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:

Happy Halloween! 

You know, I spent my life as a Holly Hill cop – which means haunted houses don’t do much for me…

But in the spirit of the season, here are a few spine-chilling horror stories about our local newsmakers that should scare the hell out of you. 

Trick or treat, y’all!   

Asshole           Volusia County Council

If so much weren’t at stake for so many, the shoving match between Volusia County and the City of Ormond Beach over the proposed Belvedere Terminals bulk fuel facility would be funny as hell.

Unfortunately, this is no joke…   

Last week, the Volusia County Council followed the lead of Councilman David Santiago – a veteran politician who knows the ins-and-outs of legislative legerdemain – who suggested amendments to the North U.S. 1 Interlocal Service Boundary Agreement with the City of Ormond Beach ostensibly as a means of skirting the provisions of Senate Bill 250.

According to a report in the Ormond Beach Observer:

“The law Santiago was referring to is Senate Bill 250, signed by the governor in June. It disallows local governments located within 100 miles of anywhere Hurricane Ian or Nicole made landfall from proposing or adopting “more restrictive or burdensome amendments to its comprehensive plan or land development regulations.” The bill also prohibits local governments from proposing or adopting “more restrictive or burdensome procedures concerning review, approval, or issuance of a site plan, development permit or development order” before Oct. 1, 2024.

Volusia County’s legal department believes the county cannot change zoning for the Hull Road property because of this.”

In the view of many, Santiago was merely trying to dump this entire steaming pile of horseshit in the lap of the City of Ormond Beach, allowing Volusia County to dodge further responsibility in this building fight. 

That’s dirty pool…and Santiago knows it.

In addition, last week, the Volusia County Council also entertained an asinine suggestion by District 4 Councilman Troy Kent who wants the county to lease the property at 874 Hull Road from the Florida East Coast Railway/Grupo Mexico for and unidentified “different purpose.” 

Say what?

My hope is that Mr. Kent’s suggestion isn’t seized upon by an unscrupulous developer (excuse the oxymoron) who purchases similarly situated property – threatens to build the dirtiest, most impactful, and inappropriate use permitted under current zoning – then holds citizens hostage until Volusia County agrees to lease the parcel in perpetuity… 

In an Observer article last Friday, Ormond Beach City Attorney Randy Hayes appeared to send a salvo back at Volusia County:

“The city commission has already determined that it will not provide utilities to the land and it will not annex the land,” Hayes said. “Therefore, the land is not suitable for inclusion in the interlocal service boundary agreement because it does not meet a fundamental purpose of the agreement.”

Hayes added that the city “continues to support the county in its efforts to resolve issues related to the fuel farm within the county’s jurisdiction.”

And the bureaucratic squabbling continues… 

To their credit, residents engaged in the fight against the terminal immediately saw through the legislative smoke-and-mirrors and are taking their elected representatives at the city and county to task for their flagrant attempts to dodge responsibility.

For their part, Belvedere Terminals has signaled they intend to move forward with the fuel storage facility – now consisting of three main tanks holding 12.6 million gallons – down from the sixteen tanks originally sought in a permitting request to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.   

According to the Observer, Belvedere’s Chief Financial Officer Tim Schwarz recently said, “We followed the rules and are now developing the site and I think people feel like somehow that wasn’t right,” he said. “We never hid anything. We were very transparent with what we did, and so our intention is to continue to — notwithstanding some of the things that we’ve seen, the county resolutions or the city resolutions — we believe we are entitled to build this and we are going to continue to do that.”

Didn’t take long for Belvedere to claim the moral high ground, eh?

Unfortunately, it is increasingly clear that – thanks to the piss poor planning and gross ineptitude of Ormond Beach and Volusia County officials, Belvedere Terminals now holds all the cards – and if/when they decide it is in their financial interest to build a 13-million-gallon fuel terminal adjacent to thousands of homes there will be little anyone can do to stop them. 

Now, area residents are learning the hard way what happens when those they elect to represent their interests are caught asleep at the switch…

After having been publicly humiliated our ‘powers that be’ are now playing catch-up, grasping at straws, setting precedents with generational consequences, forced to concoct idiotic and fiscally irresponsible “solutions” on the fly – all while refusing to hold senior staff accountable for their failure to sound the klaxon – or explain what steps are being taken in the cloistered Halls of Power to ensure this threat to public safety, and our quality of life, never happens again.

Asshole           Volusia County Councilman Don Dempsey

Rarely have I seen a more blatant example of a sitting elected official using public funds to feather their own nest – but Volusia County Councilman Don Dempsey’s recent push for a taxpayer funded “public motocross facility” takes the cake.

Hell, it takes the whole damn bakery…

It also shows just how skewed the Volusia County Council’s hierarchy of needs truly are.

According to a disturbing piece by Patricio Balona writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

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

Wait, what about the issues that are keeping Volusia County residents up at night?:

The complete lack of a comprehensive transportation infrastructure plan?  No.

Overstressed public utilities?  No.   

Dwindling water quality in area rivers, lakes, and the springs that feed them?  No. 

Recurrent fish and manatee kills in the Indian River Lagoon?  Screw ‘em.   

Massive flooding across the width and breadth of Volusia County?  Nope.   

A complete lack of beach management and coastal erosion control?  Hell no.   

Serious health and safety concerns at Volusia County correctional facilities?  Uh-uh.    

Emergency medical services and public safety concerns?  No.  

Jobs, affordable housing, and true economic development?  No.  

The growing “Trust Issue”?  Couldn’t care less.    

Rising taxes and fees?  No.

Density and malignant overdevelopment?  What?   

Blight and neglect in our core tourist area?  Nah. 

Mr. Dempsey’s most pressing priority – his Number One concern – the greatest single urgency facing Volusia County residents is our lack of a motocross track…

I don’t make this shit up, folks.

In Sunday’s frontpage News-Journal article, we learned that Mr. Dempsey is seeking public funds to expedite a Taj Mahal motocross training facility somewhere in Volusia County. 

“We’re not just talking about a field with some turns and some dirt piles,” an enthusiastic Dempsey said. “We want a facility that has restaurants, you know, like a nice restaurant, a place that you can cook food, sit down in air-conditioning.”

In addition, Councilman Dempsey wants to include a classroom facility to accommodate a commercial “homeschooling” program for parents who prioritize motocross over “brick and mortar” schools for their child’s education.

Look, I get it.  When I was a kid, I had dreams of running off and becoming a circus roustabout – unfortunately, my parents ruined that when they demanded I get a primary education first…   

What? 

You weren’t aware Volusia County taxpayers are getting into the motocross training/restaurant/alternative education business at the point of a spear?

Me neither. 

But according to Councilman Dempsey, the demand is so critical he wanted a resolution declaring the need right now…   

In my view, the irony in the council chamber was thick as two-stroke oil when Mr. Dempsey lamented during his off-the-agenda sleight-of-hand that – due to sprawling subdivisions and malignant development – there are few places left for off-road motorcycle riding in Volusia County.  

Do tell…

Apparently, things are moving right along, too – not on flood mitigation, coastal erosion, transportation infrastructure, or the other emergent issues of our time – instead, a Chicago-based “destination real estate consultancy” has already been engaged to study suitable locations for Dempsey’s motocross track.   

Wow.

So, where is the money coming from to fund Mr. Dempsey’s personal pastime?

“Dempsey said that he is aware that it would take taxpayers’ money to build a motocross facility and he thinks the project could be funded with ECHO grants – funds to projects to be used for “environmental, cultural, historical and outdoor recreational purposes.”

I knew it! 

Given the Volusia County Council’s propensity for using ECHO funds as their private piggybank, Dempsey’s suggestion is not surprising. 

In my view, the ECHO program lost all legitimacy earlier this year when Volusia County openly looted the tax-supported fund using a cheap grift called a “Direct County Expenditure.”

As you may recall, in March, by unanimous vote, council members approved a bundled “5-year plan” which placed divisional capital improvement expenditures – specifically the repair and replacement of existing infrastructure – on the back of the Volusia ECHO program.

Rather than come before the committee with their hat in hand and a novel idea articulated in a properly formatted grant application – along with a sack full of matching funds, like other ECHO applicants are required to provide – the elected officials simply took what they wanted from our cookie jar.  

With the wave of a bureaucratic wand, the Volusia County Council approved a list of forty-three projects at thirty-two sites to be funded using $15.4 million in ECHO funds – with twenty-four of those projects identified as “improvement of current assets.”

Now, Mr. Dempsey wants to take another bite at the apple to fund his personal folly?

My ass. 

According to the report, “Dempsey said he doesn’t believe the motocross facility would cost more than the $2.5 million that county officials pumped into a pickleball facility built in Holly Hill recently.

“I mean I put it this way, it’s not going to cost more than they put into pickleball,” Dempsey said. “And I can assure you it will probably be less than that or in that same neighborhood.”

Bullshit.

What Mr. Dempsey has conveniently forgotten is that the ECHO funds that were allocated for Pictona at Holly Hill in 2022 – a facility that is now considered the “mecca” of America’s fastest-growing sport for people of all ages – was the result of an extensive vetting process and built around the incredibly successful public/private partnership between the City of Holly Hill and Rainer and Julie Martens – who invested millions in private funds constructing the regions premiere pickleball and fitness center, a facility which now serves thousands of Volusia County residents and visitors from around the globe.

If Councilman Dempsey wants to indulge his passion for motocross, then let him open his sizeable wallet (he was recently named the wealthiest member of the Volusia County Council with a net worth of $4.5 million) and fund the creation of his “top-notch” facility with his own money…

He can Braaap-Braaap all he wants, and I hope he turns a hefty profit. 

In my view, if the demand for a state-of-the-art motocross/restaurant/homeschool (?) facility is there – then the private sector should be champing at the bit to fill the void – and leave the overburdened taxpayers of Volusia County the hell out of it.   

Regardless, welcome back to the bad old days of public policy by ambush in Volusia County – voting on off-the-agenda surprises without any citizen input, background information, funding source, expenditure estimates, or recurring cost considerations.

Angel               Captain Les Abend and Attorney Dennis Bayer

I suspect most people outside of aviation have never heard of Les Abend. 

For the uninitiated, Capt. Abend is an acclaimed author, a licensed pilot of nearly half a century, a Boeing 777 captain with 31-years’ experience at a major airline, and a certificated flight instructor who writes for various aviation journals and serves as a contributor to national media outlets, including CNN, NBC, MSNBC, and FOX. 

He is also a personal hero of mine.

Not because of his impressive aviation accomplishments – but for his willingness to expose the vindictive and heavy-handed practices of Flagler County government – and for having the courage to hold an officious bureaucrat accountable for misusing his powerful public position to take revenge on his critics.

How we got here is a convoluted story that begins when Mr. Abend rented a hanger at Flagler Executive Airport to house his light aircraft, and his subsequent service on the former Airport Advisory Board. 

It ended with his abrupt (and arrogantly unexplained) eviction from the hangar after he got crosswise with Flagler County’s thin-skinned airport dictator Roy Sieger.

As it was explained in an excellent article by FlaglerLive!, “It started as an eviction case. It ended as a First Amendment case. The First Amendment won. Flagler County government lost.”

