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           Palm Coast City Council

I find it interesting (if not nauseating) how elected officials at all levels use clever diversions to distract constituents from their complicity in the pressing issues of our time. 

Call it what you want – the “machinations of government,” Parkinson’s Law of Triviality run amok, or “legislative legerdemain” – but it is a well-thought strategic deception employed by conniving politicians to keep uninformed voters focused on anything other than that which is important to their lives and livelihoods.  

For example, in the rapidly expanding City of Palm Coast, a place that this year alone issued development orders for 4,138 residential units with 13,361 already “in the pipeline” – the elected officials are doing everything in their power to accelerate growth behind a smokescreen of trifling matters. 

Now, worried residents are beginning to take notice, and Flagler County watchers believe the rapid pace of malignant sprawl will be a dominant factor in next year’s elections.  

Trust me.  An alert, engaged, and educated electorate is never a good thing for politicians…

Recently, the Palm Coast City Council has been mired in nonsensical discussions of a “Code of Conduct” – something elected officials would be asked to sign – along with a plan to include “background checks” for newly elected office holders (?).

According to a recent article in FlaglerLive!:

“City staff at the Oct. 24 meeting presented an overview of the city’s current policies for how public meetings are conducted and mentioned the option of altering the public comment procedure of workshops to include public comment after each agenda item, as the city does during business meetings.

Mayor David Alfin had requested during a workshop meeting last spring that city staff create a draft code of conduct. Alfin also asked the council to consider requiring background checks for elected officials once they are elected.

Alfin said implementing background checks would put council members on the same level as city employees, who must also pass a background check before they are hired.

“I’m trying to raise the bar so that we are shoulder to shoulder with all of our city staff,” he said.”

Sure you are…

As you may remember, earlier this year, in an informative article by Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, we learned that Palm Coast has now surpassed The Lost City of Deltona as the largest municipality by population in Volusia and Flagler Counties.

According to the report, “Alfin, the city’s mayor since 2021, intends to capitalize on Palm Coast’s population feat. “I’ll spare no amount of energy to make sure everybody knows it. It’s good for the community,” he said.

More than that, though, Alfin is stoked about what appears to be another growth surge. The first homes are being built in new developments west of U.S. 1, including Sawmill Branch near Matanzas Woods Parkway, and Reverie, a couple of miles to the south.”

He’s “stoked” all right. 

Did I mention that Mayor Alfin is in the real estate business?

Now, many Palm Coast residents are concerned that their city government seems unwilling or unable to maintain the woefully inadequate existing municipal infrastructure.  But rather than tap the brakes and take a conservative approach to future growth – Mayor Alfin is calling for more, more, more.

“Alfin said that’s only a part of an even larger future-growth exercise the city is undertaking: plotting out the buildout of the city’s land.

“We’re master-planning a doubling of the geographic footprint of the city, 40,000 acres,” Alfin said. “We call it the frontier project or initiative. There is no other swath of land this size that exists on the east side of Florida that can be master-planned.”

In April, the city’s Planning and Land Development Regulation Board approved the massive “Palm Coast Park” – another “development of regional impact,” which will ultimately blanket an area of 4,677 acres with 6,454 cracker boxes – an increase of 3,600 “dwelling units” since the project was initially approved way back in 2004…

But for now, the Palm Coast City Council would prefer residents focus on the minutiae of a “Code of Conduct,” and the tut-tutting of Vice Mayor Ed Danko, who fanned the flames of this contrived tempest in a teapot by grumbling that the unenforceable code would be used as “…a political weapon — if you don’t sign it — that others will use against you.”

Whatever…

Meanwhile, Palm Coast continues to press this strategy of uncontrolled and invasive growth (the same approach used by a cancerous tumor), blanketing Flagler County with no concern for the adverse effects of density, school overcrowding, insufficient public utilities, water quality and quantity, or the expensive services and infrastructure required to sustain it. 

It’s no secret that ignorance, mediocrity, and paltriness have come to dominate local politics – the proof of that is in the quality of governance in Volusia and Flagler Counties – places that have come to define transactional politics, where malleable elected officials owe their political souls to special interests in the real estate development industry who underwrite their campaigns and expect a return on investment. 

