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 Council

I’m often asked what device I use to winnow the angels from assholes each week – who makes the cut and why. 

Let’s just say, here on Florida’s fabled “Fun Coast,” one needn’t look too deep into the fetid slit-trench that passes for “politics” to find either – especially when it comes to the decades-long struggle to preserve (and return) our century-old tradition of beach access and driving.

On Tuesday evening, Volusia County residents got another shocking look at the depths to which some mealy-mouthed political tools will go to serve their unseen masters – while marginalizing a “colleague” who brought forth serious citizen concerns – seeking nothing more than to further the discussion of a horribly failed “economic development” policy that has hamstrung businesses in our core tourist area for decades. 

Recently, the beleaguered Main Street Merchants Association – who, along with what remains of Boardwalk businesses, have suffered mightily from the devastating economic impacts of removing beach driving between East International Speedway Boulevard and Auditorium Boulevard – approached Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower for help.   

According to estimates, Main Street businesses suffered a 50% decrease in revenue the first summer cars were taken off the beach. 

In turn, Chairman Brower asked County Attorney Michael Dyer for direction on how to open a dialog that could result in a plan for resolving the myriad federal, state, and local roadblocks to restoring vehicular access to the area.

According to Chairman Brower, Mr. Dyer explained that the item should be put on the Council agenda. 

So, he did. 

In a report last week by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, we learned:

“The County Council voted in 1996 to take away beach driving when a certain amount of parking became available. Beach driving ended in this stretch in March 2000 when 1,500 parking spaces opened at the Ocean Center.

“When we closed that down, it just killed the beachside businesses there because the people stopped coming. That was a very popular beach with locals and also tourists,” said Council Chairman Jeff Brower, who is proposing the reopening of the beach.

The area begins just south of the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort and includes the boardwalk and pier.”

Accompanying the agenda item was a lengthy staff report explaining the various hoops Volusia County will be required to clear – along with a rehash of the 1996 ordinance that removed vehicles from that section of the strand:

“The current state law allows removal of beach driving from sections where it was previously authorized but does not provide authority to restore beach driving. At a minimum, the action would require enactment of a special law allowing the Council to restore beach driving to that section of the beach. In addition to seeking a change to state law, the decision to convert a non-driving section of the beach to a driving section of the beach involves other legal issues, such as any needed amendment to the federal permit, customary use, and any outstanding contractual commitments. Each section of the beach is unique as to those issues and requires review.”

Almost immediately, Volusia’s “Old Guard” – those ossified dinosaurs who have successfully maintained the stagnant status quo for decades – circled the wagons and began huffing and puffing about the potential loss of what is in practicality an inaccessible private beach for a few Daytona Beach Resort Area hotels. 

Leading the charge to keep cars off the beach was Bob Davis, the fossilized president and CEO of the Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County, who rallied a few of his members to write emails to council members crowing the same tired arguments they used to remove beach driving in the first place – heavy on fear mongering and completely devoid of solutions or suggestions for saving their struggling neighbors.      

With Councilman David “No Show” Santiago conspicuously absent for the umpteenth time since taking office – the even number remaining on the dais set the stage for some classic political theatrics – complete with the usual disingenuous exasperation of Councilman Jake Johansson and the hyper-dramatic histrionics of Danny Robins. 

It also included a surprising – and incredibly smart – chess move played to perfection by Councilman Troy Kent, a parliamentary strategy that may see the all-but-dead issue brought back for another vote… 

During what passed for “discussion,” Councilman Jake Johansson feigning confusion of the central economic issues surrounding the “third rail of Volusia County politics,” claimed Brower’s simple request to discuss this age-old debate required more “homework.”

According to a News-Journal report:

“Johansson said he didn’t have much time to talk to people about the issue after it was placed on the agenda. He said he received many emails from hoteliers in opposition. He also questioned the timing of the decision. Restoring beach driving in that area would require action from the state.

“Maybe it isn’t the right time to talk to the state about getting driving back on the beach when we have other things that are important that we need to discuss with the state and resolve,” Johansson said. “I’ve seen that asking the state for too many things at once means you get none, so I’m a little conflicted right now on the timing of this.”

