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 League of Cities – Unmerited Trophies Destroy Public Confidence  

As a longtime observer of all-things government, I’ve come to accept the contradictions, sensationalized misinformation, and petty backstabbing inherent to that cloistered (and horribly corrupted) political biome, now predominantly inhabited by egotistical dullards suffering delusions of grandeur. 

Despite having gained some hard bark over the years, I still cannot stomach the stench of lies – “pay to play” schemes, legalized quid pro quo corruption, and gross self-aggrandizement by mealy-mouth schlubs holding high office – a deleterious trend that is destroying public confidence in government.

That includes the pernicious practice of undeserved rewards and accolades – not for merit or genuine achievement in the public interest – but to foster cheap influence by providing cover and concealment for compromised politicians.   

For instance, the DeLand City Commission recently authorized the wholesale destruction of 62 historic trees to accommodate another “combination of warehouse and commercial space,” yet the city somehow retained its distinction as a “Tree City USA” bestowed by the Arbor Day Foundation.

As a result, the once coveted recognition is now meaningless to residents who will watch in disgust as those historic trees are ground to splinters to accommodate more development.

Last week, the Ormond Beach Observer reported that the Florida League of Cities awarded State Rep. Bill Partington it’s “…Legislative Appreciation Award for his work during the 2025 Legislative Session to protect local decision making of Florida’s municipalities.”

Which is complete horseshit… 

On April 29, 2025, Mr. Partington sold his political soul to his political benefactors in the real estate development community when he voted for SB 180 – legislation which eviscerated the home rule right to self-determination of every city and county in Florida – and virtually eliminated any impediment to continued malignant sprawl under the guise of expediting post disaster restoration efforts.

The bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis last month, has been widely denounced by local governments around the state trying desperately to bring common sense regulations or temporarily pause growth until infrastructure, utilities, and stormwater management can catch up to current demands.

Not anymore.

Under the new law, which was supported by major real estate developers (read: our legislators sugar daddies) local governments are prohibited from making land use and development changes – retroactive to August 2024 – and allows developers to file suit seeking injunctive relief, including attorney fees, for any building or land use regulation they find “restrictive or burdensome.”    

Acting like the cat that ate the canary, Rep. Partington was quoted, “Thank you to the Florida League of Cities for this incredible honor,” Partington said. “I’m deeply grateful to be recognized with the 2025 Legislative Appreciation Award for defending local decision making and empowering municipal leadership across our great state.”

In my view, to undeservedly offer an award recognizing Mr. Partington for “defending local decision-making” after he voted for the most sweeping anti-home rule legislation in recent history is one thing – but shamelessly accepting an honor he must know is wholly unmerited is quite another. 

Who does that?

Unfortunately, with these undeserved awards going to those who so willingly preempted local control, the Florida League of Cities has become an irrelevant fraternity – a neutered watchdog taken to handing out plaques rather than effectively lobbying for its members – no longer pertinent to the cause of preserving charter government and protecting the sacred concept of self-determination enshrined in their slogan, “local voices making local choices.”

I no longer expect much from those perennial politicians who ingratiate themselves with special interests then climb the ladder – their self-serving motives are easy to discern. 

However, in my view, advocacies like the Florida League of Cities have an obligation to stand with those local elected officials who truly champion the right of communities to control their destiny and strive to represent their desperate constituents over the for-profit motives of developers.

Palm Coast City Council vs. Mayor Mike Norris – Enough is Enough  

By its nature, politics is confrontational. 

A battle of ideologies and vision – a war to win ‘hearts and minds’ – a hard-fought contest to convince voters of the superiority of a candidate’s ideas and ultimately prevail at the ballot box.  Unfortunately, here in the Sunshine State, most political contests have become a means for mercenary special interests to control their environment by stacking the deck.    

When the ballots are counted and the election night parties wind down, that’s when the real contest begins – the struggle for power and dominance – the ability to control a majority vote on councils and commissions by crushing any impediment to the profit motives of those well-heeled contributors who brought them to the dance.  

Don’t take my word for it. 

Ask Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower what happens when you become the square peg that refuses to be beaten into the round hole of conformity?

In the City of Palm Coast, Mayor Mike Norris is being taught a tough lesson in what it means to stand against the interests of real estate developers intent on a massive “westward expansion” – despite the fact growth has long overtaken the capacity of the city’s utilities.  