“After deliberating 90 minutes Tuesday, a jury of four men and two women found that Flagler County had improperly sought to evict a tenant from a hangar at the county airport, and was doing so only in retaliation for the tenant’s criticism of Roy Sieger, the airport director, violating the tenant’s First Amendment rights.

It was a remarkable case on several levels: It invalidated the county’s eviction. It tied back into a controversy over the airport advisory board that the county arbitrarily disbanded in 2020, when the advisory board was raising issues of noise and overspending at the airport. It validated by jury verdict allegations of imperiousness on the part of the airport director. And it did so in a County Court trial, when First Amendment cases are usually handled in federal or circuit court.

The county filed its eviction suit at the end of January, thinking that’s all it would be. But that turned out to be a culmination of long-simmering animus between Sieger and Les Abend, the tenant.

“Revenge is a dish best served cold,” Dennis Bayer, Abend’s attorney, told the jury, arguing that Sieger was essentially taking his revenge on Abend with the eviction, more than two years after their previous clashes. The jury agreed.”

See the rest of this disturbing story here: https://tinyurl.com/7p33cjmn

The events precipitating the dispute between Abend and Sieger are nothing new – bureaucrats and elected officials ignoring the advice of those who serve on their advisory boards – or disbanding these committees out-of-hand when members break with the expected lockstep conformity and speak truth to power. 

Happens all the time. 

In my view, what makes this case unique is that Flagler County government allowed a senior director to weaponize his powerful position and get even with an airport tenant and taxpayer over what was essentially a citizen’s First Amendment right to voice personal criticism. 

I find it chilling that Flagler County administrator Heidi Petito allowed Director Sieger the latitude to retaliate against a private citizen.  That leads to disturbing questions about others who may have been victimized by overbearing senior department heads with a grudge – highly paid public officials who apparently operate with little, if any, direct oversight – and have no qualms using the full might of government to exact revenge on anyone who challenges their omnipotent authority.

In my view, thuggery is how an organized crime family conducts business – not a properly functioning government of the people, by the people, and for the people…

Now that a jury has determined that Roy Sieger acted impetuously when he willfully terminated Mr. Abend’s lease in retaliation for exercising his right to free speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, the Flagler County Commission has a duty to ensure their constituents are free to exercise their inalienable rights without fear of retribution from their county government.  

That should begin with the termination of Roy Sieger – and a top to bottom management audit of Ms. Petito’s administration – to safeguard the citizens of Flagler County from the misuse of government by heavy-handed powermongers with a public paycheck and a God complex.  

Asshole           Volusia Legislative Delegation

On Tuesday, the sickening annual ritual of Volusia County’s state lawmakers ensconcing themselves like potentates on an elevated dais before their assembled subjects so obsequious local politicians – and those social service agencies who rely on the chickenfeed they sprinkle for their survival – can publicly kiss their sizeable asses was staged at DeLand City Hall. 

Nauseating.

With our Tallahassee lawmakers doing everything in their power to neuter local government, eviscerate Home Rule, allow developers to ignore local zoning laws, and undercut anything resembling growth management or a community’s ability to control its destiny – these stuffed-shirt marionettes preened and peacocked before the assembled masses – who are expected to grovel and mewl, “Thank you, sir.  May I have some more?”

Bullshit.

But what really stuck in my craw was the fact Volusia’s legislative delegation sat smugly beside Sen. “Terrible Tommy” Wright – who was recently caught on video aggressively putting his hand on a female employee of The Beacon Center before launching a savage verbal barrage that left his victim reeling – during a heated confrontation in the presence of domestic violence survivors and their children.

Remember?  I do.

Perhaps most shocking, as the New York Post reported in an embarrassing nationwide article on September 21:

“Florida’s state Sen. Tom Wright was banned from a women’s shelter for inappropriate and lewd behavior six years before he was accused of aggressively lunging at its CEO, according to a report.

The then-philanthropist allegedly flirted with and preyed on a young mother who was fleeing 2017 storm Hurricane Irma with her infant from the Beacon Center, Volusia County’s only shelter for survivors of domestic violence.

While on a short bus that he paid for, Wright told Shelby Dunlap about prostitutes in Cuba and topless women on a boat before offering to fly her out to Las Vegas, she recalled to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.”

My God…

So, what have the members of Volusia’s haughty legislative delegation done to preserve the dignity of their office and curb Terrible Tommy’s proclivity for creepy come-ons to vulnerable domestic violence victims half his age – or verbally brutalizing the interim CEO of a struggling Daytona Beach domestic violence shelter when she attempted to uphold state law and protect the identities of survivors and their children?

Not a damn thing.

Instead, these base cowards sat in silence – following the lead of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo – who has, to date, refused to take definitive action on Wright’s clear violation of the Rules of the Senate (and common human decency), allowing him free reign to use his powerful position to victimize other women. 

How dare these self-aggrandizing assholes sit smugly on their thrones while D-list local politicians shower them with unearned accolades for returning a small percentage of our money, then acting like they are doing us a favor – as those we rely on to provide much-needed social services are forced to bow and scrape for crumbs?

In my view, by its spineless inaction, the Volusia legislative delegation has lost the moral authority to govern – and it is high time area voters send a message to Tallahassee that the rules apply to everyone, or no one – and we will no longer tolerate the notion that this utter disservice to their constituents is worthy of anything but our disdain and disgust.

Quote of the Week

“Where do developer property rights end and Tomoka Oaks adjacent property rights begin? What adverse impacts will result from building 272 homes on the former golf course? How are 60-foot and 80-foot lot widths compatible with Tomoka’s surrounding 100-foot lot widths?

Will 2,774 additional vehicle trips a day compromise traffic safety? On streets not designed for such traffic volume?  How will the extra traffic impact intersections at Nova Road and at State Road 40? Will hurricane evacuations be impeded?

How will fire trucks navigate a single-entrance subdivision with narrow streets? Has FDOT confirmed a date certain for installing a traffic signal at the Nova Road-Tomoka Oaks intersection?

What happened to the original written covenants that protected the Tomoka Oaks golf course? Why did the city zone the golf course “residential” instead of “open space recreation”? Do implied, unwritten protective golf course covenants, upheld by federal courts, apply to Tomoka Oaks?

Does the project ignore a city land use goal to preserve natural open space in urban areas? How many trees will be cut for this development? What will become of countless wildlife species?

Why compromise a water retention area deemed vital by the St. John’s Water Management District? Will extra stormwater runoff from impervious roofs and paved surfaces be captured? Can the planned retention protect the Tomoka River, a Florida Outstanding Waterway? Will digging up the golf course turf release chemicals, airborne toxins and toxic runoff?

What quality of life hardships will be imposed during five years of construction buildout? Is this fair to Tomoka Oaks residents who have paid premium property taxes for over 60 years? Will squeezing a subdivision inside a subdivision depreciate Tomoka Oaks property values?

Why did the Planning Board unanimously recommend denial of this proposed rezoning? Is this proposal an example of “the ever-present threat of overdevelopment” Ormond Beach historian Alice Strickland warned about in her 1980 book, Ormond-on-the-Halifax?

If fire codes and public safety limit the number of people who can occupy a building, then why can’t we place legal limits on new development that seeks to occupy an established community, overwhelming roads, schools, hospitals, and greenspace?

Will these questioned (sic) be answered when Ormond Beach residents attend the Nov. 7, 6 p.m. City Commission meeting at Calvary Christian Center, State Road 40, west of I-95?”

–Jeff Boyle, Ormond Beach, Letters to the Editor, Ormond Beach Observer, “Tomoka Oaks questions,” Monday, October 23, 2023

Former Ormond Beach City Commissioner Jeff Boyle is a smart guy. 

For the record, he was my civics teacher as I struggled through Seabreeze High School in the late 1970’s.

I thought his editorial use of maieutical questioning – a process said to be developed by Socrates to bring a person’s latent thoughts and ideas into clear consciousness – as it relates to the fiasco at Tomoka Oaks was a clever idea. 

A teacher who uses maieutic methods is often described as an “intellectual midwife,” one who assists students in giving birth to ideas and conceptions that previously lay dormant in their own minds. 

Of course, the process presumes that the student has the mental capacity for developing – and ultimately delivering – original answers to evocative questions…

In my view, it appears the Ormond Beach Planning Board understands the ramifications of shoehorning 272 new homes on the former Tomoka Oaks golf course. 

Whether the City Commission has that same level of intelligence remains to be seen… 

While residents of Ormond Beach have come to the disturbing realization that the city’s current growth management strategy of shoving ten-pounds of shit in a five-pound bag has been a horribly failed experiment – one paid for with the diminished ‘livability’ of this once quaint community – time will tell if our ‘powers that be’ have the intellectual capacity (and political courage) to protect the rights of existing property owners, stand firm for our dwindling greenspace, and demand quality in all future projects that have an adverse impact on our quality of life. 

And Another Thing!

“As Florida’s rapid growth continues, the non-profit Florida TaxWatch on Wednesday called for using a multi-year plan for water-related projects, similar to how the state has long prioritized transportation projects.

TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic Calabro said following the model of the Department of Transportation’s rolling 5-year work program could eliminate the state’s current method of funding water projects, which his group called “inconsistent and disjointed.”

“The current system to fund water projects, both through grant programs and through member (lawmaker) projects, does not have the kind of consistency to allow for a comprehensive, coordinated statewide strategy,” Calabro said during a news conference at the Capitol. “And Floridians do not currently have the assurance that the best projects to achieve that strategy are selected.”

–Jim Turner, News Service of Florida, “State plan sought for water projects,” Thursday, October 19, 2023

A “…comprehensive, coordinated statewide strategy”?

Yeah, right.

The only “statewide strategy” for the availability of potable water I am aware of calls for Floridian’s to be drinking our own recycled sewage within the next decade…

Look, anyone who has sat in traffic on (insert major Volusia County thoroughfare here) and contemplated the sticks-and-glue sprawl going vertical on every square inch of vacant space around them understands how little those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest care about visioning, strategy, or comprehensive planning.

I hate to be the proverbial turd in the punchbowl (or tap water, as it were) but before we hold out the Florida Department of Transportation’s politically tainted process for prioritizing infrastructure projects as the Gold Standard, let me remind everyone of the $92 million that the State of Florida recently found under the couch cushions and directed to the controversial I-95/Pioneer Trail interchange near the environmentally sensitive Spruce Creek and Doris Leeper Preserve.

Many believe the interchange was a very expensive gift to our High Panjandrum of Political Power Mori Hosseini for his generous support of various powerful politicians, as the off ramp almost exclusively serves his Woodhaven development – while desperately needed improvements to the I-95/LPGA interchange (and that Monument to Mediocrity that is the two-lane Tomoka River bridge) slug along interminably as construction costs, now estimated at $218 million, remain unfunded.

As the bulldozers continue to roar…

Nah.  I wouldn’t look for the Florida legislature – or our local elected dullards – to set a “comprehensive strategy” for anything, at least until their friends in the real estate development community have slashed, burned, and squeezed the last dollar out of what remains of this salty piece of land we call home.  

