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 – Silence Implies Consent

Qui tacet consentire videtur

Acquiescence is defined as agreement or consent via silence or without objection, suggesting that when someone remains silent when they have the opportunity to protest, their silence implies concurrence.

During the public comment portion of the Volusia County Council meeting earlier this week, a bigoted and hate filled provocateur used his three minutes to utter a disgusting racial slur.   

It was gratuitous, goading, and reprehensible – in other words, it incited all the feelings of moral outrage that most feel when our most closely held principles are suddenly violated – and it was clearly orchestrated to push the limits of protected speech in a public forum.

In my view, it was a racist bully spouting hate speech while hiding behind the Constitution of the United States, adding nothing to the public discourse, and weakening the most fundamental element of a healthy and functioning democracy. 

So, why didn’t our elected officials exercise their own First Amendment right to free and unfettered speech to immediately and passionately renounce these vile comments, stand for that which is right, and reinforce that Volusia County does not condone, excuse, or ignore hateful and divisive epithets? 

That’s a question many in Volusia County are asking this week.  

In a disturbing article by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, I wasn’t shocked to learn that the speaker’s reprehensible remarks “…took Volusia County Council members by surprise.”

Sure they did…

According to the report, Chairman Jeff Brower claimed he was “distracted” and wasn’t sure what was said, “I was writing something down when that guy was speaking because I tend to ignore him,” Brower said.”

Although Brower claimed the comment was “repulsive” and “clearly not relevant to county business,” he didn’t confront the speaker at the time.  Instead, Brower told the News-Journal he “…planned to meet with the county attorney to talk about what the council can do in the future.

“At the very least, I’m going to ask people, ‘Please don’t use racial epithets,'” Brower said.”

In addition, the News-Journal reported, “Councilman Jake Johansson said he regretted not speaking up.

“I should have said something,” Johansson said.

But he said the chairman is responsible for running the meeting.

He should have stopped that immediately,” Johansson said.

Some councilmen told the News-Journal they weren’t sure if they heard what they thought they heard.

“The sum total was I really didn’t quite hear it. … I was divided in my attention,” District 1 Councilman Don Dempsey said.

District 2 Councilman Matt Reinhart said he wasn’t sure that the man said a racial slur.

“I wish I would have heard it more clearly… I would have said something. I wasn’t certain,” he said.

Reinhart said he planned to ask about the comment later in the meeting but forgot to bring it up. He said he plans to bring it up at the next council meeting.

District 3 Councilman Danny Robins didn’t respond to messages from the News-Journal.”

Bullshit.

Shameless cowards…

According to the News-Journal’s report, Florida First Amendment Foundation’s executive director Bobby Block “…told the News-Journal that while the First Amendment protects hate speech, it also protects people’s right to counter and challenge hate speech.

“Racist remarks and hateful speech are always jarring no matter where they come from,” he said. “But I’m going to respond in the way that the Supreme Court has responded on issues when it comes to hate speech, and that is the best way to deal with hate speech is to counter it with good speech.”

In my view, countering evil with good and standing for the rights and dignity of everyone isn’t just a legal best practice – it is a moral imperative – especially for those holding high office and the public trust.

In my view, when their moral courage was put to the test, our elected officials instinctively quibbled and quavered – feigning ignorance and distraction (when the video clearly shows differently) – with Councilman “Jake the Snake” Johansson (who wants to be our next state senator?) deflecting his own craven spinelessness while lecturing what Chairman Brower coulda, shoulda, woulda, done…

Sickening.  

Now, we can expect a knee-jerk reaction from Chairman Brower and the others as they run to County Attorney Michael Dyer, asking him to erase the bright yellow stain down their backs, by further limiting legitimate public input at Volusia County Council meetings using “civility ordinances” and “rules for public participation.”

Some have suggested that the council’s failure to respond to this outrage is prima facie evidence they really don’t listen to citizen comments. 

Maybe so. 

But we’re not talking about ignoring the fervent pleas of a flood victim here, and everyone sees through their distracted ignorance routine for what it is…   

In my view, our elected officials were paralyzed with fear of breaking their own arbitrary rule that requires they sit like stone-faced gargoyles during public comments – never acknowledging or interacting with their constituents who take time out of their busy lives to approach the podium and participate in their government – a chilling lockstep conformity that maintains bureaucratic secrecy with silence, providing yet another layer of political insulation, even in the face of hateful epithets…  

Rather than reacting, they flinched.

That’s frightening.  And plays right into the hands of those who seek to destroy our way of life.

Moral courage is how we react to evil in the moment – taking a stand against injustice regardless of risk or reward, without the benefit of hindsight, a prepared response from a public affairs expert, or a political scapegoat.

Sadly, now Volusia County residents know all they need to about how those we have elected to represent our interests will respond when our most precious values are under attack by the forces of evil.

“Let not anyone pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject.”

— John Stuart Mill, 1867

Halifax Area Tourism – Here We Go Again…

A sure sign that an elected official has been caught flat-footed is their mindless reaction to a random or unpredictable situation. 

A self-protective reflex, the instinctive need to “do something” – running around like Chicken Little trying to get ahead of “the narrative” – avoiding political backlash by quickly adopting a “we’re on top of it” posture before the sky falls…

A prime example emerged last week when Volusia County Councilman Matt Reinhart called on his “colleagues” to have staff research “options” for controlling large crowds on the beach after two men were shot during an “unsanctioned Beach Day event” earlier this month.

“I do not want activity like this to be welcomed (It’s not), and I do not want activity like this to hurt our tourist industry (That’s not what’s hurting our tourist industry), especially in that Daytona Beach area,” Reinhart said. “We’re trying to revitalize that (No, you’re not). These types of activities don’t revitalize it. These scare people.”

Sound familiar?  It should. 

After all, local law enforcement officials have already found workable solutions to invasion-style events.  

In 2022, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood and area police executives effectively dealt with “pop up” takeovers by supporting a law that allows the sheriff to designate a specific area where law enforcement shows zero tolerance for all violations, with fines doubled, and vehicles of offenders impounded for up to 72 hours.

Then, in April 2023, Sheriff Chitwood sent “cease-and-desist” letters to two promoters of “invasion” events citing the fact the parties put an “unreasonable strain on the already burdened law enforcement, medical, firefighter and beach safety resources of Volusia County,” and threatening to recoup costs of securing the events from organizers.

It worked.

The fact is, as long as citizens have the constitutional right to peaceably assemble and enjoy a day at the beach, all government agencies can do is plan accordingly, monitor the situation, and respond as necessary to keep the peace.

Something area law enforcement does very well. 

In my view, the Daytona Beach Police Department has proven to be one of the most effective crowd control and event management agencies in the nation.  Recognized experts in securing largescale regional events and a department that has set the gold standard for safety, courtesy, and hospitality.

Despite best efforts, sometimes things go awry – like the Bike Week melee that erupted between two rival motorcycle gangs at a New Smyrna Beach gas station where multiple gunshots wounded two and struck a passing vehicle. 

So, do we shut down Bike Week and Biketoberfest? 

Should we kill the golden goose of special events like we did Spring Break in the ‘90’s? 

Then what? 

Does the Volusia County Council, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce (or anyone else) have a viable plan for revitalizing our beachside and restoring its economic viability?  

With council members discussing “crowd-control options,” “curfews,” and “fines to incentivize better behavior (?),” some who depend upon throngs of visitors to our core tourist area are worried about what draconian “options” Volusia County has in mind.  As one beachside merchant put it in the wake of Councilman Reinhart’s “henny-penny” routine, the county is now “…trying to (use a) sledgehammer when a scalpel would suffice.  Volusia County is lost in the weeds of its own design.”

In an excellent article by Jim Abbott in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week entitled, “Daytona Beach spring break from beach blanket bingo and MTV to ‘Spring Family Beach Break’,” we received an interesting history lesson on the rise and fall of the once insanely popular annual event.  

The article quoted former News-Journal reporter Ron Hurtibise, the associate producer of the 2016 film “Spring Broke,” a documentary highlighting the evolution of spring break in Daytona Beach, who explained:

“It was an exciting time in the town, a time when many, many corporations came down to promote to the kids,” he said. “I’ve never seen any set up like that on the beach, before or since. I thought it was a good thing. It convinced me that the town was going to grow, along with Orlando and Tampa, to become a bigger city. I learned that was just an illusion.”

Read that again.

Perhaps there is a valuable lesson in Mr. Hurtibise’ unique perspective for our ossified ‘hospitality gurus’ who seem stuck on stupid when it comes to constantly “rebranding” the Halifax area while turning up their noses at events that have been traditional draws for the World’s Most Famous Beach.

Earlier this week, we learned that the Halifax Area Advertising Authority is underwriting one of our area’s premiere events, the annual National Cheerleaders Association and National Dance Alliance championships, to the tune of $135,000 in tourist tax dollars.

In addition, the HAAA has agreed to a $112,500 annual sponsorship (augmented by a lucrative assistance package) for Varsity Brands, which owns the NCA and NDA, as it “negotiates” with the cheerleading giant to keep the championships in Daytona Beach.

The Daytona Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau swung a wild-ass guesstimate of an areawide fiscal impact for the event of “$40-$60 million” for area businesses.

According to the News-Journal, a sticking point for Varsity Brands is an apparent lack of “an adequate number of hotel rooms to match the growth of the event” after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole (?).  

Those storms hit two years ago…

Something else I found interesting was the reported settlement of an $82.5 million class-action antitrust suit against Bain Capital and its cheerleading giant Varsity Brands.  According to a 2024 article in Cheer Daily, “The settlement also addresses Varsity’s “Stay Smart” policy, which required cheer teams to stay at specific hotels, allegedly allowing Varsity to receive kickbacks. Varsity agreed that at least 35% of its cheer competitions will not mandate participants to stay at Varsity-approved accommodations.”