When you add the fact Norris is somewhat rough around the edges when dealing with those delicate flowers (read: senior city officials) who inhabit Palm Coast City Hall, it becomes easy to paint him as an iconoclastic cad, a sharp-elbowed rogue physiologically incapable of reason or compromise.

In April, the City Council commissioned an outside “investigation” of Mayor Norris which ended in one of those weird Kangaroo Kourts where his “colleagues” served as judge, jury, and executioner.  For his refusal to play nice with others, Norris was publicly embarrassed – handed a meaningless “vote of no confidence” – and referred to the Florida Commission on Ethics for reasons that remain unclear.

In May, the Battle Royale continued with Norris filing a lawsuit challenging the council’s October 2024 appointment of Charles Gambaro, a brigadier general with the U.S. Army Reserve, who many rightfully saw as an attaché of former Mayor/Palm Coast Realtor David Alfin. 

At the time, Gambaro was administratively selected for the seat without standing for election following the resignation of former council member Cathy Heighter.    

According to a report in the Palm Coast Observer last week, “Circuit Court Judge Christopher France found Norris had no legal standing to file the law. France also said, “Although the result is flawed, the charter was complied with to fill the vacancy.” 

In addition, “In the City Council meeting on July 8, Gambaro asked the council to consider going after Norris for the city’s attorney fees used in the lawsuit, an estimated $30,000. Norris said the council could take him to court for those fees and that he didn’t “care if it costs the city a million dollars,” he would continue “defending our residents right to pick their representative.”    

Then, last Friday, Palm Coast residents got a glimpse of just how petty-minded things can get when internecine spats take precedence over the ‘people’s business.’

According to reports, David Ayers, the host of WNZF radio’s “Free for All Fridays,” was joined by Gambaro, Palm Coast Economic Manager Craig McKinney, and co-host Brian McMillan (who also serves as publisher of the Palm Coast Observer) who were “…all surprised when Ayres proposed giving out the mayor’s work cell phone number for an informal “poll” for residents.”

“We text the mayor and say, ‘Hey, Mayor Mike, I love you. You’re doing a great job. Keep it up.’ Or we text him and say, ‘You need to go, please resign,’” Ayres said. “So it’d be kind of an A or B, yes, we support you, [or] no, we don’t.”

In turn, Mayor Norris, also a retired Army officer who has proven he can take a punch and give one, responded by posting Gambaro’s personal cell phone number on Facebook – calling Gambaro “the epitome of a DEI (Didn’t Earn It) Hire.” 

The mayor suggested his supporter’s text “NO DEI” to Gambaro. 

It was childish.  A tit-for-tat retaliation, and (one would hope) everyone understood that.   

Then, Gambaro took things to the extreme – accusing Mayor Norris of violating a law that went into effect July 1 which apparently makes it a crime to release a sitting public official’s personal telephone number or home address (say what?), further insulating our elected officials from those they took an oath to serve.   

On Saturday, Norris edited his social media post changing the number to Gambaro’s city issued cell phone.

It didn’t end there.

In a self-aggrandizing “statement” published in the Palm Coast Observer, the easily intimidated Gambaro appeared to be shaking in his boots – clearly traumatized by the fact his constituents were given access to his personal cell phone number – while disavowing any prior knowledge of Mr. Ayers “survey” using Mayor Norris’ city cell phone, then listing his military résumé for effect.  

In my view, that’s when Gen. Gambaro jumped the shark…

“The release of my personal phone number to the public on Mayor Norris’ Facebook page was intentionally done to intimidate my family and I. This reckless action violates the spirit of the recent Senate Bill 268, that was enacted into law on July 1, 2025.

This law was established to protect the private information of public officials and their families as they choose to serve in public office. This is truly the action of a reckless man that does not care about the safety of the residents he was elected to serve.”

Really? 

The Council/Norris feud hit its nadir on Tuesday when, for the second time in three months, the council voted 4-1 to censure Mayor Norris – this time agreeing to request that Gov. Ron DeSantis overturn the will of 63% of Palm Coast voters and remove Norris from office.

According to a report in FlaglerLive.com this week, “The vote followed a brief statement by Council member Charles Gambaro describing Norris as exhibiting a “pattern of toxic behavior,” and whose “fear and intimidation represent a clear and present danger to the citizens of Palm Coast” and city employees.”