Scary stuff… 

That’s all for me.  Happy Halloween, y’all!

Hi, kids!

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

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

Asshole           Former BV Angel Steven R. Parker

It is my sad duty to report that a former Barker’s View “Angel” from October 2022, Steven R. Parker, has been laicized – had his wings clipped – after a disturbing story announcing that Parker was arrested this week on felony charges of defrauding an 85-year-old homeowner and her family.

Yeah.  I know.

According to a report by Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Parker has been charged by the Port Orange Police Department after he allegedly “defrauded a Port Orange homeowner of more than $50,000 by taking a building construction job while presenting the contracting license of someone else − Steven D. Parker, of Cape Coral.”

Damn.

You may recall that Parker received numerous community accolades following Hurricane Ian when he was credited with helping residents of the heavily impacted Summer Trees subdivision, a 55+ community in Port Orange – helping elderly and disabled residents in removing flood damaged furniture, cabinets, floors, and fixtures – doing the heavy lifting for those unable to recover from the devastating effects of this disaster on their own. 

According to reports, Parker – who is also the moderator of the popular “What’s Happening in Port Orange” Facebook site – took to social media earlier this week to proclaim his innocence…

Regardless, in my view, Steven Parker is no “Hometown Hero.” 

The Port Orange Police Department is asking anyone who believes they may have been victimized by Parker to contact Det. James Fischetti at 386-506-5897 or email jfischetti@port-orange.org . 

Asshole           City of Ormond Beach and County of Volusia

It is said that trust is earned, respect is given, and loyalty is demonstrated – and a betrayal of any of these results in the loss of all three. 

In recent months, residents of Ormond Beach have learned the hard way just how disconnected and duplicitous our elected and appointed officials truly are – and how seemingly innocuous land use and zoning changes can have generational impacts on a community.

In August, The Daytona Beach News-Journal uncovered plans to construct a 20-million-gallon petroleum tank farm and rail terminal on Hull Road – in proximity to thousands of homes, the city’s airport, sports complex, light industry, and a children’s dance studio – which would see 24/7 heavy tanker traffic traversing established residential areas and pouring onto busy US-1 near the I-95 interchange.  

The news galvanized area residents, who mounted a well-organized effort to speak truth to power, demand answers, and hold their elected officials responsible for protecting public safety and their dwindling quality of life. 

Guess what?  You ain’t seen nothing yet…

At perhaps the worst time in this once idyllic community’s history – last week, we learned of plans to construct 2,500 homes at Ormond Crossings, another “city within a city” concept that has been lying in wait since it was conceptualized by big money investors and their “friends” in city and county government over 20-years ago. 

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

“On Wednesday, Sept. 27, representatives from Meritage Homes met with the Ormond Beach Site Plan Review Committee to discuss constructing 2,500 single-family homes on the property, which is located next to the Ormond Beach Municipal Airport along the east and west sides of I-95 and south of U.S. 1 within Volusia and Flagler counties.

In 2013, the City Commission approved an ordinance rezoning the property to a Planned Mixed-Use development.

The first development within Ormond Crossings was Security First Insurance, which opened its $38.2 million headquarters in 2019.            

According to the meeting’s minutes, if Meritage Homes moves forward with the development, the company anticipates it will phase the project from north to south.”

You read that right…

With thousands of new homes already blanketing the landscape, impacting our infrastructure, and encroaching on the environment – and the specter of thousands more looming at Avalon and beyond – the citizens of Ormond Beach are awakening to the realization that our elected officials, whose campaigns have been financed by real estate development interests, have sold us out, sacrificing what remains of our once quaint coastal community on the altar of greed. 

Now that Frankenstein’s monster has grown beyond their control – all our ‘powers that be’ can do is blame their predecessors for the appalling lack of “vision” that has brought us to this point – even as they rubber stamp more, more, more under the mantra “Out of our hands, rubes.  Property rights.”  

Now, it is a feeding frenzy. 

According to the glossy marketing material (that taxpayers of Ormond Beach paid for) as hosted on the city’s website:

“Ormond Crossings is a proposed innovative live/work planned community, featuring a state-of-the art business park, lifestyle town center, and a variety of residential neighborhoods.

Ormond Crossings is an over 2,700 acre development site divided by I-95, with an I-95/US-1 interchange approximately midway between its two main entrances from US-1. A Florida East Coast rail line will provide service to the Business Park, and the Ormond Beach Municipal Airport is located immediately to the south, separated only by a City sports complex.”

In my view, the project is based upon the prevailing “shove ten-pounds of shit in a five-pound bag” growth management strategy – and promises five-million square feet of industrial, manufacturing, distribution, and commercial office space – estimated to bring 11,000 “jobs” to north Ormond Beach and a massive increase in population that will compete for limited space on area roadways with tanker trucks that will ultimately exit onto US-1 at the proposed Hull Road fuel terminal… 

So much for all that urban planning bilge we hear so much about, eh? 

According to the Observer, even senior “planners” at Ormond Beach City Hall are wringing their hands over the coming gridlock on area roads:

“Though there are 743 acres of wetlands within the planned residential areas of the property, Meritage Homes said the development has been designed to reduce impacts. About 7.6 acres of wetlands are proposed to be impacted. The concept plan proposes 45 acres of parks.

The members of the SPRC were concerned about traffic, particularly about access points on Tymber Creek Road.

“The thought of 2,500 homes dumped into Tymber Creek Road, which is a two-lane road, is scary,” City Planning Civil Engineer David Allen said.

Meritage Homes said the property owners have spoken with the Florida Department of Transportation about plans to widen Tymber Creek to four lanes, as well as for connection to U.S. 1 and the addition of a traffic signal at that entrance.”

Considering that earlier this year the Ormond Beach City Commission allowed themselves to be strongarmed into approving a 270-unit apartment complex on Tymber Creek Road, the coming traffic nightmare is scary indeed…

Oh, and did I forget to mention that just last month we learned of a proposed 977-unit residential development with serious wetland impacts — to include apartments, single-family homes, and townhomes — to be built on a 222-acre property on north US-1? 

Look, I have lived in Ormond Beach for over 60-years – grew up here – and I have watched in horror as one of the most unique and livable communities on Florida’s East Coast succumbed to the forces of greed and mediocrity. 

Trust me.  With no comprehensive plan to improve transportation infrastructure, utilities, or preserve our heritage and environment – malignant abominations like Avalon and Ormond Crossings will represent the final nails in Ormond Beach’s coffin. 

How sad. 

My more cynical neighbors say we have no one to blame but ourselves – reelecting the same perennial politicians, half-bright hucksters devoid of civic vision (or scruples), who have proven repeatedly their only loyalty lies with those wealthy benefactors who own the paper on their political souls.

Perhaps they’re right.

But what should be painfully evident to everyone is the complete lack of prior planning by city and county officials who have created this nonsensical patchwork – one that would allow a bulk fuel farm immediately adjacent to a previously approved planned development, the abominable lack of transportation infrastructure, adequate public utilities, environmental protections, stormwater management, school capacity, and the host of other logical civic requirements and amenities needed to integrate thousands of new residents into an already overcrowded community.

Asshole           Volusia County District Schools

Not much makes sense over at Volusia County District Schools in DeLand – that house of smoke and mirrors where nothing is as it seems – and the narrative magically morphs depending upon the wants, whims, and motives of senior bureaucrats who thrive in the shadows. 

Last week in this space, I expressed my confusion over the premature reveal of a clearly well-thought plan to shutter Read-Pattillo Elementary, a school serving some 350 students in New Smyrna Beach, that (rumor suggests) is now $20 million in disrepair and in danger of being closed during the 2024/25 school year and its students spread to the wind.

Parents, teachers, and staff learned of the proposal when a “sad mishap” occurred ahead of a School Board meeting earlier this month when a staffer “mistakenly” uploaded a PowerPoint slide announcing “Closure of Read-Pattillo Elementary” which included a laundry list of acute safety concerns on the campus.

Inconceivably, Superintendent Carmen Balgobin shamelessly looked Read-Pattillo stakeholders (and confused School Board members) in the eye and explained that the closure had not even been discussed by her staff – asking us to believe that the detailed briefing slide had mysteriously appeared out of thin air.   

Bullshit.

And the hits just keep on comin,’ folks…

As you may remember, after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, in February 2021, the Volusia County School Board officially closed Osceola Elementary – Ormond Beach’s only beachside school for over 65-years – in favor of combining students on the former Ortona Elementary campus three-miles south in Daytona Beach.

Disregarding the impassioned pleas of concerned residents and elected officials, a petition, and a generous $2 million pledge from the City of Ormond Beach to help with renovations to the Osceola campus – the School Board abruptly shut down further discussion in favor of spending $24 million to rebuild Ortona Elementary.

At that time, School Board members also ignored pointed reminders from Volusia County taxpayers that, during the half-cent sales tax referendum, we were promised funds would be appropriated for significant renovations to Osceola Elementary…

That was a damnable lie. 

Just one reason any talk of an additional sales tax to fund transportation infrastructure, or anything else, will always be dead on arrival with wary Volusia County voters.

Like most things coming from the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand, the process leading to Osceola’s demise was convoluted, uncooperative, and heartbreaking for a community that felt cheated and ignored.   

At present, the former Osceola campus is being used to house students from Tomoka Elementary while that school is being rebuilt. 

Now, in a weird about-face, at their October 10 meeting, the Volusia County School Board announced it is considering resurrecting the decrepit Osceola campus as the new home for Riverview Learning Center – a specialized program for students experiencing behavioral and disciplinary issues with an “…emphasis on modifying behavior and social skills, students attend classes daily in a highly restrictive school environment” – that is currently housed in an even more dilapidated structure in Daytona Beach. 

Say what?

According to district administrators, the current Riverview campus (which dates to the 1920’s) now requires “in excess of $5 million” in renovations – which, in Volusia County, makes it “beyond reasonable repair.”

Apparently, that makes the former Osceola campus an attractive (perhaps only) option for the Riverview Learning Center.  As usual, the plan has resulted in more questions than answers – especially from former Osceola teachers and staff who were displaced during the Ortona consolidation.

During the meeting, Volusia United Educators President Elizabeth Albert spoke on behalf of teachers asking why, after all the scary stories used to justify the closing of Osceola Elementary, administrators are now considering reopening the campus? 

“I think they absolutely deserve one,” Albert said. “Are they in a beautiful facility? Sure they are, but they had a home that they loved and now they’ve been moved so they deserve an explanation and to be respected that much.”

In my view, deeper questions remain for Volusia County taxpayers – namely, with a budget now well in excess of $1 billion annually – why are these important public assets allowed to rot under the supervision of highly paid district administrators?

Why is preventative maintenance ignored or withheld? 

And who is held accountable when shocking photographs depicting decades of neglect are used as evidence for school closures?

More important, why does Superintendent Balgobin (who, in my view, has been over her head since her rushed return to Volusia County) place such little emphasis on planning for current and future needs in favor of crisis management – a shambolic atmosphere that creates stress and trepidation among parents, students, and staff who are routinely left to wonder what their future holds? 

