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…

Trader Joes – “Well, We’re Movin’ on Up!”

Come on everybody!  Clap along with me!

“Fish don’t fry in the kitchen;

Beans don’t burn on the grill.

Took a whole lotta tryin’

Just to get up that hill.

Now we’re up in the big leagues

Gettin’ our turn at bat.

As long as we live, it’s you and me baby

There ain’t nothin wrong with that… Well, we’re movin’ on up!”

–“The Jeffersons” Theme

Slap my ass and call me Sally! 

Just days after I made a snarky remark in The Daytona Beach News-Journal about a passel of celebrities opening an extravagant “Five Star” hotel in Daytona Beach – a place we were told doesn’t have the “demographics” to support a Trader Joe’s, let alone a South Beach luxury resort – old Barker ended up with free range, pasture-raised, organic egg on his funny face! 

Yep!

After years of speculation, and the mysterious cloak-and-dagger intrigue that is now de rigueur for any business opening a location here, this week we learned that our chaunts and prayers to the Grocery God’s have finally been answered.

It took some crack investigative work by both the News-Journal and Hometown News Volusia, but all indications suggests that a Trader Joe’s will one day grace the Tomoka Town Center off Boomtown Boulevard in Daytona Beach.    

According to reporter Charles Guarria writing in Hometown News, “At this time, I can share that we have plans to open a store in Daytona Beach,” Nakia Rohde, public relations manager for Trader Joe’s, replied via email. She continued, “However, I do not have a location or timeline to confirm.”

In addition, News-Journal Business editor Clayton Park confirmed:

“The City of Daytona Beach on Jan. 31 issued a building permit for a two-store retail project at Tomoka Town Center that will include a Trader Joe’s.

Construction plans for the project submitted to the city included several references to Trader Joe’s, confirmed city spokeswoman Susan Cerbone, who added other than that, “I have no insider knowledge of them coming.”

The website for real estate developer North American Development Group shows several planned new additions to its Tomoka Town Center retail complex in Daytona Beach.

While Trader Joe’s is not listed among the coming tenants, an updated site map and rendering of the shopping center include two side-by-side future stores between Dave & Buster’s and Academy Sports. The larger of the two future stores is labeled as a planned HomeSense home furnishings/decor store, while the smaller end-cap unit is not identified.

Plans submitted to the city show that the 13,432-square-foot end-cap unit will be a Trader Joe’s store.”

A tip o’ the cap to Detectives Park and Guarria for donning their deerstalkers and digging past the denials, obfuscation, and cryptograms that shroud the identities of everything from lemonade stands to Amazon fulfillment centers here on the “Fun Coast” and finally crack the case.

According to the Hometown News, they got the Sergeant Shultz treatment from just about everyone associated with the place: “Cobb Cole, the legal representative listed on paperwork filed with the City of Daytona Beach, offered no comment when asked to confirm Trader Joe’s would open in Tomoka Town Center. Attempts to reach the developer of Tomoka Town Center, North America Development Group, were unsuccessful.

Members of the Daytona Beach City Commission, including Dannette Henry, whose district the shopping center is in, have not heard which boutique grocer is opening at the location. When Mayor Derrick Henry was asked if he heard that Trader Joe’s was the tenant, he replied, “I have never been told that.”

No word yet if ol’ Trader Joe is holding out for some lucrative spiffs from the City of Daytona Beach and Volusia County before tipping his hand… 

Wouldn’t be the first time.

I remember back in those heady days a decade ago when our economic gurus over at Team Volusia where crowing about bringing a Trader Joe’s distribution center to Daytona Beach. 

At the time, the chain added to our civic identity crisis when a spokesperson explained that – while we have the workforce to schlep goods and groceries around a commercial warehouse – the Halifax area didn’t have the “demographics” to support one of the tony “boutique” grocery stores.   

So, rather than request concessions (like locating a store here), our city and county “leaders” rolled over and peed all over themselves like an incontinent cur – gifting the company millions in tax breaks to locate their distribution center at the very nexus of I-95 and I-4 – with direct access to ports at Tampa, Jacksonville, Canaveral,  Everglades, and Miami, and a Class II regional railroad providing intermodal service to the eastern seaboard and immediately adjacent to an “international” airport capable of heavy cargo operations with room to expand in the fastest growing region in the universe…

I guess times they are a-changin,’ eh?

A January 2025 article in the online magazine Fast Company, which bills itself as the “…world’s leading progressive business media brand, with a unique editorial focus on innovation in technology, leadership, and design,” described the Trader Joe “demographic” as:

“The average Trader Joe’s shopper is a white married college graduate between 25 and 44 who earns $80,000 a year, “over-indexes” on social media use, and considers themselves to be early adopters of new trends.”

You can find the rest of the story here: https://tinyurl.com/2p8tbv9f

As I reflect back on how far we’ve come, I recall way back in 2017 – when that glass-and-steel panacea known as the Brown & Brown headquarters heralded the “game-changing transformation” of Downtown Daytona – the News-Journal reported, “Local land investor and developer Mori Hosseini said Volusia County has been known as “a loser county,” but will soon be considered “progressive.”

Well, our High Panjandrum of Political Power was right after all.   

I mean, what says “we’ve arrived” like a Trader Joe’s sitting next to a Dave & Busters? 

Welcome to the top, y’all… 

The Lost City of Deltona and the Sad Saga of Mayor Santiago-Avila Jr.

“Ignorance of the law is no excuse in any country. If it were, the laws would lose their effect, because it can always be pretended.”

–Thomas Jefferson

In George Orwell’s eerily prophetic novella, Animal Farm, the allegorical quote “All animals are equal.  Some animals are more equal than others,” speaks to the hypocrisy of those within systems of governance who rise to power then exploit their position for personal gain.

Petty politicians who hold themselves out as ‘of and for’ the residents of a community, then, upon elevation to public office, suddenly view government as a monarchical hierarchy rather than a sacred public service – now above the reach of rules – entitled, dictatorial, answering to no one.

Openly violating policies and regulations without consequence while ensuring We, The Little People understand that the rule of law controls us, not the governing elite.   

In my view, Orwell’s grim metaphor is embodied in Mayor Santiago-Avila Jr. of the Lost City of Deltona – a raging dumpster fire with the persistence and intensity of the Centralia coal mine blaze – a Kubrickian Overlook Hotel, haunted by external forces and driven by personal agendas that seems to corrupt anyone and anything who enters its “service” – and a continuing civic embarrassment to the mosaic of municipalities in Volusia County.

Now, Deltona will also be known as a place where the basic legal concept of “Ignorance of the law excuses no one” not only forgives the elected elite for blatant violations of rules governing public expenditures – but now establishes the “Santiago-Avila Jr. Rule” – a ludicrous self-serving defense which allows politicians to escape blame merely by saying they were unaware of the existence of an accountability policy used in virtually every public and private organization on the face of the planet…

On Monday evening, the erosion of the public trust continued during a ridiculous ‘quasi-judicial’ hearing ostensibly to allow Mayor Santiago-Avila Jr. the opportunity to explain why he and his wife used taxpayer dollars to travel to Washington D.C. in January to attend a series of elegant political soirees in tuxedo and gown.

Laissez-les manger du gâteau…

According to testimony provided during the quackery earlier this week, Mayor Santiago-Avila Jr. claimed he also attended the U. S. Conference of Mayors while in Washington – not as a paid attendee – but as the “guest” of a mysterious unidentified benefactor…

Really?

The mayor’s trip was thought to be in direct contradiction to the city’s established travel policy for elected officials which requires advanced approval by majority vote of the City Commission. 

