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 School Board

In the wake of last week’s hyper-dramatic production of the Volusia County School Board, many have reached out with their thoughts on the clueless disconnect of our elected representatives – and the shocking revelation of the school district’s morally repulsive behind-the-scenes machinations to undermine the collective bargaining unit representing teachers and paraprofessionals. 

The common reaction is, “That was crazy!”   

I agree.  Totally nutso…      

The study of Political Psychology is defined as “an interdisciplinary academic field dedicated to understanding politics, politicians, and political behavior from a psychological perspective.”  

In my jaded view, a political headshrinker could have a field day in Volusia County…

My layman psychoanalysis of our current crop of elected and appointed officials on certain commissions, boards, and councils throughout Volusia County finds a contagious psychosis at work – a virulent disorder that ensures lock-step conformity to the status quo and a pathological need to compromise themselves in the pursuit of power.

An infectious disease that renders its victims completely incapable of independent thought or strategic vision.

A weird neuropsychiatric malady I’ve dubbed “Volusia Dysfunction Syndrome.”

Those most vulnerable include small-minded authoritarian personalities with enormous egos, a limited capacity for critical thought, parasitic loyalty to wealthy insiders, a propensity for mutism when questioned by constituents, and a voracious appetite for tax dollars. 

Over time, its feeble victims become catatonic drones who single-mindedly take public funds and transform them into huge salaries for senior bureaucrats and underwrite the for-profit wants and whims of insiders with a chip in the game.

Just my unscientific diagnosis.  But is there another explanation?

For instance, last week, teachers, parents, and taxpayers watched in horror as Volusia County School Board Chair Jamie Haynes fell victim to another common ill spreading like a plague among area politicians – a weird compulsion known as “Coprolalia” (from the Greek kópros, meaning “dung or feces”, and laliā́, meaning “speech”) – in short: “Talking Shit.”

There was no obvious reason for it. 

The item Chairwoman Haynes seemed irresistibly compelled to discuss didn’t appear on the agenda – and it certainly wasn’t a Pandora’s box her perplexed “colleagues” seemed anxious to unpack during a public meeting. 

Yet, Ms. Haynes, apparently overcome by a compulsive need to lash out at those who instruct our children and support their education in the classroom, droned on – denying the School Board’s involvement in a spiteful scheme to decertify Volusia United Educators – the union representing some 3,000 teachers and paraprofessionals in Volusia County District Schools.

In a mewling monotone, Ms. Haynes explained that the five elected members of the board were completely unaware that an outside attorney had been employed by the district to write a letter questioning the number of dues paying members reported by Volusia United Educators to Florida’s Public Employee Relations Committee – a move that could set in motion a process leading to the union’s decertification as a bargaining unit.   

There was simply no stopping Chairwoman Haynes fit of coprolalia – like a victim of selective amnesia – she denied any knowledge of the district’s attempt to torpedo the union and hammered on, personally castigating VUE President Elizabeth Albert by accusing her of spreading “inaccuracies.”

Then, the room was plunged into reality when the district’s General Counsel Kevin Pendley openly contradicted Ms. Haynes’ delusional yarn – explaining that each member of the board personally authorized employing the districts outside labor attorney to send the notice to PERC challenging the union’s membership density.   

The reaction of board member Carl “Namby-Pamby” Persis was even more bizarre as he questioned Mr. Pendley like someone just aroused from a deep coma – stammering, “…like, you told me at a board meeting? Or, you told me on a telephone call? Or in a private setting?, Or…?”

Like reminding a dementia victim what they had for lunch, Mr. Pendley carefully explained to Persis how, at Superintendent Carmen Balgobin’s direction, he contacted each board member individually, discussed the ramifications, and all agreed to send the notice to PERC.

That clarification resulted in Mr. Persis suffering a weird form of echolalia – as he seemingly repeated the noises, words, and phrases uttered by Mr. Pendley – rehashing what had just been explained to him as though he was hearing it for the first time. 

Weird.   

I can only imagine that Ms. Albert, being of reasonably sound mind, was doing cartwheels through the chamber doors after watching the Volusia County School Board come unwound in a public meeting – openly exposed by the district’s General Counsel as either naïve lumps or baldfaced liars (or both) – in a dramatic exchange captured for posterity on video… 

Now, the fallout continues…

In my view, it is incumbent on Superintendent Carmen Balgobin to openly explain to teachers, staff, parents, taxpayers, (and confused board members) how this union busting tactic got so far afield.