Now, that pernicious “arrangement” is coming home to roost in places like Volusia County, Ormond Beach, Palm Coast, and “New Daytona” west of I-95 – but, like the Great and Powerful Oz said, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”

Instead, our elected marionettes would prefer we keep our eyes on the jabbering and ruses of those sleight-of-hand artists on the dais of power as they quietly sell our quality of life to the highest bidder… 

Angel               Dr. Pamela Carbiener of Halifax OBGYN

Admittedly, I can be a snarky pain in the ass – sarcastically calling out where the strongman stumbled, or the doer of deeds could have done them better.   

Just part of my charm…

But even an infernal cynic like me understands the importance of giving credit to those who are truly giving of their time and talents to improve our collective quality of life. 

This year, the Community Foundation and United Way of Volusia-Flagler Counties got it right when they awarded Dr. Pamela Carbiener of Halifax OBGYN the Herbert M. Davidson Award for Community Service at their annual Celebration of Philanthropy on October 24!

In my view, Dr. Carbiener is a true ‘hometown hero,’ working tirelessly to provide quality prenatal care for at-risk mothers, and according to her impressive bio, she has become the “go to” obstetrician for women with addiction, homelessness, and mental illness.

In addition, Dr. Carbiener’s remarkable community involvement includes service as the first medical director of the Rape Crisis Center, founder of COPE, Halifax Board of Commissioners, and service on the boards of Healthy Start, Healthy Communities, the Bert Fish Foundation, The Daytona State College Center for Women and Men, the Halifax Health Foundation, the Daytona Blues Festival and the Stewart Marchman Act Foundation, among many other notable contributions.

Thanks to Dr. Carbiener’s dedication, leadership, and fundraising efforts, expectant mothers – regardless of circumstance – now have access to quality prenatal care. 

In addition, Priscilla Chanfrau of Adams, Cameron and Co. was recognized with the Community Champion Award.

According to the Ormond Beach Observer, “Chanfrau is involved on many community boards including the Daytona Beach Police Foundation, Rotary of Daytona Beach, Checkered Flag Committee, Junior League, Daytona Regional Chamber Young Professionals Group, the Adams Cameron Foundation, and the Civic League.”

Very impressive. 

Kudos to the Community Foundation and United Way for selecting these most deserving recipients for this special recognition!

Asshole           City of Daytona Beach Redevelopment Division

Sometimes I question our civic priorities here in the land of haves and have nots. 

A place where money matters, and you don’t.

This week, we learned that two long-established food pantries were summarily closed by ministerial edict of the City of Daytona Beach citing an ordinance that prohibits the distribution of food to those less fortunate within designated redevelopment areas… 

I guess withholding lifegiving sustenance to hungry families is one way to keep the riffraff out, eh? 

Last Friday, Daytona Beach officials visited First Christian Church on South Palmetto Avenue and Seventh Day Baptist Church on Live Oak Avenue – both located within the vast food desert that is the Downtown Redevelopment Area – and ordered them to cease their food drives. 

The enforcement action came as a surprise for both houses of worship, as the food pantries were serving the community long before the ordinance was passed in 2012 – a previously lawful undertaking that many believe should have been “grandfathered” in.

According to an informative report by WESH-2, “In an email from the city, they say residents and business owners complained about loitering and traffic issues at both churches.”

Really? 

I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but some might consider the increase in traffic and “loitering” an indicator of an unfulfilled need in the area – rather than a trigger for draconian enforcement action. 

Besides, with the Holidays just around the corner, why now? 

Fortunately, according to a report this week in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, the churches have a friend in area attorney Chobee Ebbets:

“Thanks to the pro bono help of a longtime local attorney whose law office building is in the middle of the two churches, the city decided this week First Christian Church can resume its food pantry distributions immediately. The situation for Seventh Day Baptist Church is more complicated since its food pantry hasn’t been open as long, but attorney Chobee Ebbets is hopeful he can lock in an agreement with the city to get that parish’s small pantry up and running again soon, too.

“Today I saw people with carts turned away,” said Ebbets, whose law office is in a 113-year-old coquina house next door to Seventh Day Baptist Church.

Ebbets doesn’t want to see anyone else sadly walking back home with an empty cart or bag. He said he’ll sue the city if it doesn’t allow the Seventh Day Baptist Church pantry to reopen soon — and without penalty.”

Thank you, Mr. Ebbets!

I suspect the complaint that spurred the crackdown did not originate from the elected and appointed officials at City Hall – but from someone who, with a full belly, decided that the distribution of food to needy families doesn’t comport with their haughty vision of “progress” and “revitalization” – which, in Volusia County, typically translates to well-connected insiders using public funds to underwrite their for-profit endeavors in redevelopment areas…

Sound familiar? 