Quote of the Week

“Ormond Beach has always celebrated its timeless charm, evoking thoughts of our close-knit community and the warmth of small-town life, paired with unparalleled amenities and events.  As we celebrate this past year, we are not just preserving that identity, but also embracing our potential as a beacon of novel ideas and transformative initiatives.”

–Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington, ignoring the obvious and spewing his unique brand of horseshit during the 2023 State of the City Address, Tuesday, October 10, 2023

“With idle tales this fills our empty ears;

The next reports what from the first he hears;

The rolling fictions grow in strength and size,

Each author adding to the former lies.

Here vain credulity, with new desires,

Leads us astray, and groundless joy inspires;

The dubious whispers, tumults fresh designed,

And chilling fears astound the anxious mind…”

–Ovid’s Metamorphosis

As you and I sat at a standstill on Granada Boulevard last week, waiting through interminable signal changes in bumper-to-bumper traffic – or witnessed another slash-and-burn scar on the environment and worried about the impact of the next subdivision or half-empty strip center on our dwindling quality of life – the “Who’s who” of the Halifax area gathered at Oceanside County Club to enjoy a $60 per plate luncheon for the 2023 Ormond Beach State of the City Address.

Appropriately, the “presenting sponsor” was a real estate company…

I also found it interesting that Mayor Bill Partington – who hasn’t had a “novel idea” since he accepted his first campaign contribution – used the occasion to paint a Rockwellian picture of a place that no longer exists, an Ormond Beach that he and his “colleagues” helped destroy in a greed-crazed pursuit of more, more, more…

According to the Ormond Chamber’s website, the midday soiree was limited to our social, civic, and elected elite – “The State of the City Luncheon brings together business leaders, community leaders, and elected officials.  Mayor Bill Partington will present the City’s perspective on this year’s successes, challenges, opportunities, and future outlook.”

I guess We, The Little People who pay the bills and are expected to keep our pieholes shut can eat cake? 

Whatever.

Clearly, Mayor Partington’s “perspective” is far different from that of my neighbors in Ormond Beach – especially those petrified by the prospect of a 20-million-gallon fuel terminal in their backyard – or Tomoka Oaks residents who are fighting valiantly as developers attempt to shoehorn hundreds of homes on the site of a former golf course, or those watching in horror as more old growth forests are churned into muck for another sticks-and-glue apartment complex, convenience store, or carwash.

My God.

In his 1710 essay “The Art of Political Lying,” writer and satirist Jonathan Swift – best known as the author of Gulliver’s Travels – equated the pernicious practice of craven politicians spewing self-serving falsehoods to the masses “…to the gaining of power and preserving it…”

Sound familiar?

After years of doing the bidding of his political benefactors in Ormond Beach, now Mayor Partington wants to take his bloviating bullshit to the Florida House of Representatives in 2024. 

Shameless. 

In an era when our elected and appointed officials are willing to lie blatantly – painting a false picture of a fading lifestyle that long-ago was sold to the highest bidder – it is best to believe only that which you see with your own eyes.

Then vote accordingly…   

And Another Thing!

Recently, a well-meaning (if slightly confused) BV reader expressed their puzzlement over how I can find fault with the machinations of politicians one week – then praise their civic contributions the next.

“Over the past couple of years that I’ve been reading your viewpoints, you have jumped back and forth with almost everyone in office in Volusia County. One month you support them and the next time, not so much.”

My clearly confounded critic admonished, “You are quick to call them angels when you agree with them and assholes when you don’t. Get off the fence, pick a side, stand behind it and just nut up when you don’t completely agree with every single issue or outcome.”

Huh?

“Nut up”?

“Pick a side”?

Did you mean, acquiesce, and remain silent even when I vehemently disagree with some stuffed shirt’s assholery?     

Nah.  Not my style.  

Besides, complaining about, well, everything, is kind of my schtick… 

I find going along for the sake of getting along to be the antithesis of free thought and open expression – counter to the brisk competition of ideas – and a big reason we find ourselves in political gridlock, ruled by malleable marionettes beholden to big money benefactors, partisan hardliners, and special interests.

In my experience, just like my skewed thoughts here in Angels & Assholes, no one’s opinions on the myriad issues we face are always right or always wrong.

What my befuddled reader may not know is that I have a friendly relationship with many of the elected and appointed policymakers I write about in these disjointed screeds, at least those who possess the self-confidence to accept criticism as a civic barometer then use it to their advantage, who understand my ravings for what they are – and what they are not.  

For instance, I consider Volusia County Councilman Danny Robins a friend – but I almost never agree with him politically.    

His thoughts on what constitutes ‘smart development’ – and the social, civic, and environmental consequences of the current “Do whatcha wanna” growth management strategies – are diametrically opposed to my own.

And I flog him like a borrowed mule in this space every chance I get…

But on Tuesday, I wholeheartedly agreed with Councilman Robins’ courageous efforts to strengthen protections for Volusia County children by expanding restrictions on where those predatory animals who prey on our most vulnerable can reside. 

In June, Mr. Robins encouraged discussion of increasing distance requirements for convicted sexual offenders and predators from 1,000’ to 1,500’ around places like schools, playgrounds, bus stops, childcare facilities, and other places kids congregate in unincorporated Volusia County.

At present, most area municipalities have expanded the residency restriction buffer to 2,500’.  

Alarmingly, there are some 120 convicted sexual predators – identified as repeat sexual offenders and/or those who used physical violence in the commission of their offenses – currently registered with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. 

That means they are living among us…

The proposed dwelling restrictions would protect an additional 1,895 homes in neighborhoods throughout unincorporated Volusia County.

In addition to the enhanced residency requirements, Councilman Robins’ “Safer Volusia” initiative would have adopted ordinances prohibiting adults from entering or remaining in a designated children’s play area unless supervising or accompanying children, set a registration fee to recoup administrative costs, and authorized the placement of security cameras and tag readers in parks and playgrounds to protect children and visitors.

To their great credit, Sheriff Michael Chitwood, State Attorney R. J. Larizza, and a host of chief law enforcement executives from across Volusia County endorsed Mr. Robins’ commonsense proposal.    

The same cannot be said for some Volusia County Council members, who actively advocated for these animalistic pieces of human excrement from the dais; quibbling definitions, fretting over absurd “what if’s,” and openly worrying about where these convicted sexual offenders will live.    

My God.    

During discussion, Councilman Don Dempsey – a 30-year defense attorney – argued that the additional 500’ buffer would effectively eliminate housing options for convicted sexual predators and offenders in West Volusia – forcing them into homelessness where they cannot be monitored by law enforcement (?) – even questioning the efficacy of deterrence, separating identified sexual offenders from their potential victims, and describing those that have been released and foisted on society as “gray areas” whose guilt may still be in doubt.  

Bullshit.

Frankly, in my view, Mr. Dempsey’s laissez-faire views on sexual offenders living among our children and grandchildren are morally reprehensible – and I hope anyone who supports his continued service or candidacy for public office is taking notice.  (That means you Paul Deering and the Old Guard over at the Volusia Republican Executive Committee…)

Don’t take my word for it, watch the lunacy for yourself here:  https://tinyurl.com/2ppzvj27  

Unfortunately, because of Dempsey’s bleeding-heart horseshit and handwringing, the ordinance modifying park rules to keep adults out of identified and properly noticed children’s play areas was voted down 6-1 citing what Chairman Jeff “The Gloves are Coming Off” Brower described as “unintended consequences.”

Before the vote, Chairman Brower said, “This should be a slam dunk … but I’m worried about the unintended consequences.”

When ending the interminable debate, Brower offered, “I’m done.”   

I assume he was referring to his political career… 

Who in their right mind passes on an opportunity to do the right thing for Volusia County children in favor of accommodating predatory criminals? 

To his credit, Councilman Robins strategically saw the handwriting on the wall and agreed to table the other provisions of the “Safer Volusia” act to a later date. 

As I understand it, county staff will now waste valuable time cobbling together language for a proposed ordinance extending the buffer – one that does not have a snowballs chance in hell of becoming law in Volusia County…

During my law enforcement career, I personally conducted or supervised hundreds of investigations into illicit sexual conduct in public parks and bathrooms – which included the arrest of multiple repeat offenders who engaged in vile acts in areas accessible to children, exposed themselves to park visitors, and engaged in lewd and lascivious predacious behavior – including a horrific case where a registered sex offender brutally victimized a juvenile in a public restroom.

I also have extensive experience investigating the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and vulnerable adults, and I know what these monsters among us are capable of. 

To this day, I would never visit a public park – or take my grandchildren to a publicly accessible playground.

In my view, to see how little our elected officials care about deterring identified threats to public safety – mewling over how best to protect the interests of 1,267 convicted sexual offenders and 120 predators while Volusia County residents are forced to live in fear – is reprehensible and beyond the pale of petty politics. 

As Councilman Robins, a former Daytona Beach police officer, said: “When is enough, enough?”

In my view, before this issue is formally voted on, perhaps certain namby-pamby council members should accompany the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office on their next operation to rid our area parks of these degenerates – get out of their cocoon of ignorance inside the Thomas C. Kelly Administrative Building – and experience for themselves how these sick bastards operate, day in and day out, in local parks and playgrounds. 

They won’t.  But they should.

Regardless, this latest théâtre de l’absurde should be a lesson to any lockstep conformist who believes it best to “…pick a side, stand behind it and just nut up when you don’t completely agree with every single issue or outcome.”

That’s all for me.  Have a great Biketoberfest 2023, y’all!  

Hi, kids!

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

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

Asshole           Deltona City Commission

Last week, we learned that during a “shade meeting” in August – a statutorily permitted secret conclave held outside the public eye to discuss litigation – the Deltona City Commission approved an $8,000 settlement with resident Nick Lulli following an unprovoked and hate-filled social media attack by Commissioner Tom Burbank earlier this year.

In September, Mr. Lulli issued a statement announcing receipt of the award from Deltona’s insurance carrier, Preferred Governmental Claim Solutions of Orlando, after he filed a small-claims action against both the city and Burbank which claimed Sunshine Law violations and that the Commissioner made untrue statements described as causing “irreparable harm to any political, business or personal transaction.”:

“In February, Burbank, the District 1 Commissioner, wrote untrue statements on Lulli’s Facebook page in an attempt to influence the 2024 election. The statements included homophobic tropes that caused community outrage and led the Commission to censure Burbank for his actions. Lulli, who is now officially a candidate for the District 6 Commissioner seat, did not know Burbank prior to the social media assault.

Lulli subsequently sued the City and Burbank in Volusia County Small Claims Court, alleging the statements were libelous and also claiming the City and Burbank had violated the Sunshine Laws by secretly coordinating potential legislation outside of a public meeting. The $8000 lawsuit was considered symbolic in nature and only intended to compensate Lulli’s legal fees and time. Lulli represented himself and wrote the historic lawsuit which was settled for its original value.”

In my view, given the vicious nature of the attack, the settlement should have been ten-times that – and come directly from the reprehensible Burbank’s pocket…

Sadly, it appears the only ones held accountable for Burbank’s abhorrent (and expensive) conduct was the good citizens of Deltona. 

In February, the City Commission voted 6-1 on a symbolic (read: toothless) measure to censure Commissioner Burbank for his ad hominem attack on Lulli (with Burbank voting against censuring himself…). 

