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…

Volusia County Council – A Confederacy of Cowards

“Self-interest lies behind all that men do, forming the important motive for all their actions; this rule has never deceived me…”

–Marquis de Sade

Once again, that tormented degenerate was proven right… 

On Tuesday, when Volusia officials were faced with a critical decision on the most galvanizing issue of our time – ultimately, their own self-interests prevailed. 

And future generations lost…  

I didn’t think it possible, but this week our elected officials did what they do best and kicked an issue that has now labeled the “Fun Coast” as the most flood-prone region in the state (seventh in the nation) even further down the dusty political trail when they did absolutely nothing of substance to address development-induced inundation across the width and breadth of Volusia County.

From political insulation committees and additional costly (and useless) studies to Jake Johansson’s condescending lectures, Troy Kent’s exhausting overexuberance, and David Santiagos political mini-moves – the special meeting to discuss a tap of the brakes on the malignant sprawl that is destroying the quality of life of taxpayers devolved into another exercise in strategic procrastination.  

That farce proved that, in Volusia County, you get what you pay for…

During this week’s well-choreographed waste of time, Councilman Kent was right when he described the positions on the dais of power as “rented seats” – because it is now painfully clear that the loyalties of those who occupy them have been bought and paid for by influential insiders – and a building moratorium was dead on arrival.

It was frustrating watching anguished residents approach the podium and plead for their very lives before that phalanx of deaf ears – those stone-faced gargoyles who ignore their constituents while relying on a demonstrably incompetent senior staff to tell them what they want to hear – using bureaucratese and double-talk to explain all the reasons why the elected body can’t protect existing residents from flooding. 

So, we get more of the same. 

More studies equal paralysis by analysis – taking existing studies and combining the separate pieces into one, then taking the comprehensive study and breaking it down into separate pieces – establishing impressive sounding “Czars” and do-nothing “subcommittees” that spread the political liability.

It’s a proven strategy for buying time.

Maybe next month someone will suggest another “Blue Ribbon Committee” – little more than a stationary bicycle that politicians use to burn the energy and enthusiasm out of engaged citizens working for change – anything that will put distance between Tuesday and the next “100 year” rain event…  

There was talk of cleaning canals (they don’t already do that?), purchasing the perennially flooded homes and properties of their repeat victims, “collaborating with the cities,” quibbling the definition of “wetlands,” yapping about more retention ponds, and “beginning a discussion” about the impacts of those massive sticks-and-glue apartment units that now blanket many areas of Volusia County in some sick post factum navel-gazing exercise.

There was hot air generated over the importance of establishing “relationships” with the St. Johns River Water Management District – a discredited “regulatory” agency that for years was operated like a Turkish bazaar by a former chairman – a cheap fixer who destroyed the public’s trust in the organization for a hundred years, facilitated the destruction of wetlands and wildlife habitat that were churned into muck, and permitted those who paid to play to turn natural places into moonscapes in an atmosphere where the fox ran the henhouse, ends justified the means, and the almighty dollar reigned supreme… 

Bullshit.

At the end of the day, Chairman Jeff Brower was the only one who supported a moratorium – a temporary means of limiting further harm by asking developers to stop shoving ten pounds of shit into a five-pound bag until already identified (but long-shelved) solutions could be implemented. 

That’s right, they’ve known about these “exciting solutions” for years.  In truth, various iterations of the Volusia County Council and their senior staff have been putting off Low Impact Development regulations for decades.

For instance, here’s a “Low Impact Development” dog and pony show Volusia’s Director of Growth and Resource Mismanagement Clay Ervin wasted our time with in 2018 https://tinyurl.com/482t2err remember? 

Sure you do, it contained this knee-slapper from 13-years ago:

“Now, more than ever, it is important to balance environmental and economic considerations in our daily operations. A sustainable future for Volusia County, and our entire region, will be based on solutions that include environmental, economic and social considerations.”

–Volusia County Council, 2012

(Sorry, I always get a hoot out of that one! “Balance.” That’s funny.)