Look, I have no idea if this “Stay Smart” policy included the annual Daytona Beach championships, but perhaps the CVB should check into that during their back-and-forth with Varsity for the 2027-2030 contract?

Regardless, why are our tourism officials always “negotiating” on the precipice of catastrophe? 

Instead of solving our decades-old civic identity crisis, they spend marketing funds on increasingly ludicrous (and expensive) slogans – like “Seize the Daytona,” “Wide. Open. Fun.,” and now “Spring Family Beach Break” – trying desperately to focus what Lori Campbell Baker, executive director of the CVB, described as “…attention on the families — however you define them — and the rich array of family-friendly activities that the destination has to offer.” 

“Rich array of family-friendly activities?” 

Wait, last week we were “Beer, Bikes, Tats, and Tits…”

So, which is it?

Whatever…

Perhaps Mr. Reinhart would better serve his constituents and make the beach a safer destination by venturing down into the moldering dead records morgue at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building and dusting off the $100,000 suggestion of the Strategic Advisory Group, the consultant who performed a 2013 comprehensive tourism study and reported the grim facts to the Volusia County Council:

“Product Deterioration: . . .Without resources – leadership and economic – the overall tourism experience in Volusia County will decline.  An overall collaborative strategy is needed.”

On the same musty shelf as the SAG report, Mr. Reinhart will find the yellowing pages of what became known as the 2017 “Grippa Report” – the wholly ignored product of the gilded “Beachside Redevelopment Committee” – the result of 10-months of wasted time and motion by Volusia County’s best and brightest, whose primary suggestion for revitalizing our tourist economy was, “Expand the opportunities to make the beach a year-round destination for all visitors.”

Remember?  I do.

Then Councilman Reinhart should use his enthusiasm for fabricating “options” to get our tourism apparatus off their ass and focused on turning around a dying destination – rather than throwing Chanel No. 5 on the hog with another pithy catch phrase – or more unwelcoming “fines to incentivize behavior…”   

That process should begin by listening to the suggestions of residents, Main Street entrepreneurs, and others who have invested in our blighted beachside, opening closed sections of the beach to driving in keeping with tradition, getting the bureaucracy out of the redevelopment process, and doing something about the suppurating scab that is our former Boardwalk.

Then hire someone who knows what they’re doing to develop a comprehensive plan for revitalizing our core tourist area – rather than running in circles rehashing solutions and diverting attention every time something goes south in a crowd…    

City of Daytona Beach – “Must Haves” and “Nice to Haves”

Trust me.  I’m not one to tell others how to spend their money. 

Just ask my long-suffering wife…   

There is a psychological difference between “spenders” and “savers” – and Patti’s penny-pinching frugality is the yin to my extravagant yang – which means I spend money like shit through a dyspeptic goose.  

As you may recall, in recent years, the City of Daytona Beach collected millions in excess permitting and licensing fees, a windfall (of sorts) that left city officials scrambling to figure out how to spend the funds within statutory guidelines.

That decision-making process may have drug out a little too long…  

There was early talk of purchasing a Beach Street building – which was later found to be riddled with dangerous asbestos – and discussions of purchasing/constructing/renovating a building to house permitting and licensing offices, a now scrapped plan to purchase a $1 million “mobile command post,” vehicle purchases, and new employee salaries.   

Now, plans are afoot to use $11 million for a 35,000 square foot expansion of Daytona Beach City Hall.

According to a report by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week, “The addition could be built on either the south or east sides of the two-story building. The idea is to construct two floors on columns that would stand over a portion of the existing parking lot to maintain the spaces for vehicles. It’s been determined the existing building can’t support another floor or two on top of it.

One of the new 17,500-square-foot floors could house the permits and licensing department, and the other floor could be used by city government employees that would be most in need of new office space when the construction was complete.”

According to the report, the project is estimated to cost $20 million, with half coming from the excess permitting fees, the remainder from general government impact fee funds. 

Unfortunately, like most of Volusia County, Daytona Beach has a problem: Stormwater management and the resultant widespread flooding.

That recurring issue came to the forefront when city officials asked the Volusia County legislative delegation for state funding to cover some $2 million for backup generators “and millions more to construct a new public works building and for unspecified projects to reduce flooding.”

According to reports, the City of Daytona Beach allowed the mayor and city commissioners to spend federal COVID relief funds “as they saw fit within their districts” – with each commissioner receiving $500,000, and the mayor $750,000.   

Yeah.  I know…

That didn’t sit well with state Senator Tom Leek of Ormond Beach either, who took Daytona Beach to task – calling the allocation by individual commissioners “a remarkably bad process” – and questioning why the city would ask for state funding to cover needed upgrades.

Now, Senator Leek is about to take the T-Bird away…

In a bill filed this legislative session, Sen. Leek seeks to ensure that excess permits and licensing fees are spent for needed storm water management upgrades – and if it becomes law – the City Hall expansion would become a moot point.

According to the News-Journal, “The bill says excess permits and licensing fee revenue, and other money collected to enforce the Florida building code, should be used for stormwater system service and repairs if there’s a need for that — and Daytona Beach has a need. The measure could also make it very difficult for Daytona Beach to get new state funding until the $11 million is spent.

If the bill becomes law, Daytona Beach would most likely have to drop the City Hall expansion idea or find another source of funding.”

Here’s hoping the Daytona Beach City Commission (like the remainder of Volusia County) focuses on the “must haves” to alleviate recurrent flooding before considering “nice to haves” at City Hall… 

Quote of the Week

“Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris has said repeatedly, including in City Council meetings, that the appointment of Charles Gambaro to the City Council in 2024 was illegal. He doubled down on that stance during a March 16, 2025, interview with Flagler County Buzz, posted March 20 on YouTube, saying that anything Gambaro does on the council is “illegitimate.”

The comment further strains the council at a time when it’s already enduring a “heavy” atmosphere, as Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri observed. It’s a consequential time because the members must soon reach a consensus not only on an appointment of a new District 3 council member, after Ray Stevens resigned due to health reasons — but also on the hiring of a new city manager.”

–Editor Brian McMillan, Palm Coast Observer, as excerpted from “Palm Coast Mayor Norris claims that any votes by City Councilman Gambaro are ‘illegitimate,’” Friday, March 21, 2025  

Last week, a savvy political observer asked the rhetorical question, “Who has a more tumultuous political climate, Deltona or Palm Coast?”

Good question…

One thing is certain, two of the largest municipalities in the Metropolitan Statistical Area are ablaze with political dysfunction – and it is now painfully obvious to everyone watching that powerful outside influences are intent on shaping those communities in their own mercenary image. 

In Palm Coast, former Mayor/Realtor David Alfin appears still firmly in control of his appointed (read: unelected) mouthpiece Charles Gambaro as development interests push to further Alfin’s westward expansion of the city – continuing to cram ten-pounds of shit into a five-pound bag – at a time when residents are facing some of the highest utilities rates in the state to pay for infrastructure upgrades just to meet current needs with more upward corrections expected in the future…

Now, Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris is under investigation by an outside law firm for being coarse with fragile senior staff after calling for a moratorium on additional development? 

Mayor Norris may well be an asshole with sharp elbows who needs a lesson on the Council/Manager form.  But the cheap coup d’état that is being orchestrated internally and externally to excise any anti-development impediments from the dais is nothing short of defying the will of Palm Coast voters and a direct insult to our democratic institutions.

And Another Thing!

“It’s such an amazing moment when the Mayor of Munchkin City makes the impromptu announcement on the public square that “the joyous news be spread” that the Wicked Witch is dead.

In Ormond Beach, he would have needed to clear that with the public information officer first.

In an alarming turn toward bullying and control, a faction of the Ormond City Commission wants to codify censorship over the mayor as he performs traditional and basic functions like touting the strength of our great community.

The criticism sprung from a ridealong puff piece the mayor did at the request of Channel 6 in Daytona Beach. His tour of Ormond beach best-kept secrets included some horrifically dangerous, controversial and incendiary language such as: “You guys are in for a real treat.” And “It’s really a lot of fun.” And “This is a great park.” And “Look how beautiful this is.” And “We’re just so happy to have something like this. And “It’s a great place to live.” Seriously?”

— Skip Foster, President of Hammerhead Communications and RedTapeFlorida.com, as excerpted from his op/ed in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Opinion: If the mayor of Ormond Beach wants to sing his city’s praises, let him,” Sunday, March 23, 2025

Please find the remainder of Mr. Foster’s essay here: https://redtapeflorida.com/

The hits just kept on coming this week for my beautiful hometown, Ormond Beach…

When Ormond Beach Deputy Mayor Lori Tolland and Commissioner Kristin Deaton sought to put recently elected Mayor Jason Leslie in his place by overzealously criticizing his appearance on a morning television show to tout the many amenities of his community, I doubt they thought past their own noses before stirring what is now a statewide embarrassment for the City of Ormond Beach.

Had Tolland and Deaton thought beyond their self-anointed status as “Keepers of the Only Truth,” I suspect they would have thought to pick their battles before attempting to publicly humiliate Mayor Leslie and place Ormond Beach at ground zero in the fight for government transparency.

In his well-thought piece published on his site Red Tape Florida this week, Mr. Foster puts Ormond Beach’s unfortunate bruhaha into perspective:

“According to Commissioner Kristin Deaton, the mayor should have cleared his tour through the city’s public information office before agreeing to the interview. When did that start? Elected officials report to THE PUBLIC, not bureaucrats. Deaton wants Ormond Beach to adopt an ordinance similar to one in Daytona Beach Shores. But that ordinance is so unserious that it doesn’t even include a section for penalties if it is violated. It also pins everything on the distinction of a commissioner speaking for him or herself as opposed to the entire commission.