Because it was.

Many Deltona taxpayers rightfully viewed it as Santiago-Avila Jr.’s attempt to use the “seek forgiveness not permission” strategy to obtain public funds for what appeared to be a purely political junket.  

Inconceivably, the Mayor’s only defense – as presented by his expensive mouthpiece, perennial politician, and attorney Anthony Sabatini – was “Huh.  Who knew the city had a travel policy?” 

Now, some are questioning how Hizzoner could afford a heavy hitter like Sabatini, or are taxpayers covering the cost of his defense as well?

I’m asking.  Because by his own admission (and court records), Mayor Santiago-Avila Jr. has serious personal financial issues that have become a topic of civic concern in Deltona… 

During the farcical Kangaroo Kourt that ensued, Mayor Santiago-Avila Jr. stated he was unaware the municipal government had a written policy to approve official travel in advance of the expenditure.

In my view, watching Santiago-Avila Jr. quibble, split hairs, and mewl “I don’t recall” while still retaining the gavel of power – arrogantly demanding silent obedience from residents in the audience (“No more outbursts from the public!”) – while under direct examination for his flagrant disregard for city policy, epitomized all that is wrong with what passes for public accountability in Deltona.     

Even an attempt to hold an elected official responsible for circumventing established policy for publicly funded out-of-state travel turned into a non-sensical exercise that stretched the limits of commonsense and credibility – and ultimately failed to secure accountability, or proper sanction, after the 4-3 vote failed the supermajority requirement.

In the end, Mayor Santiago-Avila Jr. and his patented “Who knew?” defense won the day by one vote – his own… 

To show whose boss in Deltona, after being acquitted by the technicality, Mayor Santiago-Avila Jr. lorded over the room, directing Sheriff’s deputies expel a frustrated taxpayer from the chamber when he boisterously condemned the sham.   

Once again, the long-suffering taxpayers of the Lost City of Deltona lost to the self-serving forces of mediocrity that continue to plague this beleaguered community…

Quote of the Week

The ordinance proposal came after three commissioners, including (Commissioner Kristin) Deaton, voiced concerns from the dais regarding recent comments made by the mayor in recent news coverage. Deaton said she received multiple calls regarding a Channel 6 news broadcast where Leslie took reporters on a tour of the city to showcase the city’s “best-kept secrets.”

In the 4-minute broadcast, Leslie is seen taking reporters to the Magic Forest Playground at Rainbow Park — which he said would reopen in 2-4 weeks, but city staff Tuesday reported renovations would take longer — as well as Andy Romano Beachfront Park, Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center, the proposed Belvedere Terminals fuel farm site, the airport and the Ormond Beach Sports Complex.  

Deaton said that to her knowledge, city staff, including the public information officer, were not informed ahead of time about the news crew’s arrival.

“It is protocol for the commission and the mayor to contact the city PIO if approached by the media, and I want to ensure that is upheld,” Deaton said.”

–Managing Editor Jarleene Almenas, writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “Ormond Beach officials condemn Mayor Jason Leslie’s representation of city in recent news reports,” Wednesday, February 19, 2025

As often happens among petty and ego-maniacal politicians, someone’s feewings got hurt this week on the Ormond Beach City Commission – and our right to independent representation will suffer because of it…

During a recent segment of WKMG’s “Hit the Road,” the City of Ormond Beach was highlighted as “…a city filled with charm, history, and surprises.”  The piece included a driving tour of the community hosted by newly-elected mayor, Jason Leslie.

To his credit, Mayor Leslie escorted the reporter to several prominent civic, commercial, and recreational amenities, explaining planned improvements and restoration efforts for some of the city’s “best kept secrets.”   In addition, the mayor provided viewers with a brief update on controversial plans for the Belvedere Fuel Terminal (which has been kept out of sight and out of mind for months…).

Watch the segment for yourself here: https://tinyurl.com/2nnfa2s2

In my view, it was a flattering exposé of this beautiful community – my hometown – appropriately presented by the city’s mayor, and his pride in place was clearly evident.  In addition, WKMG’s morning news team originated from Ormond Beach’s Grind Gastropub & Kona Tiki Bar this week, following up with a three-hour broadcast to further accentuate the community’s many attributes.

According to the Observer’s report, Mayor Leslie recently spearheaded an effort to seek authorization from Governor Ron DeSantis that flags be flown at half-mast in honor of former local resident Capt. Jonathan Campos, who lost his life in the tragic plane crash in Washington D.C. 

For his efforts to present the community in a favorable light, Mayor Leslie was taken to the woodshed by Zone Three Commissioner Kristin Deaton, who has proposed a cockamamie ordinance to ensure the mayor – and any other elected official who dares exercise independence of thought in service to their constituents – will be pounded into the round hole of conformity with the force of law… 

Piling on was Commissioner Lori Tolland – who complained Mayor Leslie gave “inaccurate information” during the WKMG segment and a recent interview with the Observer – along with Commissioner Travis Sargent, who made a not-so-veiled insinuation that “…someone on the dais,” (alluding to Leslie) was trying to get City Manager Joyce Shanahan fired.”

“That kills morale — kills employees’ morale and how they work, and it’s just uncalled for,” Sargent said. “If you have a problem, call that person, sit down with them or discuss it up here. Don’t do it behind closed doors and think something’s going to happen. It’s very unprofessional.”

According to the Observer, “Leslie said he never voiced any intent to fire Shanahan, saying he has a “great working relationship” with her.”

Most shocking, Commissioner Tolland lectured “…it was essential that they work together as a body “to uphold the principles of our commission, rather than acting independently in ways that do not reflect our collective governance.”

Say what? 

“Collective governance?”

In my view, Commissioners Deaton, Tolland, and Sargent should rethink their roles – or join a country club if they need constant validation from their peers…

The City of Ormond Beach operates under the Commission/Manager form of government – a representative democracy where We, The Little People elect representatives to set public policy, taxation, allocations, and establish ordinances as the city’s legislative body – civic responsibilities that require independence, public input from an informed constituency, and the honest debate of ideas.

Not lockstep conformity using the “If we’re all thinking alike, who can criticize us?” political insulation strategy…

In my view, this is what happens when elected officials stay too long at the party and get taken into the maw of the bureaucracy; more concerned about protecting the tenure of senior officials and ensuring any information that escapes from City Hall is sanitized and spun by an internal mouthpiece.   

Over time, some politicians develop the mindset that the elected body should be a clubbish, homogenized, and well-choreographed echo chamber, where senior staff create public policy behind closed doors, and the role of elected officials is merely to rubberstamp it.

To enforce compliance, the compromised majority begin passing rules and ordinances to silence dissent on both sides of the dais (See: The Volusia County Council of Cowards), and strictly enforced conformism ensures the outcome of votes when everyone starts thinking alike…

In his defense, Mayor Leslie explained:  

“I respect the feedback from my fellow commissioners, and I want to emphasize that I’m still relatively new to this role,” Leslie said. “I value open communication and believe that collaboration is key to serving our community effectively. I recognize that at times, my eagerness to provide information quickly may have come across as speaking off the cuff. Moving forward, I am committed to working more closely with our city staff to ensure that the information I share is accurate and fully aligned with the City’s official stance.”

Bullshit. Stand firm, Mr. Mayor.  

Here’s hoping Mayor Leslie maintains his independence and refuses to go to “staff” with his hat in hand to obtain the “official line” before releasing information to his constituents – or accept the bureaucracy’s myopic take on the issues of the day as gospel.   

That’s why Ormond Beach taxpayers elected him.