I expect we’ll see this gem dusted off and trotted out again next month… 

For his trouble, Brower was (once again) publicly neutered by his cowardly and self-serving “colleagues” who clearly got marching orders from their overlords ahead of any discussion of the “M” word.

I thought it was magnanimous of Councilman Kent to “thank” Chairman Brower for taking his latest beatdown on the seminal issue of his campaign and accepting the ultimate outcome without an awkward fuss when he said, “Thanks for bringing this to the forefront because now there’s action and change, and a huge part of it is because of what you did.”

My God.

As Churchill said, “Tact is the ability to tell someone to shove that stupid idea up their ass in such a way that they look forward to the experience” or something like that…

The final humiliation of Brower and his supporters came when the tag team of Jake the Snake Johansson and David “No Show” Santiago made certain that any suggestion Brower may have had (to end fill-and-build development) was lost to mere lip service – ensuring that substantive solutions to development-induced flooding will languish in the bureaucratic ether for years…  

Now, we’re all victims.

In my view, Volusia County voters owe it to our grandchildren – who will ultimately suffer from the spinelessness we witnessed on Tuesday – to disrupt this cycle of pernicious procrastination in the face of crisis, and elect those with the courage to place the suffering and financial devastation of many over the greed-crazed motives of a few…

Priorities?

One of the things I enjoy about this blog site is helping readers (my neighbors) navigate the byzantine maze of (insert local government here), finding answers to often benign questions that their elected official or city/county manager could have explained in two-minutes but won’t.  

Sometimes I just commiserate with those at their wits end. 

One day I might set myself up a kiosk outside the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building in DeLand, or at various City Halls, put out two rocking chairs, and just listen to people vent.

Hearing the similarity of issues faced by residents causes me to question how those who grovel for our vote each election season can so easily shed their skin and become someone completely different when taking their seat on the dais of power. 

A lycanthropic transformation from a civically engaged neighbor with a fire in the belly, to a malleable finger-puppet with goals and priorities that suddenly don’t align with those of their longsuffering constituents…    

A symptom of that conversion is when an elected body collectively decides they no longer need the input or participation of those who pay the bills.  Enacting ludicrous “rules” limiting public comment with arbitrary diktats, claiming the “efficiency” of meetings is more important that citizen involvement in the policymaking process, then setting nonsensical and redundant urgencies that have nothing to do with community needs. 

Case in point, recently the City of Daytona Beach floated the idea of developing a $185 million “sports complex” on city owned property near the foundering First Step Shelter – a project billed as the next greatest economic driver since Daytona International Speedway was built 65-years ago…

In an informative article in December 2024, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported “If the facility does come to be, the hope is Daytona Beach would become home to more than 100 sports tournaments each year – everything from basketball to gymnastics to baseball. Concerts could even be held on the property.”

Not to be outdone, last week, the Volusia County Council kicked around the idea of putting its own $39 million sports complex on county owned land off Veteran’s Memorial Parkway in Orange City. 

Some members of the County Council said they want their complex to be an “economic driver” too… 

By saturating the market with publicly funded venues? 

According to reports, the proposed facility in Wild West Volusia would include eight multipurpose artificial turf fields, four rectangular natural fields, five restroom buildings, an 800-space parking lot, and the possibility of a BMX track and dog park. 

Per usual, no funding source has been identified for either proposal (which should send a shudder through the lower bowels of Volusia County taxpayers) with both Daytona Beach and Volusia County suggesting a “public-private partnership,” which around these parts historically means using tax dollars to eliminate risk and underwrite the profit motives of a well-connected private entity…

When you add the still simmering suggestion brought by Volusia County Councilman Don Dempsey to build a “state of the art” motocross track on yet to be determined county property – a project the county’s consultant estimated will cost $10.2 million in 2024 dollars – you begin to wonder if anyone in local government reads the newspaper, or understands the importance of keeping government the hell out of a free marketplace?    

Including the highly competitive sports entertainment industry.

For those keeping score, these pie-in-the-sky projects total a potential cost of $234.2 million for dueling sports complexes and a motocross facility at a time when Volusia County residents are pleading for flood relief, transportation infrastructure, utilities improvements, water quality and environmental protections, and other incredibly expensive upgrades to keep pace with explosive growth.   