So, let’s be clear on this:

Mayor Leslie, Commissioners Deaton and Tolland and anybody else on the Ormond City Beach Commission can say anything they want about any city matters to anybody they want and there is no ordinance that can, should, or will stop that. If they want to alert the public information office that’s great. If they don’t, that’s fine too.”

In my view, as an elected official and citizen of Ormond Beach, Mayor Leslie has a sacred and constitutionally protected right to voice his opinions – even viewpoints that might differ from those of his “colleagues” – without the onus of filtering his thoughts through a bureaucratic public information apparatus.

A pet peeve of mine is that 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 to merely rubberstamp it.

To enforce compliance, the compromised majority begin passing rules and ordinances to silence discussion and dissent on both sides of the dais, and that strictly enforced conformism ensures the outcome of votes when everyone starts thinking alike…or else. 

That’s all for me.  Have a great 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…

“A thing that cannot grieve

has no right to poetry

a thing that cannot die has

no claim to the mouth of life—”

–Samuel Hurley, “AI vs. the Poet” An Anthem for the Dreaming Lost

Last week I received a note from a Barker’s View reader asking if these weekly screeds are “written” using Generative AI – “Artificial Intelligence.” 

Say what?

I took a long draught on my omnipresent dry Martini, pounded the desk, and screamed, “WTF?  You think any machine could conjure this lunacy I bloviate about week-after-week-after-week?

Incensed by the very suggestion, I thought, “Are my readers under the impression I push a button, sit on my idle ass, and wait while some dispassionate algorithm dispenses this righteous bile like a soft-serve ice cream machine from hell?” 

Then I thought “It’s not their fault.”  Sign of the times…

Let’s face it, no lucid machine that plumbs the depths of human knowledge – or an infinite number of monkeys on an infinite number of typewriters – could possibly create the improbable schemes and farcical scenarios that play out in various gilded council/commission chambers and the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building each week. 

A bizarre “Théâtre de l’absurde” whose slapstick provides the fodder for these hyper-opinionated harrumphs – a surrealistic fever dream with so many marionettes, puppeteers, and supporting cast you need a program to keep up. 

Honestly, even in my most gin-addled state, I couldn’t make this shit up if I wanted to. 

Continuing storylines like Volusia County Councilman David “No Show” Santiago – who routinely misses meetings (or literally phones it in) – continuing to accept public funds while his “colleagues” on the dais of power refuse to address it.  Rather than say, “Hey, show up or step down you goldbricking schlub” they expect those who pay the bills to simply ignore the fact a potted plant would have more of a presence in the district 5 seat than David Santiago…

Or the hapless management of Tomoka State Park, who are now trotting out a fantastic story that the oaks and palm trees that were sawed into splinters to make way for an asinine paving project last week were “hurricane damaged” – hoping us rubes will believe the “damaged” trees just happen to line the roads being paved, and their removal was coincidental to the project? 

So, I just shake my head and calls ‘em like I sees ‘em…

The fact is, I write every long-winded paragraph – a cathartic exercise – served straight-up without those pithy “AI generated” summations you see in every article and essay today – a watery condensate for those pinheads who have lost the capacity to read critically – or think for themselves…  

Admittedly, I am at best a dilettante editorialist – at worst, a blowhard with internet access – a Quixotic irritator who still believes the authentic written word can provide, as Conrad assured, “…encouragement, consolation, fear, charm – all you demand; and, perhaps, also that glimpse of truth for which you have forgotten to ask.”

So, I will keep trying to explain it all.  Jotting down my jaded observations, sounding the klaxon, and tilting at windmills, both real and imagined…  

Whether or not we agree on the myriad social, civic, and economic issues of the day, I hope we remain friends, grounded in the common purpose of seeking a better tomorrow for our children and grandchildren through the vigorous competition of ideas and a universal desire for honorable, accessible, and principled governance.

Leaving things better for those who come after is a purely human trait no machine could understand…

Here’s a special thanks to the loyal members of the Barker’s View tribe.  Your civic awareness and activism continue to make a difference in our community.

The Lost City of Deltona and the Curious Case of Mayor Santiago Avila Jr.

Just when you think things couldn’t get worse in The Lost City of Deltona, another sordid exposé unfolds in the news.  More of the drama and intrigue longsuffering residents (and rapt spectators up here in the cheap seats) have come to expect.  Another glaring blackeye for the community – and a regional embarrassment for Volusia County.

And that’s just what the media reports…

I could fill this page for months with the rumors, innuendo, and speculation I receive from increasingly angry Deltona residents – taxpayers who feel alienated by their elected representatives – and taken advantage of by a feckless mayor who seems to set his own rules, then dips into public funds to defend it all.

According to a report by Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, in December 2024, Mayor Santiago-Avila Jr. was under investigation by the State Attorney’s Office following allegations of a Sunshine Law violation.   

Apparently, without any formal approval or public notification, Mayor Avila simply hired what the News-Journal described as his “political ally,” attorney Anthony Sabatini, an influential former state lawmaker, paying Sabatini’s Mount Dora law firm a $5,000 retainer from public coffers…

According to the report, “Sabatini described the state attorney complaint as “completely unfounded” and thus dismissed. “I talked to the state attorney and it went away.”

Poof… “It went away.”   

Impressive skills, eh? 

In January, for reasons many believe were purely political, Mayor Avila and his wife travelled to Washington D.C. on the city’s dime without prior authorization as required by the city’s travel policy.

Using a city owned vehicle and public funds for fuel, lodging, and whatnots, Avila and his wife apparently attended the U. S. Conference of Mayors as the “guest” of a mysterious benefactor (Avila admitted he wasn’t a registered participant), along with several black-tie soirees surrounding the Presidential inauguration.    

At the time, Mayor Avila explained he was in meetings with senators and congressmen strategizing (no doubt) on matters important to the future of Deltona.  Unfortunately, a proper summation of those high-level confabs was never provided to the remainder of the City Commission or interested residents who felt taken advantage of…   

Given the “trust issue” that continues to cast a pall over the beleaguered community, many – including several of Avila’s fellow commissioners – believe the mayor’s junket violated the city’s established travel policy for elected officials which requires advanced approval by majority vote of the City Commission. 

Because it did.

To their credit, several Deltona elected officials sought to hold Mayor Avila accountable, and last month a ‘quasi-judicial’ hearing was held to allow a vetting of the facts and the opportunity for Avila to explain himself. 

Again, Anthony Sabatini represented Avila…

During the hearing, the mayor’s counterargument was, “Who knew the city had a travel policy?” 

Only in Deltona is ignorance of the law an affirmative defense – and while Mayor Avila was found to have violated the travel policy by a 4-3 vote of the City Commission – it failed the supermajority requirement that would have allowed the commission to levy sanctions.

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

For his efforts, Mr. Sabatini was paid an additional $5,781.25 in Deltona taxpayer dollars…

According to the News-Journal, Catherine Barker (no relation), the Deltona city communications director, said “Sabatini’s $5,000 retainer went toward the quasi-judicial hearing costs, $10,781.25, with the balance reflected in the February payment.”

That came as a shock to many on both sides of the dais – flummoxed residents and commissioners who were blindsided to learn that the community was on the hook for Mayor Avila’s legal representation – especially after a simple majority vote found him guilty of violating city policy.  

In an interview with the News-Journal, Commissioner Dori Howington explained, “I have heard that our city attorneys justified providing the mayor with legal counsel by suggesting he could potentially lose something in the hearing,” Howington wrote. “However, it is my recollection they disregarded both an attorney general opinion and ethics statutes that supersede local ordinances and the city charter – clearly stating that the mayor could not vote if he had something to lose.”

“Yet at the hearing, their rationale shifted, claiming he could vote because he would not lose anything,” Howington wrote. “If that were the case, how then was he entitled to both legal representation at city expense and allowed to vote in the quasi-judicial hearing?

“Either he stood to lose something or he didn’t,” she said. “It can’t be both ways.”

I’m certainly not an attorney, but a long-held tenet of Florida law requires that public funds be spent for a public purpose.  In this case, the Commission found Mayor Avila violated city policy but was unable to issue sanctions due to the mayor’s vote to block a supermajority.

In my view, that’s hardly an undisputed exoneration…   

By that metric, Mayor Avila – or his facilitator, City Manager Dale “Doc” Dougherty – had an ethical and fiduciary obligation to seek authorization from the City Commission before spending nearly $11,000 in public funds to cover Avila’s legal bill.     

Sadly, in The Lost City of Deltona, influential elected officials with unfettered access to the public purse can have it both ways – while increasingly outraged residents are left holding the bag…  

Mike Poniatowski – Encouraging News in the Volusia County Council At-Large Race

I don’t endorse political candidates in this space.  Not my style. 

Besides, it would be presumptuous of me (or anyone else) to tell you who to vote for.  At best, the fetid slit trench that passes for Volusia County politics is very often a guessing game where imposters present themselves as something they are not, and my guess is no better or worse than yours. 

If you are reading Barker’s View, I naturally count you as an engaged and informed voter – someone interested in current events and the machinations of those who influence public policy on this sandy spit of land we call home (or you’re a sitting elected official waiting to see if I gored your sacred ox this week…)

In my view, there was some great news out of DeLand this week when Mike Poniatowski, a veteran Volusia County first responder, law enforcement officer, paramedic, and experienced emergency management professional – officially entered the Volusia County Council At-Large race. 

In a social media post, Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower described Mike as “…a friend, flood victim, first responder, and longtime resident that will help change Volusia politics!”

I agree.

If we are to reverse the power dynamic in Volusia County and disgorge the stagnation and constipation of the Robins, Johansson, Santiago bloc on the County Council – a lockstep clique that slavishly serves the wants of their influential political benefactors over the needs of residents – that important process begins by encouraging honorable people to run for office, then supporting their candidacy both financially and at the ballot box.