Then, she should step aside.

Stakeholders (and that includes everyone who pays taxes in Volusia County) deserve to know why the district insinuated itself into VUE’s certification process with the Florida Public Employee Relations Committee, how this could have happened without the direct knowledge and support of the Volusia County School Board, and what steps will the board and district take to improve relations with its employees, and restore the fractured trust of its wary constituents… 

Angel               Thomas Baker, Daytona Beach Shores

When property insurance rates on his Daytona Beach Shores condominium skyrocketed 563% last year, Thomas Baker – a Vietnam Veteran and U.S. Army retiree donned his uniform bearing the insignia of a Ranger qualified Special Forces officer – and literally charged up the hill. 

Recently, Mr. Baker took his gallant fight against what he aptly calls “grand theft” to Tallahassee, along with sound ideas for returning sanity to Florida’s growing insurance crisis – one that has strapped residents suffering astronomical increases in rates with reduced or non-existent coverage. 

According to an excellent exposé this week by Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

“Baker, a resident of Marbella Condominiums in Daytona Beach Shores, brought with him two messages: He’s angry and he has ideas on how to reduce rates for condo owners across the state.

Marbella, as did much of the state, suffered damage during the hurricane season of 2022. And that was on top of the insurance industry’s disruption with the deadly Champlain Towers South condo collapse in Surfside in 2021.

During Ian and Nicole, the Atlantic Ocean battered Marbella’s seawall, leading to extensive damage to the pool deck. None of that was covered by insurance.

Then, as 2023 started, the homeowners were dealt a second blow: that nearly six-fold increase for casualty coverage, as reported in The News-Journal last November.

That set Baker off.

“We got a bill, but no coverage,” he said.”

Please find Mr. Harper’s report here: http://tinyurl.com/ywm5vcmw

After writing letters to those who should care – state legislators, the Governor, and others – Mr. Baker got little response to his concerns and began discussing the issue with other condominium owners in Daytona Beach Shores.

Ultimately, Mr. Baker produced some commonsense ideas for reducing casualty insurance rates, to include allowing non-standard mortgages for condominiums that wouldn’t require property insurance coverage, having companies write policies for individual units, or eliminating the requirement for property insurance all together. 

Because the state legislature is now in session, ostensibly doing the “people’s business,” most of the lawmakers Mr. Baker contacted didn’t have time and shunted him, and his problem – one facing thousands of Floridians – off on their staff.

According to the report, Baker was able to meet with Sen. Jay Trumbull of Panama City and our own Rep. Tom Leek of Ormond Beach.  “Baker said Leek took notes and said one of his ideas might have some merit and that he’d research it.” 

While reading the News-Journal report, I found it interesting (and infuriating) that an assistant for Sen. “Terrible Tommy” Wright of New Smyrna Beach, arranged a telephone call for Mr. Baker with a representative of the Florida Department of Financial Services – but after the News-Journal called the agency “…seeking comment about Baker’s ideas, Baker said he was told the call was off, as he had been discussing it with the media.” 

In a December 2023 News-Journal article discussing the octogenarian’s fight for condominium insurance reform, Mr. Baker was quoted:

“Baker said he’s most disappointed in Sen. Tom Wright, R-New Smyrna Beach, who represents Daytona Beach Shores.

“For one year, I’ve been trying to get an appointment with Sen. Wright,” Baker said. “I even went to his office. He walked right past me. He didn’t extend me the courtesy of shaking my hand.”

Wright did not respond to a request for comment.”

My God…

Interestingly, after Mr. Baker began making waves about his condominium’s “atmospheric” insurance bill in 2023, Citizens Property Insurance offered a reduced rate for the property in 2024 – about 50% less than the previous year. 

I guess that goes to prove the power of civic activism – and the extraordinary difference one man with a righteous mission can make. 

Unfortunately, Floridians continue to suffer the deleterious effects of a greed-crazed insurance industry run amok, as our legislators remain occupied with preempting local governance, incentivizing explosive sprawl, and undermining the rights of citizens to complain about it…   

Kudos, Mr. Baker.  Thank you for so courageously taking the fight forward.

Soldier on, sir.

Asshole           Volusia County Council

Hey, residents of Wild West Volusia! 

Guess what?