I find it strange that money never seems to be a concern when it comes to “nice to haves.” 

But when elected officials are tasked with tightening their belt and funding needed infrastructure projects, We, The Little People have been conditioned to accept interminable delays, decades-long wait times, and massive cost overruns, while generations of bureaucrat’s slog through design, engineering, right-of-way acquisition, construction, etc., etc. – while the clock ticks and the bulldozers roar…       

County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald and County Attorney Mike Dyer

“The Volusia County manager and county attorney each received a 5% percent raise, opposed only by County Chairman Jeff Brower.

The County Council voted 6-1 to approve the raises during the performance review for both people. The council has authority over both the county attorney and the county manager positions.

County Manager George Recktenwald’s salary is increasing from about $259,041 to about $271,993. County Attorney Mike Dyer’s salary is going from about $242,138 to about $254,245.

Recktenwald and Dyer received mostly glowing reviews from the County Council on all counts. Brower offered a few criticisms, though.

Brower said while Dyer focuses on protecting the county from lawsuits, he’d like to see Dyer be more aggressive on protecting the property rights of constituents. He also said it feels like Dyer works against him sometimes.

“I would like to see you work as hard with me on items that I personally place on the agenda as chair as you do for any other item,” Brower said.”

–Reporter Sheldon Gardner, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Friday, January 10, 2025

As Volusia County stumbles into a new year some things never change.

Namely the continued protection and proliferation of an ineffectual and grotesquely bloated bureaucracy facilitated by complicit senior administrators who have dedicated their lackluster careers to preserving the status quo. 

In exchange for controlling the narrative and ensuring the public teat remains patent for all the right last names – those we have elected to represent our interests reward senior administrators with bizarre accolades – while stuffing even more of our hard-earned money into their already deep pockets. 

Don’t take my word for it. 

Despite a massive influx of federal relief funds – and the widespread protest of anxious residents whose lives have been repeatedly upended by development-induced flooding and the disastrous impacts of malignant sprawl – point your finger at one substantive thing County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald or County Attorney Mike Dyer have accomplished in the public interest since their last pay increase a year ago?   

I’ll wait…

Regardless, with the exception of their punching bag Chairman Jeff Brower, like clockwork, last week the majority of the Volusia County Council ignored the myriad issues facing their constituents (and many county employees) and gifted both Recktenwald and Dyer another 5% pay increase without any performance metrics, suggestions for improvement, or admonishment for the visionless stagnation by senior department heads that got us into this intractable mess in the first place.

Most disturbing, during his legitimate criticism of Recktenwald and Dyer (the best attorney real estate and fuel terminal developers have ever had), Chairman Brower divulged that “…he’s noticed a culture among some staff “where the victims of our flooding have become the enemies.” He said he hears things said about people that are out of line.

He said people need to be treated with respect and care.

“I’m detecting that sometimes that’s not happening, and they’re actually being blamed,” Brower said.”

You read that right.  

In my view, this best illustrates the “Us vs. Them” philosophy that permeates the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand – a place where those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest instead flippantly mock, blame, and disrespect citizens who suffer because of their ineptitude. 

With this disturbing behind-the-scenes insight now public, if Recktenwald refuses to clean house and start over, engaging senior officials who won’t demonize flood victims, then he must resign without severance.  

Add to that a County Attorney who has ingratiated himself with Volusia’s “Old Guard” by interpreting the law in a manner that thwarts every initiative put forth by Chairman Brower – heartless marionettes who would rather see your property and mine flood than admit Brower is right – and you see how desperate things have gotten under Recktenwald’s laissez-faire administration.     

Perhaps the most tone-deaf moment of the well-choreographed meeting was when At-large Councilman Jake Johansson, an announced candidate for Florida Senate, “…pointed out that Recktenwald makes less than Daytona Beach City Manager Deric Feacher ― a difference of about $32,863.

“It amazes me that Daytona Beach’s city manager makes that much more than our county manager does … Boy, that’s a lot of money for Daytona Beach. They do a lot, I understand. But it’s interesting to me.”