In my view, Mayor Leslie’s willingness to speak his mind, and his obvious pride in the City of Ormond Beach, are attributes that will ensure fair, free, and competitive decision-making on the dais of power.

And Another Thing!

I’ve always been curious about those political “clubs” and “civic leagues” you read about. 

Not dull partisan cliques where like-types meet to reinforce each other’s views, but those “discussion groups” where people much smarter (and wealthier) than me pay annual dues to have lunch – listen to congressmen, ambassadors and other “movers & shakers” bloviate on the issues of the day – then debate “public affairs” over linen tablecloths.

Somehow, I don’t think I’d fit in – and I’m sure I don’t have the $500 to find out…

Instead, I get my take on our local political climate from a barstool.

I have a favorite watering hole where I talk politics over shots and beers with an eclectic group who actually experience the effects of public policy decisions up close and personal.

Working folks, tradesmen, and retirees who feel every dime of tax increases and growing insurance premiums; claustrophobic longtime residents who experience the effect of unchecked growth, fear for the quantity and quality of their drinking water, worry about the fate of their small businesses, and lament the fact that elected officials ignore their concerns while catering to the “Rich & Powerful,” whose wants and whims bear no resemblance to their own.

I don’t know what the consensus is around those fancy luncheons of our local Bilderberg – but by my barroom barometer – those of us here in the “Real World” are ready for Volusia County government to meet taxpayers halfway and tighten its belt as well…  

We currently have seven self-described “staunch conservative Republicans” occupying every seat on the nonpartisan Volusia County Council. 

Trust me.  They don’t know the meaning of the word.

As I see it, our elected dullards in DeLand have confused the tenets of conservatism – limited government, fiscal responsibility, and free markets – with the clique of partisan politics.

They call themselves “Republicans” because it is the politically expedient thing to do, while ignoring the traditional values upon which the Grand Old Party once stood. 

(And don’t get me started on what passes for the foundering Democratic party, now wholly controlled by the lunatic fringe, and moderate minds need not apply…)

Is there another explanation?

According to Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins, speaking at a “Special Meeting” earlier this month, each of our current representatives ran on a commitment to “smaller government,” which everyone knows is more backhanded bullshit to camouflage why he opposed mandatory low-impact development regulations that could have helped prevent future widespread flooding that has devastated so many of his constituents. 

So, when is Gaslight Robins and his fellow “conservatives” going to live up to their campaign promise and begin whittling down the size and reach of Volusia County government?

In my view, independent reviews, and outside financial audits of essential (and not-so-essential) services is a necessity, especially in local, state, and federal government organizations that have forgotten where the money they spend originates. And why.

Earlier this month, the Volusia County Council – that bastion of “small government” conservatism – listened to the same crushingly dull staff presentation regarding the formulation of a voluntary low-impact development “ordinance” that I did.

The difference was that my jaw hit the floor when Environmental Middle Management Director Ginger Adair explained that the provisions of the proposed ordinance had been reviewed by 16 different divisions of county government before coming to the council.

Unfortunately, those we elected to represent our interests were either wholly disinterested or rendered comatose by the droning PowerPoint, because they seemed completely unfazed by Ms. Adair’s shocking glimpse inside the inner workings of this bloated bureaucracy.

In my experience, it is physically impossible for the average taxpayer to navigate the labyrinth of warrens that worm through Volusia County government with the complexity of a red ant mound.   

For instance, I recently counted some fifty departments and divisions (excluding law enforcement and public protection) and was still unable to account for all the various subdivisions, offices, and agencies – or the myriad directors, assistant directors, managers, coordinators, specialists, etc., etc., that populate the various managerial and supervisory roles…

In a 2022 glossy brochure produced by Volusia County, the behemoth described itself as “Similar to a large company, Volusia County government consists of more than 40 different, distinct parts, and interfaces…” with a compliment of “approximately” 2,000 employees. 

“Approximately”?   

Except, unlike any “large company” with a fiduciary responsibility to stockholders, Volusia County has an unlimited supply of cash and remains accountable to no one… 

When you break down the unknown number of personnel, senior staff, ancillary operations, and public assets large and small – it now takes a record $1.6 Billion annually (you read that right) to slop that insatiable hog.  And given the innumerable issues and infrastructure requirements we face, it’s only going up, up, up from here…

In attempting to defend the indefensible, Volusia County is quick to tell us they are everything to everyone. 

Yet, when the bureaucracy finds itself between a rock and a hard place – like when angry villagers turn out with pitchforks and torches demanding answers to recurrent flooding – senior bureaucrats revert to the dodge “We are only responsible for unincorporated areas and some infrastructure in the cities…not my yob, man.”  

While simultaneously cashing everyone’s annual ad velorem tax checks like clockwork… 

If you haven’t noticed, the concept of “government efficiency” has been making the news of late.

Which got me to thinking, “When are those champions of “small government” on the Volusia County Council going to prove their fiscal responsibility to taxpayers and begin the process of “right sizing” county government like Gaslight Robins said they would?”

Hacking the thick rind of fat off this bloated hog and ensuring maximum efficiencies, reducing the number of executive level positions, consolidating services where applicable, limiting spending, cutting red tape, demanding accountability, and identifying areas where taxpayers are being painted as the villain (as Chairman Brower recently divulged) then terminating anyone involved in the practice.  

For instance, if the word “Resilience” appears in more than one department or divisional name – one of them is redundant – especially in an age where environmental best practices are considered voluntary… 

It’s one thing for these posers to jump on the “small government” bandwagon when it is politically expedient to do so – it’s quite another to roll up their sleeves and begin the process of returning this ravenous monstrosity to something taxpayers can recognize – and trust.

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

Note to Readers:

Barker’s View will be on hiatus next week – a short ‘pause for the cause’ – as Patti and I celebrate our 30^th Wedding Anniversary (we’re nothing if not stubborn…)  During the break, please feel free to enjoy some past asides from the BV achieves at the bottom of this page.  It’s fun to take a look back with the clarity of hindsight and see what has changed, and what remains the same, here on Florida’s “Fun Coast.”   

See you next month! 

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 of Cowards

Best Practices

“A procedure that has been shown by research and experience to produce optimal results and that is established or proposed as a standard suitable for widespread adoption.”

Industry Standards

“A set of criteria within an industry relating to the standard functioning and carrying out of operations in their respective fields of production. In other words, it is the generally accepted requirements followed by the members of an industry. It provides an orderly and systematic formulation, adoption, or application of standards used in a particular industry or sector of the economy.”

Best Management Practices (BMP)

“Best management practices are methods that have been determined to be the most effective and practical means of preventing or reducing non-point source pollution to help achieve water quality goals.”

Political Prostitute

“Elected officials who accept campaign contributions and endorsements from special interest groups, corporations, and the wealthy individuals who control them in exchange for favorable legislation or policies that increase profit margins for the few to the detriment of many.”

For good or ill, my gift/curse remains the preternatural ability to unravel the inconsistencies and paradoxes that frequently occur in local governance and politics.  Those contradictory riddles of logic that challenge our conventional understanding of the “truth” – that we can see with our own eyes versus the bureaucratic artifice which seeks to deflect our attention.   

That said, I must admit, sometimes the abject absurdity of it all still baffles me… 

For instance, after reviewing the Volusia County Council’s agenda for Tuesday’s “Special Meeting” – the first in what will be a long series of tortuous memorandums and agonizingly boring PowerPoints, narrated in monotone by senior staff and played out over months, a strategy that will eventually crush the enthusiasm of even the most ardent supporter of flood control measures – something about a ludicrous plan to “incentivize” a voluntary low-impact development ordinance didn’t smell right.