This week, a majority of our elected dullards on the Volusia County Council approved a request to put some 100 townhomes near the northwest corner of State Road 44 and Kepler Road – one of the worst intersections in, oh, the known universe (and that’s saying something when it comes to clogged “Fun Coast” intersections). 

Yep. 

Despite the pleas of area residents, one of whom advised her “representatives” that she won’t make a doctor’s appointment before 9:30am in DeLand because she cannot physically access the intersection during the busy morning drivetime – in their infinite wisdom, Councilmembers Danny Robins, Jake Johansson, Matt Reinhart, and David “No Show” Santiago voted to plop one hundred new townhomes, a grocery store, and assorted “shops” – along with the additional “trips” and traffic that come with each new commercial and residential unit – at what has been described as a “well-known trouble spot.” 

Of course, those members of our elected “brain trust” in DeLand approving the project validated their asinine vote by opining that a proposed loop-de-loop at the intersection (which should be built sometime around the return of the Comet Kohoutek) will alleviate the massive traffic tie-ups. 

My ass…

According to an excellent report by Sheldon Gardner writing in the News-Journal:

“The County Council approved a rezoning and a small-scale Comprehensive Land Use Plan Amendment for the land. Council Chairman Jeff Brower, Vice Chairman Troy Kent and District 1 Councilman Don Dempsey, whose district includes the intersection, voted against the project.

Kent said he gets aggravated by traffic delays at the intersection when he travels to council meetings.

“I’m going to admit to you, these are things I say in my truck when I’m on 44 … ‘What the what?’ ‘Are you kidding me?’ ‘Stop the insanity,’” Kent said.”   

(You are going to want to take a strong antiemetic and read the rest of the article here: http://tinyurl.com/yu8wd4yu )

For the record, both Chairman Brower and Councilman Kent are up for reelection this year. 

In keeping with the Rites and Rituals of Volusia’s “Old Guard,” it was Councilman Santiago’s turn to publicly pillory Chairman Brower after he voiced a concern that the development would add to widespread flooding in the wake (literally) of Volusia’s massive overdevelopment.

“I can’t approve another project that I believe is going to flood out more neighborhoods in DeLand,” Brower said.”

In turn, Santiago – a habitual politician who found his place in and around government and has hung on like a tick – took umbrage with being rightfully named part of the problem, and asked “Growth and Resource Management” Director Clay Ervin (who always looks like one of those bobble-heads when asked a question supporting more, more, more development) if the project would exacerbate flooding?

According to the News-Journal report:

“Well, hold on, the chairman is laughing and it’s on TV,” Santiago said. “I want to make clear. So, I did not know you were a scientist or you were an expert in this area. That’s why I’m asking them. And you made the statement.”

“I did. We have flooding. … Am I saying they designed it to flood? No, they did not. But it still floods,” Brower said.

Santiago said, “You’re insinuating that if we approve this —” “I’m not insinuating,” Brower said. “It’s going to flood; you said it,” Santiago said. “You said I’m not going to allow this to happen.

So you put the rest of this council in a perspective if they’re going to vote for this that you’re saying that we’re going to make everything else flood. So your comments have to be clarified by people that are experts that know more about this than any of us.”

“The experts that gave us all the flooding,” Brower said.

“Okay, here we go. That’s what we’re dealing with,” Santiago said.

Hey Councilman Santiago, if the galoshes fit, wear ‘em… 

Of course, Mr. Ervin tap-danced in his patented bureaucratic pule about ‘minimum requirements for stormwater management,’ and the unknown effects of “a 25-year, 24-hour storm event” – all but admitting that both he, and senior state water management officials, continue to plausibly deny the clear implications of paving over the landscape on areawide flooding. 

I know it’s painful to watch but expect the brutal thrashing of Chairman Brower to continue through the election cycle as his “colleagues” repay their debt and shamelessly campaign for his competition from the dais…

Good luck, Delightful DeLand from your friends in this ugly and overcrowded Planned Unit Development east of the Palmetto Curtain. 

You’re next…

Angel               News-Journal Editorialist “Mark Twain” Lane

“Any blogger, keyboard soapboxer, Facebook political commentator, online environmental activist or local gadfly speaking to a group could be shut up by deep-pocket interests under this rewrite of defamation law. Note that the Senate sponsor of this bill, Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Lake Mary, is the same senator who pushed for a state political blogger registry last year.

