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!