Hi, kids!

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

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

Angel               City of Daytona Beach

In response to a resurgence of aggressive vagrants loitering and panhandling in the Beach Street area, Daytona Beach officials recently demonstrated the courage to try something new – a bold program that places roaming private security officers in the riverfront area, supported by security cameras, radios, and an innovative application called “See and Click” that allows merchants to summon security from their mobile device – a solution that frees law enforcement officers for more serious threats while providing a preventive presence downtown. 

By all accounts, the initiative is working as planned.   

According to a recent report by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, the pilot program is focused on supporting beleaguered merchants along Beach Street from Orange Avenue to just north of Bay Street.

At present, “The city is covering the full cost of the security officers, who are being paid $24.60 per hour. The full cost for 60 days is $23,616.

City Manager Deric Feacher is using his discretionary funding to cover costs, and he could spend up to $24,998 on the venture without city commissioners’ approval.”

The uniformed foot patrols are a welcome addition downtown. 

“I haven’t seen any of the issues. They completely stopped,” said Al Brewer, owner of Evans & Son Jewelers on Beach Street, located just north of Orange Avenue. “The presence of homeless evaporated 100%. My 93-year-old mother walks up and down Beach Street, and I’m totally happy with her doing that.”

I cannot think of a better testament to the success of the program.

The News-Journal reports that the pilot will continue through mid-June – and if the City Commission approves – contract security will become a “permanent fixture” in the historic downtown. 

Putting resources that provide a sense of safety and stability where it is needed most is the perfect reinvestment – and the very essence of the Community Redevelopment process – transforming challenged areas into thriving commercial districts and healthy neighborhoods.  

The elected and appointed officials of Daytona Beach have shown ingenuity in trying something new to address a seemingly intractable civic and social issue, not afraid of making honest mistakes, think in non-traditional ways, or get creative when challenging the status quo.

I realize foot patrols have been around since Robert Peel walked a beat, but the combination of traditional deterrence measures, community buy-in, and modern technology to suppress nuisance crimes and eliminate vagrancy to support the rebirth of a historic downtown with exciting potential is a smart use of resources. 

In my view, public/private “partnerships” work best when government works to establish an environment conducive to entrepreneurial success – based upon the needs and input of community stakeholders – creating a safe and inviting atmosphere, a sense of place that draws visitors, encourages residents to shop local, incorporates artistic expression, and reimagines the use of public space to attract true economic development.

That is the essence of innovative governance.    

By attempting an unconventional strategy rather than falling back on the same failed tactics – even if a new plan fails, it fails forward – allowing officials and their constituents to learn what works and what does not, turning failure into opportunity, rather than ignoring valuable lessons as often happens in ossified bureaucracies. 

Kudos to Mr. Feacher, Mayor Derrick Henry, and the Daytona Beach City Commission for this unique and useful application of redevelopment funds – and their top-down support of the Riverfront Renaissance!

Angel               Active Citizens of Deltona

“Nay, allow the claim of the dead; stab not the fallen; what prowess is it to slay the slain anew?”

–Sophocles

It’s true.  There is nothing to be gained from beating a dead horse.

That is one of the reasons I stopped opining on the raging dumpster fire that is Deltona government – a rudderless scow whose fate has been left to the whims and fancies of an ever evolving “City Commission” – a governing body in name only whose internecine squabbles, churlish backstabbing, open contempt for concerned residents, and personal agendas have resulted in a revolving door of managers and stand-ins since the tumultuous reign of Jane Shang ended in 2020.

The situation reached its nadir months back when serious people began suggesting the municipality of nearly 100,000 souls disincorporate – pack up the clowns, sweep out the dung, fold up the circus tent – and start over.

Other anxious taxpayers fed-up with the dysfunctional churn considered an appeal to Gov. Ron DeSantis seeking outside intervention.