Inexplicably, Johansson questioned why Brower would place the item on the agenda in the first place, lecturing that retuning beach driving didn’t fit within the narrow confines of some obscure “council goals” – arrogantly dismissing the cries for help from Main Street merchants hanging on by their fingernails with classic political procrastination, asserting he still needs to hear from the irrelevant Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce who has sat quiet for years, before deciding whether or not to allow county staff to merely research the requirements.

Yet, Mr. Johansson “needs more time…”?

Bizarre. 

In turn, the other two stooges that comprise the Council’s East Volusia Confederacy of Dunces – Councilmen Danny Robins and Matt Reinhart – worked in concert to block the discussion of the issue – with Robins’ employing his patented “gaslighting” technique – a political modus operandi that includes lobbing allegations and accusations at Chairman Brower, questioning the motivations of anyone who disagrees with him, engaging in political theater while accusing Brower of the same, then swelling up like a poison toad and arguing the minutia of “process.”   

During his rambling diatribe, Councilman Robins saw fit to denigrate the City of Daytona Beach, just to prove the Main Street Merchants Association wrong… 

Not surprisingly, Councilman Reinhart – whose district covers the area of the beach in question – “echoed” the detached sentiments of Johansson, claiming he “…didn’t have a lot of time to look into it.” 

Say what? 

Like the rest of us, Mr. Reinhart has had nearly thirty-years to form an opinion…

I find it disturbingly coincidental how Robins, Reinhart, and Johansson are in lockstep agreement – completely sympatico when defecating on every issue that Chairman Brower (and his longsuffering constituents) find important to the future of Volusia County.

Why is that?

To their immense credit, Council members Troy Kent and Don Dempsey both agreed to support moving the discussion forward – each recalling times when they enjoyed the beach with family, commiserating with struggling beachside businessowners, keeping an open mind, and recognizing the give-and-take that comes with political compromise – and the importance of honest negotiation to the effectiveness of an elected body.

Unfortunately, it was painfully clear how the vote would progress – a 3-3 tie – that would effectively kill any further discussion of this important economic development issue – or potentially reverse a decades-old mistake that has contributed to the economic decline of our core tourist area while benefitting a few hoteliers and beachfront developers.

To his credit, Councilman Troy Kent employed a parliamentary strategy that will allow the matter to be revisited when/if Mr. Santiago finds his way back to the council chamber… 

As I understand it (and I’m not sure I do) by voting “No” to deny the measure – Mr. Kent landed on the prevailing side of the issue – which, pursuant to Robert’s Rules of Order, will allow him to later make a motion to reconsider the vote when the full council is seated. 

Smart move.  

Watch for yourself here: https://tinyurl.com/3z9k7hu4  (The item begins at 1:42:18)

In my view, it was (once again) Volusia County politics at its worst – an issue of great civic importance, advanced by taxpayers and businessowners trying desperately to seek help from those they elected to represent their interests – only to be caught up the internecine political shitshow that demands certain sitting politicians block, marginalize, and vilify anything Chairman Brower tries to accomplish.

Even an exploratory discussion of a long-standing civic divide. 

Unfortunately, the Main Street Merchant’s Association learned a disturbing lesson this week – when it comes to Volusia County politics, you’re either on the inside, or you are shit out of luck… 

Vote like your quality of life and livelihood depends upon it.

Angel               Ormond Beach and Flagler County

Professional actors and attorneys have a lot in common.     

Just like show business, good lawyers – those at the top of their game, the most dramaturgic – will plumb the depts of their artistic talents to give you both the performance and the legal satisfaction you demand.

In either case, from A-list actors to top-shelf legal talent, it’s going to cost you… 

The explosive feud between the City of Ormond Beach and Flagler County that popped quite suddenly last fall was preliminarily settled last week following an unprecedented – and by all accounts highly theatrical – confab between the City Commission and Flagler County Council over a disputed portion of a rutted dirt road that traverses both jurisdictions known as “40 Grade.” 

According to an excellent report in FlaglerLive! we learned that the exaggerated melodramatics performed by the attorneys representing the city and county didn’t disappoint:

“The two attorneys started off an unprecedented meeting of the two government boards Thursday evening at Ormond Beach City Hall with what Shepard would later describe as a round of “chest-beating” in the legal dispute about a county easement over a 1,750-foot portion of dirt road that crosses into Ormond Beach, and to which the county had no right. The language was sharp, accusatory, and legally threatening on both sides. Yet by the end of the meeting, the two sides were lobbing so much gallantry at each other, it was probably wise that an eight-foot gutter divided the two sets of mutually-smitten officials.”

