Hi, kids!

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

Daytona Beach City Commissioner Stacy Cantu

Daytona Beach City Commissioner Stacy Cantu and I haven’t always seen eye-to-eye.

In fact, our differences of opinion on the issues facing our region are legendary.  But I have always admired the fact that she has the courage to engage – and she gives as good as she gets in the competition of ideas and heated debate.  

I respect that.  And when Ms. Cantu is right, she deserves all the credit. 

Wednesday night’s meeting of the Daytona Beach City Commission took a strange turn, I thought, when Commissioner Paula Reed read an open letter from “Concerned employees of the City of Daytona Beach” essentially taking Ms. Cantu to task for her “treatment” of City Manager Dereck Feacher. 

In my view, the frequent friction between the two stems, in part, from the ongoing controversy and miscommunication surrounding the city’s consideration of a 63-year-old, 32,000 square foot, multistory office building at 230 North Beach Street to house just 28 employees of the city’s permits and licensing department. 

A building Ms. Cantu and many others in the community believe should have been struck from the list weeks ago for a multitude of reasons…   

In my view, Daytona Beach taxpayers have no greater advocate than Stacy Cantu.  As an elected representative, it is clear that she will not have her voice or enthusiasm suppressed by anyone’s notion of “civility” – nor should she.   

As an elected official, her role is to remain vigilant on behalf of the taxpayers of Daytona Beach, and Ms. Cantu does an outstanding job of that – always remaining fiercely independent, and incredibly attentive to the concerns of her constituents. 

Besides, any elected body should have a variety of opinions, personalities, and approaches – because the alternative is a hollow echo chamber full of lockstep conformists where the tail consistently wags the dog…

Sound familiar?

With an active Florida Department of Environmental Protection investigation into the possible illegal removal of asbestos containing materials from the North Beach Street building underway – along with growing concerns over the cost and source of funds for a possible renovation – this week’s City Commission agenda had a single cryptic line under Comments and Inquiries that said:

“Deric C. Feacher, City Manager, will present options to the City Commission for the Permits & Licensing fund spending during his report.”   

No contracts.  No reference material.  And few answers to the growing question of “Why”?

At least none that I found… 

Thanks to Ms. Cantu’s independent investigation – and the excellent reportage of The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Eileen Zaffiro-Kean – last week, wary residents learned that Mr. Feacher planned to bring back discussion of a proposal to purchase the building, a contract originally presented on July 3 with a price of $4.4 million, along with other properties for consideration. 

“Although the DEP investigation remains in full gear, City Manager Deric Feacher said he still plans to bring a measure to city commissioners offering them another chance to buy 230 N. Beach St. He wants to put the 28-employee permits and licensing department in the 32,000-square-foot building.

That measure commissioners will vote on will also include other buildings they could consider buying for permits and licensing, Feacher said.”

We also learned of the ongoing attempts by DEP and local regulators to determine when and how possible asbestos containing materials may have been removed from the building – and how much of the dangerous carcinogen may remain inside. 

According to the News-Journal’s report:

“City Commissioner Stacy Cantu is surprised Feacher still wants commissioners to consider buying 230 N. Beach St. When she checked out the property in July, she saw work being done inside and both Dumpsters and trash cans jammed full with building materials she suspected contained asbestos.

She grew concerned for the workers hauling out the debris who weren’t wearing protective gear, and the waste removal workers who would be hauling away what was put in trash cans.

In early July she filed a formal complaint with the DEP that sparked the investigation.”

Good for Commissioner Cantu. 

Perhaps most disturbing, in June, it was reported that the City of Daytona Beach was under time constraints to spend at least $11.4 million in accumulated permits and licensing funds no later than October 4, something Mr. Feacher later refuted.   

“At a meeting in June, Feacher said $11.4 million of the $19.7 million in excess funds had to be spent by the beginning of October. When Cantu reminded him of that at the commission’s Sept. 18 meeting, Feacher said he didn’t recall saying it. He now says there is no deadline to spend the money.”

That confusion clearly didn’t sit well with Ms. Cantu.

