities and those massive sticks-and-glue apartment complexes on LPGA Boulevard?

Last week, in an excellent article by Charles Guarria writing in Hometown News Volusia, we learned that two bold investors – Andrew Podray and Cliff Grosvenor – are working to transform the former Daytona Mall property into something refreshingly unique at the challenged intersection of International Speedway Boulevard and Nova Road.

According to the report, “What became apparent at a recent neighborhood meeting inside one of Daytona Mall’s vacant stores is there are two businessmen who are maneuvering to upgrade the mall. One is Andrew Podray, the owner of Daytona Center LLC, who recently purchased the rest of the mall he did not own, and the other is Cliff Grosvenor.

Mr. Grosvenor doesn’t own any of the mall property, but he is leasing a large section of it to construct an aquarium. The Ponce Inlet resident is turning nearly all of the former Burlington store into the Daytona Aquarium & Rainforest Adventure.”

The desperately needed attraction will include interactive exhibits, educational programs, a café, arcade, and space for birthday parties.

According to Hometown News, Mr. Podray is seeking to have the remainder of the mall property rezoned by the City of Daytona Beach to allow for possible multi-family housing and a variety of commercial enterprises.

That sounds like a good plan – and a great start.  

Kudos to these two intrepid investors for taking a chance at the very heart of Daytona Beach!

We need more like them…

Asshole           Volusia County Council

Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower and Councilman Danny Robins have one thing in common:

They both think I don’t like them… 

The fact is, I don’t really know them. 

I had lunch once with Mr. Robins after he announced his candidacy, we’ve spoken on the phone a time or two, and exchanged texts on various issues.  Likewise, I enjoyed a lunch with Chairman Brower and one of his sons, we talk issues on occasion, and I spoke on his behalf at a campaign rally when he ran against former Council member Deb Denys in 2020. 

The fact is, I don’t know Robins or Brower well enough to dislike them. 

You may find this odd, but I still believe in the quaint and fading notion that well-intentioned people – including those elected to serve the public interest and blowhard critics like me – can disagree politically without hating one another.  

At least I hope we can…

As I get older (unbelievably, I’ll turn 63 on Monday) I don’t waste a lot of time worrying about whether people “like” me or not (only in retirement can one say that with complete authenticity) – and a friend of mine recently summed it up when they said, “Mark, Barker’s View is like the Walmart of blogs – everyone hates it, but they know they need it…” 

One thing I understand all too well is the political tactic of using contrived drama and interpersonal conflict as an effective means of derailing your opponent’s agenda…

Trust me.  You don’t need a Political Science degree from Georgetown – or a Ph.D. in Psychoanalytic Studies (although that would help) – to discern the level of dysfunction and internecine horseshit that continues to hamper the “people’s business” on the dais of power in DeLand – or the cheap political posturing and puffery designed to frustrate substantive change and ensure the status quo.

While I appreciate the fact that Mr. Robins frequently brings new ideas to the table (which range from the reasonable to the ridiculous) in a place not known for embracing innovative change – I happen to disagree with his infuriating political obstructionism, opportunistic self-promotion, and near-constant grandstanding (for the uninitiated, that’s kind of a theme around this blogsite…) 

In turn, Chairman Brower’s recurring Caspar Milquetoast impression has helped his “colleagues” on the dais paint him as horribly weak and ineffectual.

That political pushing and shoving goes with the territory, I suppose.

But it is divisive and unnecessary shit like Mr. Robins’ recent grammatical nightmare of a manifesto on drowning deaths that tells us all we need to know about why nothing of substance happens on the Volusia County Council…

Last Sunday morning, Chairman Brower, a former ocean lifeguard, posted a News-Journal article to his Facebook page detailing the fifth drowning death on Volusia County beaches this year under the apt caption, “Enough.” 

Brower’s post stirred a spirited debate amongst us Facebookians on how beach safety can be improved in an era when attracting and retaining qualified lifeguards is a difficult undertaking – especially when the starting pay for a part-time guard, who is expected to risk their lives recuing others from dangerous surf conditions, is just $15 an hour… 

According to a report on this most recent tempest in a teapot by The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

“Robins took issue with Brower’s approach to the topic, writing that lifeguards have kept “drownings down” despite the shortage. He wrote that there have been five drownings so far this year, and 8 in 2022. Based on his numbers, which haven’t been independently verified, the county is averaging about 6 drownings a year since 2013.