In my view, the real fear was that Flagler County would eventually improve the road and connect to the already congested State Road 40, something of grave concern to existing Ormond Beach residents, considering the specter of the 10,000 home Avalon Park in Daytona Beach and Palm Coast Realtor/Mayor David Alfin’s aggressive growth at all cost strategy to the north. 

Others believe the issue remains water.

Access to drinking water in this age of greed-fueled overdevelopment is becoming the gravest issue of our time, and Ormond Beach had previously sought a special use easement from Flagler County to place wells near 40 Grade. 

There was also the unresolved issue of U.S. Capital Alliance, the developer of Hunter’s Ridge, a “Development of Regional Impact,” who Ormond Beach officials claimed have failed to grant some 300 acres of conservation lands to the city since 1991, and in 2017, issued an easement to Flagler County for 40 Grade.

So, last year, the City of Ormond Beach – seemingly out of the blue – slapped Flagler County and Hunter’s Ridge with a noncompliance ruling and lawsuit seeking declaratory and injunctive relief. 

At the time, Flagler County believed the issue could be resolved at the negotiating table – while Ormond Beach dug in its heels and prepared for a protracted (and expensive) legal fight – which brings us to last week’s unusual tête-à-tête…

According to FlaglerLive!, when the peacocking, posturing, a face-saving was complete, all sides found a way to play nice going forward, hopefully avoiding further intergovernmental animosity:

“County Commissioner Leann Pennington got assurances that the emergency use of the road by local residents would be preserved. Commissioner Donald O’Brien assured Ormond Beach that all matters of sovereignty “resonates with me as as a commissioner on our side.” Ormond Beach commissioners suggested the use of surveillance cameras to cut down on illegal hunters’ use of the road, or other illegal uses of the road. The city was all for granting the 60-foot easement and allowing the shelling–of the road, not of each other–to continue. A lawyer representing Alliance was, once one got past the contorted legalese, similarly agreeable. At Commissioner Andy Dance’s suggestion, the two governments also agreed to split survey costs.”

Oh, well.

As that great thespian William Shakespeare said, “All’s well that ends well…”

I suppose.

Unfortunately, the fate of other rapidly diminishing undeveloped areas that buffer the interface between area municipalities, and cushion the massive sprawl that threatens the quality of life of existing residents, remains to be seen… 

Angel               News-Journal Reporter Eileen Zaffiro-Kean

From the ‘painfully obvious’ column – I’m not a journalist. 

On good days, a dilettante editorialist – at my worst, a blowhard with internet access – just another hapless rube wandering the wilderness of what passes for “Fun Coast” politics, spewing my jaundiced views on the news and newsmakers of the day…

During my productive life in public service, I had the opportunity to work with many outstanding professional journalists in the print and electronic media who – with time and trust – became important partners in pushing quality information to the public. 

As good watchdogs should, those same reporters took me to task when I made a mistake… 

That comes with the territory, and in retrospect, most of the public drubbings I took in the press were well deserved…     

Now, as a voracious consumer of the news – and a long-suffering taxpayer – I understand the importance of local journalism to the external oversight of government, especially in an age when much of what oozes out of the cloistered halls of power is carefully crafted and canned by public mouthpieces.

For the past 22-years, through thick and thin, Eileen Zaffiro-Kean has brought the stories that matter to Volusia County residents with her clear, concise, and insightful reportage – and this week her significant contributions were highlighted by the newspaper she has served so well. 

As one of the last remaining old-school investigative journalists writing for The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Eileen’s unique coverage has shined a bright light on some of the most pressing stories of our time – digging deep and going over, under, around, and through the bureaucratic barriers that government officials erect to avoid pointed questions – to expose the uncomfortable truths that impact our lives and livelihoods.

Trust me.  We need more of that dying art around these parts…

In 2017, Eileen published her extraordinary exposé – “Tarnished Jewel – Daytona’s Troubled Beachside” – the News-Journal’s autopsy of the festering remains of the Halifax area’s troubled core tourist area – the chronic homelessness, blight, dilapidation, commercial and residential vacancies, crumbling façades, abject greed, and the mismanagement of critical redevelopment funds, a story that shocked the conscience of residents and civic leaders alike. 