It goes without saying that the political class has never loved the media in whatever form the press has taken over history. But because of the ways the powerful have weaponized libel law to suppress free speech during the Civil Rights Era and the days of criminal libel laws, courts have rightly evoked the First Amendment to make libel suits hard for public figures to win.

The fact that so many Florida legislators are eager to see their critics hauled into court tells us something, and it’s not about the media.”

–The Great Mark Lane, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Defamation law rewrite threatens free speech,” Sunday, February 18, 2024

The late, great Big John had a nickname for everyone he cared about – and he rightfully dubbed our intrepid News-Journal editorialist “Mark Twain” Lane.

He really is that good, and his Footnote column is the first thing I turn to each Sunday.   

Last week, Mr. Lane cut to the heart of a pernicious bill working its way through the legislature that would permit thin-skinned politicians to continue their skeevy shenanigans in Tallahassee and beyond – only you and I, the citizens of the “Sunshine State,” would be effectively muzzled from complaining about it.

How? 

By weaponizing the law to permit public officials the ability to file crippling lawsuits against anyone who bruises their delicate sensibilities, suppressing the free speech provisions enshrined in the First Amendment – the same inalienable Constitutional right United States fighting men and women have given their lives to protect – eliminating the time-honored journalistic use of anonymous whistleblowers, reducing the burden of proof to “You hurt my feewings,” and allowing lawsuits for something published on the internet to be filed in any county in the state. 

Perhaps most chilling, the provisions of this tyrannical edict would apply equally to conservative talk radio hosts, liberal podcasters, bloggers, editorialists, political pundits, media outlets, soapbox orators, and anyone who vents their political spleen on social media (ever do that?) 

Look, this isn’t about silencing blowhards like me – or punishing professional editorialists like Mr. Lane – in my view, it is about suppressing political dissent by fundamentally attacking the ability of We, The Little People to openly participate in the marketplace of ideas and express our opinions by arming our powerful overseers with the ability to financially crush anyone who calls out their transactional politics for what they are.

So much for Governor Ron DeSantis’ fabled “Free State of Florida,” eh?  A moniker this bill exposes as nothing more than a cheap Iowa stump speech…  

If you have ever taken an oath to “…support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic,” I hope you will use your sacred vote to hold accountable any incumbent state legislator who supports this assault on our most basic freedom. 

I can’t think of anything more un-American – or dangerous to the fabric of our democracy.   

Keep spreading the good word, Mr. Lane.  We need your sharp mind and exceptional voice now, more than ever…

Quote of the Week

“Here in the Sunshine State, our elected leaders have taken to the idea that endless growth and sprawl are the only paths forward. Rich developers and their special interest groups pour millions of dollars into electing the officials who will serve them most eagerly, and from where I’m standing, it looks like most of the politicians in our state are more than happy to bend to the will of their corporate masters.

What is in the public interest doesn’t seem to matter much. In a state once known for its pristine and untamed natural beauty, we have bulldozed most of it to make way for strip malls and tract homes, losing forever the most sacred attributes that make this land special. Surely, many developers and real estate folks have been greatly enriched in the process. But for the rest of us, the price of this so-called “progress” has been steep.

Many people in our community felt welcome vindication this month when hearing of our legal victory against the Florida Department of Transportation and their efforts to bulldoze sixty acres of wetlands in the Spruce Creek watershed to make way for an unneeded $200 million interchange on I-95.

To me, it was bewildering that our state government would even consider doing such a thing – that private citizens would need to battle them and their army of expensive lawyers – just to prevent the government from destroying the sensitive habitat it has often vowed to protect. It seems like hypocrisy, and it is.”

–Conservationist Bryon White, as excerpted from The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Guest Opinion, “Spruce Creek legal victory over proposed interchange was ‘welcome vindication,’” Tuesday, February 20. 2024

Powerful. 

And Another Thing!  

Every four years or so, well-meaning people ask if I would consider running for (insert elective office here) – an apocalyptic sign that we have reached the absolute nadir of political options here on the “Fun Coast.” 

My answer remains the same.

In the words of William Tecumseh Sherman, “If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve…”

For those joining us late, let me explain:

While I sincerely appreciate the confidence of those misguided souls who ask me to throw what’s left of my tattered hat in the ring – with three marriages under my belt, a lifelong career in law enforcement, and a propensity for strong spirits – I have more demons and skeletons in my closet than a haunted house…

Besides, if I was allowed to get snout deep in the public trough you might never get rid of me. 