“Although terrible and tremendously unfortunate, drownings have occurred. Your Volusia County Council has continued to provide record funding for our first responders overall and are ALWAYS striving to do better.

For an elected official to exploit and paint a false picture to the public, our businesses and local economy that our beach is inherently unsafe is simply LOW and UNTRUE.

Quite frankely, (sic) this is a pattern coming from the CENTER OF THE DIAS (sic) and is a SLAP IN FACE to the hard working men and women of Beach Safety and the lifeguards.”

(WTF?  Don’t council members have high-paid scribes on the county payroll to write this shit for them?)

Of course, Robins’ screed caused Mr. Brower to go on the defensive (anyone see a pattern there?), claiming that he was only attempting to bring attention to the chronic lifeguard shortage:

“Brower said he’s spoken with county leadership and plans to seek council support for a workshop on addressing issues such as lifeguard pay.

“It doesn’t need to be ugly, but I’m afraid somebody’s going to try and make it that way just for political purposes, but that’s on them if they do that,” Brower said.”

Look, social media spit-spats are one thing, but during the Volusia County Council meeting on Tuesday, Mr. Robins upped the ante by strategically shutting down Chairman Brower’s call for a public workshop to explore the serious issues plaguing Emergency Medical Services – to include recruitment and retention, response times, working conditions, and the horribly flawed deployment strategy that leaves overworked paramedics and EMT’s nowhere to recuperate, decontaminate, and resupply between calls for service.

Unfortunately, once again, the Council put politics over people when Mr. Robins made a motion to table the issue in favor of allowing County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald – on whose watch we got into this intractable mess – to “handle employee issues without interference from the council.”

Great… Once again, public safety falls to the sword of political posturing.

Unfortunately, this will get worse as we enter the silly season when three seats – including Chairman Brower, District 2 Councilman Matt Reinhart, and District 4 Councilman Troy Kent are up for grabs. 

In Volusia County – the more things change, the more they stay the same – because the puppeteers who manipulate the rods and strings on these malleable marionettes remain the same…  

I hope you will remember that at the ballot box in 2024 – and 2026…

Angel               Bethune-Cookman Alumnus Percy Williamson

I recently watched the moving documentary “Mary McLeod Bethune Goes to Washington” on an installment of the PBS series Florida Frontiers, a production of the Florida Historical Society.

The episode explored the fascinating history of the Mary McLeod Bethune statute – which now represents Florida in the United States Capitol – and memorialized Dr. Bethune’s enduring legacy to our nation and the world.   

The oral histories – told by those in the community who remember Dr. Bethune during her lifetime – and others who were instrumental in seeing the statute become a reality – including Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry and Ormond Beach philanthropist Nancy Lohman, resulted in an inspirational story that reminded me of the importance of Bethune-Cookman University to the life of our community.

Please find the episode here: https://tinyurl.com/5yvvszm8  

For a variety of reasons (not the least of which was gross mismanagement and personal greed by those with a fiduciary responsibility to students, alumni, faculty, and staff), B-CU has fallen on tough times – resulting in real threats to its accreditation, allegations of fiscal misconduct, massive debt, declining student enrollment, and a lack of stakeholder confidence, all resulting in dwindling fundraising.

Then came the highly publicized split between B-CU’s tumultuous “leadership” and the Mary McLeod Bethune National Alumni Association.  Following the long brewing separation last year, a News-Journal op/ed authored by Kevin L. Davis, a 1974 graduate of Bethune-Cookman College, heartbreakingly noted, “The state of the union of Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) is in tragic disarray…”

To their credit, the alumni association has long demanded an end to the malfeasance that has blemished the Board of Trustees resulting in a revolving door of presidents and senior officials.

Unfortunately, at a time when these mounting internal and external issues require an “all hands-on deck” approach – B-CU’s wayward Board of Trustees opted to file an incredibly expensive federal trademark infringement suit, essentially excommunicating the alumni association.

How petty.  And shortsighted…

According to a January 2022 report in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “B-CU is demanding the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune National Alumni Association stop using the university’s name, logos and trademarks — as well as its founder’s name. The suit alleges the alumni group has nonetheless infringed on those trademarks and “falsely represents that it is associated with the university.”