In my view, Mike Poniatowski is a proven servant-leader who has the interests of all Volusia County residents at heart.

As things stand right now (and they are bound to change), Mr. Poniatowski will face Daytona Beach Shores Mayor Nancy Miller in next year’s general election.  

The At-Large seat is currently held by Councilman Jake Johansson, who has announced plans to run for District 8 in the Florida Senate.  Former House member Elizabeth Fetterhoff of DeLand has also announced her candidacy.

Mercifully, current District 8 Senator “Terrible Tommy” Wright is prohibited from running again due to term limits. 

In my view, Mike Poniatowski’s candidacy represents a breath of fresh air for beleaguered Volusia County residents, and a crucial step forward in reclaiming the Volusia County Council from the grip of influential special interests with a chip in the game…   

For more information see: https://mike4volusia.com/

Home Rule – A Doomed Concept in the Free State of Florida?  

“Now, through two proposed legislative bills, SB 1118 and HB 1209, there is an unprecedented effort to consolidate control over Florida’s agricultural and rural lands in the hands of those same few in power in Tallahassee who do the bidding of the wealthiest of in-state, out-of-state, and even international huge corporate developers.

The proposed laws are designed to silence the voices of Florida citizens and local governments on matters of critical importance to those of us who live in areas which until recently were comprised in substantial part of agricultural and open space rural lands.

We chose to live here in great part because of the absence of high density development and preservation of our open spaces and conservation lands. We gave up the convenience of having huge shopping malls and big box stores and parking lots, instead opting for supporting local merchants and keeping our streets and highways free of the inevitable traffic gridlock we see all around us in ever-growing and uncontrolled so-called “smart growth” developments.

As reported by the civic organization 1000 Friends of Florida, the proposed legislation, which is quickly wending its way through both houses in Tallahassee, will override local planning authority by requiring local governments to automatically approve development in areas considered “agricultural enclaves” and so-called “infill residential development.” Infill residential projects can be up to 100 acres and agricultural enclaves could be thousands of acres in size.”

–Irwin Connelly, Flagler County, as excerpted from his essay in FlaglerLive!, “Florida Lawmakers Are About to Roll Back Rural Protections in Favor of Developers. Don’t Let Them.,” Sunday, March 16, 2025

According to the Florida League of Cities, “The most precious powers a city in Florida has are its Home Rule powers. The ability to establish its form of government through its charter, and to then enact ordinances, codes, plans and resolutions without prior state approval is a tremendous authority.”

Add SB 1118 and HB 1209 to more than fifty other bills seeking to preempt local government authority that are currently working their way through the legislature… 

It seems each legislative session brings more limitations on a local government’s ability to control the direction and character of their communities – forbidding them to pass legislation that preserves water quality (while refusing to tap the brakes on development), dictating local comprehensive plans, pre-empting local government rules on zoning, density, and building heights; ensuring concessions for commercial and industrial development or face the threat of gargantuan “affordable housing” complexes sprouting in inappropriate locations, etc., etc. 

Most would agree that the right to self-determination – the ability of counties and incorporated municipalities to govern themselves – free of outside interference from the state in the pursuit of their unique economic, social, and civic development, is critical to our representative form of governance where power is ultimately derived from, We, The Little People.

You want rural boundaries and protections for what remains of agricultural areas where people can live a pastoral life outside the bone crushing overdevelopment oozing across the width and breadth of Florida? 

Tough shit.  

Here, local governments have been subjected to a continuing series of dictatorial edicts handed down from Tallahassee that ensure influential real estate developers are given everything they want – when and where they want it…    

Now, Floridians are bracing for more of the same this legislative session.

According to a report by Jennifer Hunt Murty writing in the Ocala Gazette last week:

“In response to what some call an “attack” on home rule, local bipartisan opposition has formed against Senate Bill 1118 filed by State Sen. Stan McClain, R-Marion, and its identical House Bill 1209 filed by Rep. Kevin Steele, R-Pasco. The bills would wrest local control of development from cities and counties across the state and open up hundreds of thousands of agricultural acres to developers without review from local governments. If passed, the new laws would supersede any local overlay zones of protection, including Marion County’s revered Farmland Preservation Area.”

Recently, the Marion County Republican Executive Committee issued a bold statement opposing the proposed preemptions and championing local government as most responsive to the needs of the people:

“It is not clear what constituency is served by these overt draft policies to negate Comprehensive Plans and community input at the County level. Marion County is undergoing explosive growth and is now showing the “growing pains” of increased traffic/school overcrowding with projections of + $1B in future infrastructure costs and +$1B in school capital/maintenance expenditures.”

Sound familiar?

In my view, Floridian’s who are experiencing the dramatic effects of overdevelopment on their quality of life know exactly which “constituency” is served by these overreaching diktats that increase the pace of growth by gutting home rule oversight:  Those in the real estate development industry who have purchased the political souls of Florida legislators.    

If this doesn’t send a shiver through those living in what remain of “rural” areas in Volusia and Flagler Counties, it should…

Quote of the Week

“(Palm Coast) Mayor Mike Norris proposed a moratorium on residential home construction, at the March 18 City Council meeting. “The infrastructure is not in place to support residential growth at this time,” he said.

But no one on the City Council was willing to second his motion, so the motion died, and there will be no moratorium.

The action took place as Norris is also taking heat for potentially violating the City Charter by directing and intimidating staff. He received an outpouring of support from members of the audience at the March 18, both for his attempts to “clean up” City Hall, as well as support for his proposed moratorium.”

–Editor Brian McMillan, writing in the Palm Coast Observer, “Moratorium proposal fails, but residents show support for Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris,” Tuesday, March 18, 2025

In front of a raucous crowd at Palm Coast City Hall on Tuesday, the remaining members of the Palm Coast City Council caved to the influential forces of the development industry and refused to advance Mayor Mike Norris’ call for a moratorium on new building in the face of increasing utility bills for existing residents to pay for massive infrastructure upgrades just to keep pace with current demands.

The handwriting was on the wall when those representing home builders began telling scary stories about a moratorium having “devastating consequences for our local economy,” while still selling the baldfaced lie that “growth pays for itself…” 

Trying desperately to convince suffocating residents “why growth is actually good for our city and for you.”

According to a report in FlaglerLive! Tuesday afternoon, in an ominous show of force, the development community, “Mobilized like an army by the Flagler County Home Builders Association, the dump truck and trailers and semi cabs and pick-ups lined City Place and spilled onto Lake Avenue by City Hall this morning, their crews clustered in groups against the morning chill, a large “SAVE OUR CITY” banner stretched across the flank of a truck, with a red circle-backlash symbol painted over the head of Mayor Mike Norris.”

Who, in good conscience, could demand more, more, more knowing that current demands far exceed the capacity, funding, and capabilities of the city’s utilities infrastructure? 

How is that ethical, responsible, necessary, or sustainable?

Save our city? 

Said the bloated parasite to its nearly exsanguinated host…

And Another Thing!

“Is politics nothing other than the art of deliberately lying?”

–Voltaire

A now familiar experience here on Florida’s “Fun Coast” is sitting through two cycles of a traffic light at (insert any intersection in Volusia County here) – that claustrophobic feeling in the pit of your stomach – a sickening sense of having been duped by elected and appointed development shills who lectured us on our “responsibility” to allow homes for future residents.

Remember?

We were told of our moral obligation to ignore the destruction of our wild places, accept insane density concessions, and learn to live with the traffic congestion that is a natural result of insatiable greed marketed as a developer’s sense of “progress,” because “…if you’re not growing, you’re dying,” with assurance the malignant sprawl will inevitably pay for itself.      

Bullshit.

For years, we put our true faith and allegiance in those who held themselves out for high office – and accepted the dubious recommendations of the “professionals” they appointed to highly compensated senior staff positions.    

We were told these “experts” in planning, growth, and resource management would undertake the complicated process of ensuring concurrency and protecting our environment, only to find those we elected to represent our interests in were in the pockets of those same developers all along – accepting massive campaign contributions each election cycle to fund their political aspirations.

Then kowtowing to the subliminal loyalty that came with the cash…

When it was too late, we discovered those planning and growth management doyens were little more than malleable mouthpieces, cheap facilitators with a rubber stamp “recommendation,” willing to kick the can down the dusty political trail anytime someone suggested low-impact development initiatives or, God forbid, the possibility of a temporary moratorium to allow infrastructure to catch up with growth.  

Now, the evidence of their handiwork is everywhere you look.

From the row upon row of sticks-and-glue apartments to the fill-and-build zero lot line cracker boxes “starting in the $300’s” that blanket water recharge areas, wetlands, and routinely flood their neighbors existing homes while those who got us into this mess conduct more, more, more timewasting studies… 

If you think it’s bad in Volusia County (and you have the guts) – I dare you to peel that rotten onion and determine who serves who inside the Hallowed Halls of state government in Tallahassee – the biggest whorehouse in the world… 

Now, nothing is off-limits.

Last year, many were shocked to learn of a plan, apparently orchestrated by outside development interests and ramrodded by the Florida Department of Environmental Destruction, sickeningly called “The Great Outdoors Initiative,” a mysterious collusion that would have allowed developers carte blanche to build hotels, lodges, and 18-hole golf courses in Florida State Parks.   

Areas we were told were sacrosanct – like Ormond’s Scenic Loop and Trail – have now fallen victim to massive subdivisions that have replaced once pristine natural forests, shedding a near constant stream of water over the canopied Old Dixie Highway, the houses now clearly visible through a thin veneer of trees we were told would serve as an environmental buffer…

This week, Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris is being beaten into submission by forces inside City Hall – and their influential puppeteers in the local development industry – for having the temerity to suggest a moratorium on new construction until officials can determine how to fund the crippling debt required to upgrade overburdened utilities.