Wow.

What I find “interesting” is how Mr. Johannson prioritizes the allocation of our tax dollars…

In his backhanded swipe at the City of Daytona Beach, Jake the Snake exposed himself for who and what he represents – a haughty commitment to the arrogance of size and status that would have him pay a foot-dragging sluggard more than he is worth – simply to outpace another local government. 

In my view, that misplaced loyalty is not what we need representing Volusia County in Tallahassee… 

Quote of the Week

“Citing “aggressive and inappropriate” behavior with staff, the City of Palm Coast fired its utility director, Amanda Rees, in November, after just five months on the job. In a Dec. 4, 2024, letter, Rees defended herself to the City Council, saying the real reason for being fired is that she was bringing too many uncomfortable truths — about the wastewater treatment plants being overcapacity and growth’s failure to pay for itself — to city leadership.

The city, which has a standard six-month probationary period for new employees and so could fire Rees without cause if desired, responded this way: “While we understand that job separations can be emotional, it’s not uncommon for individuals to express their frustration in ways that paint a negative picture. The claims made in the letter are either untrue or misrepresented and do not accurately reflect the City’s operations or values. The City is committed to professionalism, fairness, and transparency in all employment matters.”

Rees indicated in her letter that city leadership suppressed her plans to correct the consequences of overdevelopment.

Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston told the Observer that staff does have a plan. In the coming weeks, city staff will present a Utility Action Plan to the City Council in response to the consent decree issued by the Florida Department Environmental Protection.

The city is in the final stages of expanding capacity at Wastewater Treatment Plant 2 from 2 million gallons per day to 4 million. That will enable the city to divert .5 million gallons per day to Plant 2 from Wastewater Treatment Plant 1, which is frequently near 100% capacity. The plan will give some relief to the system — but not enough relief yet to satisfy the state. To fully comply, the City Council will need to figure out how to fund more than $200 million for Wastewater Treatment Plant 3 — and build it by 2028.”

–Publisher Brian McMillan, Palm Coast Observer, “Fired director tells Palm Coast City Council that city ‘overpromised’ to developers,” Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Something stinks in Palm Coast.  Probably an overloaded wastewater plant…   

Last month, in a shocking letter to the Palm Coast City Council, now terminated utilities director Amanda Rees said the quiet part aloud: The city’s growth rate is quickly surpassing its water and sewer capacity – and the administration’s fear-fueled mantra “Growth pays for Growth” – is a damnable lie… 

Apparently, speaking truth to power is frowned upon at Palm Coast City Hall, where Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston prefers to paint a rosier picture of growth mismanagement, even after the Florida Department of Environmental Protection slapped the municipality with a consent decree requiring the expansion of its stressed wastewater utility – a project estimated to cost $200 million (most of that coming from rate increases for existing residents) – while the city continues to push full steam ahead with its asinine “westward expansion.”

In her November 23, 2024, letter to City Council members, Ms. Rees explained her reticence to sign the order:

“When we received the Consent Decree from FDEP, I reviewed the document. I had concerns about signing two clauses in the document because it threatened my imprisonment for what I could understand was stating that the City of Palm Coast did not in the past or would not in the duration of the consent decree use sewer rates to pay for any other projects that were not capacity related. Since I had been made aware in budget meetings that the council had approved a loan that transferred money from the Utility Enterprise fund to the General fund to pay for a road, I was concerned about signing the document.”

Can’t say I blame her. 

I wouldn’t want to go to jail for how mercenary elected officials shuffle money around during a period of hyperaggressive growth either…    

In my experience, a consent order would normally be signed by either the Mayor or Acting City Manager, so why would a department head (read: scapegoat) be asked to enter an agreement between the City of Palm Coast and FDEP involving hundreds-of-millions in capacity-related upgrades?    