Horrified observers stood on the sidelines, watching the community flop and twist like a suffocating carp – as more revelations came to light each week, exposing the behind-the-scenes meddling of those melodramatic poseurs on the dais who were seemingly intent on destroying the municipal government from within – all while the ineffectual City Attorney Marsha Segal-George sat idle, playing with her hair and gazing into the ether…    

Those shocking disclosures were made possible by the perseverance of concerned citizen activists – residents repeatedly marginalized and maligned by those they elected to serve their interests – who boldly continued to dig into the murky netherworld of Deltona politics and pull back the curtain on the waste, maladministration, and outright incompetence that continue to threaten the viability of their community.  

I have long admired that undaunted civic spirit and willingness to speak their uncomfortable truth in the face of open hostility from elected and appointed officials – staunchly refusing to give up on their community or their neighbors.

Earlier this week, the Deltona City Commission continued to wrangle with a controversial employment agreement for their next vict…, er, new City Manager – Dale “Doc” Dougherty, formerly of Garden City, Michigan – who rose to the front of the pack after three frontrunners abruptly dropped out of the vetting process and headed for them thar hills…  

According to an article by Al Everson writing in the West Volusia Beacon earlier this month:

“Deltona Mayor Santiago Avila said he had learned of the abrupt changes only within the past day. The number one favorite of the manager-search committee and the city’s executive-search firm, Bakersfield, California, City Manager C. Scott Andrews, dropped out “because of concerns about how the commission treats staff members,” Avila told The Beacon.”

Someone did their homework…

At the end of the day, Mr. Dougherty was unanimously selected after discussions of extending the search succumbed to exasperation, and Mayor Avila issued the less-than-confident capitulation, “We’re not going to find the perfect candidate,” before seeking divine intervention, “I took everybody’s emails into consideration. I prayed about it…”

Some of those same Deltona activists rightfully questioned provisions of “Doc’s” employment contract – generous giveaways that many feel mirrored the exorbitant salary, benefits, and ironclad protections that left taxpayers vulnerable to mercenary managers in the past.

To ensure Deltona residents have confidence in their new manager, the negotiations were extended through Thursday evening when the revised contract passed unanimously.

In an open letter to the Deltona City Commission earlier this week, former County Councilmember and long-time Deltona resident Pat Northey wrote, in part:

“It’s time to bring in an outside professional manager, one with experience and knowledge of how we should operate under a Manager/Commission form of government.  A review of Mr. Dougherty’s resumé and his performance at the Citizen Meet and Greet supports a yes vote to hire.

If you recall, I originally called for a halt to the search and to bring in a crisis manager until after the election. I have since refined that position based on Mr. Dougherty’s experience as a manager. He is the crisis manager we need currently.

Please know that there are those of us that will support you publicly and privately in this hiring. Do not be dissuaded by the naysayers and social media postings that are well meaning but negative about the city and this decision. We look to you, as our elected leadership, to bring us the best and in Doc you have that.”   

I agree with Ms. Northey – after years of roil, toxicity, and umpteen city managers, it is now or never for Deltona – and citizens across Volusia County are watching. 

If you care about good governance in your own hometown, you should care about good governance everywhere. 

In Volusia County, our wonderful mosaic of cities and neighborhoods each bring something unique to the eclectic mix both east and west of the Palmetto Curtain – including a responsibility to contribute to our collective economic vitality, civic reputation, and quality of life. 

That requires maintaining a symbiotic relationship with neighboring communities – a mutually supportive and reciprocal connection that demonstrates consistency, adherence to accepted community standards, and instills confidence in those seeking to invest in the region.

In other words, it is high time Deltona “leaders” come to the realization they are making us all look bad and get on with the people’s business in Volusia’s largest city by population… 

Here’s hoping Doc Dougherty is up to the herculean task of bringing stability, reviving a sense of community pride – and most important – restoring the broken trust of a weary constituency desperately seeking positive change.  

Angel               Circuit Judge Rose Marie Preddy

When it comes to the audacity of some shameless politicians – those egomaniacal self-promoters who accomplish little in the public interest yet fight to hang onto power each election cycle with parasitic tenacity – not much surprises me. 