In keeping with their mission, the alumni association remains committed to defending Dr. Bethune’s legacy – as legal fees continue to mount on both sides of the divide…  

This week, it was reported that Daytona Beach native Percy Williamson, an honors graduate of Bethune-Cookman University with a distinguished history of service in both the public and private sector, has formed Sustaining the Legacy Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit separate from the Mary McLeod Bethune National Alumni Association, dedicated to raising funds for the organizations legal bills so other donations can be used to support students.

To read more about the legal defense fund – or make a donation to this most worthwhile effort – please go to https://www.stl-legaldefense.com/ or contact Mr. Williamson at stldefensefund@gmail.com . 

Quote of the Week

“A business owner who transformed a historic building in a South Carolina redevelopment area into a brewery, taproom and restaurant is interested in taking over the Corbin building on Main Street.

Andrew Baumgartner, owner of Savage Craft Ale Works in West Columbia, S.C., was the lone responder to a Daytona Beach city government request for proposals for the large, city-owned structure.

Only city officials and Baumgartner know what’s proposed in a plan he sent on July 25. The documents won’t be available to the public until late August. The proposal could be unveiled sooner if the city decides before Aug. 25 that it wants to lock in an agreement with Baumgartner.”

–Reporter Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Beachside could get new beer garden,” Tuesday, August 1, 2023

It appears the City of Daytona Beach’s growing business empire may be expanding with the addition of a brewpub in the taxpayer owned Corbin building on Main Street. 

According to reports, Savage Craft Ale Works was the sole respondent to a request for proposals to partner with the City of Daytona Beach to repurpose the property…  

The owner of the popular taproom and eatery located in West Columbia, South Carolina, will now negotiate terms with city officials to bring a craft brewery, restaurant, and live music venue to the 39,300-square-foot building at 777 Main Street that Daytona Beach residents purchased in March for $3.1 million. 

At that time, city officials envisioned a food pavilion housing a variety of dining and entertainment establishments all under one roof. 

Last week, I took a drive down Main Street and was shocked (not really) by the condition of some properties, many of which appeared dank, vacant, and uninviting. 

That includes a storefront in the 700 block, just southwest of the Corbin property, that has a series of tattered flags attached to the front (including the sad remains of a now desecrated American flag) that are so torn, frayed, and weather-beaten they add to the bleak appearance of blight and dilapidation the City of Daytona Beach has spent millions in Community Redevelopment Area funds to eliminate.  

Where did all that money go?

Never mind all that.  Now is the time for hope and happy talk – and the notion of CRA accountability and transparency just opens another ugly can of worms – and begs more questions, right?   

Right…

While it appears city officials are not interested in improving the appearance of Main Street to make it more attractive to entrepreneurial investment – they appear open to collaborating with Savage Craft Ale Works to see the popular establishment become a reality – including the option of selling the property, if necessary. 

Because everything remains hush-hush, there is no word yet on what, if any, “public incentives” are being considered to sweeten the pot…   

Stay tuned.

Given the fact several businesses, including the World’s Most Famous Brewery, the beachside’s first microbrewery owned and operated by the enterprising Tom Caffrey and Krista Goodrich, have enjoyed hard-earned success on Main Street – they were forced to do it the old-fashioned way: Through personal investment, navigating the bureaucratic steeplechase, and sweat equity. 

My hope is that the City of Daytona Beach will remember the pride and perseverance of those locally owned businesses who planted their flag on Main Street and stood firm – waiting patiently for the change we were all promised was coming – before skewing the playing field in favor of the newcomer on the block…

And Another Thing!

Wow.  What a difference a year makes, eh?   

One year ago – August 2, 2022 – during the heat and clamor of an election year, the majority of the Volusia County Council publicly humiliated Chairman Jeff Brower on contrived charges he “politicized” a planned public workshop to discuss the Florida Wildlife Corridor. 

(Sound familiar?)

The forum was designed to educate citizens by bringing together “…non-governmental organizations, members of the public, agencies, policy makers and local stakeholders to share information on the value of the corridor to people, wildlife and the economy.” 

For those joining us late, the Florida Wildlife Corridor carves out approximately 18-million acres of connected conservation lands and waters to allow displaced wildlife a means of traversing the sprawl of zero lot line cracker boxes and half-empty strip centers that continue to encroach on their shrinking habitat.

At that time, former Councilman Ben Johnson – in a choreographed political skit for the ages – bitterly fumed from the dais, accusing Brower of lying about the true nature of the workshop – portraying the educational forum as “a cheap political stunt” designed to promote a slate of candidates supported by Chairman Brower.