Clearly Councilman “Thin-skinned” Gambaro’s penchant for dramatic overreaction knows no bounds…  

During the meeting, Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri cited her belief the mayor has given “recurring misstatements, contradictions and misrepresentations” regarding legal advice from city attorneys who claim Norris was advised he had no chance of prevailing in his lawsuit challenging the Gambaro appointment.

For his part, Norris denies receiving counsel from the legal staff that he lacked standing. 

Now, Pontieri wants Norris to pay all or part of the $30,000 the city paid an outside hired gun to defend the lawsuit.

In my experience, pettiness and cheap manipulation are counter to an accessible and responsive local government – and reflect poorly on the character of those melodramatic mavens holding high office who perpetuate the timewasting roil.   

In the sad case of Palm Coast, I have a fairly good idea what the stakes are – so do those who stand to benefit.  

More important, I understand the motivations of those behind the constant Sturm und Drang at City Hall.  If you live, pay taxes, and experience the claustrophobic effects of overdevelopment on your quality of life anywhere in Flagler County, I suspect you do too…  

Perhaps now is the time for Palm Coast residents to say, “enough is enough.”             

All sides should know that bullying, frivolous controversy, and headline grabbing revenge for every perceived slight is distracting from the significant issues facing Palm Coast residents, and those who indulge in these self-serving histrionics should face the consequences at the ballot box.  

Volusia County’s Iconic Tourism Advocate Bob Davis – Requiescat in Pace

I didn’t always agree with Bob Davis, the longtime President and CEO of the Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County, but I always admired his tireless advocacy for the Daytona Beach Resort Area and the economic engine that is our tourism industry.   

By any metric, Bob Davis was sui generis. 

The self-proclaimed “Mouth of the South” – a true force of nature – with a visceral devotion to the betterment of his community. 

Writing on social media this week, Volusia County Council member Matt Reinhart, who serves as chair of the county’s Tourist Development Council, expressed the thoughts of many area civic leaders when he eloquently recalled Mr. Davis’s love for promoting Volusia County to the world:

“Bob Davis was more than just Volusia County’s most passionate advocate for the hospitality industry—he was one of the most sincere, generous, and dedicated individuals I’ve ever had the privilege to know.

A mentor, a philanthropist, and a true believer in the power of community, Bob didn’t just love the hospitality industry—he cared deeply about our schools, our students, and their future. He believed in education, in opportunity, and in the importance of lifting others up, especially through literacy and learning.

I’ll never forget when I was first campaigning—Bob was the first to take me under his wing and teach me everything I needed to know about our vital tourism and hospitality sectors. He wanted everyone to understand how much these industries meant to our region, and he did it with unmatched passion and warmth.

Bob was widely loved, deeply respected, and will be sorely missed. There will truly never be another like him. There will only ever be one Bob Davis.”

Sadly, Bob Davis passed away on Sunday following a courageous battle with cancer. 

He was 87.

To honor Mr. Davis’s legacy, please consider a donation to the “Bob Davis Culinary and Hospitality Endowed Scholarship” at Daytona State College. 

Donations may be made here: https://tinyurl.com/6uxju7up

Quote of the Week

“Volusia County Councilman Jake Johansson has raised more than $140,000 for his campaign to succeed Sen. Tommy Wright.

The Port Orange Republican’s official campaign account reported almost $45,000 in new fundraising in the second quarter, bringing his candidate haul to more than $113,000 since his December campaign launch.

Additionally, the Johansson-chaired Pathway to Prosperity committee reported another $10,000 in donations, bringing its total contributions north of $30,000.

With Johansson also tossing in a $10,000 candidate loan, he closed the quarter with almost $117,000 in cash on hand between both accounts.

Meanwhile, former Rep. Elizabeth Fetterhoff, a DeLand Republican, has reported no new fundraising this year and closed the quarter with just over $7,000 in her candidate account. Her United for Florida’s Future committee has more than $49,000, thanks to $50,000 given in December. But that committee also hasn’t reported new contributions all year.

Two other Republicans in the race, Heather Bendl and Jason Voelz, have yet to report any contributions, and both failed to turn in second-quarter reports on time Thursday.

To date, only Republicans have filed in Senate District 8, where Wright cannot seek another term because of term limits.

