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!