As the news from Palm Coast, Tallahassee, and beyond this week proves – the greed-hogs are fully in charge – they have seized the high ground, and their mercenary priorities are different than ours.

And the stench of obscene and deliberate lies wafts heavy over Florida’s “Fun Coast.”

That’s all for me.  Have a great 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…

Tomoka State Park – Adding Insult to Injury

Like many of you, I find it infinitely frustrating – and perversely fascinating – to watch the decision-making process play out among government agencies.  A practice completely devoid of accountability or common sense, where highly compensated senior bureaucrats find problems to fit expensive solutions, then spend our hard-earned tax dollars on things that have no relationship to our actual needs.  

Sound familiar?

Earlier this week, I received a disturbing note from the avid environmentalist and founder of Dream Green Volusia, Suzanne Scheiber, who reported that an ill-conceived project to pave roads inside Tomoka State Park along the Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail is now underway – a gross insult to a place of great historical and archeological significance – something that now involves the destruction of historic oaks that have majestically graced the landscape and delighted visitors for more than 80-years. 

The sad fact is nobody wanted this…

For years, volunteers have been doing their best to meet ongoing needs and expenses at the park, including repairing pavilions, benches, and picnic tables; even replacing the transmission on the park ranger’s truck.  Repair and replacement expenses the state should have allocated have been augmented from the pockets of unpaid (and largely unappreciated) helpers and environmentalists.

So why isn’t anyone who accepts public funds to serve in the public interest listening to them when it comes to actual needs in the park?

Last year, residents and park volunteers learned that the Florida Department of Environmental Destruction (the same dullards who brought us the disastrous “Great Outdoors Initiative” to develop hotels, cabins, and 18-hole golf courses in state parks…) was finalizing plans to pave 1.5 miles of roads inside Tomoka State Park at a cost of $1.5 million.

In an article in the Ormond Beach Observer last September, we learned that the paving project is part of a “Unit Management Plan for Tomoka State Park” – a plan based on a FDEP led “public workshop” and “advisory group” meeting. 

Those meetings took place in 2012…

According to the Observer’s 2024 report, “The Tomoka Basin State Park Unit Management Plan was due to be updated in 2022. This was not completed.”

Regardless, nowhere in the now outdated “plan” does it call for the removal of trees to facilitate road paving – a project with the potential to disturb an important site on the National Register of Historic Places – a significant change to the character of the park many believe will spoil the natural experience one seeks when visiting.

But when did it matter what We, The Little People want in Tallahassee?  

Unfortunately, the damage is done.

Earlier this week, a contractor removed several oaks and palms to prepare the once quaint dirt trails for asphalt – an important habitat now forever changed – with old growth hardwoods now reduced to sawdust and stumps.

Bullshit.

I don’t care what the “official” narrative will be in the aftermath of this nonsensical destruction, but what happened to those historic trees and wildlife habitat was wrong.

In my view, the Florida Department of Environmental Destruction once again failed in their tax funded mission to protect and preserve our natural places – especially state park lands.  Instead, we are forced to stand in silent witness while stately oaks are split into splinters to make way for a detached and ossified bureaucracy’s notion of progress…   

First Step Shelter – A Time for Change

One of the things I enjoy most about this blog is the broader discussion of the issues it fosters in the community. 

That includes the good, bad, and ugly messages I receive from thoughtful readers who take me to task, set me straight with their own opinions on a topic, and a few that actually agree with my jaded views on the collective issues we face. 

This week, several engaged citizens shared their thoughts on the First Step Shelter – to include the pros and cons of its executive director Victoria Fahlberg – and the continuing marginalization of those who seek answers from a board of directors with the fiduciary responsibility to steward public funds.

One thing is certain, the topic stirs deep emotions on all sides of the debate – from those who support Director Fahlberg – to others who seek a different direction for this essential social service.

While I appreciate the different perspectives, count me in the “It’s time for change” camp… 

Here on Florida’s “Fun Coast” the idea of transitioning our sizeable homeless population to safe and sustainable housing should be something residents can rally around. An outreach we can universally celebrate, something with positive civic, economic, and social benefits across our mosaic of communities in Volusia County.   

Instead, that enigmatic transitional housing program known as First Step “Shelter” has become a lightning rod of controversy.  A serial melodrama full of suspicion, intrigue, and perceived coverups that now pits concerned taxpayers against those charged with stewarding our public funds and ensuring oversight of something that has never been adequately explained.

Unfortunately, the First Step Shelter was born of controversy and there it remains – considered something unavoidable – no closer to standing on its own than it was when the City of Daytona Beach and Volusia County made massive funding commitments to standup the program.

Then, things took an ominous turn last year when three whistleblowers came forward with allegations of fraud, fiduciary malfeasance, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, admission policy violations, and resident safety violations. 

For reasons never fully explored, the First Step board made certain that a formal inquiry into the accusations never went beyond a few cursory interviews.  Then, certain directors acting in their official capacity set about publicly destroying the personal and professional reputations of those who came forward, something that is now the subject of two active lawsuits naming both First Step and the City of Daytona Beach. 

Add to that the board’s persecution of any taxpayer who dares question their motivations – or the leadership and direction of the shelter – and you begin to understand why many in the community have growing concerns about the effectiveness of the program, the veracity of numbers coming out of First Step, and how our tax dollars are being spent.

For instance, this week the First Step website, which has numbers flipping like a weird slot machine, shows a consistent 1,540 “people sheltered” and 741 “people housed.” 

Then, in a social media post last week, Mr. Panaggio announced, “Since December 2019, your First Step Shelter has housed 1,779 people,” and “Nearly 50% of those sheltered (873 people) have successfully transitioned into housing.”

So, which is correct? 

Is a ballpark figure of +/- 132 souls close enough for government supported work?  

While we’re on the subject, what happened to those who weren’t “successfully transitioned to housing”? 

And where were those who received housing actually placed – and at what cost?

Regrettably, anyone who asks pointed questions is repeatedly gaslighted by Mr. Panaggio – accused of making assumptions, having a “warped perspective and destructive agenda,” a “vendetta” (against a homeless shelter?), “harming the cause,” even accusing The Daytona Beach News-Journal of printing untruths, all because we seek answers to mounting questions about Director Fahlberg’s management and oversight. 

Arrogant insinuations, counteraccusations, and deflection in emails and on social media while the board adamantly refuses to commission an independent investigation into the serious allegations that continue to erode the public trust in First Step Shelter.

Why is that?

As I mentioned last week, rather than move beyond the distraction and drama, the First Step board is now considering a three-year contract affording additional benefits and protections for Victoria Fahlberg – including a 20-week lump sum golden parachute – and indemnification against virtually any legal claim arising from acts or omissions in the performance of her duties.

That direct threat to publicly and privately donated funds may have been a step too far for those elected officials with the ultimate financial (and political) liability for the continuing controversies at First Step.

Last week, Daytona Beach City Commissioner Monica Paris said what many are thinking when she suggested it is time for City Attorney Ben Gross to pull back from his dual (and clearly conflicting) role as contracted legal counsel for the First Step board of directors.

Commissioner Ken Strickland echoed Ms. Paris’ concerns.

It appeared that both Paris and Strickland are justifiably concerned about Gross’ potential conflict of interest given that the whistleblower’s lawsuits name both First Step and the City of Daytona Beach…

For reasons I don’t completely understand, Director Fahlberg has some influential supporters in the community who seem willing to overlook the mounting questions at First Step, and ignore the concept of accountability, to keep her ensconced in a role commanding $133,000 annually.

In my view, that needs to change. 

In my view, it is time for board president Mayor Derrick Henry and the Daytona Beach City Commission to begin the hard discussion of reorganizing the First Step board of directors, an unelected, uncontrolled, and unaccountable group that continues to alienate concerned citizens, publicly embarrass the community on social media, and put the needs of its controversial executive director over their fiduciary responsibility to Volusia County taxpayers. 

Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris – A Cautionary Tale in the Making  

“Calling the current state of construction in the city a “Ponzi scheme for more development,” Palm Coast mayor Mike Norris said he will not support a utility rate increase — unless a moratorium on development is put in place.

“When I propose it, I’m going to say to a date uncertain,” Norris said during a special workshop on Friday, March 7. “Now, I know I’m going to get pushback because, ‘We can’t stop building, we can’t stop building.’ Well, if we don’t stop building, we’re going to be broke and we’re going to force lifetime residents of Florida and Flagler County to flee their homes because they cannot afford to live in the state anymore, plain and simple.”

Palm Coast is at an inflection point, he said. The city is over $155 million in debt from the original purchase of the wastewater and water treatment facilities, which require $701 million in upgrades and maintenance through 2029 to be able to serve its current population.

–Associate Editor Jarleene Almenas, writing in the Palm Coast Observer, “’We’re going to be broke’: Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris to propose moratorium as development puts pressure on city infrastructure,” Friday, March 7, 2025

Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris got a quick lesson in what happens when you attempt to upset the status quo and take emergency measures in the face of the largest utilities rate hike in the city’s history, as officials seek to finance a shocking $615 million capital improvement plan to upgrade utilities, just to keep pace with current needs.  

Within minutes of Mayor Norris saying the “M” word aloud last week, developer shills began circling the wagons, telling flashlight-under-the-chin scary stories about the apocalyptic ramifications of even suggesting a building moratorium in the face of hundreds-of-millions in utilities infrastructure shortfalls. 

(Sound familiar, Volusia County?)   

According to a report in FlaglerLive!: 

“Annamaria Long, executive officer of the Flagler County Home Builders Association, had no idea of this morning’s development until she started getting texts alerting her. “It’s not only the worst outcome for my industry, it’s the worst outcome for every citizen in Palm Coast, for every resident,” Long said of a moratorium. She said the utility rate study that preceded the proposal the city voted on Tuesday is predicated on coming impact fees and growth, which means new housing. “That’s about one-third of the formula,” Long said. Removing it from the equation will increase utility bills “exponentially.”