As for Johansson’s source of support, his committee reported $2,500 donations in April from lobbyist Ron Book (who also gave $1,000 to the candidate account) and Tallahassee consulting firm SKD Consulting Group, as well as from the Florida Beer Wholesalers Good Government Committee. A Wine and Spirits Distributors committee also gave $1,500, along with $1,000 to the campaign account. Interior designer Chris Roy gave $1,000.

In Johansson’s official campaign account, he also reported $1,000 donations from Robin Turnbull & Associates (sic), Heffley & Associates, Associated Industries of Florida, the Committee of Automotive Retailers and the committee Floridians Solving Problems.

Duff Underwriters, FTBA Transportation and Synergy Billing also gave maximum donations, as did Indigo Development and the Ormond Riverside Limited Partnership.”

–Political Analyst Jacob Ogles, writing in Florida Politics, “Jake Johansson clears 6-figure mark in campaign to succeed Tommy Wright in SD 8,” Friday, July 11, 2025

With apologies to the late Charlie Daniels, it looks like “Jake the Snake” is raking in chips like Grant took Richmond… 

Thanks to Mr. Ogles for this eye-opening look at how Florida senate campaigns are underwritten here in The Biggest Whorehouse in the World…

Now, where do you think Mr. Johansson’s loyalty lies? 

With the residents of Senate District 8 – or with his well-heeled political benefactors in the Tallahassee lobbying industry?

And Another Thing!

For someone who considers themselves relatively well-informed on the issues of the day, its hard to admit, but I’m seriously confused…  

More questions than answers, a “lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-you’s running around old Duder’s head,” a weird feeling of uncertainty that always sends my Mittyesque imagination into overdrive, that nagging feeling, “Can this really be true?”

“Is it what I think it is, or is there another explanation that I’m too dumb to grasp?”

Seriously, I’m at a loss this week…

While I typically focus on the absurdities of “Fun Coast” governance, (and you may find this hard to believe), but I have a pollyannaish need to trust those institutions and individuals who guide our future – to believe that the reportage I read in the media is based in fair-minded fact – and that those we elect to high office have our best interests at heart.

But this week the salacious headlines, rumors, and conjecture oozing out of Washington and Tallahassee gave me pause.     

For instance, it was reported that United States Rep. Cory Mills (who represents portions of Volusia County) is being evicted from a $21,000 a month penthouse near the National Mall after owing some $85,000 in back rent. That’s in addition to an active ethics investigation into allegations he personally benefitted from government contracts, along with scandalous reports of the Congressman’s February domestic skirmish that were later retracted… 

For his part, Rep. Mills – who reportedly has a net worth north of $24 million – has emphatically denied any wrongdoing on all fronts and suggests his attempts to pay rent were stymied by an “error code” on a billpaying service.

Well, okay.  I guess…  

All I know with certainty is my wife and I (who have a net worth substantially lower than Rep. Mills) have this “arrangement” with our finicky mortgage company – we send our monthly payment, and they let us stay in this arrogantly shabby cracker box another 30-days.

How’s by you?  

Something else bothered me this week when I read a disturbing exposé in the Orlando Sentinel which raised more questions regarding the still simmering Hope Florida debacle.  

Once considered the “next-big-thing” in national politics until a premature run for White House put him at odds with President Donald Trump.  Gov. Ron DeSantis has struggled to rehabilitate his image and return to relevancy ever since.

During the unmitigated shit-show that was the 2025 Florida Legislative Session – when the Republican dominated legislature righteously flexed their independence for the first time in a long time – things took a telling turn when the ugly details of the Hope Florida fiasco were trotted out for all to see by House Chair Rep. Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola).

The high-profile state House probe into allegations of “money laundering and wire fraud” involving the highest levels of state government abruptly ended in April.   One month later, media outlets confirmed that Leon County State Attorney Jack Campbell was opening a criminal investigation into the matter.

Now, the speculation continues, and answers are hard to come by… 

As I understand it, Hope Florida was originally touted as a means of utilizing trained “navigators” and community non-profits to get people off government assistance.  The program was intimately associated with First Lady Casey DeSantis and seen by many as a launch point for her potential gubernatorial run in 2026.   