The fact is food pantries throughout Volusia County provide nourishment to those experiencing food insecurity.  For instance, the venerated Jerry Doliner Food Bank in Ormond Beach helps feed hundreds of families in Volusia and Flagler Counties each year. 

Look, I’m not the most pious guy you know.  Just another unrepentant sinner making his way in a world gone mad – and my generosity is leavened by the old saw, “Charity begins at home…” 

Which translates to “I’m a cheap bastard…” 

But (try as I might), I am not indifferent to the suffering of others – and hard-earned experience has taught that life can be unfair to all of us.  Unfortunately, we live in a time when rampant inflation has stressed family budgets, leaving many just one illness, tragic accident, or missed paycheck away from financial ruin – and the frayed mesh on our tattered and torn societal “safety net” is getting wider all the time.

One characteristic of a healthy community is a sensitivity to the needs of those less fortunate – a concern for the “least among us” – or at least a willingness to get the hell out of the way while others provide for the welfare of those who need help. 

As community compassion declines, so do our civic values – respect for human dignity, a willingness to confront injustice, kindness, empathy, generosity, and acceptance – the moral imperatives of living together as a society.

Screw it.  Who cares, right?

Seriously.  Who among us cares?

Look, I talk a good line, but like Somerset Maugham wrote in The Razor’s Edge, “It is easy to be a holy man at the top of a mountain.”

At least I’m willing to admit my own hypocrisy. I just wish our local ‘powers that be’ would…

According to the City of Daytona Beach’s Downtown Redevelopment Area Plan (as amended August 4, 2010 (?)), “It is anticipated that physical and social conditions in the areas of greatest need will improve as resources are targeted to improve public safety as well as better manage destabilizing influences associated with socio-economic factors.”

I guess when that doesn’t go to plan, they simply forcibly “improve” social conditions at the point of a legislative spear, eh?  

I wish our elected and appointed officials would admit that it is much more convenient to sweep the ugly and unpleasant under the rug from their comfortably appointed offices – to hide the blemishes and “destabilizing influences” from public view using any bureaucratic means necessary – and create an attractive façade that will encourage entrepreneurial investment rather than address the long-term factors that contribute to blight and hunger.   

Unfortunately, dealing with those core issues that have plagued areas of the Halifax area for years – and developing an integrated approach and comprehensive vision for reversing years of civic neglect – is going to require more thought than turning away hungry families during this season of giving…     

Quote of the Week

“Santiago made the motion at the council’s Oct. 17 meeting to explore amending the county’s North U.S. 1 Interlocal Service Boundary Agreement with Ormond Beach, first adopted in 2014. The agreement established a municipal service area to encourage coordination in planning, service delivery and boundary adjustments between the two government bodies.

The agreement currently only includes properties on the northeast side of U.S. 1. In a statement on Friday, the city said that the county’s proposal to expand the ISBA to include the property at 874 Hull Road would prohibit the city from being able to deny utilities and annexation.

“As previously stated, we believe there is no benefit to the citizens of Volusia County for this property to be annexed and zoned within Ormond Beach because it would grant the developer utilities and rights that it does not now have,” the statement said.

Currently, the city is trying to eliminate its I-2 “Heavy Industrial” zoning district from its code.

Councilman Troy Kent and Council Chair Jeff Brower voted against the resolution, saying moving forward with amending the ISBA could strain relations between the city and the county.  (In fact, Chairman Brower voted for the resolution, with Kent casting the lone “no” vote.)

“I think keeping this on, we’re in a situation where we continue to incite negative feelings between the two government bodies and that’s not my goal here,” Kent said.”

–As excerpted from an informative article by Jarleene Almenas, writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “County Council takes step to amend agreement that Ormond says could force it to annex fuel farm,” Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Anyone who still questions why most area municipalities refuse to trust Volusia County government need look no further than Tuesday’s continuing legislative legerdemain by Councilman David “Houdini” Santiago.

Although the City of Ormond Beach has repeatedly said it does not want to include the property at 874 Hull Road – the site of the proposed Belvedere Terminals bulk fuel facility – in its interlocal service boundary agreement with Volusia County, earlier this week, the Volusia County Council said, “who gives a shit what you want?” to Ormond Beach residents in a 6-1 vote to force the discussion anyway…

Councilman Troy Kent cast the lone “no” vote to deny the resolution.