Of course, Mr. Johnson’s broadside was quickly supported on all flanks by Councilman Danny Robins, along with former Council member’s Billie Wheeler and Fred Lowry, who took turns cutting into Brower (and former Council Member Heather Post) with a ferocity and faux indignation that demonstrated to their political overseers they were earning their keep during an important election season.

West Volusia Beacon reporter Al Everson later described the orchestrated political hitjob as a “…fierce, raucous, verbal brawl.”

In his usual tepid defense, Brower said, “It was not a political move to hurt anybody on this council. It’s what I wrote in that sentence: I want the public to know where we stand. The public deserves to know where we stand on preserving land or not, and you can try every single meeting to squash this. It doesn’t need to be squashed.”

Yet, squashed it was…

In my view, that entire ugly chapter in an even uglier period of foot-dragging on environmental and development issues was just as Mr. Johnson said – a cheap political stunt – but one perpetrated by Volusia’s Old Guard, carefully designed to further the evisceration of Chairman Brower.

Along with the marginalization of any candidate who supported tightening the reins on the malignant overdevelopment that has now metastasized across the width and breadth of Volusia County… 

At the end of the day, the entrenched insiders got what they wanted all along – a perennially ill-informed electorate – as the wildlife corridor workshop, with some two hundred people already registered to attend, was “postponed” indefinitely.

As history now reflects, the 2022 election fell just as the Big Money players ensured it would…

Remember?  I do.

On Tuesday, the bulk of our “new” Volusia County Council (who I’m sure, will now nominate themselves for the John Muir Award for Political Douchebaggery) did the very least they could in voting to allow staff to seek a federal grant opportunity to purchase lands that would bridge gaps in the wildlife corridor.

In a report by Sierra Williams writing in the Ormond Beach Observer we learned, “The County Council voted 5-0 to partner with the Alachua Conservation Trust as the trust applies for a Regional Conservation Partnership Program grant from the United States Department of Agriculture.”

Apparently, Councilmen Jake Johansson and Don Dempsey had better things to do…

It was explained by our new Community Services Director Brad Burbaugh, that the program is “…essentially a co-investment of federal dollars in our local program.”

According to the Observer:

“The trust worked with Volusia Forever staff to develop the “Lake to Lagoon” partnership proposal for the RCPP grant. Tom Kay, an executive director with the trust, said the trust can apply for a grant of up to $25 million.

If awarded, the funding can be used to buy conservation land and conservation easements from landowners, he said.

The county would need to commit to a local match of $25 million, spread over the next five years, for the $25 million grant.

Kay said the county has lined up $5 million of the match from smaller, local conservation organizations.

The $20 million the county would commit as a match would stay in the county and would come from Volusia Forever’s dedicated ad valorem revenue and reserves.”

Regardless of your thoughts on the merits of Volusia Forever – we live in an age where paving over a threatened species, or cutting them in half with heavy equipment, has become the cost of doing business. 

Now, gopher tortoises, black bears, whitetail deer, and other species have lost out to the voracious greed of speculative developers who hold the political paper on the souls of the craven politicians who facilitate it.

To ameliorate their guilt and mitigate any political damage – the same elected officials who rubberstamp land use changes and literally pave the way for more “planned unit developments” and industrial warehouses that interface with residential neighborhoods, pouring traffic onto already congested roadways – beat their chest and crow about these “wildlife corridors,” narrow patches of contiguous natural space that allow wild animals a chance to run, fly, or swim from the vice-like growth that is rapidly destroying their last remaining habitat in the perverse name of “progress.”

Sad.

In my view, the real credit in this ongoing fight goes to those committed local environmentalists, people like Suzanne Schrieber and Dream Green Volusia – who, despite watching more of our greenspace sacrificed each day on the altar of greed – keep the faith and hold firm to the belief that our quality of life depends upon the visionary conservation of our natural places for future generations. 

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

_________________________________

I’m taking a short pause of the cause next week.

In the interim, please feel free to peruse the voluminous archives at the bottom of this page.  As I like to say, it is amazing how the more things change, the more they remain the same here on Florida’s fabled “Fun Coast.” 

As always, whether we agree or disagree on the issues we collectively face, thanks so much for reading. 

See you soon!

MDB