Find the News-Journal’s informative exposé here: https://tinyurl.com/3rpe83mv

Oddly, during the subsequent discussion, we learned that the North Beach Street building is still in play – along with the former Cobb Cole and Wells-Fargo buildings on Ridgewood Avenue – although there were no specific contracts, appraisals, engineering reports, or items to be voted on.

What followed was a presentation by Deputy City Manager James Morris, who authored a report based upon the work of a committee of senior city administrators – which included Chief Building Official Glenn Urquhart and City Business Enterprise Director Michael Stallworth – discussing the pros and cons of the three properties under consideration. 

Ultimately, Mr. Morris announced that the troubled building at 230 North Beach Street was the unanimous vote of the committee to recommend for purchase. 

Disturbing.   

After Mr. Morris expended a lot of hot air, his selling point (as I understood it), came back to the old real estate trope – location, location, location – essentially, the building would serve as another lure to draw people to Beach Street.

(Didn’t we hear the same sales pitch for the Brown & Brown Headquarters when it was billed as the panacea for all the woes of Downtown Daytona?)  

To her credit, Ms. Cantu actually took the time to read the Florida State Statute governing how excess permits and licensing fees can be spent.  The plain language of the law states that the funds may only be used for the “construction of a building or structure” related to code enforcement activities – not for the purchase of a building or property.

That began a convoluted discussion by City Attorney Benjamin Gross, who (as lawyers like to do when gambling with someone else’s money) quibbled the language in the law – ultimately coming to the conclusion:  If they proceed with using the excess fees to purchase the building and rehabilitate it, a lawsuit could be filed against the City of Daytona Beach, and there would be potential liability… 

So, why is the Daytona Beach City Commission being led by the nose by its senior staff to purchase a questionable building currently under DEP investigation – one with mounting questions over the purchase price, and potential cost of rehabilitation and renovation?

Also, to Ms. Cantu’s point, why would the municipal government want to remove the building from the tax rolls?    

Time will tell… 

City staff has been asked to bring back more specific information regarding each of the buildings under consideration within 45-days.

I don’t always agree with Ms. Cantu, but in this case, her exhaustive investigation into the health and safety issues surrounding the North Beach Street building – and her increasingly pointed questions for senior administrators – serve as an excellent example of how servant-leaders sometimes must use sharp elbows to push their way behind Oz’s velvet curtain to protect taxpayers – and the public trust.   

Carl Persis v. Donna Brosemer – Volusia County School Board District 4

Let’s call this continuing saga “A Tale of Two Candidates…”

Last week, entrenched Volusia County School Board incumbent Carl Persis stomped his sequined shoes and continued his personal pity party in the Ormond Beach Observer with a “C’mon guys, this is serious!” rehash of recent vandalism to six of his campaign signs.

I guess the 900-word self-promotion the previous week wasn’t enough free publicity?

As I understand it, the damage included a sign belonging to his wife, the other half of what passes for Volusia’s ‘Power Couple,’ Susan Persis, who is running against Jason Leslie for mayor of Ormond Beach.   

In this case, someone placed crude stickers over Carl’s smiling visage on the signs – his mouth to be exact – which said, “be yourself, You Suck!”  At least one of Susan Persis’ signs showed spray paint scribbled over her picture.     

Look, I abhor political violence or vandalism in any form.  In fact, I can’t think of anything more un-American.

But I also dislike chronic whiners who attempt to wring every drop of civic sympathy out of a goofy political statement…

During his egocentric mewl and pule, Carl fanned the damage as the crime of the century, decrying the fact his opponent in the District 4 School Board race, Donna Brosemer, “…dismissed the significance and seriousness of these actions…”   

My ass.

In the interest of equal time, the Observer gave Ms. Brosemer a chance to respond.

To her credit, Ms. Brosemer returned the discussion where it belongs – to an examination of the myriad issues facing Volusia County students, parents, teachers, and staff – and the abominable history of the current board, who not only refuse to hold failed Superintendent Carmen Balgobin accountable, but recently heaped lavish praise on her during a review… 

A confused, insular, and arrogant board who slavishly serve a Superintendent (you read that right) with an almost pathological inability to effectively communicate with stakeholders.