After all, as my literary hero Dr. Hunter S. Thompson was fond of saying about government, “In a closed society where everybody’s guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity…”

Selah.

As a perennial naïf, I believe most people who hold themselves out for elected office, at least at the local level, enter politics for all the right reasons – a willingness to serve and be a good steward, born of a heartfelt desire to improve the lives of their neighbors.  I also believe that most first-term elected officials have the best interest of their constituents at heart, especially in matters involving the expenditure of public funds.

However, in the cloistered Halls of Power, it doesn’t take long for the ego-driven transmogrification from public servant to self-important shitheel to begin. 

Inexplicably, our “representatives” mysteriously become morally and mentally superior to the rest of us, then metamorphose into pious ninnies with a God complex – convinced they know what’s best for the rest of us – thus earning their coveted invite into the secluded inner sanctum of the bureaucracy. 

When I see those who ran for office with the best intentions of making their county or municipal government more lean, accessible, and accountable – now rubbing elbows and having their picture taken with C-list phonies and so-called “dignitaries” on social media at (insert the latest oh, so elegant “gala” here) – I know the transformation is complete…

No thanks.

I want no part of that charade.

In my view, Volusia County has become a despicable example of just how pernicious cronyism, through the corruption of the campaign finance system, can be when uber-wealthy individuals and their corporate entities repeatedly secure a political quid pro quo from local office holders.

It’s subtle – but pay attention the next time all the right last names assemble in a council or commission chamber ahead of a vote vital to their self-interests and watch what happens… 

To my jaded mind, it represents a legal return on investment in a system that permits a privileged few to develop financial relationships with potential and current office holders, then obtain direct access to the public purse in the form of preferential tax breaks, infrastructure (even interchanges?), and direct subsidies for private for-profit projects.

For reasons I can’t quite figure out, in this atmosphere even viable candidates for high office – those with the personal wealth and wherewithal to finance their own campaign, demonstrate independence, and change the grim trajectory of Volusia County politics – succumb to the lure of “big money” contributions and the imprimatur of importance that comes with it. 

These chummy associations will become more prominent as what passes for our cut-throat campaign season heats up.    

For instance, I recently shook my head at the utter disconnect between We, The Little People who pay the bills and our exalted “Donor Class” when I saw a very exclusive fundraiser for a perennial politician held at the home of a prominent philanthropist where Volusia’s “who’s who” were shuttled to the soiree via limousine. 

Yeah.  I know…

Earlier this week, Volusia County Councilman Troy Kent held a clubby klatch – with a “Host Committee” comprised of all the right last names – to mark the kickoff of his latest reelection campaign. I must admit, the optics seemed odd to me, considering Mr. Kent is desperately trying to shed his skin and reinvent himself as an “everyman” in the wake of the Belvedere Terminal’s debacle… 

Although those in power are quick to deny it, in exchange for the all-important financial resources and political clout local candidates receive as an anointing from Volusia’s “visionaries” they must feel at least subliminal pressure to perform their role like the bought-and-paid-for chattel they are, especially when an issue directly involving the self-interests and profit motives of their campaign benefactors presents itself before the dais of power.

The result has been a slow erosion of the public’s trust in the legitimacy of their own government – and a recurring Sophie’s Choice in local elections – as wealthy developers get richer…   

I don’t have the answers, folks.

And I certainly don’t want to paint all local elected officials with the same brush – we have some selfless individuals in key positions who demonstrate incredible leadership and serve with humility, vision, and values.

They deserve our respect and support.      

My sincere hope is that those creative change-makers – engaged citizens who have proven they can work collaboratively with others to seek the solutions we desperately need – will find the courage to stand for elective office and end the stagnant status quo.

I think that begins by banding together – developing a formidable coalition of the various groups, factions, and loose knit activists who are working hard, spending their time and talents in the fight to conserve our environment, ensure our children’s safety, and protect our fleeting quality of life – many voices, speaking as one. 

Trust me.  Citizens united in the pursuit of positive change is the last thing compromised politicians and entrenched bureaucrats want…

As for my complete lack of “political ambition,” I may be a low-life sot with no redeeming social graces – more of a “complainer” than a “doer” – but I have what remains of my threadbare dignity, something I am not willing to compromise for a bit part in this privately underwritten Theatre of the Absurd that passes for “governance” here on the “Fun Coast.” 

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