Last week, when reading the shocking transcript of the August 21 shade meeting, I found it disturbing how most of the commissioners seemed more concerned with the public and political perception of the settlement than seeking justice for Mr. Lulli.

For instance, it was clear that Commissioner Jody Lee Storozuk was nervous about how the agreement would adversely affect his reelection as he faces Lulli for the District 6 seat next year. 

“I don’t want to give him a penny, not an ounce, not a drop,” Storozuk said during the shade meeting. “I don’t want to give him a ride home.”

As though this was somehow the victim’s fault…

Personally, I think Storozuk (who serves under the moniker “Commissioner Jody Lee”) should have seen his political aspirations flash before his eyes last month when it was announced he was caught in a surreptitious three-way confab with Commissioner’s Dana McCool and Steven Colwell as they met with City Manager candidate David Lynch at Storozuk’s home in May.

This potential violation of Florida’s Sunshine Law was rightfully reported to the Office of the State Attorney by Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr.

Although Assistant State Attorney Jeanne Stratis recently found “…no evidence of any city business being discussed” (other than Lynch playing the role of the 800-pound gorilla in the room…) it was clear to most that the presence of three sitting commissioners and an active applicant for the open chief executive position would infer that at least the spirit of the Sunshine Law means little in the cloistered confines of Deltona City Hall… 

What a damnable disappointment for beleaguered residents who were promised an open and transparent process to find the municipality’s first permanent manager in nearly three-years… 

For his role in besmirching the character and reputation of a private citizen, rather than do the right thing and immediately resign – or compensate the taxpayers of Deltona for the $8,000 he cost them by forfeiture of the $10,520 annual salary he receives in public funds – Mr. Burbank apologized to his “colleagues” in private, openly admitting he tried to keep Lulli out of public office by subjecting him to abuse to “make him go away.”   

“I barely know where to start.  I apologize, I had no idea this would become such a disservice. I snapped when he announced his candidacy for public office, which would make him a public figure, which would elevate him to a whole new level of subjective to abuse.  And make him go away and let this thing rest…”

My God.

Who in the hell anointed Tom Burbank – who does little more than sit on the dais like a dry turd and push the envelope of Florida’s Sunshine Law with nonsensical emails to his fellow sitting commissioners – as the gatekeeper of who can serve in elective office? 

If there is anything positive to come from this latest debacle in Deltona, it is that long-suffering citizens now have all the information they need to mount a credible recall petition – and where to cast their votes in 2024 and 2026. 

As I have said before – after 28 controversial years – it is now safe to say the Lost City of Deltona has been a failed experiment, a cartoonish sideshow that has destroyed the public trust and organizational effectiveness of the largest municipal government in Volusia County – something that negatively impacts our region.    

It is equally clear that the current crop of self-absorbed elected officials are either unable or unwilling to change tack and restore equilibrium to this foundering ship.

That’s unfortunate.

Now, as always, the onus is on Deltona voters to remain vigilant, give voice to their frustrations, identify the special interests who continue to control the political environment, and support candidates with the ability to put the growing needs of the community above their own ego, loyalties, and self-interests. 

Angel               Hyatt & Cici Brown and the Citizens of Daytona Beach  

At long last, the much anticipated “Brown Riverfront Esplanade” opened to the public last week! 

What? 

You didn’t hear about the big ‘Grand Opening’ of the southern expanse of the long-awaited 22.5-acre botanical garden and “premiere gathering space” in Downtrodden Downtown Daytona?

Me neither…

That’s okay. 

Apparently, last Thursday evening, our benevolent benefactors Hyatt and Cici Brown – who, to their immense credit, single-handedly underwrote the massive renovation of the historic park with a $36.5 million investment (more than double the original estimate) – held another “invite only” soiree, this time for downtown business owners ahead of Friday afternoon’s grand reveal.

According to Eileen Zaffiro-Kean’s excellent reportage in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Mrs. Brown took the opportunity to commiserate with downtown merchants who have been subjected to a series of natural and manmade disasters in recent years. 

“I feel like this is a celebration for Beach Street merchants,” said Cici Brown, who along with her husband Hyatt have donated tens of millions of dollars to make both the north and south ends of the esplanade possible.

“She listed all the struggles Beach Street businesses have been through over the past several years, including the Orange Avenue bridge and road project that disrupted their operations, severe flooding from multiple tropical storms, COVID and construction of the esplanade.

“It just has to come to an end, and I think we’re there,” she said.”

Damn.  I hope so…

Something else I found interesting in the News-Journal’s report is the fact that the $800,000 annual commitment from Daytona Beach taxpayers “originally earmarked for maintenance” is now being used for “capital costs” – with the $2.2 million operating and maintenance budget coming from generous donations from Advent Health, Brown & Brown Insurance, Halifax Health, ICI Homes, Jon Hall Chevrolet, NASCAR, and P$S Paving.

In addition, “The Browns also donated another $3 million to create an endowment that will cover the salaries of the park manager and an assistant.”

In my view, the Brown’s are to be commended for their extraordinary vision and philanthropy – this is truly a gift to the entire Halifax area that will pay dividends for generations to come. 

Just a damn shame nobody knows it’s open… 

On Saturday, the City of Daytona Beach Communications & Marketing Division posted an inviting video of a fountain setting announcing, “Beautiful morning at the Riverfront Esplanade. Plenty of activities to enjoy in the Esplanade today.”

A subsequent comment on the post made my point: “What sort of activities?”

Unfortunately, many people I speak with tell me they view the Brown Esplanade as just another Halifax area “panacea project” – an over-hyped and incredibly expensive pearl in a sow’s ear – a mysterious “public/private” amalgam that seemed perpetually under construction.   

They feel alienated by “invitation only” celebrations and accolades for our “Who’s Who” – the political elite many hold responsible for the overdevelopment, overcrowding, stressed infrastructure, low wages, strategic blight, and corporate welfare schemes that seem to benefit all the right last names while their small businesses and civic contributions are all too often treated as an afterthought.    

Perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Brown might consider having another go at a better advertised and more welcoming – “Grand Opening” – one that increases civic buy-in, builds a sense of place downtown, shows appreciation for the community’s investment, and better showcases the Riverfront Esplanade’s beautiful amenities to a larger audience of appreciative stakeholders, residents, and visitors. 

Or not. 

Just my $.02. 

With $36.5 million of their personal fortune invested, the Brown’s are free to do as they wish…

For more information on this community gem, please see www.riverfrontesplanade.com  

Asshole           Volusia County School Board

The senior administration of Volusia County District Schools has come to be defined by terms like bumbling, fumbling, clumsy, lumbering, shambling, inept, ham-handed, careless, clueless, and blindsided. 

Add “a sad mishap” to that growing list of descriptive adjectives…

Last Friday, I received an email from a distraught stakeholder at Read-Pattillo Elementary, a school serving some 350 students in New Smyrna Beach, who attached a shocking PowerPoint panel announcing the proposed closure of the campus which has served the community since the 1950’s. 

The slide was unmistakable – boldly headed “Closure of Read-Pattillo Elementary” – and cited a laundry list of serious safety concerns, including “Roofing, Plumbing, Site (7 acres), Electrical, Parking, Flooring, HVAC, Ceiling, and Lights” and a proposed redistribution of students to other area schools, such as Chisholm, Edgewater, and Indian River, for the 2024/25 school year.   

Damn. 

The exhaustive list of discrepancies gave those who discovered the information on last Tuesday’s Volusia County School Board’s agenda concerned about the physical safety of Read-Pattillo students, teachers, and staff – and left taxpayers questioning how an active elementary school campus was allowed to fall into such gross disrepair?

According to an excellent report by Mary Ellen Ritter writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

“A presentation attached to the agenda for Tuesday’s board meeting originally included a slide titled, “Closure of Read-Pattillo Attendance Zone Options,” and the agenda noted that board members would make decisions regarding school attendance boundary changes for the 2024-25 school year. 

This slide has since been deleted from the document, as board members unanimously approved a motion to remove it from the presentation. No other decisions regarding the elementary school were made Tuesday.

Chair board member Jamie Haynes said that prior to reading the agenda, she “had no idea that in the presentation there was a slide that said ‘Closure of Read-Pattillo.’ That was nothing that had been discussed with me as chair nor, as far as I know, any of the other board members because … they themselves did not see it until such time.”

Interesting. 

After learning of a petition to save Read-Pattillo signed by some 1,500 people, School Board member Jamie Haynes suggested the slide be “removed,” Carl Persis made the motion – seconded by Ruben Colon – and, by unanimous vote, the suspicious PowerPoint vanished into the bureaucratic ether… 

Yeah.  Wow.

I guess if elected officials don’t like the public record as published and presented – just take a unanimous vote to avoid further political embarrassment and get rid of it – like it never even happened, eh? 

Perhaps more disturbing, Superintendent Carmen Balgobin would have us believe that the closure of Read-Pattillo has never been discussed inside the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand…

According to reports, Ms. Balgobin – apparently without much thought to the fact the slide had been uploaded to the agenda by her staff and seen by, oh, I dunno, thousands of Volusia County residents, claimed:

“Really, this is just a sad mishap at this point in time.  The intention — and I know it doesn’t come across that way — but the intention was merely to provide an update. So again, as your superintendent, I apologize to you because it does send a connotation with that wording that it’s been predetermined or that a conversation has occurred … So really, we apologize to the community for this mishap and how it was presented, but that’s not the intention, so at this point, we’re trying to correct that.”

I think the “intention” is crystal clear, Superintendent Balgobin…

What has yet to be adequately explained to an outraged community is how this active public asset has been allowed to deteriorate – with and estimated $20 million in repairs needed – which left at least one Read-Pattillo parent rightfully claiming, “intentional and direct neglect” by Volusia County Schools.

Unfortunately, in Volusia County, the tail often wags the dog, and those we elect to represent our interests are admonished to view things from the “30,000-foot level” rather than focus on their fiduciary responsibilities to protect taxpayers from deception – and public assets from destruction.  

That is just one reason they are perpetually “blindsided” by administrators who continue to operate in the shadows, outside any politically accountable oversight, and their long-suffering constituents are told to ignore a briefing slide detailing active plans to close a school serving over 350 families in Southeast Volusia.

I don’t make this shit up, folks…  

In September, the Volusia County School Board approved a budget of over $1.4 billion – an increase of more than $40 million over the current year and still the county’s largest budget – yet critical infrastructure is still allowed to strategically rot while constituents feel their way through the smoke and mirrors for answers. 

Quote of the Week

“At the intersection of Granada and Tomoka Avenue, construction has started while other “pad-ready” development sites are available. Granada Pointe is a project of Holub Development of Ormond Beach.

Local residents have been for and against Granada Pointe. Some residents vehemently opposed the development from the beginning while others, including City Commission and Planning Board members, strongly support the project.

Paul Holub said other construction is starting on a Culver’s on the North side of Granada with an IHOP next door where construction will begin in November.

The high traffic, signalized Granada Boulevard location has great visibility. About 3.4 miles to Interstate 95, the property is open for grocery, discount store, fast food, restaurant, financial services, offices, pharmacy, indoor recreational facility, garden center, retail, insurance and medical offices with 798 feet of frontage on Granada.