According to Ms. Brosemer, “The district budget is equally bloated. He raised no objection when, with the Board’s knowledge, they mishandled $200 million in Covid funds. He has allowed schools to be without media specialists, students to get home at dinnertime because of a lack of buses, classes and programs to be cancelled — things that are his job to fix, and which actually matter. He apparently cares more about his own budget than that of the public.

Mr. Persis isn’t used to having to defend his record. In eight years on the school board, he has played the part of a cheerleader who doesn’t have to care whether his team wins or loses. He can just keep smiling and telling the fans how great their team is doing. If he admits anything needs improvement, he might have to do some actual work.

The team is losing. The damage to his signs is trivial. He wants someone to be held accountable. The voters will do that on November 5.”

The back-and-forth continued with Mr. Persis calling any mention of the issues a “negative attack”:

“Another negative attack from Donna Brosemer, who moved here three years ago. Rather than condemn the actions of the lawbreakers, who defaced six of my signs, she continues to downplay their trespassing and vandalism. She criticizes me for wanting to hold the people, who were responsible for damaging my signs, responsible.

She attacks me for being a positive voice for public education. She attacks the school district and speaks in half-truths. For example, I do not have a $135,000 campaign war chest. The balance is closer to $15,000. The District did not mishandle $200 million in COVID funds. We strategically invested the money to hire more teachers to enable students to learn in smaller class sizes at school, online at home, or a hybrid of staying home and learning from their teachers, who were at school.”

Speaking of half-truths, as of earlier this week Mr. Persis’ campaign account shows total contributions of $113,145.48 – with expenditures of $91,666.53 – leaving a balance of $21,478.95. 

That’s over $6,000 more than he claims in the Observer, but who’s counting, eh?   

I guess when you’ve drug on the public teat as long as Carl has, keeping track of money and account balances isn’t an issue.

Last Friday, Ms. Brosemer published a thought-provoking essay in the Observer entitled, “Severe classroom behaviors at Volusia County Schools need to be addressed,” wherein she quoted teachers who recently addressed the School Board regarding the physical and emotional toll of students who destroy classrooms, assault teachers, hurt classmates, and the frustration of dealing with an entrenched administration who refuses to listen.   

According to Ms. Brosemer, “When it was the board members’ turn to speak, all five commented about threats to shoot up a school. Only two referred to the teachers’ concerns, with no solution offered, beyond the need for documentation before action can be taken.

In other words, the bureaucracy decides, the situation remains, and nothing changes.”

Well said.  And disturbingly true…  

In my view, the one constant in Volusia County governance – regardless of countywide office – is the insistence by our influential powers that be that the stagnant status quo be protected and preserved at all costs. 

And absolutely nothing is off-limits in defense of lockstep conformity and averageness.   

That is why for far too long, weary Volusia County taxpayers have been yoked with malleable finger-puppets like Carl and Susan Persis – political chameleons who embrace mediocrity and dutifully pace the ramparts of their respective Ivory Towers of Power – totally detached from the harsh realities faced by their constituents.

In my view, pasting on a cheesy grin and singing Everything is Beautiful in the face of gathering storm clouds at Volusia County District Schools isn’t leadership – its lunacy.

Now is the time to demand better.  That positive change starts at the ballot box.    

Public Defender Matt Metz

“Public shaming serves no rehabilitative or deterrent purpose.  Children that are willing to do something despite the threat of arrest won’t be deterred by a Facebook post. However, children that are rehabilitated by the criminal justice system can still have their future ruined by that same Facebook post.  Absentee parents aren’t changing their ways because someone posted a child they didn’t know on the internet.  Instead, we are assuring that a child shamed online will never be able to outlive their past. We are putting the entirety of our frustration on our inability to stop these horrendous shootings on the shoulders of any child who makes a threat.

It is easy to applaud this action for those who, like me, grew up in a world where every mistake wasn’t transcribed for eternity on the internet. However, the reality is that these mugshots and videos will live on forever. That is before we even consider that a juvenile under arrest has the same presumption of innocence as everyone else in this country. A child arrested has not been convicted of any crime.”