Don’t take my word for, wait until this year’s “Fun Coast” campaign season begins in earnest – a traditional shitshow of epic proportion – contests that invariably resemble an angry hornet’s nest of mudslinging and name-calling, all punctuated by “glossy mailers” supporting those hand-select marionettes who gain the largesse of influential insiders with a chip in the game.  

Fortunately, those accepted campaign shenanigans are not yet a factor in judicial races, where non-partisanship and trust in the system remain an important part of the electoral process.   That public confidence is due, in part, to Florida’s Code of Judicial Conduct, ethical standards that apply to judges at all levels – including anyone seeking judicial office during an election. 

In fact, Canon 7 of the code directs candidates “…refrain from inappropriate political activity,” including a unique requirement that prohibits making false representations about one’s opponent.  

(Wow.  Just imagine if Canon 7 was equally applied to all political contests?)

This week, we learned that Circuit Judge Rose Marie Preddy is protecting the public trust by standing up for those inviolate principles in a lawsuit filed last week in Leon County. 

According to an exposé in The Daytona Beach News-Journal by reporter Frank Fernandez:

“Former Circuit Judge Scott DuPont, who was removed from the bench by the state Supreme Court which said he was unfit to be a judge in 2018 and later suspended from practicing law, should be barred from running for another seat on the circuit bench because he fails to meet an eligibility requirement, according to a lawsuit filed Friday.

Incumbent Circuit Judge Rose Marie Preddy, whom DuPont has filed qualifying papers this week to challenge for her seat in the Circuit 7 Group 11 race, filed the suit.

The lawsuit cites the Florida Constitution which states that no person will be eligible to be a circuit judge unless he or she has been a member of the Florida Bar for the preceding five years.”

Good for Judge Preddy.  I admire that.   

According to the report, the Florida Supreme Court suspended Mr. DuPont for 91 days in 2019 “…after the court found him guilty of violating multiple Florida Bar rules.”  Because DuPont was precluded from membership in the Florida Bar during the period of his suspension, the lawsuit contends he is ineligible to hold judicial office.

Mr. DuPont disputes the assertion and believes the constitution and rules of the Florida Bar qualify him to run. 

In 2018, DuPont was removed from office by the Florida Supreme Court on recommendation of the Judicial Qualifications Commission that found he showed a “reckless disregard for the truth,” after apparently making false allegations about his political opponent’s family.

At the time, the JQC issued a statement that said, in part:

“Judge DuPont abused his position and showed himself to be unfit by: ordering money taken from litigants unlawfully; intentionally violating judicial campaign rules in a way that caused permanent harm to private citizens; prioritizing campaigning for re-election over lawful performance of his duties; and announcing to the public that he would ignore his judicial oath. Furthermore, Judge DuPont’s testimony to the JQC was, at times, “not worthy of belief.”

Now, Mr. DuPont wants a second bite at the apple? 

Really? 

According to a piece published by Jacob Ogles in Florida Politics this week, Mr. DuPont apparently attempted to explain himself in a 78-minute campaign video posted to YouTube:

“DuPont addressed some of his prior problems in a 78-minute campaign video on YouTube.

“Honesty you know, I may not have been a perfect judge but I was a faithful judge,” he said, “and even though mistakes were made along the way, I left every division better than I found it.”

He also said after his suspension he briefly moved to Virginia and gave up the legal profession.

“There’s nothing wrong with doing lawn care, but going from being an attorney and being a judge to lawn care was the most humbling experience at that time that I had been through,” he said.

Preddy’s lawsuit suggests none of that changes her assertion that DuPont cannot legally serve right now.”

(Full Disclosure: I didn’t watch DuPont’s pitch.  But you can find it here: https://tinyurl.com/5n6s266c )

As a veteran watcher of all-things-politics here on Florida’s “Fun Coast,” the longer I stare into the murky abyss, the more I realize how little I understand about the odd quirks and vainglorious motivations of some candidates for elective office – the shamelessness of those trying desperately to reinvent themselves following scandal and disgrace – or the attention span of apathetic voters who seem to make their choice by blindfolding themselves and throwing darts at some asinine “voters’ guide.”  