By definition, an “Ordinance” is a law established by governmental authority, an official decree, an authoritative order.  It isn’t a mere suggestion, or an invitation to do the right thing – and it typically doesn’t come with financial inducements for following the rules…

To ensure I understood the contradictory concept of ‘voluntary best practices’ in the context of the council’s choreographed discussion, I took a minute to review the above definitions. 

The first three come from the United States Government, an organization not traditionally known for its clarity. 

The last one I made up. 

Just seemed appropriate under the circumstances…

Then I pondered the obvious: “If best practices are shown by research and experience to produce optimal results, and industry standards are generally accepted as integral to the optimal functioning and conduct of operations – why in the hell would our ‘powers that be’ not demand those basic standards from the local building industry – or take steps to ensure development practices in Volusia County conform to industry norms?”

Look, it doesn’t take the deductive reasoning of Lieutenant Columbo to see that the opposite of standards and practices is an intentional deviation from accepted principles, a complete disregard for established rules, ignoring potential risk, and creating unintended consequences for others who may be harmed by negligent or nonconforming practices.

Sound familiar?

It should. 

Especially if you are one of the thousands of Volusia County property owners suffering the devastating effects of development-induced flooding – repeat victims who are demanding substantive action from our elected officials on the Volusia County Council of Cowards.  

Inconceivably, in the face of unprecedented suffering, this week the foremost minds in the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand concluded that not only should Volusia County government make industry standards and best practices voluntary – they should provide “…incentives for developers and design professionals to implement these best management practices during the design phase of a project.”

You read that right. 

Somewhere along the dusty political trail, local governments were sold on the idea that with the right application of public funds – or other lucrative “incentives,” tax breaks, and infrastructure improvements – they could compel impactful businesses and industries to ‘do the right thing’ by the taxpayers who supply the spiffs.

Several years ago, a business presented under a mysterious cryptogram that everyone knew was spelled “Amazon” – the most successful ecommerce company in the known universe – yet Daytona Beach granted millions in inducements to locate a robotic fulfillment center at the very nexus of I-4 and I-95…

One can only imagine the uproarious guffaws in Amazon’s site development offices when it was announced, “Not only are we getting the warehouse at the most advantageous access point to all of Central Florida – but rather than make us pay for the privilege – those rubes are going to give us $4 million!” 

I don’t make this shit up, folks.

Now, using the bureaucratic legerdemain they are famous for, the Volusia County Council has reached into their well-worn top hat and pulled out a way to appease and enrich their political benefactors in the development industry by incentivizing what should be mandatory practices while making it appear they are accomplishing something of substance to reduce (emphasis on “future”) regional flooding, using empty promises of revisiting the ordinance to ensure current victims won’t notice they are being cut adrift…

Abracadabra. 

Just like that, on Tuesday evening, during a clearly orchestrated farce, our elected dullards voted 6-1, with Chairman Jeff Brower dissenting (and Councilman David “No Show” Santiago literally phoning it in) to implement a series of toothless measures permitting developers to voluntarily incorporate low-impact best management practices into “conservation developments” within the Urban land use designation, or not.

If they choose to follow what should be mandatory LID best practices, developers will be eligible for a smorgasbord of lucrative “incentives,” to include increased density, increased building height, reduction in tree replacement requirements, and reduced building permit and land use development fees.

Bullshit.

I got a chuckle when Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins once again mewled his hollow denials, quibbling that – despite the fact Low-impact development has been discussed in Volusia County government for decades – he’s heard no “measurable data” that LID practices reduce flooding (?) – while laughably painting himself and his fellow shills as “small government” advocates:   

“Seven out of seven of us ran on less government, and making government larger by adopting mandatory regulations that still no one has been able to provide no measurable data to say that it will stop or prevent flooding to the people that we hear about — that’s the pickle I’m in,” Robins said.

In actuality, the “pickle” Mr. Robins finds himself in is that his neighbors are being financially ruined by repeat flooding – and instead of taking definitive measures to help them – he sold his political soul to development interests with a chip in a very lucrative game… 

Then, as evidence of the senseless mindset that has resulted in Volusia becoming the most flood prone county in Florida – seventh in the nation – Councilman Don Dempsey, who represents inundated areas of West Volusia, explained his daffy rationale to waterlogged constituents:

“We all want to see low impact development tested out and try to see if it works, but the mandate — all we may do with mandates is drive developers out of the county.  They may just pack up and say, ‘Heck with this, we’re going to go to Lake County and do a subdivision.'”

Yeah.  That would be a terrible thing. 

I mean, where would the $1,000 campaign contributions come from if speculative developers picked up and left Volusia County rather than adopt ethical practices to prevent the destruction of neighboring homes?    

City of Daytona Beach – Communication is Key

“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.”

–Peter Drucker

I recently had an interesting discussion with a resident concerned about last week’s tempest in a teapot at Daytona Beach City Hall when Commissioner Stacy Cantu took exception to a proposed internal policy that would grant City Manager Deric Feacher and the city’s Information Technology director the authority to pull the plug on elected officials electronics if they violate cybersecurity protocols.

Last week, in an informative article by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal entitled “Daytona Beach city commissioner worried cybersecurity policy violates city charter,” we learned:

“Imagine a state government employee telling Gov. Ron DeSantis he wanted the power to remove the governor’s access to the state’s information technology network if he ever thought DeSantis violated state cybersecurity policy, or he didn’t think DeSantis was following cybersecurity best practices.

That’s how Daytona Beach City Commissioner Stacy Cantu sees a proposal to give City Manager Deric Feacher and the city’s information technology staff that kind of power over the six city commissioners and mayor if they violate a 77-point policy outlining requirements for use of the city’s information technology network.”

She’s right.

To her credit, the ever-vigilant Ms. Cantu believes the policy would upend the critical balance of power at City Hall which states the city manager works exclusively for the city commission, not the other way around.      

As City Manager, Mr. Feacher is granted extraordinary powers by city charter to fulfill his myriad responsibilities.  He denied the policy represents a “power grab,” explaining “It’s not a matter of me asserting any authority,” he said. “It’s me protecting the integrity of the system and the city’s $390 million budget.”

Mr. Feacher is also right.

Observers looking on from the outside can often see situations more three-dimensionally than those at the point of conflict.  It is the result of the natural loss of situational awareness that comes when well-meaning people become so caught up in conflict, they can no longer see the precipitating issue objectively.

Perspective dictates our response to situations and limits our view of the details.    

This is especially true during a “Clash of the Titans” – when senior leadership at the top of a public or private organization allow disputes to transcend the honest debate of competing views that makes for good policy, begin circling the wagons, and protecting their turf.   

More often than not, this results from poor communication. 

In the Council/Manager form of government, where the manager is permitted broad powers and permitted to perform their duties free of interference from individual elected officials, on occasion, there will be friction.   

Therein lies the headache for city/county managers who must keep five to seven big personalities informed and engaged – while overseeing the day-to-day operations of an organization with a lot of moving parts – or risk being tossed out on their ass by majority vote of the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker…  

It’s a hard dollar, and in my view, Mr. Feacher does an excellent job for the residents of Daytona Beach. 

That’s what makes this unfortunate miscommunication so disappointing.

According to the News-Journal’s report, “After a back and forth debate Wednesday night between Cantu and Feacher, and input from other commissioners and the city’s head of information technology, it appeared Cantu was mostly alone in her protest. By the end of the discussion, most commissioners seemed to see the proposed cyber policies as necessary protection for the city’s online systems.