–Matthew Metz, Public Defender, 7th Judicial Circuit, as excerpted from his essay in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “’Perp walking’ children will not make community any safer,” Monday, September 30, 2024

Since my retirement from law enforcement, I now have the time to read, learn, and contemplate the many contemporary issues facing my former profession, and I am consistently amazed at how fast public opinion on police tactics can change. 

Now that I have the luxury of spending most of my time alone – I find that sometimes when you sit in silence, you hear the meaning of things – gaining the sense of “why” that is often lost in the din and clamor of one’s productive life. But I’ll be honest, my feelings remain torn on the issues brought forth in Public Defender Matt Metz’ thoughtful essay…    

In recent weeks, amid a spate of threats against area schools, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood made headlines across the globe (literally) when he made the decision to ‘perp walk’ children – a practice where a person in law enforcement custody is led into a jail facility in such a way as to enable the media to publicize the event.

In this case, Sheriff Chitwood apparently used the practice as a means of publicly humiliating those charged with the crime as a deterrent.

Effective?  I don’t know – but time will tell.

The first suspect to receive Sheriff Chitwood’s ‘walk of shame’ was an 11-year-old boy with a cache of realistic BB guns, knives, and a horrific family history.  According to a News-Journal piece, the juvenile has had a less-than-ideal homelife, along with other challenges, none of which justifies his making threats against two Port Orange schools… 

Another child charged with making threats is a 15-year-old said to be living with autism. 

To his credit, Sheriff Chitwood refrained from publicly humiliating the autistic boy, although we have been assured, he will face the consequences of his actions.  

School shootings around the nation have proven the extreme violence children are capable of, and these threats must be taken seriously, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. 

While I am frequently critical of the Volusia County School Board and Superintendent Carmen Balgobin, it is clear they take school safety extremely seriously – sending a clear message to parents of the importance of taking an active role in their children’s lives and education – and I join with many throughout Volusia County and elsewhere in commending law enforcement and school authorities for their excellent outreach and vigilance.     

I can’t think of anything more important.  

From experience, I can tell you that one of the worst homicides I ever worked ended in the arrest of two teenagers who butchered a taxi driver, selected at random, and brutally stabbed to death just for the “thrill” of it. 

A tragic story written by absentee parents, feral children left to their own devices, and the callous savagery that parental neglect and mental depravity can produce.    

I’m certainly not a child psychologist, but I know kids are capable of weird shit, perhaps that’s because their pea brains are still developing.  That said, I also don’t know what this 11-year-old may have experienced at school that prompted him to make threats to kill, but given the life altering implications, perhaps someone should explore that?

In recent days, I’ve spoken to some of my former colleagues in law enforcement – hardboiled veterans, some of whom said they supported the measure before watching the video of a small child, otherwise compliant, being shackled hand-and-foot, paraded in front of a camera then led into a holding cell as part of a staged production specifically designed to shame and degrade…   

Look, desperate times require drastic measures.  That I understand.  

But others aren’t too sure Sheriff Chitwood’s official humiliation of children is appropriate – or effective.  This week, retired Orlando radio personality Jim Phillips asked in an opinion piece published in the Orlando Sentinel, “who benefits?”  

Although Mr. Phillips agrees that Sheriff Chitwood is correct in being angry with children who threaten to shoot up schools, he also suggests the juvenile ‘perp walks’ are more for the aggrandizement of Sheriff Chitwood. 

“Chitwood is grandstanding. Taping and distributing a video of a handcuffed 11-year-old accomplishes what? The risk of violence against school students must not be taken lightly, However, shaming a child via a perp walk is a type of tough love that should raise eyebrows. Unfortunately, Sheriff Chitwood (to paraphrase Shakespeare) is full of sound and fury signifying nothing.”

Personally, I struggle with the practice for many of the same reasons so compassionately articulated by Public Defender Matt Metz – not the least of which is the slippery slope of law enforcement becoming judge, jury, and final arbiter of “justice” for those charged with a crime in our American system of justice – based upon the principle that the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.   

That concern is leavened by the fact I have school aged grandchildren, whose safety I worry about every day…

In my view, Defender Metz showed great courage in speaking out on this controversial topic – and for giving us all something to think about. 