Now, those who control the smart money have turned their backs to the east in favor of the blank canvas to the west – developing thousands of new homes, up-scale shopping areas, and amenities along Boomtown Boulevard – neglecting the challenges (and potential) of the beleaguered beachside.

In my view, the quality of that extraordinary examination of the multifaceted issues facing our “Tarnished Jewel” was worthy of the Pulitzer Prize – a tragic and infinitely fascinating story that desperately needed to be told.

In the aftermath, the News-Journal hosted a town hall attended by over 200 concerned citizens and businessowners – a long-needed kick in the pants that many believe was the impetus for the embryonic progress beachside residents have experienced in recent years.

But more remains to be done.

In my view, what we must never forget is that our identity – our draw – will always remain “The World’s Most Famous Beach,” and we ignore that reality at our collective peril.

The Daytona Beach Resort Area remains a Tale of Two Cities – two markedly different places – one dilapidated, neglected, and subject to the ravages of time and tide.  The other shiny and new – “theme” communities and publicly subsidized shopping centers – or as Charles Woodyard, the CEO of the Daytona Beach Housing Authority, recently described it in the News-Journal, “…varying levels of affluence and deterioration.”

This week, Eileen Zaffiro-Kean turned her curious eye to the entrenched civic, social, and economic challenges that continue to plague the Midtown neighborhood of Daytona Beach:

“Throughout its 125-year existence, the historically Black Midtown neighborhood has battled crippling poverty, racism and dilapidation. It’s a community deeply scarred by segregation, neglect, chronic crime, devastating flooding and a concentration of public housing. It’s a pocket of Daytona Beach that would be easy to give up on, but the Daytona Beach Housing Authority is launching an effort that may funnel tens of millions of dollars in new funding into the neighborhood, and finally bring real changes that extend beyond a City Hall discussion or a colorful master plan rendering.”

Thanks to the leadership of the Daytona Beach City Commission, City Manager Derek Feacher, and the Daytona Beach Housing Authority – with the assistance of various state and federal agencies – to include Bethune-Cookman University, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Housing and Urban Development – there is hope for the revitalization of Midtown and beyond.

According to Eileen’s informative report, a “master plan” for Midtown’s redevelopment will be completed next year and submitted to HUD in 2026, along with a grant application requesting up to $50 million in federal funds. 

“If the money does come to Daytona Beach, Woodyard will try to leverage that to attract another $200 million in state government dollars, private investment and tax credit equity.”

I’m normally cool to “public/private” partnerships and tax supported “incentives,” but correcting the historical civic neglect facing Midtown will require all available resources.

To that end, City Manager Feacher envisions a holistic approach to the problems of Midtown, which will include infrastructure upgrades based upon the findings of a flood mitigation study conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.   

“None of this does any good if the neighborhood still floods,” Feacher said.”

Please begin Eileen’s outstanding coverage here: https://tinyurl.com/mw5rc2fr

In my view, it is one thing when local government does important things in service to those who need it most – but how that good work is communicated to the public build’s community confidence, sparks enthusiasm, and leads to stakeholder buy-in – something that rarely comes from a canned “press release” formulated by a municipal mouthpiece…   

That is the importance of local journalism – and those resolute professionals like Eileen Zaffiro-Kean who practice it with their heart, soul, and wonderfully inquisitive minds.

Quote of the Week

“Students go to school for the same reason teachers teach: to learn the lessons that will give them a foundation for life’s success. They can’t learn in a combat zone. Our consistently low proficiency scores, that have hovered at or near 50% in both English and math for decades, prove the point.

The Volusia County Schools Code of Student Conduct is 25 pages long. None of it means anything if it isn’t enforced. One school board member shrugged off a workshop proposal about dress codes, saying simply, “The principals won’t do that.”

That isn’t okay. The board’s job is to set policy. The administration’s job is to implement and enforce those policies. If they refuse or otherwise fail, it’s the board’s job to follow through with repercussions for that failure.”

–Donna Brosemer, candidate for Volusia County School Board District 4, as excerpted from her “My View” op/ed in the Ormond Beach Observer, “We need to enforce classroom discipline at Volusia County Schools,” Thursday, May 16, 2024

In complete transparency, although we’ve never met, Ms. Brosemer and I are frequent pen pals on social media. 