City Attorney Ben Gross’ comments appeared to calm most worries that the cyber policy for the elected officials would violate the city charter.

“This would be a legal delegation of authority under our charter,” Gross said. “I’m not aware of any impediments that would prevent you from authorizing the manager to implement this. … You would not be violating the city charter.”

In my experience, when it becomes necessary for a governmental organization to place limits on those with the responsibility (and political liability) for its funding and oversight, it is important that everyone – including those in the cheap seats who pay the bills – understand the operational necessities for the action, and the checks-and-balances in place to prevent abuse.  

Far too often, elected bodies fall victim to the “tail wagging the dog” syndrome, a reversal of the power dynamic, where the bureaucracy controls duly elected representatives and sets public policy by proxy.

This is often accomplished using arbitrary rules and subjective edicts that neuter an elected officials sworn responsibilities to their constituents.

Don’t take my word for it, ask Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower what happens to those in his political fishing camp who dare to think independently and refuse to be beaten into the round hole of conformity…

To her credit, Commissioner Cantu has been sensitive to maintaining the elected body’s oversight authority – and her independent research and due diligence has uncovered potential problems and pitfalls before it was too late – most recently exposing serious issues with an asbestos-laden Beach Street building the city was considering for purchase.  

Unfortunately, for having the courage to ask the tough questions, Ms. Cantu is often accused of having sharp elbows, and her strained relationship with Mr. Feacher is well known to her colleagues and constituents.

Let’s hope they can find common ground, and mutual respect.

Effective internal and external communication between the elected officials, administrators, and those they exist to serve begins with trust – and a sensitivity to the roles and responsibilities established by charter that allow for the effective and efficient functions of government. 

In my view, it is a win-win for the City of Daytona Beach to have an effective watchdog looking out for potential threats to its IT infrastructure – and an elected representative with the strength and independence to ensure the safeguards established by the Commission’s oversight authority continue to protect tax dollars, ensure transparency, and promote accountability.

Quote of the Week

“The Palm Coast City Council is moving toward a plan to raise water and sewer rates 28 percent over the next four years and borrow $456 million over the next two years to finance some of the $700 million in repairs, expansions and new construction of a water and sewer infrastructure under strain from age and rapid growth.

The two bond issues would dwarf all previous city bond issues and its existing total debt, which stands at $134 million. The rate increases would, for a household using 4,000 gallons of water a month, result in bill increases of $40 a month by October 1, 2028, or an annual increase of nearly $500–more for households consuming more water.

Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris and Council member Ty Miller, over Council member Theresa Pontieri’s dissent, gave the administration direction to draft an ordinance that would sum up that approach and go before the council and the public at two public hearings, on March 4 and March 18, for approval. The hearings are likely to draw large and possibly angry crowds. If the council’s history is any guide, that kind of response may change the council’s direction, though Norris and Miller repeated a half dozen times Tuesday evening the metaphor of the can having been kicked down the road for too long. They are not willing to kick on.”

–Pierre Tristam of FlaglerLive, as excerpted from “Palm Coast Plans to Sharply Raise Water-Sewer Rates and Borrow $456 Million to Finance Needs, Dwarfing Previous Debt,” Wednesday, February 12, 2025

According to stressed Stormwater and Engineering officials in Palm Coast, the city has already tightened its belt to the breaking point to meet rapidly growing needs in its overcapacity wastewater utility – now, they’re down to boiling that belt and eating it…

That means existing residents will pay for Palm Coast’s exponential growth the development community said would pay for itself when they were clearcutting pine scrub to shoehorn more subdivisions. 

Now, city officials are up to their hips in shit (literally), under the yoke of a state consent decree, and prepared to take on massive debt to expand capacity while somehow funding mounting repair and replacement costs.  

This phenomenon isn’t limited to Flagler County.    

Now, at our time of need – when those of us who have lived on the “Fun Coast” for years are suffering the devastating impacts of overdevelopment – state officials who gifted developer’s carte blanche to build whenever and wherever they want under threat of crippling lawsuits – have indicated they are less inclined to return our tax dollars to fund utilities projects for individual cities going forward.

So, what’s the ultimate cost if the City of Palm Coast decides to kick the can even further down the political trail and violate the consent decree?

According to FlaglerLive:

“Miller asked about consequences if the city does not satisfy the consent decree. He only got half an answer: the city would face fines if it does not comply with the order by 2028 or complete projects that would invalidate the fines. The fines are not burdensome: What he wasn’t told is that if the city violates its consent order, bond-rating agencies would punish the city with a downgrade, which would substantially increase the city’s cost of borrowing and financing its needed capital improvements. Those cost increases would be measured in the millions, compared to the thousands, in fines from the Department of Environmental Protection. “Generally, the higher the credit rating assigned to the bonds, the lower the interest rate on the bonds due to a lower risk,” Hamilton said.

In the end, it’s not entirely the council members who are voting, but the bond-holders.”

I think they call that an “inescapable position” – with existing residents bent over and paralyzed, left without viable options – while out-of-state developers continue to haul untold millions out of the pine scrub as the bulldozers continue to roar…

And Another Thing!

“Basin studies can take 6-18 months depending on the size, Bartlett estimated. Getting stormwater projects done could take years.

“Unfortunately stormwater projects are some of the slowest moving projects there are,” Bartlett said.

The projects are complex and require careful planning and work. The process begins with studying how an area responds to storm events and looking for possible solutions. After officials decide on a project, it has to go through design and permitting. That can involve multiple agencies.

“Once all permits are obtained, the design is finalized, and land acquisition is complete, the project can proceed to construction. The entire process, from initial analysis to project completion, can take anywhere from 4 to 10 years, depending on the scope and complexity of the project,” according to county officials.”

–Volusia County Public Works Director Ben Bartlett, as excerpted from his interview with reporter Sheldon Gardner of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Does development cause flooding? It depends on where you live, Volusia official says,” Monday, February 10, 2025

Having read Director Bartlett’s interview twice, I’m still not sure if it was an explanation, or a confession… 

The Q&A began with the typical detached bureaucratic empathy for repeat victims, “If you get water in your house, that is a catastrophic event, and I completely understand why the reaction is what it is. … And I completely understand it is a devastating experience,” he said.”

When asked “Is development the cause of flooding in Volusia County?” Bartlett immediately reverted to the vague generalities that form the “talking points” senior bureaucrats use when avoiding specifics:

“Bartlett said flooding issues in Volusia County are multifaceted.

“You have to look at each individual location, and each area that floods is different. It floods for a different reason. It might flood for multiple reasons,” Bartlett said.

The county is seeing issues with older subdivisions with limited infrastructure, he said.

An example that Bartlett pointed to is Daytona Park Estates in DeLand, an area with a history of flooding issues.

Road construction likely began in that area in the 1950s, according to an email to The News-Journal from county officials. Most were first built as dirt roads before modern stormwater regulations “and rely on shallow swales for drainage.”

Except, the recurring inundation is no longer limited to established subdivisions and low-lying areas with a history of flooding. 

Since our visionless ‘powers that be’ began ignoring density and concurrency requirements to facilitate the profit motives of their political benefactors in the development industry, the problem is now regional and spreading – affecting suburban and rural areas alike – recurrent devastation that has left many Volusia taxpayers financially destroyed and demanding solutions.

In response to the now undeniable problem of development induced flooding, Volusia County officials explained:  

“These swales have limited capacity and can become overwhelmed during heavy rainfall,” according to the county. “Additionally, many older homes were built before the current finished floor elevation requirements, making them lower in elevation than newer homes constructed to modern standards. When a new home is built at a higher elevation on an adjacent lot, it can potentially create drainage challenges for older properties.”