Quote of the Week

“Avalon Park, said Ormond Beach resident Connie Colby, is a “definite problem” for Ormond Beach.

“Hand Avenue is already used as the alternate for Granada in Ormond Beach,” she said. “It’s heavily trafficked and it’s getting widened now just for the residents, us.”

Ormond residents, she said, do not need a Hand Avenue extension.

County Council Chair Jeff Brower voted against accepting the agreements, saying he wasn’t in favor of taxpayers funding any roads in the development.

“This is one of the areas that I believe we just should have never developed west of I-95, right here,” Brower said. “It’s all very wet.”

–Reporter Jarleene Almenas, Ormond Beach Observer, “Volusia to fund bridges for Hand Avenue extension,” Wednesday, October 2, 2024  

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the sad beginning of the end of the City of Ormond Beach as you know it… 

And Another Thing!

Despite the foot-dragging and obstructionism that has become the modus operandi of the stagnant status quo, this week, Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower did what he had been warned not to do when he used his authority as granted by charter to agenda the discussion of a possible rural boundary charter amendment to limit further malignant sprawl and the resultant development-induced flooding.

Last month, At-Large Councilman Jake Johansson attempted to preemptively postpone the important discussion by kicking the issue down the dusty political trail until March 2025, and requiring the measure be taken up by the Charter Review Commission next year.

In effect, Mr. Johansson sought to put time and distance (and what his cronies hope will be the defeat of Chairman Jeff Brower) between starting the lengthy process many disenfranchised residents are praying will result in the charter amendment being placed on the ballot in 2026.

As Chairman Brower, area environmental advocates, and flooded residents have said, this will not be a quick or simple process – an issue that elicits strong emotions and varied opinions – but the overriding push from existing residents is to begin the discussion, find collective solutions, and tailor an amendment that preserves rural lands, protects landowner rights and investment, and at least slows the encroachment of out-of-control development on remaining wildlife habitat and agricultural lands. 

On Tuesday, with Councilmen Johansson and Danny Robins conspicuously absent, some 19 residents from throughout Volusia County approached the dais of power in Deland to passionately express their concerns, argue the importance of maintaining rural lands, and limiting growth and density to protect the public’s health, welfare, and quality of life.

By my count, only one resident spoke against a rural boundary amendment – and most of their argument was explaining what the speaker thought motivated Councilman Johansson’s procrastination – backed by a misguided and premature letter from the president of the Volusia County Farm Bureau’s board of directors to Councilman Robins (?) opposing the measure before a preliminary discussion has even been held. 

Perhaps most important, anxious residents of unincorporated Volusia County asked that their elected representatives consider putting property owners on a rural boundary advisory committee – people who have invested their lives in rural lands and now feel surrounded – and are suffering the devastating effects of development-induced flooding.

Sadly, during the well-thought presentations of several speakers, some of our elected gargoyles just got up and left – apparently cowering in the bathroom until their absence became too flagrant to ignore – rather than face the glare of their concerned constituents. At least one speaker pointed out the “body language” and “level of engagement” by those glazed over “policymakers” on the dais. 

Perhaps most horribly frustrating was watching demonstrably pro-growth politicians – some of whom have held various elective offices for years – while this “growth at all costs” development was expanding exponentially across the width and breadth of Volusia County – who now sit there and paint themselves as smart growth advocates committed to limiting the ooze of urban development into rural areas.

All while approving even more zoning changes and Planned Unit Developments…

They call that talking out of both sides of one’s mouth – a political ventriloquist act employed by those hypocritical “representatives” who pay lip service to their constituents – while ensuring every want and whim of voracious developers with a chip in the game.

That’s why it does my beat-up old heart good to see such committed and engaged citizens demanding action on issues of regional concern from those who held themselves out for high office – then ignored the collective welfare of the many – to protect the greed-crazed motives of those who hold the paper on their political souls… 

I’ve said this, ad nauseum, but this issue exemplifies the importance of elections – and informed voters doing their due diligence to determine who and what funds the political campaigns of those marionettes who continue to strategically dally and dawdle while the bulldozers roar.

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