(That said, I do think from this point forward – all allocations of public funds or legislative actions should come with a similar imprisonment clause.  One that ensures any Florida elected official who lies or quibbles the facts with constituents will be placed in stocks in the town square and given the Bastinado treatment…)

In addition, Ms. Rees wrote that when she explained a plan to Councilwoman Theresa Pontieri that would have developers pay for Pretreatment Effluent Pumping systems for new homes – something Rees believed would save the City of Palm Coast $30 million over the next five years – she received pushback from senior staff who apparently disagreed with her proposal (?).    

According to former director Rees, “This was one of my ideas to help the City with the rapid growth they were experiencing. After this meeting, my boss, Lauren Johnston, Acting City Manager, told me they had worked very hard to gain Councilwoman Theresa Pontieri’s trust over the years and implied that I was threatening it, by proposing solution to problems. This idea was quickly silenced, and we never discussed it again.”

Whoa.

Find Ms. Rees’ letter here: https://tinyurl.com/bdee5xhx

According to a January 8 report by FlaglerLive!, we learned of Palm Coast’s response to Ms. Rees’ serious allegations:

“The city consequently downplayed the letter’s claims in a statement issued today. “While we understand that job separations can be emotional, it’s not uncommon for individuals to express their frustration in ways that paint a negative picture,” the statement reads.

“The claims made in the letter are either untrue or misrepresented and do not accurately reflect the City’s operations or values. The City is committed to professionalism, fairness, and transparency in all employment matters. This letter reflects one person’s perspective and does not represent the dedication and integrity of our team or the work we do for the community.”

Nevertheless the statement downplays the city’s own response to the letter, which it has taken seriously, according to City Council member Theresa Pontieri–the only council member Reese singled out–even if not as a whistleblower action. “We’re looking into everything and taking seriously everything she put into her letter,” Pontieri said today.”

Every taxpayer of Palm Coast should find this disturbing.    

Time will tell how “seriously” the city’s elected watchdogs take the information provided by a former senior director with nothing else to lose… 

Here on Florida’s “Fun Coast,” far too often those with the courage to speak out and blow the whistle on mismanagement and maladministration in government and publicly funded services are quickly maligned as misfits and malcontents, a level of insulation that works to protect the status quo and those who benefit from it. 

Let’s hope the Palm Coast City Council takes a deep dive into Ms. Rees’ unique insights into the true cost of overdevelopment and current/future capacity issues – and her compelling allegations of retaliation for challenging the motives of those in power.   

And Another Thing!

Whenever government officials are caught with their thumbs in their backsides during a crisis, the universal dodge is, “Now is not the time for finger pointing…”

Yes, it is. 

In my view, as residents demand action on the growing disaster of development-induced flooding, it is time for senior officials in Volusia County government and elsewhere to own their failures on growth management, to look their waterlogged constituents in the eye and begin the difficult conversations, establish responsibility going forward, and find the right talent and experience to retroactively deal with our manmade stormwater emergency.

Allowing those who have been polishing the same wingback chairs in government offices for decades – so-called “professionals” who either knew or should have known the consequences of explosive growth without adequate infrastructure or engineering – to have any role going forward is the very definition of insanity.    

Yet that is exactly what the Volusia County Council did on Tuesday…

This week proved to be an eyeopener for many Volusia County residents who hadn’t realized just how dreadful things have gotten for many of their neighbors whose homes have been repeatedly inundated with development-induced flooding – and how indebted some of their elected officials are to those influential insiders who control the rods and strings of government here on the “Fun Coast.” 

In short, we learned what (and who) is important, and what is not.

The one thing that came through loud and clear following the special meeting to discuss a temporary building moratorium until a commonsense stormwater management plan and smart growth initiatives can be implemented, was who influences the outcome when development interests come up against the needs of existing Volusia County residents.

In my view, the fact we find ourselves in this incredibly expensive predicament is a testament to the abject lack of vision and strategic growth management measures by Volusia County and some municipalities that have allowed greed-crazed fill-and-build growth to spread like wildfire. 

Call it negligence, gross incompetence, or a willingness to look the other way in a legalized quid pro quo scheme that exchanges campaign cash for a development rubber stamp – but the damage is done. 

The only thing I know with certainty is how we find our way out of this dangerous quandary cannot be left to the same dullards who got us into it into the mess in the first place.

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