So, during the recent period of explosive growth, none of the pseudo-experts in Volusia County government were aware that massive sprawl, filling wetlands in a “help here/hurt there” mitigation strategy, and utilizing fill-and-build construction techniques would result in stormwater runoff destroying adjacent homes and properties?

Really?

In acknowledging the problem (sort of) Director Bartlett quibbled, “Large developments if they follow the rules generally should not impact offsite (nearby properties). That’s not 100% guaranteed, but that’s why those rules are in place,” Bartlett said.

The county has seen other issues with developments, such as pond failures during storms, Bartlett said.”

According to the report, Volusia County would prefer we place the blame on Mother Nature for contributing to the problem with more “major rainfall events” that quickly overwhelm stormwater systems, which has prompted more time-consuming “studies” in “top-priority” areas:

“Right now, four watershed studies are being developed: for Spruce Creek, Little Haw Creek, Deep Creek and DeLand Ridge. The county is also contributing funding to the city of Edgewater’s study because there are county assets there.

“We’re trying to focus on the areas where we’ve experienced issues and there’s infrastructure or development or folks that might be impacted by flooding,” Bartlett said.

Those studies will look at ways to protect properties from flooding in major storms and recommend possible solutions. The studies will also involve input from the public.

“The truth might be, ‘Hey, this structure in an 11-inch rain event, it’s OK. But in a 15-18 inch rain event, it’s going to flood.’ And then the question becomes, ‘What do we do? … Do we acquire that home and demolish it? Do we elevate it? Do we come up with a project that might fix it?’ That’s why these studies are important,” Bartlett said.”

Which brings us full circle… 

According to Bartlett, “studies” are time-consuming endeavors, taking between 6 and 14 months if everything goes as planned.

He’s right.

Once the findings are analyzed, solutions discussed, consultants hired, and preferred contractors selected and properly greased – it can take years to get a single stormwater, traffic infrastructure, or public utilities project shovel ready – and even longer to complete.  

When you add to that the constant procrastination and strategic foot-dragging that has been the modus operandi of the Volusia County Council of Cowards – allowing more time and distance between mandatory low-impact development regulations and additional growth – you begin to see the enormity of the problem our highly paid faux-experts should have seen coming a decade ago…    

Now, homes are being washed out by recurrent floodwater as the rhetoric turns from “100-year” storms to “500-year” storms (that come twice a year now) while the emphasis remains on how best to facilitate the destruction of more, more, more natural areas to accommodate more zero lot line cookie cutter subdivisions and half empty strip centers.

Greed-crazed madness…

In my view, this continued collusion, postponement, and abject negligence by those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest should be criminal. 

That’s all for me.  Happy Valentines Day!  Have a great Daytona 500 weekend, y’all!

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…

Editorial Note:

Recently some readers have asked why I publish this blog on Thursday, when traditionally it comes out on Friday, and the unvarnished explanation is – I drink heavily on Thursday evenings (like most other days that end in “Y”) – and as I not-so-gracefully age, it gets harder to haul my slovenly ass out of bed early enough to get Barker’s View out on time.

Truth.

You asked, I answered. And now inquiring minds know the “Rest of the Story.”

Enjoy…a day early.

The Lost City of Deltona – Another Public Embarrassment

In October 2023, during a meeting of Volusia County’s Legislative Delegation – a time when local officials genuflect before state officials and grovel for funds – Rep. Tom Leek, then the powerful House appropriations chair, issued a stern warning for the City of Daytona Beach:

“This pains me because I have such respect for you and I know that the needs of the city of Daytona are so great. But I hear tales that the city is spending some taxpayer dollars on what is thinly veiled political events.”

“I’m the one who these requests come to, so when I say that the request for state dollars must be used for legitimate purposes, I mean that.  And I would hope that the city would not be using tax dollars on thinly veiled political events, which I understand is happening now.”

Last month, when reviewing Daytona’s multimillion dollar request during the delegation’s 2025 meeting, now Senator Tom Leek reiterated his concerns to Daytona’s government relations administrator Hardy Smith. 

According to a report by The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

“Why is your city manager not here?”

Smith said he could not answer.

Leek said he was asking because he said it’s important “the public become acutely aware of what’s going on,” then asked whether the city took COVID relief funds and allotted each city commissioner $500,000 and the mayor $750,000 to spend as they saw fit within their districts.

“There was a mix of how that allocation, if you will, of those funds was done and any expenditures of those funds whether it be from the city or individual commission member initiatives were in accordance to the guidelines, rules and policies of the program,” Smith responded.

“You’re coming to us and asking for money,” Leek said. “When each of the city commissioners, the mayor has control over this pot of money that they’re not using to spend on the very things that you’re asking the state to spend money. So how is it appropriate to ask the state to in essence prop up these, for lack of a better term, slush funds?”

He also called the provision of city dollars to each commissioner to spend “a remarkably bad process.”

A tip ‘o the cap to Sen. Leek for saying the quiet part out loud.  Let’s hope someone listens.

In the same vein, Gov. Ron DeSantis recently rolled out his 2025-26 state budget under the tag “Focus on Fiscal Responsibility” (because everything in politics needs a nickname these days…) Whether or not that sentiment is more than a catchy phrase in Tallahassee remains to be seen.

In my view, Deltona Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr. should have considered Sen. Leek’s admonition to a sister city – and the Governor’s theme of fiduciary responsibility – before embarking on an ill-advised and publicly funded political junket to Washington D.C. last month. 

You read that right.

According to a report by Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal – along with several Deltona residents who reached out to let me know they are righteously pissed off – last month Mayor Avila and his wife attended events surrounding the presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C.

The problem is Mayor Avila failed to seek Commission approval before being given use of a city owned vehicle and gas reimbursement to get there…

According to receipts, the taxpayers of Deltona also covered Mayor Avila and his wife’s hotel bill at the Hyatt Place hotel for $1,687.30. 

Having spent my life in municipal government, I can attest that official travel is often necessary for local government officials.  In my experience, there are internal policies to ensure trips are made in the public interest – along with proper procedures to account for authorized expenditures.

But in the Lost City of Deltona, it’s nice to be king…    

During their stay in the nation’s capital, the Avilas attended the black tie “Florida Sunshine Ball,” the Latino Inaugural Ball, and an inaugural reception hosted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which (of course) provided the opportunity for D List politicians to rub shoulders with B List politicos, and have their picture taken doing it.   

Mayor Avila chronicled the trip on social media, including photos of the couple attending the formal soirées in tuxedo and gown.  Given the enormity of the challenges faced by Mayor Avila and the City of Deltona, the excursion rightfully angered some Deltona residents even before anyone realized they paid for the trip…   

Look, if Mayor Avila and his wife want to trip the light fantastic in Washington, more power to them – just so they go into their own pocket for the privilege – and therein lies the “appearance” problem for Hizzoner.   

Now that the party’s over, many see the trip for what it was, a taxpayer-financed vacation that served the Avilas’ needs rather than those of the longsuffering citizens of Deltona.  

More disturbing, last week, the irrepressible gadfly and resourceful Deltona taxpayer Richard Bellach made his neighbors aware on social media that Mayor Avila is currently the subject a lawsuit filed by a bill collector apparently seeking payment of credit debt in the amount of $1,452.35. 