Prior to the vote, in a statement before the Volusia County Council, Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington (speaking with a passion just above congealed wallpaper paste) used his three-minute audience to reiterate that there is no benefit to Ormond Beach residents in annexing the Hull Road property as it would grant Belvedere even more rights than it currently enjoys. 

In addition, the Volusia County Council also voted unanimously to direct county staff to initiate negotiations with the landowner – Florida East Coast Railway (which, like Belvedere, is a subsidiary of Grupo Mexico) — regarding the possibility of Volusia County taxpayers leasing or purchasing the land (?)…

Then, in the most shocking revelation of the meeting, during a briefing on Volusia County’s legislative priorities for the 2024 session, Deputy County Manager Suzanne Konchan “threw a curveball” (her words, not mine) when she reported – in an off-the-agenda bombshell – that Volusia County will seek $4.5 million from state coffers for a possible “alternative location” for the Belvedere fuel terminal. 

Say what?

According to Konchan, county staff will work with state Rep. Tom Leek’s office and lobbying firm Southern Strategies to present an independent “appropriations document” seeking public funds to underwrite Grupo Mexico’s relocation of the proposed fuel facility… 

I guess if you can’t beat ‘em – become business partners with ‘em, eh?

If I understood Ms. Konchon (and I’m not sure I did), the funds would be used if “…it is necessary to help prepare an alternative site with, say, utilities or road infrastructure to relocate the facility to a more appropriate place than its current site.”

Whoa. 

In my view, like leasing or purchasing the property, that sets another dangerous precedent for any developer who wants to hold Volusia County taxpayer’s hostage in the future…

Something tells me that our elected and appointed officials ‘asleep at the wheel’ approach to this extremely volatile (pun frighteningly intended) issue is going to prove costly for Florida taxpayers. 

I don’t make this shit up, folks. 

Even with my Mittyesque imagination, I couldn’t if I tried…    

I can say that, as a veteran observer of the raging dumpster fire that is Volusia County politics, I often judge present Volusia County Council members by the dysfunction of previous councils. 

I hate to say it, but it is now clear that those who made up past iterations of this elective body couldn’t carry the jockstraps of those numbskulls who currently inhabit the dais in terms of gross ineffectiveness, ineptitude, and penchant for public policy by ambush… 

And Another Thing!

As the young folks say, “WTF?”

Earlier this week, area residents were flabbergasted by a glaring headline in FlaglerLive! – “A Student Is Bitten By a Wild Rat at Buddy Taylor Middle School’s Farm; Teacher Reprimanded” – the story, also reported by The Daytona Beach News-Journal and other regional news outlets, chronicled a district investigation into an agriculture teacher at Buddy Taylor Middle School in Palm Coast who exposed students to angry rodents when she flushed a colony of rats out of a hole. 

Trust me.  That’s not the weirdest thing that happened in Volusia and Flagler County schools in recent weeks…   

In September, everyone in the Free World became aware of a horribly ill-advised plan hatched by a few so-called “educators” at Bunnell Elementary School that segregated Black fourth and fifth grade students from their classmates, brought them into the cafeteria, and subjected them to a now infamous five slide PowerPoint presentation entitled “AA (African American) Presentation.”

The presentation, rife with grammatical errors, was ostensibly intended to increase standardized test scores – even though some of the students forced to endure the lecture were already earning A’s and B’s.   

Sadly, these segregated “assemblies” involved teachers frightening children with threats they could end up in jail or dead if they failed to excel – then pitted students against one another in a strange scholastic “competition” that would earn the winners a meal at McDonald’s…

Then came a series of highly publicized violent incidents on Flagler County campuses – to include a wild donnybrook at Matanzas High School that resulted in the arrest of eleven students – followed by the arrest of a 14-year-old student at Indian Trails Middle School who allegedly pulled a knife on other students after an on-campus fight. 

In October, we learned that school officials mistakenly transferred $719,583.20 to a fraudulent vendors account – the result of a cybertheft – with Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly recently reporting that the money is unlikely to be recovered… 

Last week, the Flagler County School Board was back in the news facing righteous criticism of “fiscal irresponsibility” and “unjust actions” as it staggers deeper into the process of unlawfully terminating board attorney Kristy Gavin, who has served the district for the past seventeen years.

I could go on, but I won’t – because Volusia County District Schools takes the cake this week… 

In a disturbing story that made the rounds on social media this week, after Volusia County District Schools imported teachers from the Philippines to compensate for its inability to recruit and retain qualified teachers at home, district officials apparently forgot that those émigrés would need, oh, a roof over their heads, basic home furnishings, bedding, the necessities of life, etc., etc. – which resulted in a private request for donations on Facebook earlier this week.