Then, Ms. Long turned the tables on Mayor Norris, who rightfully claimed “developers have been taking advantage of this city far too long.”

According to Ms. Long, “If you ask the developers, I believe the developers would say they’re regularly taken advantage of by the city in terms of regulatory fees, timelines that drag out their process, extensive review fees” forcing them to pay thousands of dollars for each plan review.”

During the meeting, beleaguered existing residents also learned that there are currently 19,000 housing units that have been permitted but not yet built in Palm Coast… 

You read that right.

Developers, who have hauled untold millions out of sensitive pine scrub, churning our natural places into a denuded black muck, scarring the land, paving over recharge areas, and forever changing both the topography and character of existing communities, feel “taken advantage of” because their projects required a modicum of review before being rubber stamped? 

Really?

According to the report, Mayor Norris’ proposal to pause approvals for new residential development in the face of needed utilities upgrades “…drew sharp resistance from Council members Charles Gambaro and Ty Miller…”

Just four days later, things got interesting for Mayor Mike Norris when the appointed ‘developer’s darling’ Councilman Gambaro turned the tables…   

According to a report in the Palm Coast Observer this week, late Tuesday evening “The Palm Coast City Council agreed to begin an investigation into the actions of Mayor Mike Norris, after he was accused of attempting to fire Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston and Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo behind closed doors — a violation of city charter.

Councilman Charles Gambaro reported the accusation during his closing comments of the March 11 City Council meeting.

I have a concern that was brought forward to me yesterday,” he said via phone, as he was absent physically from the workshop. “It has to do with your request for the resignation of our staff. I think it could be a major, major ethics violation.

“And it’s my understanding,” Gambaro continued, “that it’s not the first time that you’ve tried to directly intimidate, or tried to force the city manger, to fire not only the chief of staff but other members of our senior staff.”

Under examination by Gambaro playing the role of Perry Mason, Johnston confirmed from the dais that Norris had asked for the resignations of senior staff with one word: “Yes.”

(Cue the “Law and Order” theme – “Da-Dum!”)   

According to reports, when Mayor Norris was finally given the opportunity to defend himself:

“Norris said: “There’s three people that were in that room that we had our conversation yesterday, and — how can I put this — I said I was going to discuss with the council, you know, about this. And it’s a little bit of frustration, but we are under a lot of pressure, here. Me and Lauren, we had a good conversation today. … But I certainly didn’t do what’s being said.”

Now what remains of the Palm Coast City Commission will cross the Rubicon and hire an outside law firm to “investigate” what Mayor Norris may or may not have meant when he expressed his growing frustration to senior staff.  Another timewasting distraction in the face of withering debt heaped on the backs of existing residents to pay for more, more, more growth and a Florida Department of Environmental Destruction consent decree mandating improvements to the city’s overwhelmed wastewater system no later than 2028. 

In addition, this latest bureaucratic bruhaha comes when the City of Palm Coast is trying to recruit a new city manager.  Considering the often-tumultuous elected body has seen seven resignations, four mayors, 22 councilmembers, and four managers or interims in the last decade or so – I suspect any candidate worth their salt will likely give Palm Coast a wide berth…

As Palm Coast goes, so go other areas in Volusia and Flagler Counties that continue to see massive overdevelopment and the resultant infrastructure shortfalls that naturally result, and this one bears watching.

In my view, Mayor Norris is about to experience what happens when an elected official suggests pausing malignant growth until infrastructure requirements can catch up to current needs – a concept that makes those who stand to benefit extremely nervous…     

Quote of the Week

“Today I come before you with a heavy heart and an overwhelming sense of responsibility. As you may be aware, I was recently arrested for driving under the influence.

I want to begin by expressing my sincerest apologies for my actions and for the consequences they have brought upon myself and those around me. First and foremost, I owe an apology to the Port Orange Police Department.

I understand that by putting myself in this situation, I not only broke the law, but I also showed a lack of respect for the very people who work tirelessly to keep our community safe. I am deeply sorry for any disrespect that transpired during this incident. You deserve better from me, and I take full responsibility for my actions.

–Port Orange Councilman Lance Green, as excerpted from his formal apology before his constituents and colleagues at the Port Orange City Council meeting, Tuesday, March 4, 2025

“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good…”

–John Steinbeck, East of Eden

Last year, I took newly elected Port Orange City Councilman Lance Green to the woodshed following his well-publicized arrest on charges of driving under the influence after quibbling with investigating officers following a minor traffic accident. 

It wasn’t because I like wallowing in the salacious mud or kicking powerful politicians when they’re down.

Trust me, I’m no better or worse than Mr. Green.

After 64 years of hard living, I realize that none of us are perfect – but as an elected official holding a position of solemn public trust – I thought Councilman Green’s neighbors deserved better…   

Now, the charges have been resolved according to law, and Councilman Green has made amends by courageously admitting his mistake – formally apologizing to the Port Orange Police Department, his family, colleagues, and constituents – accepting personal responsibility for his error in judgement in front of friends, family, fellow elected officials, and political rivals:

“…to the great citizens of Port Orange, I want to express my deepest apologies. I never intended to bring this negativity to the city I have called home for over sixty years. This community means everything to me, and I understand that my actions have cast a shadow on our shared values and pride.

I am truly sorry for any embarrassment or concern I have caused. I am only human, and I made a careless mistake that has cost me dearly in many ways. I want to assure you that moving forward, I am dedicated to becoming a better man. A better person. A better husband, father, and grandfather.

I am committed to learning from this experience and using it as a catalyst for positive change in my life. I promise you all that I will take proactive steps to ensure this never happens again. I have and will continue seeking help and engage in programs that promote responsible behavior. I owe it to myself, to my family, and to this wonderful community.”

Well said, Councilman Green. 

One man’s difficult recognition of his human faults, and an important reminder to all of the positive power of forgiveness.   

In my view, that makes Lance Green’s leadership by example deserving of our collective understanding and respect.  

Now, go do good things, sir.  

And Another Thing!

After individually approving unchecked sprawl from Deering Park to the Flagler County line, the Volusia County Knights of the Round Table – a weird political insulation committee comprised of city and county elected and appointed officials – met this week to brood over the obvious, show faux concern for waterlogged residents, and discuss “mitigation efforts” for the development-induced flooding that many believe is a direct result of their numerous zoning amendments and the malignant growth that followed.

Feel better? 

Me neither…

Apparently content to sit through more inane babbling from those who got us into this mess in the first place, fifty members of the Knights of the Round Table sat attentively as Volusia County Engineer Tadd Kasbeer blamed regional flooding on everything from storm intensity and high water tables to soil conditions – anything but the overdevelopment everyone knows is responsible – while Volusia County Public Works Director Benjamin Bartlett backed him up with pithy comments like, “We know storm water knows no municipal boundary.”   

At the end of the day, it all came down to another colossal waste of time, just as Volusia County officials intended.     

According to a disturbing article by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “There were no grand declarations or new developments announced at the meeting. There are 30 flooding studies underway among the local governments, four being led by the county and the remaining 26 going on in the cities.

The studies, including one the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting for Daytona Beach, will take time, so solutions will not be immediate.”

More expensive “studies” that will take months to complete before collecting dust in some dead records morgue in the bowels of the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building…

Frankly, had the fifty elected and appointed officials in attendance simply got off their numb asses and dug a drainage swale in Edgewater, they would have accomplished more toward mitigating flooding than sitting still for more of Volusia County’s “strategic procrastination.”

To add macabre insult, Bartlett went as far as to blame the limited environmental protections that remain on the books for delays, noting “…that once projects are in motion they take time to get through the necessary engineering work, permitting, bidding processes and efforts to determine if bald eagles or gopher tortoises are impacted.”

So, instead of demanding that developers take immediate steps to incorporate low-impact strategies in future fill-and-build projects – or consider the possibility of a temporary moratorium on more growth until solutions to flooding and infrastructure issues can be implemented – our elected dullards, upon recommendation of Volusia’s Growth and Resource Mismanagement shills – are implementing something called a “voluntary ordinance” which provides incentives (including density increases?) for builders who opt to do the right thing…  

According to the News-Journal’s report, “Incentives offered to developers could be flexible lot sizes, flexible building setbacks, additional density, increased floor area ratio, increased maximum building height, off-street parking flexibility, reduction in tree placement requirements, and reduced building permit and land development fees.”

What good does it do to make low-impact development techniques optional, especially if the “incentives” could have the cumulative effect of increasing flood risks?

I’m asking.

Because none of this make sense to anxious residents counting the days before it rains…   

Perhaps that’s the plan of influential developers and their chattel on the dais of power in Volusia County who could give two-shits if your house and mine flood – rather than enact commonsense measures to require low-impact best practices for all future growth.  

That’s all for me.  Have a great 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…

Florida Senator “Terrible Tommy” Wright

Florida’s Legislative Session began this week (gird your loins…) and we recently learned details of what our own Sen. “Terrible Tommy” Wright has in store for gridlocked Floridians this year: 

Permitting the use of “Utility Terrain Vehicles” (UTVs) on already congested public roadways…

Ignoring the recommendations of manufacturers, industry advocates, emergency physicians, and safety professionals – and in spite of mounting deaths both locally and across the nation – Sen. Wright wants to allow retrofitted and registered buggies on city and county streets, even some state roadways that have speed limits of less than 55 mph, and he’s filed a bill to make it happen.  

According to a recent report by Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “A Florida Legislature bill would allow owners of UTVs to drive them on public roads, a practice safety experts and even the manufacturers themselves say is unsafe.

Sen. Tom Wright, R-New Smyrna Beach, the bill’s sponsor, represents a district that covers much of Volusia County and the northern part of Brevard County, both of which have off-road areas where UTVs — also called utility terrain vehicles or side-by-sides — are becoming more common.