As a chronic complainer and hypocritical finger-pointer, I frequently speak issues with candidates, our “movers & shakers,” insiders, bureaucrats, political operatives, people on the next barstool, neighbors over the electronic fence, and sitting elected officials – some of whom I consider unlikely friends despite our often-adversarial relationship.     

However, I stop short of “endorsing” candidates for public office.  As I see it, that’s not “Barker the Bitcher’s” narrowly defined role as a Quixotic crank and committed gadfly… 

Besides, what kind of presumptuous asshole would tell someone for whom to cast their sacred vote? 

(Wait.  Hold that thought for later in the campaign season when various partisan hacks and factions start publishing those stilted “voter guides” for those who are too distracted, disinterested, or disengaged to do their homework…)   

That said, I find Ms. Brosmer to be bright, accomplished, and enthusiastic – well-worth a look, considering her incumbent competition…

I agree with the premise of her well-executed essay – children cannot learn inside the “Thunderdome” – and vulnerable teachers and staff should not be subjected to the physical, verbal, and psychological abuse of their completely ungovernable students, and it is time those in a position to craft and enact public policy do something about it.       

It’s no secret the Volusia County School Board has lost all credibility with those it exists to serve – now considered a rudderless ship of fools – kicking critical issues down the dusty political trail, cluelessly blundering from one high-profile gaffe to another, the tail constantly wagging the dog, while ignoring the voices of anyone outside the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand.

That’s nothing new in Volusia County governance, where those we elect to represent our interests are quickly taken into the bureaucratic maw – fashioned into the dull implements of senior administrators – and become everything they hated when they ran for office…

Sound familiar?

In my view, now we must consider what example our elected officials are setting for students?

Some developmental psychologists suggest children are like mirrors – reflecting the values, behaviors, mores, habits, language, and mannerisms of those around them – a potent mechanism of learning, emotional development, and social adaptation. 

Unfortunately, the same is true when impressionable minds experience chaos, confusion, and abnormal behavior from authority figures.

In recent months, students and stakeholders have bravely appeared before the Volusia County School Board to express their serious concerns of maladministration following the horrible mismanagement of federal Covid relief funds, a onetime windfall that was somehow used for recurring expenses – including personnel costs – resulting in a multi-million-dollar deficit, teacher displacement, and the loss of important educational opportunities and enrichment programs. 

A disaster of epic proportion…

To make matters worse, embattled Superintendent Carmen Balgobin recently shut down a speaker at a school board meeting who questioned why she refuses to pay attention during citizen participation in public meetings.   

As Superintendent Balgobin abruptly interrupted – she ordered Chairwoman Jamie Haynes to reread aloud the school boards policy on personal attacks (it wasn’t a personal attack – merely an observation of the Superintendent’s unprofessional conduct) – yet, Chairman Hayes immediately hopped to like a trained seal and did exactly as she was told by the boss – reciting the policy like the good stooge she is, while Balgobin went back to conspicuously playing on her phone…

I don’t make this shit up, folks.   

Watch for yourself here: https://tinyurl.com/ptzsbmxr – the ugliness begins at 5:07:30.

Incredibly, not one sitting elected official rose to defend Ms. Haynes, call Superintendent Balgobin out for her grossly insubordinate behavior to the Chair, or address her utter rudeness to a member of the public – a condescending power move that denigrated the speaker, Chairwoman Haynes, and the Volusia County School Board.  

In my view, Balgobin’s abject arrogance telegraphs to everyone watching – including impressionable students – that there is no accountability in Volusia County Schools – and no legitimacy to the school board’s sworn oversight responsibility. 

I suggest all voters in Volusia County take the time to ask each incumbent and candidate for the Volusia County School Board how they plan to address the “Balgobin issue” during this important campaign season…

And Another Thing!  

In the constantly evolving mosaic of Volusia County municipalities, more times than not, the City of New Smyrna Beach gets it right…

I know – the quaint community faces many of the same issues as the rest of us – gross overdevelopment, flooding, overstressed transportation and utilities infrastructure, and the blessing and curse of overcrowding from summertime invaders from throughout Central Florida and beyond, yet somehow manages to keep its allure as Volusia’s quintessential beach town.  