All of which reinforces my belief in the vital importance of vigilance during an election cycle to ensuring our collective future…  

Kudos to Judge Preddy for working within the system to keep judicial elections unsullied and worthy of our trust.

Quote of the Week

“Volusia County Schools is excited to announce it is joining Addition Financial Credit Union’s School District Debit Card Program and launching a co-branded Volusia County Schools debit card that will support schools in the district. With the partnership, students, faculty, staff and residents across Volusia County will have the opportunity to actively contribute to their local school district and support education. 

Under the School District Debit Card Program, Addition Financial pledges to donate 3 cents back to Volusia County Schools for every transaction made. 

VCS is thrilled for the partnership and the positive impact it will have for students and the district. 

“Volusia County Schools is appreciative of our partnership with Addition Financial Credit Union and excited about the debut of the VCS debit card for our community,” Superintendent Dr. Carmen Balgobin said. “This opportunity will help support programs across the district to enhance student achievement. It is through partners such as Addition Financial that we excel as a school district and a community.”

–Volusia County Schools Press Release, “Volusia County Schools and Addition Financial Credit Union Partner to Launch Co-Branded Debit Card,” April 2024

Thanks, but no thanks… 

I don’t want Superintendent Carmen Balgobin – or those fiscal wunderkinds in her “cabinet” who misapplied finite federal relief dollars and are now shuffling teachers and chopping certain educational programs – within a country mile of my own tenuous finances… 

Recently, we learned that in addition to arts and enrichment electives, Balgobin’s ham-fisted budget slashing will include all but eliminating the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program from Volusia County schools.  A popular program that encourages college readiness in 23 schools throughout the district.

The AVID curriculum will now be available at just three campuses.     

According to an article by Chasidy Ruth writing in the West Volusia Beacon, we learned that during the April 23 School Board meeting, former board member Ida Wright took her former colleagues to the woodshed for their abject failure to get in front of this escalating crisis:

“It’s important that you come up with a plan quickly,” former School Board Member Ida Wright said. “How do we get out of where we are? … I was really disappointed when we had principals put in the hot seat because we never had principals do allocations [budgeting] without district staff.”

I didn’t always agree with Ms. Wright during her tenure on the board, but her assessment of this predictable predicament is spot-on.

In my view, given the dire straits the district’s financial apparatus has foisted on Volusia County taxpayers, teachers, students, and staff – perhaps someone we elected to represent our interests (hint, hint) should hold Balgobin and her senior coterie accountable for gross maladministration and professional assholery?

Or at least order them to complete a financial literacy course…    

Are bake sales next? 

I suppose anything helps when a wobbly bureaucracy finds itself $45.7 million in the hole after inexplicably using one-time federal pandemic relief funds to cover reoccurring operating and personnel costs – an astronomical blunder that has resulted in the “displacement” of some 284 educators, the elimination of popular programs, and widespread angst among teachers, students, and staff.    

Just one reason I don’t want the Volusia County District Schools logo anywhere near my debit card…

In my view, this unfolding debacle presents an important learning opportunity – a cautionary tale – that teaches those young students affected what invariably happens when the federal government pours massive amounts of money onto a problem, with little, if any, direct oversight, the irresponsibility of some senior administrators, and the importance of participating in the political process to hold those ultimately responsible to account at the ballot box.   

And Another Thing!

“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

Or, in the case of Flagler Beach, let them join you…

After a Battle Royale by some residents of this once quaint slice of Old Florida, this week we learned that the developer of Veranda Bay (once known as “The Gardens”) – which will ultimately plop hundreds of cracker boxes west of the Intracoastal Waterway along John Anderson Highway – has decided to “voluntarily annex” into Flagler Beach, a small beach town with a wealth of charm and a current population of 5,280.