Unfortunately, this is not the first time Mayor Avila has been dunned for a bad debt through Volusia County courts…  

In a disturbing follow up by Mark Harper in the News-Journal detailing Avila’s “troubled financial history,” we learned Avila’s past includes a 2012 bankruptcy, a misdemeanor worthless check charge, and a near-eviction in 2020.

In October 2023, the Mayor’s personal finances became an issue when he announced to local media outlets that he was struggling to find a rental home in Deltona priced within his means.  At the time, Avila said, “The mayor here of Deltona can’t afford to live in the city he’s the mayor of,” he said, “I have some interviews lined up already so I’m going to get myself another job and work multiple jobs.”

The Mayor used his situation to stress the need for more affordable housing in Deltona.

Three months later, Mayor Avila’s financial situation again raised alarms when then Deltona Vice Mayor Jody Lee Storozuk alleged the Mayor “…got a special deal on a rental home.”  In response, Avila questioned Storozuk’s motivations in the News-Journal, resulting in more bickering and bitchery from the dais.  

Ultimately, nothing came of any of it, except another ugly embarrassment for the beleaguered community…

In last Sunday’s News-Journal article headlined “Residents question Deltona mayor’s attendance at Trump inauguration on city’s dime,” former Commissioner Storozuk (who this week announced his candidacy for mayor) was quoted:

“Jody Lee Storozuk, the city’s former vice mayor who has tangled with Avila previously, said in a text message that while he was in office, until last November, commissioners were allowed one trip outside the state and three trips in the state per year for “city business.”

“If this was a trip that might turn into benefits for the city, then there would be no problem, but I do not believe that is the case,” Storozuk texted.”

Other concerned citizens rightfully questioned how the Avilas’ trip served the City of Deltona.

“Longtime resident Elbert Bryan, a registered Republican who has regularly attended City Commission meetings for about 10 years, said because the Hyatt invoice has Avila’s name and the address of City Hall on it, he believes the mayor has a city credit card. Also, Avila’s use of a city vehicle suggests he’s on the city’s insurance policy.

“If not, that’s one heck of a liability the manager is taking,” Bryan said in a message.

“Does any of that help the city or does it only help his political career? In my personal opinion I believe that the trip was nothing more than a way for him to try and be a part of the political landscape for his own agenda,” Bryan said, adding: “I believe the citizens need a full financial disclosure of this trip and an explanation of what the mayor actually thinks the benefits of the trip was other than political posturing.”

I agree.

In a weak defense this week, Mayor Avila told tall tales in the West Volusia Beacon that would have his constituents believe his trip to Washington was to single-handedly ensure a federal allocation for the City of Deltona: “We were able to secure $44 million in the House. I wanted to make sure that we have the support from Sen. [Rick] Scott to pass the Senate,” Avila told The Beacon.

“When we get the money from Cory Mills, I don’t expect any of those who attacked me to come and take photos of the check.” (Because that’s the most important part of any state/federal allocation, right?)

On Wednesday, Mayor Avila doubled down in a press release written in the third person which explained “Mayor Avila met with U.S. Senator Rick Scott and his staff regarding the crucial $44 million expenditure that passed the U.S. House last year for the benefit of the City of Deltona, in order to ensure his continued support when it arises this year in the U.S. Senate.”

Say what?

If I understand it (and I’m not sure I do), Mayor Avila is taking credit for the Water Resources Development Act of 2024, which includes $31.2 million for expanding wastewater systems in Deltona.  According to reports, the biennial and bipartisan WRDA “…will pave the way for expanding commercial development, especially along busier roads, and promise a brighter future for the city’s overall development.”

I guess Mayor Avila was unaware that the WRDA passed the U.S. Senate on December 18, 2024 – which would account for the strange looks he no doubt received when attempting to lobby Sen. Scott for a vote he had already cast…

Whatever.

To her credit, on Monday, Deltona Commissioner Dori Howington sought reimbursement of all public funds provided to Mayor Avila and his wife for their jaunt to Washington, D.C.  The move came after Howington reviewed the city’s travel policy which requires elected officials receive advance approval for out-of-state travel by majority vote of the City Commission.

Conveniently, Mayor Avila couldn’t be bothered to attend this week’s meeting of the Deltona City Commission as he had bigger fish to fry in Tallahassee – no doubt stopping speeding locomotives and bulldogging the Florida Legislature into submission – as confirmed by his travel agent, City Manager Dale “Doc” Dougherty, who explained “I believe he had a list of meetings today with senior elected officials,” Dougherty told the commission.”

What’s up, Doc?  Seriously, what the hell is going on over there?

According to reports, the City of Deltona already pays a lobbying firm $45,000 annually to influence things in Tallahassee – professionals who know what they are doing. One would think a municipality the size and complexity of Deltona would have representation in Washington as well.

(Here’s an idea!  Maybe Avila should consult with his “colleague” Volusia County Councilman David “No Show” Santiago.  Because No Show knows something about the practice of lobbying after elected service, and it appears Mayor Avila can use all the sources of income he can get…)

Regardless of his intentions, the remainder of the Deltona City Commission opted to clip Mayor Avila’s wings and took the T-Bird away. 

According to an article in the West Volusia Beacon this week, “The City Commission also voted 4-1 in favor of a motion to take away from Avila the use of a city vehicle and to restrict his use of credit cards belonging to the city. Commissioner Emma Santiago dissented (?). Commissioner Nick Lulli was also absent from the meeting.”

A motion to publicly censor Mayor Avila with a vote of “No Confidence” has been moved to a “quasi-judicial” hearing on February 17… 

Perhaps Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr. should consider whether now is the best time to undertake the demands of public service, put his political ambitions on hold, and focus his efforts on establishing a solid financial future for his family.   

In my view, public service should be about building trust with constituents – We, The Little People who pay the bills and are all too frequently silenced by the very system that exists to serve them – and most people can forgive what they see themselves doing. 

This isn’t one of them…  

Publicly funded political junkets are always hard to justify – especially in an environment where the residents of Deltona are facing serious civic and financial issues on numerous fronts – and Mayor Avila is sending the wrong message with this blatant political (and ethical) faux pas.

At best its poor optics. 

At worst, Mayor Avila was indulging his hubris – and underwriting his political aspirations – on the backs of strapped taxpayers…   

The good citizens of the Lost City of Deltona deserve better.

Commonsense Prevails in New Smyrna Beach

Last week, as proof a temporary moratorium on new construction won’t result in a tear in the space-time continuum, the New Smyrna Beach City Commission voted for a second extension of the pause on development in Venetian Bay.  

No apocalyptic plague of toe fungus.  No reversal of the geomagnetic poles.  No cataclysmic collapse of civilization. 

Just a tap of the brakes on the issuance of new building permits until the Venetian Bay Homeowners Association can address recurrent flooding issues. 

Like many areas of Volusia County, last year, Venetian Bay residents had their fill of destructive flooding and began discussing a temporary moratorium to prevent additional development that could further overwhelm the community’s stormwater system. 

The move came last year after field studies by the St. Johns River Water Management District found the stormwater system is not functioning as originally designed and permitted.

Last spring, to prevent additional strain on the system, the New Smyrna Beach City Commission rightfully approved a moratorium on new development in parts of Venetian Bay.  The initial freeze on new building was extended in June 2024 and will now be effective until June 22, 2025.

The pause can be terminated by SJRWM permit compliance or extended by additional legislative action.

Unfortunately, in January, the majority of the Volusia County Council got weak in the knees when Chairman Jeff Brower suggested a workshop to merely discuss a temporary halt on new construction at a time when Volusia is now listed as the most flood prone county in the state and seventh in the nation.