Whenever I’m down that way, I like to take a seat on the rooftop bar at Avanu on beautiful Flagler Avenue – the perfect perch overlooking beachside New Smyrna – which reminds me a lot of places I enjoy spending time, like Savannah, Charleston, and the Florida Keys – quaint destinations that have worked hard to retain their unique charm.  

Unlike the political subterfuge that clouded the Lost City of Deltona’s shambolic search for a new city manager – as Khalid Resheidat prepares to retire in August, New Smyrna followed a smart and well-planned process, led by a recognized headhunter, Strategic Government Resources, Inc., – an effort which ultimately provided the City Commission with thirteen seemingly well-qualified semifinalists. 

Even with everything in place, sometimes major red flags slip through the cracks…

As of last week, Jeff Mihelich, who held the position in Bozeman, Montana, from 2020 until March 2024, was named the frontrunner in New Smyrna. 

What followed was a study of the dichotomy between how potential civic leaders presents themselves in resumés and stilted interviews – and how they conduct themselves when they believe no one is watching… 

In February, the Bozeman City Commission placed Mihelich on paid leave after he was caught making disparaging comments about the city’s new Mayor Terry Cunningham and residents of the community during a recorded office gossip session following a video meeting with city staff.  

Mr. Mihelich resigned in early March – which ultimately led him to New Smyrna’s short list.

According to a report by Brenno Carillo writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

“When Doug Thomas, Strategic Government Resources, Inc.’s executive vice president, reintroduced Mihelich’s name during his presentation at Thursday night’s City Commission meeting, Vice Mayor Valli Perrine raised her concern about the incident.

“When I heard the video, I was very disappointed,” she said, adding that his was in fact the strongest resume. “For transparency, I wouldn’t trust somebody like that to ever work with him. So I don’t want to waste his time, because I can’t get past the things he said.”

Good for Vice Mayor Perrine.

Regardless, it now appears the citizens of New Smyrna Beach dodged the proverbial bullet. 

During my three-decades in municipal government, I worked for some of the best – and worst – city managers in the known solar system…

From that vantagepoint, vetting and selecting the senior executive is perhaps the most crucial decision an elected body will undertake – a virtually omnipotent position that, by city or county charter, has operational and administrative control of all governmental functions and essential services. 

In a council/manager form of government, We, The Little People, elect the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker to serve on a council or commission – who collectively appoint a manager with strong managerial and organizational skills to run the day-to-day operations of government, approve budget allocations, oversee the various departments, and carryout the policy decisions of the elected body.

It’s a hard dollar, but most do a fine job serving multiple masters while bringing economic and civic progress to their communities.

The system also insulates career civil servants who provide services to the community from the politically motivated nature of elected officials who are normally prohibited by charter from interfering with public employees and operations.

That’s important.

But any system that places such enormous power in the hands of one person – a virtual demigod who also controls the all-important flow of information to the elected officials (and residents) – requires close checks and balances.

That begins with painstaking due diligence when filling the role… 

In many instances, the search criteria for local governments is limited to reviewing qualifications, interviews conducted behind closed doors, a public grip-n-grin, naming a finalist, then negotiating the enormous salary, conditions, perquisites, and “Golden Parachutes” that are now de ri​gueur for senior management.

A process that is rarely more than examining a brief, often unrepresentative glimpse of a career based upon material submitted by the candidate themselves – with little emphasis on their cognitive skills, management style, temperament, written and interpersonal communications, peer reviews, formal background investigation, or other personal and professional evaluations that would allow a more comprehensive assessment of a prospective leader with the potential to advance – or destroy – a community.    

If you live in New Smyrna and care about the distinctive character of your community – ask questions and demand answers. 

This one’s important.

Kudos to the New Smyrna Beach City Commission for their thoughtful and reasoned approach to the Mihelich revelation.  Now, here’s hoping the vetting process will find a suitable match for this unique place – one of the last vestiges of Old Florida on the east coast. 

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

(Angels & Assholes will be on hiatus next week as Barker’s View takes a short pause.  I find it interesting to look back at what has changed – and what’s remained the same – here on this salty piece of land we call home.  If you are so inclined, while we take a break, please enjoy a look back at the extensive archive located at the bottom of this page.  Thanks for reading.  A&A will return soon.)