The move will double the size of Flagler Beach and increase the population by thousands over the next decade… 

In 2020, the Flagler County Commission approved the development on a 3-2 vote over the passionate protest of Flagler Beach officials and residents.    

Guess all that’s water under the soon to be crowded SR-100 bridge now…    

According to a report in FlaglerLive! this week, we were told the courtship by city officials to lure Veranda Bay into the small municipality was not driven by the increased tax base, but a desire to keep the freewheeling sprawl of Palm Coast off its doorstep.

“The city had been assiduously pursuing Veranda Bay to annex, amending its annexation ordinance to make it possible, courting (Veranda Bay developer Ken) Belshe with what amounted to a love letter, and with not a little bit of anticipatory drool, sharply increasing its development impact fees that would disproportionately be generated from Veranda Bay.

Flagler Beach had not sought annexation just to reap the bigger tax base from the higher-end development, but also to buffer itself from Palm Coast in what, in retrospect, may have been exaggerated fears that Palm Coast was also courting Belshe. The city did not want Palm Coast zoning on its borders. Palm Coast said it wasn’t seeking annexation.”

I found it disturbing when the Flagler Beach City Commission capitulated to what they must have seen as the inevitable, and then-Mayor Suzie Johnston wrote in a January pre-annexation letter to Belshe (that was endorsed by the remainder of the elected officials), “We believe and hope you agree that annexation into the city of Flagler Beach at this stage of the development creates an opportunity for us to work together to protect, promote and benefit from all that makes Flagler Beach special.”

The syrupy tone of the letter left some to ponder who was annexing whom… 

Sorry, folks.  Like most of Florida, this is how you lose something special.  Because once that small town ambiance is gone, it can never be recreated. 

In my view, another terribly sad milestone…   

Six years ago, I remember doing my goofy Henny Penny routine in this space over early unchecked sprawl across the width and breadth of Volusia and Flagler Counties – massive growth destroying our environment like a virulent malignancy – threatening to ruin our quality of life, blah, blah, blah.

At the time, perennial politicians – dull tools, bought-and-paid-for by influential real estate development interests who seemed hellbent on ramrodding their benefactor’s obscene version of “progress” – laughed at my raving.   

“Old news, old man.  If you aren’t growing, you’re dying – and there ain’t no profit in useless pine scrub.” 

We were assured that impact fees were sufficient, growth would “pay for itself,” and things like transportation and utilities infrastructure would “evolve” in time. 

They didn’t.

Slash-and-burn land rape became the norm, and the health of Graham Swamp and the headwaters of Bulow Creek be damned – gopher tortoises, wild birds, unique flora, and whitetail deer don’t take 30-year mortgages on three-bed/two-bath zero-lot-line “high end” cracker boxes with “…prices starting in the mid-$200’s.”

Now, “theme,” “active lifestyle,” and “full life” planned unit developments have been carved out of the rapidly diminishing scrub and perversely advertised as “communities” – while established neighborhoods and actual oceanfront areas are left to languish, as the furious orgy of greed moves the real money west – and the actual beach, our greatest natural amenity, became little more than a cheap marketing prop by out-of-town speculative developers…   

I will never understand why some quaint coastal communities, places that have worked hard to maintain the picturesque charm and attributes that set them apart – characteristics many communities are striving and spending to recreate – seem intent on destroying themselves in some grotesque pursuit of a developer’s notion of “progress.” 

When Flagler Beach officials allowed another “Margaritaville” based hotel at A-1-A and SR-100 – what was once beachfront greenspace for songwriter’s festivals, art shows, and farmers markets, now reduced to just another 100-room “theme” hotel trying desperately to recreate a facsimile of what was already there – it was apparent to most it was the beginning of the end.  

Sadly, the “voluntary annexation” of the contrived community of Veranda Bay – ominously marketed as the “Last stretch of Intracoastal property on Florida’s East Coast” – may signal the death knell for one of the most distinct beach communities in Florida. 

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