Instead, those compromised cowards in DeLand opted to kick the can down the political trail…

Rather than allow time for solutions, protect their constituents, and mitigate further damage – as the clock ticks and the bulldozers roar – our elected dullards on the Volusia County Council continue to drag their heels; considering simplistic measures that should already be in place like “Stop building on wetlands,” “Discuss retention ponds,” and “Start cleaning canals.”

Inconceivably, his baldfaced procrastination was hailed as a “huge step in the right direction” by the majority of those finger-puppets who long-ago sold their political souls to the real estate development industry…

Now, the fervent hopes and prayers of thousands of inundated residents rest in the hands of Councilman Jake Johannson and his time-wasting “resilience subcommittee” – an arm of that political insulation committee at the Volusia County Elected Officials Roundtable – whose motto should be, “If everyone is thinking in lockstep conformity, who can criticize us!”

Sadly, it has become obvious that no one who accepts public funds to serve in the public interest has a clue about how to solve the problem in our region.

In my view, these same inept administrators, pseudo “experts,” and senior staff who got us into this godforsaken mess should not be allowed to sop up more publicly funded salary and benefits while they stumble and fumble their way through “solutions” to the problems they helped create.

Quote of the Week

“Among the list of legislative proposals that the Hillsborough County Commission is asking their state lawmakers to enact this year is a request from one board member to eliminate sunshine laws for county commissioners.

Donna Cameron Cepeda, a Republican first elected in 2022, says her proposal is not about reducing transparency in local government, but instead is intended to improve the “functionality of the decision-making process for commissioners and specific boards.”

“Discussions under the current Sunshine law can hinder effective communication, particularly [for the] Commission on Human Trafficking where sensitive information needs to be handled cautiously,” Cameron Cepeda told the Phoenix in an email message.

“As a dedicated public servant, I value transparency, accountability, and the public’s trust in government operations. Florida’s Sunshine Law has been instrumental in ensuring openness and preventing corruption. However, certain circumstances call for thoughtful updates to improve efficiency and effectiveness while maintaining the integrity of the public process.”

–Mitch Perry, writing in the Florida Phoenix, “Hillsborough Commissioner wants Legislature to eliminate Sunshine law for county commissioners,” Thursday, January 30, 2025

Bullshit.

If you don’t think there is a determined effort by petty elected officials’ intent on removing the “people’s business” from public view, think again…  

Even though the efficacy of Florida’s Sunshine Law has been eroded by spotty enforcement – which has resulted in some elected scofflaws thumbing their nose at it – the protections, access, and visibility afforded by open meeting and public records statutes has served our state well.   

Increasingly, elected officials in Volusia County and elsewhere are seeking a return to the “bad old days” – when public policy, to include the allocation of our hard-earned tax dollars, was conducted behind closed doors and on midnight telephone calls – with decisions resulting from cloakroom collusions that quietly ensured all the right palms were greased with a choreographed vote…

Why is that?

In this latest attempt to end-run our ability to watch the sausage getting made, Hillsborough County Commissioner Donna Cameron Cepeda seeks to close the curtain on county government transparency across the state so her local human trafficking committee (which meets six times a year) can more “effectively communicate.”

About what? 

A check of the November 2024 meeting agenda found the most pressing issue was discussion of a mural project and membership update – not exactly the in-depth analysis of sources, methods, and actionable intelligence, directing active investigations of human trafficking, or a confidential review of investigative techniques and procedures – all of which are already exempt from Florida’s Sunshine Law…

(Maybe Hillsborough County should consider constructing a SCIF so Cameron Cepeda and her committee can discuss classified bake sale receipts in effective darkness?)

Trust me.  Taking legislative decision-making out of public view isn’t necessary to protect the integrity of human trafficking investigations, but it serves as a plausible excuse for dull tools like Donna Cameron Cepeda as she does the bidding of others who prefer to remain in the background.    

According to the Florida Phoenix, “Ben Wilcox is research director for Integrity Florida, a government watchdog group. He says that, since its inception, there have been attempts to weaken Florida sunshine laws by public officials who would like to operate more in the shadows than in the sunshine.

“More often than not, these public officials try to argue that allowing officials to discuss issues out of public scrutiny would ‘improve the functionality of the decision-making process,’” Wilcox said.

“This is code for actually saying, ‘Making deals would be easier if we didn’t have to do it at a public meeting.’”

If you believe as I do that all governmental power is vested in and derived from the will of the people, then I encourage you to stand against these incessant incursions on the concept of transparency, our right to be informed, and participate in official actions and deliberations that directly impact our lives and livelihoods. 

This one’s important.

And Another Thing!

Admittedly, I’m no David Patrick Columbia.    

I prefer faded jeans and a denim shirt over Armani, and I’m more at home on a barstool in my favorite watering hole than rubbing tuxedoed elbows at some high-society fête.

That said – and I hate to beat a dead horse (that’s not true, I relish it…) – but in an era when many non-profits are ditching the stodgy black tie evening in favor of events that more closely tie donors to the broader mission of the organization while conserving scarce funds for programmatic needs, I question the practice of First Step Shelter’s annual cocktail reception, elegant dinner, and entertainment, all held in a rented Grand Ballroom with “…a human ice sculpture, an aerialist, and a pixel poi performance!”

Whatever the hell that is…

While a formal soiree may be perfect for a state dinner or corporate gala, it may not be appropriate for a community fundraiser supporting a publicly funded “transitional housing” program whose participants are, at the very hour of the party, essentially without a permanent roof over their heads or the ability to feed themselves.  

In my view, gathering in one’s finery to feast on rubber chicken while being entertained by lavish performances and musical interludes reeks of a “let them eat cake” insensitivity to scarce funds and the unresolved issues in our region that contribute to homelessness.

While guests assemble at these “thinly veiled” political events known as “The Mayor’s Gala,” apparently in recognition of Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry’s role as titular head of the horribly challenged First Step Board of Directors, whose lack of oversight and outrageous conduct toward whistleblowers has resulted in massive lawsuits and left many potential donors leery about throwing good money after bad…   

Tomorrow evening, potential benefactors will gather at the Hilton Oceanside for a $125 per plate banquet to help underwrite this enigmatic program – currently listed as a “two star” rated charity (2023) by the online donor advocate Charity Navigator – due to “Accountability & Finance” issues. 

According to the site, the metrics “…provides an assessment of a charity’s financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.”

For a breakdown of First Step’s financial position, please review the shelter’s IRS filing for 2021 (the last year available) here: https://tinyurl.com/bdfa68fx

The site noted that First Step failed to list a “conflict of interest” policy or a “whistleblower” policy on the IRS Form 990 (2023) as an “accountability and transparency” measure in keeping with Charity Navigator’s criteria.  

In my view, it appears the First Step’s official “whistleblower” policy consists of deny, attack, reverse blame, and refuse to adequately investigate, while simultaneously destroying the personal and professional reputation of anyone who dares come forward with serious allegations of fraud, fiduciary malfeasance, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, admission policy violations, resident safety violations and allowing abusive residents to remain enrolled in the housing program…

Is there another policy I’m not aware of?

My hope is that the “Mayor’s Gala” is a rousing success, and that Victoria Fahlberg, Ph.D. and her shameless enablers on the First Step Board of Directors are able to maintain the façade just a little longer in order to gain much needed private donations to offset the increasing need for public funds.  

With luck (and private support) in time this mysterious “program” will become reasonably self-sufficient, and the long-suffering taxpayers of Daytona Beach and Volusia County might finally be off the hook…

Hey, stop laughing. Let this feeble old rube have my foolish dreams…

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