You read that right.

Although many generously responded with donated items, others rightfully questioned how the senior leadership of Volusia County Schools could contract with foreign teachers, then ignore their basic needs once they travelled halfway around the globe? 

Then, on Tuesday, Volusia County Superintendent Carmen Balgobin and members of the School Board embarrassed themselves by sending the “B team” consisting of Interim Chief Operating Officer Patricia Corr (who had been in the position for five-days) and Deputy Superintendent Rachel Hazel to appear before the Volusia County Council and present a proposal seeking $350,000 to fund seven additional School Resource Deputies under the terms of an existing agreement with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

According to reports, the School Resource Deputy Agreement states that Volusia County Schools responsibility is 55% while the Sheriff’s Office pays 45% for school resource deputies.

During Corr’s half-assed presentation – devoid of financial and operational specifics – we learned that additional Resource Deputies are needed at Galaxy, Deltona, Heritage, Holly Hill, Creekside, Silver Sands, and Southwestern Middle Schools – along with the shocking revelation that in the first quarter alone there have been 647 incidents of hitting, striking, or fighting in Volusia County middle schools.

According to the presentation, law enforcement has responded to the schools listed in the request 409 times between August 14 and October 6. 

(Damn.  These schools don’t need a deputy – they need a substation…)

In the important discussion that followed, council members asked – with annual budgets for Volusia County, the School District, and the Sheriff’s Office already established – why wouldn’t the Volusia County School Board simply use its ample reserve funds (now estimated at $27 million) to cover the cost of the additional deputies? 

Good question…

Superintendent Balgobin’s conspicuous absence – and the ham-handed way the district’s request was brought forth – seemed to catch Sheriff Michael Chitwood off guard, “I was a little disappointed that my friend, the superintendent, wasn’t here and that the CFO was not here and no one from the school board was here.”

Me too.

After what passed for “negotiations,” it was determined that if the Volusia County Council didn’t pony up the requested funds – the district would simply maintain the status quo – keeping armed guardians in the middle schools rather than fund the sworn law enforcement positions by other means…  

The most pointed questions of the day came from Councilman Troy Kent, a school administrator himself, who clearly had the wholly unprepared Corr and Hazel on their heels with his pointed interrogation.

Before the vote, Mr. Kent remarked, “It’s borderline disrespectful, in my opinion, to come hat in hand asking for money and not having your ducks in a row, with basic statistics ready to go.”

To their credit, the Volusia County Council voted unanimously to deny the request – with Councilman David Santiago admonishing the School Board to have their “house in order” before they come back grubbing for money.  

Wow.  How humiliating for the hapless Volusia County School Board… 

After the rejection, a terse response wafted down like a foul odor from the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand, which said, in part:

“The discussion that took place this morning regarding the district’s budget and reserves was not relevant to the financial considerations of the interlocal agreement.

VCS previously had school resource deputies in these seven schools, which were removed during the pandemic and replaced with school guardians due to staffing issues.

VSO has supported this initiative and assured VCS that they had the personnel to support these safety measures in our schools if the funding was approved.

The safety and security of our students and staff is, and always will be, the top priority of Volusia County Schools, the Volusia County School Board, Superintendent Dr. Balgobin, and all Volusia County Schools staff members.”

Really? 

So, why are district executives suddenly comfortable with the status quo? 

My God.

According to a September article by Mary Ellen Ritter in The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

“Volusia County Schools approved its budget of over $1.4 billion, an increase of more than $40 million over the current year and the county’s largest budget.

The new tax rate is 5.409, .073 less than the previous rate. Still, that rate is 9.26% higher than what’s needed to bring in the same amount of revenue, according to the school district.”

In addition, “Flagler Schools approved a budget of over $324.9 million for the 2023-24 fiscal year, an increase of more than $123 million over the current year’s budget.

This year’s tax rate is 5.403, .143 less than the previous rate. But that millage rate is 3.22% greater than what’s needed to bring in the same amount of property tax revenue for Flagler Schools.”

Perhaps it is time for We, The Little People to start asking how our hard-earned tax dollars are being spent – and just who is ultimately responsible for this ongoing shit-show that is Volusia and Flagler County Schools?

Then let our thoughts be known at the ballot box…    

That’s all for me.  Have a great time at the Daytona Beach Greek Festival this weekend, y’all!