Wright’s district was also the site of a one-vehicle rollover crash less than two months ago, when a 14-year-old UTV passenger was killed. A Yamaha Rhino 660 carrying four girls, all aged 13 or 14, left the roadway near a bend on Rasley Road, a paved, two-lane, country road near New Smyrna Beach, and rolled, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report that redacted the girl’s name. The driver and one passenger were uninjured, while a third passenger suffered minor injuries.

Wright’s Senate Bill 88, has a companion, House Bill 221, filed by Rep. Richard Gentry, R-Astor.”

An analysis conducted by the legislature in 2024 found that 20 states around the nation currently allow UTVs on roadways with certain modifications.  Some Florida residents have skirted the law by registering their carts in states that allow it and bringing them home with a license plate.

According to industry experts, even with additional add-ons to make the machines technically “street legal,” the practice is inherently unsafe as UTVs are not designed to be operated on improved roadways.

Simply put, the vehicles are specifically built for off-highway use, and the handling characteristics aren’t conducive to paved roads, putting operators and passengers at increased danger of loss of control accidents.

The News-Journal report explained that a lobbyist for the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association spoke against a similar bill Wright filed last year, which included input from the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, a nonprofit safety group.

Even UTV manufactures – those who earn their bread and butter designing, building, and selling these off-road vehicles – have opposed Wright’s bill on the grounds UTVs aren’t properly crash-tested like passenger vehicles, the tire pressures are inappropriate for travel on asphalt, along with concerns about “…a mixed message to the public: Despite warning labels and placards, plus dealer instruction at the time of sale that these vehicles are not intended for street use, legalizing their use on roadways suggests otherwise.”

Florida already permits modified golf carts on streets with a posted limit of 30 or less, so you already know the frustration of sharing the road with them – usually operated by a child far too young to be a licensed driver – trundling along with at least five additional unbelted souls onboard… 

So, why is “Terrible Tommy” intent on wasting valuable legislative time to put these things on traffic-clogged Florida roadways? 

Hell if I know…

And I’m not sure Sen. Wright knows, either. 

According to the News-Journal, “Wright, who did not return messages seeking comment, has compared UTVs to “mini-trucks.”

That’s not surprising. 

In my view, the arrogant Sen. Wright answers to no one – and he damn sure does not see the need to communicate the intent of his proposed law to those most affected – just as he has never explained his past boorish, bullying, and downright creepy behavior to anyone…

You can read all about that ugliness here: https://tinyurl.com/4v4bxub8 and here: https://tinyurl.com/cv736sr3

Whatever.

Look, I realize most hardworking Volusia County taxpayers are too busy eking out a living, educating their children in the abject shitshow that passes for public education, and sitting at their dining room table self-engineering flood control measures to protect their homes, to worry about Sen. Wright’s foolishness in Tallahassee.   

That said, perhaps the question is:  Why doesn’t “Terrible Tommy” and his enabling “colleagues” in the Florida legislature stop dawdling and find solutions to the issues important to the lives and livelihoods of their constituents?    

The “Truth” According to Volusia County Councilman David “No Show” Santiago  

Because they have yet to legislate a legal way to suppress political dissent and free speech on social media, our elected and appointed officials increasingly seek to “control the narrative” by attractively packaging their version of “public information,” then use trusted shills to push it across the various platforms.

Small and midsize communities that represent the most assessable and responsive level of government have long been known for openness and transparency.  Places where elected officials were willing to act on the concerns of their neighbors, rather than the backroom winks and nods of their political benefactors.

Not anymore. 

Now, many local governments find increasingly dictatorial ways to suppress citizen participation – ignoring those who speak at public meetings like stone-faced gargoyles based on some contrived rules of decorum.   

On rare occasion an elected official sensitive to the needs of their constituents will throw off the yoke of conformism and speak to the media, hold a “town hall,” or otherwise communicate with taxpayers, riling the tightlipped bureaucracy who manufactures the message to avoid any possibility of criticism.

Those who dare speak to residents face-to-face receive a public beatdown – during which their “colleagues” force the offending representative into the round hole of conformity – publicly castigating them for not “following protocol” and treating citizens like mushrooms: Keep them in the dark and feed them bullshit…

Don’t take my word for it, ask Ormond Beach Mayor Jason Leslie what happens when you give the media a tour of your community’s amenities without first begging permission from some middle manager in the Public Information office.

More on that later…

As a result, many taxpayers have found the only way to effectively voice concerns is the “everyman’s soapbox” of social media.  The modern equivalent of street-corner oratory – a place where We, The Little People can make ourselves heard, discuss the issues of the day, argue political opinions, educate one another, and take our elected officials to the woodshed when necessary.  

Smart politicians – at least those with the ability to think beyond their own self-interests – know that social media can be used as an effective civic barometer to gauge public sentiment on the issues of the day.

Unfortunately, those thin-skinned hacks who hold the keys to the kingdom don’t like the unfettered exchange of information these platforms foster because the righteous criticism voiced by their disenfranchised constituents stings their fragile egos…  

Locally, that sensitivity (read: fear of an informed electorate) has given rise to the digital propagandist – usually a lockstep member of Volusia’s stodgy “Old Guard” – a trusted subordinate of those behind the curtain controlling the rods and strings of government who is anointed to serve as the face of the bureaucracy on social media.

Once they establish an online presence, the shill can appear to be “one of us,” claiming to spout the “truth,” touting their dubious “accomplishments,” while spoon-feeding the official narrative to the masses – a slick means of responding to the civic acrimony – hoping we believe their version of the “truth,” regardless of what we see with our own eyes…

These lightly cloaked governmental forays into the wild, wild world of social media never last.

Eventually, the chosen “influencer” runs out of fertilizer to spew, gets caught telling a whopper, or just grows tired of being publicly eviscerated by angry residents.  Then, concerned about their political viability, the whole embarrassing sham usually goes away as quickly as it starts.

That’s not transparency – its contrived political spin.

Last month, I got a chuckle out of Volusia County Councilman David “No Show” Santiago – the ultimate “insider” – a perennial politician with a murky political history and extremely high opinion of himself – began posting a series of attention seeking videos on Facebook. 

This isn’t a real exchange of information between an accessible representative and his constituents – it’s the “Friday Truth” according to “No Show” Santiago – a rah-rah session straight from the horse’s ass in a county-supplied polo shirt…  

I can only imagine the condemnations that would fly like a wind driven shit-rain had Chairman Jeff Brower announced he was filming “informational” videos and publishing them in his official capacity on social media.

In his first installment, Councilman Santiago opened with a stilted stroll through a Deltona neighborhood – clumsily speaking into his phone on the end of a stick while pretending we just bumped into each other on the street – touting how he set in motion a mysterious plan (apparently now supported by the Volusia County Council?) to eliminate property taxes in Florida… 

That shocking revelation set off a storm of questions on social media and beyond.

When? Where? What? Why? How?

By what means?   

Why is Santiago shifting focus away from the overdevelopment and flooding the council promised to address to the exclusion of everything else? 

Why is he announcing this before reliable alternative revenue sources have been identified? 

Outside of real estate investors, who stands to gain?

Why is the State of Florida dictating local taxing decisions?  

How will Floridians afford the highest state/local sales taxes in the known universe?

What about our local police and fire departments, public works, and other municipal departments that are such a big part of our civic identity and provide responsive services to our families?

Why is the concept of reducing the size, spending, and scope of Volusia County government – and eliminating the duplication of services for the bulk of residents who live, pay taxes, and receive essential services from their municipality – as a means of lowering property taxes never discussed?

Who will ultimately control the purse strings?

Most important: Qui bono?

According to Santiago, some obscure acronym of an agency in Tallahassee will hash out the particulars behind closed doors – no doubt so our elected “representatives” can spring the details on us just ahead of constitutional amendment referendum.      

That’s all ye know, and all ye need to know…  

Trust me.  Political hacks like David Santiago do not have our best interests at heart and they never will.  These cheap facilitators exist to hawk for the highest bidder with the endgame strategized well in advance; always part of a darker scheme that enriches the few to the detriment of many.   

In my view, when politicians crow about eliminating property taxes in the absence of an identified (and dependable) source of revenue, especially in the face of insurmountable statewide infrastructure and resiliency issues, citizens are left to speculate – Income tax?  Excise tax?  Estate tax? Higher fees? Service cuts? Massive sales tax increase?  All of the above?

That uncertainty results in growing anxiety among Florida residents and business interests.

Regardless, Councilman Santiago should understand that We, The Little People see his inane preening and yammering on Facebook for what it is – an embarrassing insult to our intelligence – and his deflection from the serious issues isn’t fooling anyone…

City of Ormond Beach – The Latest “Black Hole” of Public Information

A “black hole” of public information occurs where the bureaucratic vacuity is so great that absolutely nothing of substance can escape the intensity of its gravitational pull.

Sound familiar?   

The tempest in a teapot over Ormond Beach Mayor Jason Leslie’s participation in a benign media segment continued this week, and with it came a startling revelation about how the city’s public information officer selectively responds to requests for information, and the pettiness of a couple of elected publicity hounds who feel snubbed…  

Last month, Mayor Leslie escorted a reporter from WKMG-6 to several prominent civic, commercial, and recreational amenities in his community – a seemingly normal mayoral duty that resulted in a withering attack from Commissioner Kristin Deaton and Deputy Mayor Lori Tolland – two meanspirited self-promoters who have gone as far as suggesting a city ordinance to prohibit individual elected officials from speaking to residents without majority approval. 

Bullshit.

This week, as Deaton and Tolland continued to bash Mayor Leslie (mainly because his last name isn’t Persis), the reasons behind their personal attack became increasingly tenuous as they lectured regarding the “long-standing institutional norms” of sanitizing all information released to Ormond Beach residents through the sieve of a professional mouthpiece at City Hall.