John W. Trost of SVN Alliance Commercial Real Estate Advisors is leasing the retail spaces.

Mr. Holub is a long-time Ormond Beach resident, winning the Citizen of the Year award for Ormond Beach from the Volusia League of Cities earlier this year. In honoring Mr. Holub, the award nomination noted, “His selflessness and generosity are truly remarkable, and his contributions have made a tangible difference in the community.”

He has tried to allay fears about the Granada Pointe project since 2018.

The citizen group CANDO 2 (Citizens and Neighbors Dedicated to Ormond) has been the most outspoken opposition to it. Former City Commissioner Jeff Boyle is one of its founders. The group’s concerns included damage to the environment, noise and traffic.

Mr. Holub addressed the concerns of the group and much of the original opposition has calmed.

He said people need to understand the public benefits and the long process these projects take, which include meetings with many different groups. His hope is that, like his other projects, “eventually people will shake his hand being happy with the finished product.”

Past projects of Holub Development, which has been in business since 1986, include Tuscany Shoppes on Granada, and Chili’s, Applebee’s and Steak & Shake on Williamson Boulevard, just south of Granada.”

— Correspondent Regina Barkley, writing in Hometown News Volusia, “Shoppes at Granada Pointe moving forward in Ormond,” Thursday, October 5, 2023   

Many thanks to Hometown News Volusia’s Regina Barkley for so eloquently pointing out why the Volusia League of Cities has become little more than a tax supported fraternity for local elected officials – and an apologist for a developer whose “selflessness and generosity” resulted in the wholesale destruction of 2,061 specimen hardwoods – the decimation of an old-growth suburban forest, wildlife habitat, and natural buffer that was clear-cut and ground into splinters to accommodate another convenience store and drive-thru car wash… 

Remember?  I do.

In many ways, that February 2018 environmental atrocity served as an ominous warning to Halifax area residents of the wave of nonsensical and poorly planned development to come in a greed-crazed cart-before-the-horse strategy that continues unabated.  

At the time, civic activist Jeff Boyle spoke before the Ormond Beach City Commission, as quoted in the Ormond Beach Observer:

“With obvious heavy hearts, we join thousands of Ormond residents who mourn the senseless devastation on West Granada.” Boyle said. “None of us were prepared for the massive deforestation or to be told by this commission developer property rights required you to vote yes.”

He said Ormond’s Tree City designation has become a joke and that environmental standards seem to be “turning the wrong way” with the current city commissioners. He added that the city trusts them to look after their quality of life.

“The tragedy on Granada violates that trust and our sense of place,” Boyle said.”

Sound familiar Ormond Beach and Volusia County residents? 

It should, because sacrosanct “property rights” will be the same dodge used by our craven elected and appointed officials when Belvedere Terminals finally breaks ground on their threatened 20-million-gallon bulk fuel terminal on Hull Road… 

Now, what the developer promised would be a tony retail complex with a specialty grocer, posh “shoppes,” upscale retail outlets, possibly a bank, restaurant, and other amenities has sat vacant, an ugly and often overgrown veld – complete with a mudhole that rivals a Namibian warthog wallow – most mornings little more than a commercial parking lot that now serves as the centerpiece of Granada Boulevard – a highly visible monument to the malleability and acquiescence of the Ormond Beach City Commission.

Inconceivably – five-years on – much of the property (including 1.3 acres of “mitigated” wetlands) that were publicly sacrificed on both sides of the street remains empty – with a vacant lot and washed-out dirt road replacing the “reforestation” we were promised.

Guess what, suckers? 

Last week we learned in Hometown News Volusia that, instead of the elegant shopping and dining outlets we were sold, residents of Ormond Beach will be getting just another godawful strip center – a 20,000 square foot conjoined eyesore, you know, “…now that much of the original opposition has calmed…”

Bullshit.

A cursory search finds hundreds-of-thousands of square feet of retail space currently available for sale or lease in the Halifax area – much of it in half-empty strip centers – but it appears not even the law of supply and demand can stop the insatiable appetite of those who seek expediency and mediocrity over quality of life, desirability, and sense of place.  

How sad. 

And Another Thing!

Look, it truly pains me to say this – because I believe the quaint City of New Smyrna Beach is one of the few communities in Volusia County that consistently “gets it right” – carefully conserving those amenities that enhance its ‘livability’ and working hard to preserve the unique coastal lifestyle residents and visitors have come to expect. 

Unfortunately, in my view, the NSB City Commission got one wrong last week when they decided to pass over a known entity in search of the elusive “expert from out-of-town” when opting for a national search after City Manager Khalid Resheidat announced his retirement next August. 

At a recent workshop, the commission was presented with three options – to include promoting current Assistant City Manager Ron Neibert, who has served under Resheidat’s tutelage since last year – a “localized” recruitment process, or the hiring of a consultant to conduct a national search.

In my experience, one of the many benefits of small and mid-sized communities is the ability to develop talent outside the bulk and static inherent to unwieldy bureaucracies, an opportunity to know (and grow) key senior staff members – to truly understand them warts and all – then promote based upon identified competencies rather than roll the dice on an unknown commodity who appears out of the mist with a smile and shoeshine. 

After serving over three-decades in a municipal government that once experienced a revolving door of city managers – I can tell you that institutional knowledge beats a glossy resumé every time – and the only one who wins when a “consultant” is brought in to parade a host of retreads before the elected decisionmakers is the consultant…

When I read that the NSB City Commission elected to bring in an outside ‘expert’ to throw a nationwide net, I thought, “Hey, maybe they know something about Neibert’s suitability the rest of us don’t?” 

Then Mayor Fred Cleveland said he would “favor the option that says Ron Neibert is a candidate and applies, regardless of whether we go inside or outside,” while Commissioner Jason McGuirk remarked that Neibert is “…going to be the bar for me,” and “Is there somebody out there that I feel is head and shoulders or above that?”

Probably not.  Because education and experience elsewhere mean exactly jack squat if the manager is not a ‘good fit’ for the organization and the community. 

Trust me.  I have seen quality internal candidates passed over for an odd ball with an impressive sheepskin who didn’t possess the common sense to pour piss out of boot with the instructions on the heel…  

All of which makes me wonder why NSB taxpayers are spending $25,000 to $50,000 for a cattle call? 

In my experience, because Mr. Neibert is a known commodity – he will have a tough time competing against candidates presenting the best version of themselves during a stilted interview process – even though most “Managers in Transition” come with a fair amount of baggage in tow…

Unfortunately, I suspect if Mr. Neibert does not receive some concrete assurance that the job is his – he will quickly move to a community that values his talents – which means another expensive trial-and-error process for a suitable assistant during the instability inherent to any senior leadership transition.

Best of luck to Mr. Resheidat on his well-deserved retirement – and to the good citizens of New Smyrna Beach as their ‘powers that be’ undertake this crucial decision for the future of their community.  

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

After recently cutting into Sheriff Michael Chitwood when he objected to a leading question from a reporter, this week, The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s editor John Dunbar continued his one-man crusade against area law enforcement with an over-the-top editorial bashing a Daytona Beach Police Department K-9 officer who used reasonable and appropriate force in subduing a violent felony suspect.  

In my view, Dunbar’s lopsided hit piece had all the usual tropes, carefully painting the offender in the softest light possible, while demonizing the police officer who performed his dangerous duty and intervened to stop an in-progress felony crime when the suspect, Richard O’Donnell, was reportedly burglarizing a vehicle at a Daytona Beach dealership during the early hours of April 8. 

When confronted by officers, the suspect was brandishing a tennis racket and repeatedly refused lawful commands.

After multiple warnings to get on the ground, O’Donnell assumed an aggressive “fighting stance” and K-9 Officer Vezer was released to lawfully subdue him.  In response, the suspect violently resisted arrest – physically choking the dog by squeezing it between his legs, violently kicking, and using the tennis racket in an effort to injure the police K-9.   

In turn, Vezer’s handler, Officer Joshua Martin, disarmed O’Donnell and used the racket as an improvised impact weapon to protect Vezer from harm.  According to Dunbar, “A bloodied O’Donnell still refused to put his arms behind his back. He was tasered at least three times and finally relented and was taken into custody.”

In accordance with proper police procedure, Officer Martin’s use of force was thoroughly investigated and found to be within department policy and the law – and O’Donnell later entered a no contest plea to the charges in Volusia County Veteran’s Court. 

According to reports, even though O’Donnell has multiple previous arrests, he was credited with 79 days served since his arrest, and the charges in this case will be dismissed if he successfully completes the terms of a supervised plea agreement…

Apparently, rather than let those inconvenient facts get in the way, Dunbar hires an “expert” to tell him what he wants to hear…

Since Mr. Dunbar apparently has no personal experience subduing violent felony suspects, in an effort to make a point, he engaged a professional “Monday morning quarterback” in Dr. George Kirkham – who obtained his Doctorate in Criminology from the University of California at Berkeley – and now bills himself as the “Professor who became a cop.” 

According to Kirkham’s “professional vita,” that means he took leave from the Ivory Tower of academia, and “…after attending and graduating from a police academy, Dr. Kirkham spent six months as a patrolman on a high crime beat in a major American city” (?) – before rejoining the faculty at Florida State University while continuing his illustrious law enforcement career as a part-time officer with four different agencies (?). 

Based upon the dates of his academic publications, Dr. Kirkham’s learned opinions may have been perfectly applicable to Adam-12’s Reed and Malloy, but according to his website, Mr. Dunbar’s expert hasn’t been a “certified police officer” in the State of Florida since 1992…

Regardless, from behind the safety of his desk as “Professor Emeritus” at FSU, he now charges defense attorneys (and, apparently, vindictive newspaper editors) for his second-guessing opinions – a service which begins with a $9,500 retainer – and, according to a menu on Dr. Kirkham’s website – includes a fee of $3,500 for depositions, $7,000 plus expenses and per diem for expert witness testimony “due and payable at the time of my trial appearance,” $400 per hour for mediations, etc.

You get the idea… 

In this case, I would suspect Dr. Kirkham and Mr. Dunbar were both safely asleep in their beds at 2:10 a.m. on April 8 when Officer Martin, K-9 Vezer, and other Daytona Beach police officers courageously confronted a violent felony suspect, armed with a tennis racket, and refusing to comply with lawful commands. 

Yet, according to Dunbar, based on body-worn camera footage, Dr. Kirkham still has the prescience to label the officers’ actions “outrageous” and guilty of a “firing offense.”

According to Kirkham’s expensive bilge:

“…the dog should never have been released in the first place. He compares the use of the dog as having the same degree of severity as striking a baton blow.

“There was nothing I saw that would justify taking that dog off the leash,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of other options. You want to de-escalate the situation.”

He recommended a “tactical disengagement.” Back up get out of reach proximity and call for back-up. Keep caustic spray handy and utilize the Taser if necessary. As for the tennis racket?

“There are situations where you can improvise but this ain’t one of them,” Kirkham said.”

My ass. 