That all changed when the non-profit’s bizarre spending patterns, bonuses for state employees, hazy recordkeeping, and its foundation’s disturbing involvement in funneling $10 million from a state legal settlement to defeat a constitutional amendment legalizing recreational marijuana became a serious embarrassment for the Governor and First Lady.  

The questions continue to mount…

This week, the Orlando Sentinel released its report “Hope Florida: Odd, unexplained payments raise more questions,” by investigative reporter Jeffrey Schweers, which took a deep dive into the organizations “haphazard” charitable giving and incomplete record-keeping.

Find the Orland Sentinel’s report here: https://tinyurl.com/ykkzw696  

Now, I’m beginning to question if Gov. DeSantis’ recent efforts to establish a state/federal hybrid immigration detention facility in South Florida is a subliminal attempt to deflect attention from the growing scrutiny of Hope Florida?

Last month, Gov. DeSantis used his expanded powers under an emergency immigration declaration signed in 2023 to seize property from Dade County, then authorized controversial no-bid contracts to build the slap-dash “federal” immigration detention facility in the Everglades in just eight-days… 

At present, the tents and chain-link “temporary” facility has reportedly left Florida taxpayers holding a $450 million bill for construction and annual operations, and it appears no one in Tallahassee has gotten around to submitting a reimbursement request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

According to reports, FEMA was expected to reimburse Floridians for the cost of the facility from funds taken from the Biden administrations asinine and disastrously irresponsible plan to house migrants in New York City hotels… 

Here’s the point of my confusion:

In response to a recent lawsuit filed by environmental groups seeking to stop construction of the facility in an ecologically sensitive area of the glades, attorneys representing the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and FEMA claim the agencies should be removed from the suit as the federal government has not “implemented, authorized, directed, or funded Florida’s temporary detention center.” 

“Florida has received no federal funds, nor has it applied for federal funds related to the temporary detention center.  Courts cannot adjudicate hypothetical future funding decisions or render advisory opinions on contingent scenarios that may never materialize.”

Last weekend, Jeff Brandes, the former Republican lawmaker who served in both the Florida House of Representatives and Senate, questioned the facilities inflated cost of operation in a post on “X”:

“Had to run down to Miami tonight — scored a $117 rate at the Marriott. Driving Alligator Alley, I couldn’t help but think about Alligator Alcatraz and its nightly cost per detainee: At 5,000 detainees: $246.58 At 3,000: $410.96 At current 750: $1,643.84 That’s based on $450M in annual operating costs — compared to $75/night for the average Florida inmate in prison.”

As you might expect, Democrats have reacted to the facility with typical mock outrage (the same hypocrites who pissed away an unconscionable $22.6 Billion in federal funds (read: our tax dollars) on assistance to illegal immigrants in just four years). 

To compound the controversy, this week the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida asked to join the federal lawsuit to stop construction and operation of the detention facility, citing the fact it is being built in a place tribal members consider “sacred ancestral homelands.”  

(I thought it was being built on an abandoned jetport?)

Your views may differ, but I happen to support the vigorous enforcement of federal immigration laws as an important part of protecting our national security (and sovereignty). I am less accepting of grandiose stunts that deflect attention – and our tax dollars – to rehabilitate the flagging public image of politicians with their ass in a sling…

I don’t know about you, but I found it disturbing that while Gov. DeSantis was vetoing some $5 million in appropriations for desperately needed stormwater and flood control projects in Volusia County, he was building a multi-million-dollar ersatz “federal” detention facility with the made-for-media moniker “Alligator Alcatraz.” 

Given the scare many flood-frightened area residents received earlier this week when water started to rise, that bothers me…  

Perhaps I spend too much time ruminating on intractable issues with no good answers – but now I question if “Alligator Alcatraz” was ever about strengthening immigration enforcement efforts in Florida or elsewhere?  Or was it thrown together with little planning or purpose simply to ensure Gov. DeSantis got the 15-minutes on the national stage he needed to flex after a very public fall from grace that has eroded his legislative influence and hamstrung his wife’s political ambitions?    

Last month, Mr. Brandes, who now heads a think tank known as the Florida Policy Project, questioned “Is it a federal facility, or is it a state facility that is leased to the feds?” and pondered how “Alligator Alcatraz” will ultimately be staffed?

Again, more questions than answers. 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, Bonanza’s coming on and I never miss it. At least I can still tell the good guys from the bad guys…

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