In a disturbing article by reporter Brenno Carillo writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week, Mayor Leslie rightfully defended himself, claiming he felt “blindsided” by the criticism (because he was), and called the proposed ordinance “ridiculous” (because it is).

According to the News-Journal, “In an email to The News-Journal Friday afternoon, the city’s public information officer, Jenn Elston, said “a reporter at News 6 did reach out to the city about interviewing the mayor, but mentioned a topic that is under current litigation, so we could not offer commentary as advised by our city’s legal department.”

Elston added that the city was already aware “of News 6 being in town for their live broadcast and were actively collaborating on story ideas through our partner, Ormond Mainstreet, on locations around the city that would best showcase the incredible beauty of our town.”

She said the city made a “strategic decision not to respond” to the mayor interview request “in order to ensure that Ormond Beach remained part of the broader coverage News 6 was already working on with Ormond Mainstreet.”

“Additionally, since we had not previously worked with the reporter who reached out, we took a more cautious approach.”

Interesting.

Now, residents of Ormond Beach are left to wonder what else the city’s official gatekeeper has chosen to “strategically ignore” – and why? 

Speaking of “rules,” what is being done to keep city staff out of petty political squabbles and demand they serve the needs of each elected official impartially, fairly, and with equal vigor?

As more questions arise from the Deaton/Tolland persecution, as my elected representatives, I’d like to know if these two are aware of the serious issues facing Ormond Beach residents – growth, environmental, and infrastructure problems that have nothing to do with a newly-elected mayor promoting his community in a positive light?

In my view, given the public’s right to a transparent municipal government, PIO Elston shouldn’t be choosing which members of the working press will be served and which will be “strategically” ignored.

In my view, intentionally failing to respond to a reporter’s call for an interview with Mayor Leslie smacks of favoritism.  That creates internal and external trust issues and is why this debacle should be the last official act Ms. Elston performs as a recipient of $118,450 in public funds annually…   

With everyone who is anyone at Tuesday’s City Commission meeting agreeing to play nice going forward, here’s hoping the lockstep Deaton/Tolland tag team get over themselves – remember that there is a fine line between a functioning elective body and an abject shitshow – then get back to serving those who elected them.

In my view, Mayor Leslie’s willingness to connect, and his obvious pride in the City of Ormond Beach are solid attributes for an elected official.  That independence of thought will ensure fair, free, and competitive decision-making on the dais of power.

Quote of the Week

“More than five years into her tenure as First Step Shelter’s executive director, Victoria Fahlberg is poised to get a new contract that would give her a few new benefits and protections.

If the board overseeing the homeless shelter for adults approves a proposed 10-page contract, Fahlberg’s annual base salary will continue to be $133,900. That’s more than double the $60,000 base salary she started at in October 2019.

The proposed agreement would also give Fahlberg a new $150 per month automobile allowance for in-county work travel, continued access to a 401-k plan, and the new option to carry over more unused paid time off days that she can cash out when she leaves First Step Shelter someday.

She would continue to receive a stipend of $1,000 per month in lieu of health insurance, and a $50 monthly cell phone stipend, bringing her total compensation to just under $135,000.”

–Journalist Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Daytona Beach’s First Step Shelter director contract to get vote soon,” Thursday, February 27, 2025

Remind me again who the First Step “Shelter” exists to serve? 

Amidst the still roiling controversies at First Step – an enigmatic transitional housing program underwritten by the taxpayers of Volusia County and Daytona Beach – it appears those cowards on First Step’s Board of Misdirection have decided to deal with the myriad issues at the facility by not dealing with them…

To make matters worse, in a surreal turn of events, rather than hold leadership accountable, demonstrate fiduciary responsibility, establish expectations, and build a healthy culture based on trust – the First Step board is considering additional benefits and protections for their demonstrably failed Executive Director Victoria Fahlberg. 

You read that right.

Look, I am familiar with the “Peter Principle” (I’m the poster boy), and I’ve seen the “Dilbert Principle” in action – the satirical concept that companies tend to promote incompetent employees to management as a means of minimizing their adverse effect on productivity – a strategy frequently used in government organizations.     

But what do you call it when a board – charged with the stewardship of public funds – allows controversy and mistrust to continue in the face of active lawsuits, the criminal prosecution and subsequent acquittal of a whistleblower, unresolved complaints of fraud, fiduciary malfeasance, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, admission policy violations, and resident safety violations, that have resulted in increased public suspicion about the direction and leadership at First Step? 

Perhaps most disturbing, the new three-year agreement – which has been cobbled together over the past six-months (?) by Daytona Beach City Attorney Ben Gross and Fahlberg’s chief apologist, board member Mike Panaggio – would grant Fahlberg a lump sum severance of 20-weeks pay at her current rate if she is terminated “without cause.”

According to the News-Journal’s report, “If she was fired for cause or voluntarily resigned, the shelter board would have no obligation to pay any sort of severance.

Termination for cause could mean a material breach of any provision of the agreement; a conviction of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude; neglect of duty; and conduct unbecoming of the position of executive director or likely to bring discredit or embarrassment to the organization.”

Any of that sound familiar?   

In addition, the board is considering indemnifying Fahlberg “…against any tort, professional liability claim or demand or other legal action, whether groundless or otherwise, arising out of an alleged act or omission occurring in the performance of employee’s duties” unless something was done in bad faith, with malicious purpose or in a wanton manner.

She could request for First Step Shelter to provide independent legal representation at the shelter’s expense.”

Frankly, given recent events, that level of financial liability should go through potential public and private donors like an ice water enema…  

In my view, with active lawsuits filed by whistleblowers, the bashing of citizens who seek information, and unresolved questions surrounding Fahlberg’s leadership still swirling, it is time for the Daytona Beach City Commission to determine how much fiscal (and political) liability they are willing to accept from an inept board of directors seemingly intent on saddling taxpayers with more drama at First Step.  

And Another Thing!

“Miami Corporation Management LLC (doing business as Farmton North LLC of Edgewater) plans to bring a mix of residential, commercial, industrial and conservation areas to the Deering Park development.

The first phase will take shape within a 725-acre area located south of State Road 442 in Edgewater, where the developer will bring approximately 6,600 homes, as well as trails, parks, retail and commerce centers by 2026.

In total, Deering Park could bring up to approximately 23,000 residential units.

The project’s New Smyrna Beach section consists of 6 million square feet of mixed-use land, including 2,150 residential units, retail space for “corporate headquarters, light industrial, research, hotels (150-room maximum), small non-retail business, and office uses,” a sports complex, a new police substation and the Deering Park Innovation Center, according to the city.”

–Reporter Brenno Carillo writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Deering Park to add another 4,000 acres for land conservation in 70,000-acre development,” Tuesday, February 18, 2025

“Nothing to see here, folks – “large-scale conservation, interconnected lakes and ponds, control structures, and low-impact development techniques” – keep moving…” 

Find the rest of the News-Journal’s informative article on Deering Park here: https://tinyurl.com/yeys237n

With thousands of Volusia County residents demanding solutions to recurrent development-induced flooding – and the quality-of-life issues faced by claustrophobic existing residents – our compromised elected officials continue to pay lip service to the issues of density and overdevelopment by kicking the can down the road, refusing to mandate low-impact techniques and smart growth initiatives with more massive subdivisions looming.    

If you haven’t figured it out, when real estate developers crow about their commitment to “conservation” you can bet they are stalling before the bulldozers roar anew, buying time before churning more greenspace into a foul black muck using obscene slash-and-burn deforestation to prepare the land for more, more, more…

The good people of Edgewater, New Smyrna, and the whole of Southeast Volusia should prepare for what’s coming, because here on the “Fun Coast,” history always repeats – and this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about “Smart Growth” initiatives that never took root.

For instance, anyone remember the sense of excitement we felt in the leadup to the “Smart Growth Summits” of 2003 and 2004?

And who can forget the Smart Growth PowerPoint of November 2008, with its ominous conclusion, “Where do we go next?”

Unfortunately, hindsight tells us the answer to that question was a “cram ten-pounds of shit in a five-pound bag” growth management strategy that continues to allow our elected dullards to ensure their political benefactors can squeeze every dollar out of our decimated natural places…

Here’s a few more “Smart Growth” teases that were ignored. 

Anyone remember this now tarnished jewel:

“The concept of Smart Growth emerged as communities have been increasingly impacted by “sprawling” development patterns and related infrastructure and service delivery costs. Locally, this pattern cannot be sustained without permanent destruction of vast ecosystems and wildlife corridors”?

I do.

How about that collective feeling of anticipation we all had ahead of the “Smart Growth Policy Review Committee of 2013-2014,” when a past iteration of the Volusia County Council commissioned a Blue-Ribbon political insulation committee charged with recommending a host of planning and zoning policy initiatives?

No?

Oh, I know!  How about the “Smart Growth Policy Review Committee of 2015-2016”?

Just me?  Okay.

Wait, I’m certain you’ll recall Director Ervin’s patented ‘Dog and Pony Show’ at the Knights of the Volusia Elected Officials Roundtable conclave in June 2019, to “…explore the idea of “smart growth” within the county, with the input from municipalities and other community stakeholders.”

Anyone see a pattern here?

If it sounds like “déjà vu all over again,” that’s because it is…

The same rehashed bullshit from Chef Clay Ervin, now served au gratin.

With the specter of 23,000 new homes set to blanket Southeast Volusia (for reference, the City of Ormond Beach has 21,295 residential units) rather than mandate protections, our elected dullards have established something called a “voluntary ordinance” that permits developers to follow smart growth and low-impact development practices in exchange for incentives – or not.

Why do you think that is?

That’s all for me.  Have a great final weekend of Bike Week 2025, y’all!