I certainly don’t hold myself out as an “expert” – but during over three-decades in law enforcement and the course of hundreds of felony arrests, I never had the luxury of a “tactical disengagement” – running “out of reach proximity” and keeping “caustic spray” handy while an armed suspect presumably chased me around the Maypole…

In my view, that “could’ve, should’ve, would’ve” bullshit might work in the cloistered halls of academia, but it’s dangerous when confronting an armed, aggressive, and actively resisting suspect in a dimly lit alley at 2:10 a.m…

In my view, most people are smart enough to see through the asinine opinion of an egghead with six months full-time experience in law enforcement – and, once again, Mr. Dunbar doesn’t do himself, or the News-Journal, any favors by thinking it provocative to use what remains of our hometown newspaper as a platform to launch repeat attacks on Volusia County law enforcement…

The fact is Volusia County and its municipalities have some of the finest law enforcement officers anywhere. I can state that as a fact, having personally served with many of them – men and women who serve grateful communities with honor, integrity, and courage.

Sadly, Mr. Dunbar’s attempts to sensationalize the realities of policework looks like what it is – desperation…

As the bow of the S.S. News-Journal continues its inexorable slide beneath the waves of a dwindling readership, perhaps Mr. Dunbar should realize that the vast majority of law-abiding citizens everywhere are growing weary of being victimized by an increasingly violent criminal element who have turned the streets of many American cities into a dystopian wasteland – and social engineers who have gutted our criminal justice system and vilified law enforcement.   

Not here.   Not yet. 

In Volusia County, the brave men and women of law enforcement are out there now, boldly holding the thin line between the rule of law and anarchy – willingly placing themselves in harm’s way – and paying the price of protecting your family and mine from oppression and victimization with their blood, sweat, and tears.

In my view, their extraordinary dedication and personal sacrifice in service to others is well deserving of our admiration and support. 

Hi, kids!

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

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

Asshole           Volusia County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald

I hate to point out the obvious, but Volusia County government is suffering a serious credibility problem, made worse by a new bureaucratic mouthpiece who blatantly spins fabrications with arrogant confidence in some misguided attempt to divert attention from the multifaceted issues facing our elected and appointed officials in DeLand.

Last week, we learned in a report by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal that former Corrections Director Mark Flowers has now filed an amended lawsuit against County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald, Public Protection Director Mark Swanson, and county government alleging First Amendment violations, retaliation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and interference with the Family and Medical Leave Act. 

This ugly shitshow came to light last year and quickly dissolved into serious accusations and counteraccusations of misconduct and maladministration between Flowers and Volusia County – an internecine brawl which exposed dangerous conditions at Volusia County jail facilities that continue on Swanson and Recktenwald’s watch.  

So far, the only one held accountable has been Mark Flowers…     

According to the report, “Flowers raised concerns about an alleged use of excessive force by corrections officers in April of 2022. Inmate Justin Caruthers said he was “pummeled,” slammed against a wall and the floor and injured. A Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation and state attorney’s office review led to no charges against the officers.

The lawsuit says that after Flowers raised concerns about the incident the county took away his job duties and had him work from a conference room instead of his office. The county fired him in January after placing him on administrative leave.

According to the lawsuit, the county’s “retaliatory actions in response to Plaintiff’s protected expressions were motivated by Plaintiff’s protected speech.”

The Caruthers incident wasn’t the only issue, according to the document. Flowers heard that corrections officers used excessive force in other incidents while he was on medical leave for a cancer diagnosis “and nothing was being done to stop it.”

Then, on Tuesday, a dozen courageous Volusia County correctional officers stood boldly before the Volusia County Council to report unsafe practices with harrowing stories of improvised weapons, violent encounters with inmates, chronic understaffing, recruitment and retention issues, historically low morale, mental abuse by inmates “and the administration,” stressed inmates who remain locked in their cells up to 18-hours a day – a deteriorating situation described by one officer as a “recipe for disaster – waiting for someone to die…”

Inconceivably, just days before, Community Information Director Michael Ryan couched the allegations contained in the amended Flower’s suit in a much different light:

“County spokesman Michael Ryan said in an email that the corrections system operates “at the highest levels of professionalism and safety in the interest of all inmates, officers, and civilian employees…”

My God. 

After months of horror stories emerging from the cloistered confines of Volusia County Corrections – including firsthand accounts by dangerously overworked and understaffed corrections personnel who have repeatedly come before the Volusia County Council to warn of a potential disaster in the making – this shill has the unmitigated gall to ignore those cries for help and paint things as “safe and professional”? 

Really? 

As concerns continue to mount, Director Ryan had no problem cutting into Flowers in the media, openly opining on unresolved personnel issues, besmirching his professional reputation, and defending his bosses with blame-shifting, distortion, and defensive projection. 

What does this scorched earth HR strategy say to current Volusia County employees who do not have a highly paid mouthpiece to give their side of the story in the media when they get sideways with the administration?

And what will Ryan’s public obliteration of Mr. Flower’s character and reputation ultimately cost We, The Little People who pay the bills? 

“Flowers, 60, of Volusia County, started working for the county in 2014 and became acting corrections director in 2016. He had more than 30 years of corrections experience when he began working for Volusia County and served as the director of Standards and Accreditation for the American Correctional Association from 2006 – 2009, according to the lawsuit.

County officials said Flowers’ termination was not about retaliation but rather about performance issues and leadership concerns. Swanson’s notice of dismissal to Flowers said he lost the support of many of the correctional officers at the jail.

Other allegations from the county include that Flowers had an inmate improperly placed in a four-point restraint, and ordered an inmate who was on a type of suicide watch to be moved without medical clearance.

Ryan said via email Flowers had a pattern of behavior “characterized by a reluctance to accept personal accountability for his actions and a tendency to attribute fault to others.”

County spokesman Ryan said that Flowers “remains reluctant to acknowledge his failure to effectively oversee his team while employed with the County. Unfortunately, he chooses to continually place blame elsewhere even though the claims he brought against his own staff have been discredited by an internal affairs review and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.”

That’s rich…

The fact is, the review by FDLE found that internal surveillance cameras failed to capture what occurred inside Caruthers’s cell, and the county’s own internal affairs investigator wrote at the time, “Based on the information gathered during this investigation, I am unable to determine if the force used against (inmate Caruthers) on April 26, 2022, was excessive in nature.” 

Ultimately, based upon the findings of the FDLE review, the Office of the State Attorney found “…insufficient evidence to proceed and no further action is warranted by this office.”

Look, you don’t have to be Zebulon Brockway to understand the direct correlation between understaffing and dangerous conditions inside the walls of a correctional facility to an increase in use of force, stress, and deteriorating morale. 

In August, corrections officers began employing body worn cameras, although Volusia County Public Protection Director Mark Swanson would have us believe the decision to add the protections “…had nothing to do with Flowers and was really about transparency.”

During the closing comments section of Tuesday’s council meeting, Mr. Recktenwald and County Attorney Michael Dyer callously accused those brave correctional officers who stood before the elected representatives to explain the tinderbox conditions at Volusia County jail facilities by describing their fervent pleas as a “negotiation tactic” – little more than sensationalized misinformation provided away from the bargaining table – once again turning the tables, devaluing employees, refusing to accept constructive criticism from the tip of the spear, while painting themselves as victims of a “planned attack.”

Bullshit.

Why is everyone in Volusia County government’s hierarchy afraid to admit mistakes and learn from them? 

Why are Volusia County correctional officers chronically underpaid and underappreciated?

And why is Director Michael Ryan allowed to spew untruths without question or condemnation from those we have elected to represent our interests? 

I mean, who is this guy?

In my view, the toxic culture of the Recktenwald administration – with the acquiescence of the Volusia County Council – is literally defined by “a reluctance to accept personal accountability” – and “a tendency to attribute fault to others” – as institutionalized mediocrity has increased at the same rate as the astronomical operating budget…

Regardless, as questions continue to mount on numerous fronts, our elected dullards seem incapable of recognizing that constituent confidence in county government is further damaged each time Director Ryan opens his mouth – and, in the midst of major credibility problems, such as the raging Belvedere Fuel Terminal debacle – that suspicion and distrust won’t bode well for those politically accountable Council members who must stand for reelection next year…

Angel               DeBary City Council & City Manager Carmen Rosamonda

According to sociologists, “unintended consequences” are outcomes of a purposeful action that are not planned or foreseen.

I am certainly no social scientist, but I have watched the machinations of government long enough to know there is also a phenomenon called “unintended benefits” – the direct result of legislation that enriches the same special interests who hold the paper on the political souls of those elected officials who they bankroll each election cycle… 

Sound familiar?

The quaint riverside community of DeBary recently got a down-and-dirty lesson on how those “unintended benefits” work when City Manager Carmen Rosamonda explained that incentives resulting from Florida’s Live Local Act – legislation, we were sold, was crafted to promote “affordable housing” – may result in the loss of a $100 million commercial development. 

At last month’s meeting of Volusia’s Knights of the Roundtable, Mr. Rosamonda warned that the developer of a proposed industrial park may allow the current development agreement to expire, then sell the land to an apartment developer.

According to Rosamonda’s report, once complete, the industrial park would have created some five hundred jobs and boosted the city’s tax revenue by over $1 million a year. Conversely, under provisions of the Live Local Act, if the property is turned into affordable housing units, the project would be tax-exempt…

That’s frightening.

Because anyone paying attention knows the gory fate that awaits any local government who dares to control the grim fate of their community by denying a speculative developer whatever their land use attorney can conjure as the “highest and best use” of the land… 

Even if that use drastically increases the population of a small community, taxes everyone else to pay for necessary infrastructure improvements, and forever alters the quality of life for existing residents…

According to Mr. Rosamonda, should the property off US 17-92 – for which the DeBary City Council approved zoning and land use changes in 2019 – be developed for affordable housing, “They’re not only 100 percent tax-exempt for city taxes but for state taxes, for county taxes and taxes for schools.” 

As I understand it (and I’m not sure I do) the law also requires that local governments automatically rubber stamp “multifamily and mixed-use residential as allowable uses in any area zoned for commercial, industrial, or mixed-use if at least 40 percent of the residential units in a proposed multifamily rental development are, for a period of at least 30 years, affordable.”

It is a very lucrative time to be a developer of “affordable housing” (or anything else) in the Sunshine State – and transportation, utilities infrastructure, school capacity, increased density, environmental protections, emergency services, water consumption, and other “concurrency” requirements be damned… 

On Wednesday evening, the DeBary City Council hardened their tenuous position when they voted to approve the first reading of an ordinance imposing a citywide nine-month building moratorium, excluding projects within the city’s Transportation Oriented Development overlay district. 

The moratorium is ostensibly designed to allow city officials time for “careful consideration and necessary changes” to the city’s land development code which have been under revision since 2020. 

In my view, once you look beyond the legalese, the City of DeBary is doing everything in their power to protect the best interests of residents, businesses, and property owners by creating standards and requirements for commercial and multifamily residential development before the potential tsunami of “affordable housing” applications hit City Hall…

How this tactic ultimately works in an environment where the legislative deck has been stacked exclusively in favor of developers remains to be seen.  But I applaud Mayor Karen Chasez, the members of the DeBary City Council, and City Manager Carmen Rosamonda for thinking outside-the-box to develop solutions to this very serious threat. 

Other Florida communities should take note. 

Although I do not expect the political insulation committee that is the Volusia Knights of the Roundtable to do one damn thing to pressure state legislators into fixing the unintended consequences/benefits of the Live Local Act – it is refreshing to see the DeBary City Council take on this David v. Goliath fight as other communities face the threat of shouldering the burden while “affordable housing” developers get fat.  

Stay tuned, folks.  Something tells me things are about to get interesting…  

Quote of the Week

“Dear News-Journal Editor,

Although I have been labeled “un-American” in your newspaper, I have the right to speak my mind just like anybody else in America.

I’ve noticed the Daytona Beach News-Journal takes full advantage of its platform to pick and choose narratives, to criticize others, and to play armchair quarterback.

Those of us who end up under the media spotlight are expected to lay prostrate, play our part and take whatever’s coming.

That won’t be me. I don’t expect glowing positive coverage of every incident or issue, but I can tell the difference between a tough story and a slanted one.

Today I have seen one too many of the latter. I guess it took me longer than most. This is nothing personal, strictly business, but the only real recourse I have is to unsubscribe from the News-Journal and quit commenting in it.

Your column accused me of cyberbullying, scapegoating, and possibly provoking people to “respond with more than words.” If you or your staff are being threatened in any way, let me know and I will immediately put you in contact with an FBI agent. If you believe I’m responsible, I would urge you to notify the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and file a criminal complaint.

I have been subject to plenty of threats, as has my family, so I can assure you I don’t take them lightly.

There are lots of dedicated reporters out there who are tough but fair, and last week we all said goodbye to one of the best ever.

We need more of those and less of the type who believe in accountability for everyone but themselves.”

–Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Letters to the Editor, “Sheriff’s response to column by News-Journal editor,” Sunday, October 1, 2023

For those who have been living on the dark side of the moon for the last, oh, decade – Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood speaks his mind on the issues of the day.

He also wears his heart on his sleeve – openly showing raw emotion and speaking off-the-cuff – something his supporters find refreshing in an era where many elected officials ‘stick to the script,’ never wavering from the ‘talking points’ crafted by some PR flack.  

As expected, Sheriff Chitwood’s tough talk is also a source of fodder for his detractors…

That comes with the territory, and Mike has proven, time-and-again, that he can give as good as he gets – standing up to antisemitism, neo-Nazi hate speech, online threats, and cyberbullying.   

I admire that. 

The fact is, Mike Chitwood genuinely cares about those who live, work, play, and learn in Volusia County – and he has the work ethic of the Amish.     

It is also no secret that Florida sheriff’s – often donning ten-gallon cowboy hats – have set a bar only exceeded by Nature Boy Ric Flair when it comes to outrageous pressers and one-liners, with charismatic Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd reigning as the undisputed King of the Soundbite…

As elected officials who must stand before voters and defend their record every four-years, that swaggering self-promotion comes with the territory. 

But knowing Sheriff Chitwood as I do, he would never place a reporter – or anyone else – in harm’s way. 

In my view, News-Journal Editor John Dunbar stretched the limits of journalistic integrity (is that still a thing?) when, in a misguided defense of reporter Frank Fernandez, he insinuated “…he’s (Chitwood) creating a scapegoat and invoking his followers to tell him “what they think.” What happens if they respond with more than words?”

Come on, man…    

What Sheriff Chitwood did was call out a question posed by a reporter – a concern that apparently originated from a local defense attorney – critical of the physical arrest of an 11-year-old girl who texted false reports of a kidnapping to 911 and defended himself after being labeled “un-American” by a “jury consultant” when he expressed his feelings on the Othal Wallace verdict.    

As is his way, Sheriff Chitwood took to social media and asked the public:

“My office got this email from a reporter this morning. The 11-year-old is the one who called 911 with an elaborate report of a fake kidnapping because she thought it would be funny. I think I know how I want to answer this question but how would YOU respond?”

Regarding the Wallace verdict, he inquired:

“I really don’t care what Allison Ferber Miller has to say in the latest BS report by the Daytona Beach News-Journal defense attorney mouthpiece Frank Fernandez. I don’t take Frank Fernandez’s calls or give him quotes for his BS stories anymore, but feel free to let him know what you think.”

That is a far cry from what Mr. Dunbar is suggesting…   

Now, Sheriff Chitwood has made good on his word and is refusing to comment to the News-Journal.  This week, he intentionally excluded the newspaper from a press conference – which resulted in another editorial from Mr. Dunbar. 

Personally, I have always appreciated Sheriff Chitwood’s accessibility – and his candor. 

He puts himself out there, engages with constituents, mixes it up with critics, and partners with the community.  In doing so, he has become incredibly popular with Volusia County voters and a trusted source of information. 

Unfortunately, The Daytona Beach News-Journal is now viewed by many as just another regionalized and homogenized property of the international media conglomerate Gannett – something that bears no resemblance to our former ‘hometown’ paper – and Mr. Dunbar is going to have a tough time changing that opinion.   

It is no secret that, like a good editor should, Mr. Dunbar has been doing his level best to stop the hemorrhage at what remains of the News-Journal, including a recent entreaty to his dwindling subscribers asking for suggestions to improve the newspaper:

“So this is where you come in. I ask you, what would you like to see more of? What needs more attention? What needs less attention? I’m listening.”

Here’s a suggestion: Pick your battles, Mr. Dunbar.

And allow your journalists to do the same.      

That means stop inflating benign comments on social media into a sensationalized “threat” in a misplaced effort to cast Sheriff Chitwood in a bad light because he publicly challenged a loaded question and a gloating social activist with a law degree…     

Reporters need access to newsmakers, and vice versa.

That starts with hard-earned mutual trust.

In my view, what Mr. Dunbar did with his editorial overreach was to alienate and undermine the important work of those dedicated reporters who bring us the news under increasingly difficult circumstances – and further damages the fragile credibility of The Daytona Beach News-Journal at a time when we need quality local investigative journalism the most.  

And Another Thing!

I find it interesting how different the core beliefs and principles that guide a government bureaucracy can be from those of us who pay the bills and are expected to suffer in silence – values like responsibility, accountability, transparency, a focus on individual and organizational progress, active listening, personal courage, ethics and morality, accepting criticism and feedback, service delivery, genuine gratitude, authenticity – those attributes that form the heart of organizational culture. 

In my view, Tuesday’s meeting of the Volusia County Council shined a bright light on what Volusia County government finds important – and it has nothing to do with you and me… 

After twelve brave Volusia County corrections officers stood before the Volusia County Council and, once again, brought attention to the myriad problems in the Division of Corrections – only to be accused by a clearly embarrassed County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald – of conducting a “planned attack” as the rank-and-file fight for a competitive wage and safe work environment. 

To add insult, when it came time for council comments, Councilman Matt Reinhart – who spent 30-years in the Division of Corrections before retiring as warden in 2017 – pooh-poohed jail overcrowding and made a disheartening comment that all options are on the table for dealing with the concerns expressed by the officers, including a cryptic mention of “…bringing in another agency.”

Wow.  If that doesn’t say – “Quit airing our dirty laundry or you will find yourself replaced out-of-hand,” I don’t know what does…

In my view, it also speaks to how little our elected and appointed senior officials value the service, sacrifice, and contributions of those who serve. 

Chilling.  

Having served the bulk of my adult life in local government, I can tell you the courage it took for those officers – several of whom are tenured line supervisors – to enter the gilded council chamber and speak truth to power, knowing well the repercussions that can befall county employees who expose the inner turmoil or challenge the status quo.

Earlier this week, I received an anonymous note (I get a lot of those, about a lot of things) from someone clearly “in the know” who spoke of personnel turnover and the resultant morale issues in the Planning and Development Services Department – and during this week’s public participation period, a longtime government watchdog spoke of a chance encounter with a recently terminated county employee who spoke of potential problems in the Legal Department. 

Were these the rumblings of disgruntled former employees – or symptoms of larger problems?

We will never know. 

Because the culture at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building is anything but open and transparent – and no one who should seems to care…  

Although Mr. Recktenwald has come to accept mediocrity as an organizational value – perhaps it is time for our elected officials to understand that an “average” wage will no longer attract quality recruits to this difficult and dangerous pursuit – and it will not retain the experience the Division of Corrections desperately needs.

In my view, the question of “what is important, and what is not,” became evident during council comments, when the topic of where to hold next year’s Grand Soiree known as the “State of the County Address” – where elected officials don their finery and preen and peacock with what Councilman Jake Johansson described as the “Who’s Who” of Volusia County – over a rubber-chicken lunch paid for by government contractors seeking a better place in the suckling order at the public teat…

Although I rarely agree with Councilman Danny Robins, I thought he had the most sensible idea when he suggested holding the annual hot-air generator at a regularly scheduled Council meeting – a notion supported by Councilman Don Dempsey – who argued the event should be held annually at the County Seat. 

Who gives a shit? 

That seemed to be both my uncouth sentiment – and District 4 Councilman Troy Kent’s – who announced that not one of his constituents have ever voiced opposition to holding the event at the county owned Ocean Center. 

Not one.

As the timewasting back-and-forth continued, ad nauseum, proposals and motions were made to alternate across the Palmetto Curtain, with Councilman Matt Reinhart opining that the 2024 event be moved to the City of DeLand’s Sanborn Center (without a clue whether the rental venue is available) – with the collective wisdom finally deciding to allow County Manager Recktenwald to check availability…

My God.   

It also confirmed my suspicions that this annual event is an orchestrated sham when Councilman Johansson admitted that earlier this year, he was required to read from a prepared script at the 2023 State of the County Address (I wonder if he received a treat and a pat on the head for his obedience?).

However, Johansson let staff known that he would be speaking his own mind next year – suggesting that the event be more “low-key” than in years past with a “little less effort put into the production…”

Oddly, Chairman Jeff Brower (the star of the show) suggested he enjoys the “theater production” surrounding the event, and thought it was “fun” for the county’s highly paid communications staff to spend their valuable time staging ridiculous videos and goofy vignettes for the luncheon. 

Did I mention this year’s operating budget now sits at an obscene $1.6 billion?

Whatever…

To understand an organization’s “culture” – one must start by examining the principles, standards, and goals that its leadership strives toward. 

In my view, in Volusia County, outside of revisiting problems that have already been solved so council members can say “look what I did!” gutting environmental protections, staring down from the dais like gargoyles at concerned citizens seeking answers, taking cover behind subjective “rules” and policies, and grandstanding over bullshit process, there is no discernable goal.  Or principles…  

Because empty values, as spouted by out-of-touch elected and appointed senior officials, ring hollow to dispirited county employees who recognize their disingenuous “thank you for your service…” for what it is – and, as suspicions around the Belvedere Terminal debacle have shown, concerned constituents are coming to the realization that good citizenship requires active participation. 

And vigilance…

In my view, it is time for the Volusia County Council to have a serious discussion about the direction, tone, and culture of the Recktenwald administration – and what it means for their political futures in an era when voters are beginning to see through the crumbling façade.

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