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 District Schools – The Consequence of Silence

In an informative article by reporter Gabriel Velasquez Neira writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, we learned about the recent $160,000 settlement of a disturbing lawsuit involving the serious consequences of institutionalized silence for a former student of Volusia County Schools.

We also learned that Superintendent Carmen Balgobin has “compelled” more than 100 public employees to sign secretive non-disclosure agreements…

According to the report, “Employees are being compelled to keep certain information, including “the district’s financial operations, including budgets, funding sources and allocation of resources,” confidential.”

The shocking confirmation of the rumored NDA was part of an alarming report regarding a former New Smyrna Beach Middle School student who was diagnosed with “severe adolescent idiopathic scoliosis” while at school in 2019. 

Unfortunately, the District failed to notify the child’s parents of her serious medical condition.

According to the News-Journal’s report, the student’s “…cheer coach noticed a curve in her back two years later, and she was again diagnosed with scoliosis. During those two years, her back went from having a 10-degree right curvature in her spine to an approximately 65-degree top curve and a 56-degree bottom curve.”

As a result of the delay, the child was forced to undergo extensive spinal surgery, to include “spinal fusion and hardware replacement,” according to a lawsuit later filed by the family. 

To literally add insult to injury, as the lawsuit progressed, the child was moved to Spruce Creek due to “severe bullying and harassment that she was facing in New Smyrna.”  The child has since moved out of state.   

Tragic. 

The Volusia County School Board unanimously approved the $160,000 settlement last week.

Somehow, that doesn’t seem like fair and just compensation for a victim who could have avoided severe pain and suffering had someone in the District simply spoken up and notified the child’s parents…

Although the initial failure to notify the child’s parents predated Dr. Balgobin’s initial tenure as Deputy Superintendent, this appalling situation – and the life-altering result – underscores the long-term transparency and communication problems at Volusia County Schools. 

A weird pall of secrecy and obfuscation that has baffled parents, staff, educators, and stakeholders for years.

Now, some of those who were required to sign Balgobin’s NDA are rightly worried about internal reprisals should they speak about otherwise publicly available information – and many question whether the agreement violates the letter and spirit of Florida’s open records law. 

In a social media post on Sunday morning, Volusia County School Board member Donna Brosemer wrote, “Only the state and federal governments may add to the definition of what public documents are “confidential.” WHAT IS THE DISTRICT TRYING TO HIDE?”

Damn good question. 

And the rumors and speculation surrounding Carmen’s Cult of Secrecy continue to mount.

On Monday, reporter Molly Reed of News-6 met Balgobin’s wall of silence when she asked Volusia County District Schools for information regarding the non-disclosure agreement after receiving a copy from Elizabeth Albert, president of Volusia United Educators. 

“The district has not responded to requests for clarification.”

According to the News-6 report, “Albert said the union first learned about the NDA about a month ago and shared the copy they received with News 6.

“We’re very concerned, especially because we’re heading into the season of negotiations, which of course impacts salaries and benefits,” Albert said.

Despite repeated requests, Albert said the union has not been given a list of employees required to sign the agreement.

“We’re a public entity. We are funded with taxpayer money. So anything less than full financial transparency is suspicious,” she added.”

A day later, a canned press release to News 6 – signed “Volusia County Schools” – oozed out of the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand:  

“Certain Volusia County School District Employees who work in departments or roles with access to sensitive or confidential information have been asked to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. This is to ensure that sensitive information, regarding students and staff, safety plans, legal proceedings, discussions, and proprietary software is not compromised.

Moreover, all the District’s budgetary and financial information are available on the VCS’s website and through the Florida Department of Education. Individuals may make public records request for this information, also.

Confidential information does not include information that is required to be disclosed by law, regulation, or court order, as expressly written in the Non-Disclosure Agreement. Volusia County Schools will always comply with the law.”

Except, the NDA specifically covers “Information regarding the District’s financial operations, including budgets, funding sources, and allocation of resources“?

And why would administrators need to enter a SCIF to discuss the educational goals of the District’s strategic plan, as explicitly listed in the NDA? 

“Nothing to see here, folks.  Keep moving.  Just ensuring nothings “compromised.”  Don’t read more into it.  We always comply with the law, except when we don’t.  Loose lips sink ships.  Shhhhhhh.  Keep moving…”

For her part, Ms. Brosemer said she plans to discuss the issue during the board’s August 12 meeting, explaining “Legally, public agencies do not have the authority to add to the definitions of what is a confidential document, so by doing that about the budget, but also about a couple of other categories, we have grossly overstepped our bounds.”

Remember when Superintendent Balgobin arrogantly accused Ms. Brosemer of “irresponsible behavior” when she demonstrated the courage to request public confirmation of internal whispers (because that’s the only way people can effectively communicate in this environment) that Ormond Beach Elementary was on the chopping block?

I can’t think of anything more patently irresponsible than demanding that public employees remain silent on budget, allocations, and strategic educational goals when Volusia County taxpayers deserve answers.

In the interest of openness and accountability, it is time for the Volusia County School Board to stop their saccharine lovefest with Balgobin and demonstrate leadership. 

That means providing oversight and accountability, demanding answers, and clearing the air with a comprehensive investigation into the stench of suspicions, rumors, and speculation that continues to waft from the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand.  

Volusia County Council of Cowards – The Politics of Appeasement

Remember reading comic books as a kid? 

One of the highlights for me was the advertisements in the back featuring gimcracks and gewgaws tailored to young readers – Sea Monkeys, Whoopie Cushions, and “X-Ray” Specs – along with self-improvement “courses” like the Charles Atlas Fitness Program, guaranteed to turn weaklings into confident tough guys with the beef to back it up.   

The ad was laid out in cartoon cells, with the headline “The Insult That Made a Man Out of Mac.” 

The scene opens with “Mac” and his best girl laying on the beach under an umbrella when a burly bully kicks sand on them. 

“Hey, quit kicking sand on us!” Mac mewls.   

In response, Mac’s brawny tormentor grabs him by a scrawny arm and warns, “Listen here.  I’d smash your face…. only you’re so skinny you might dry up and blow away.”

Horribly emasculated in front of his disgusted girlfriend, Mac decides to order the Atlas bodybuilding course and is “later” transformed into a strapping strongman who takes the big bully out with one punch.

Now, the self-assured Mac is the envy of all the girls on the strand – hailed by all as the “Hero of the Beach!”

I was reminded of that old come-on this week as the Volusia County Council acted for all the world like that timid soul Caspar Milquetoast, “The man who speaks softly and gets hit with a big stick,” when they chose to ask “pretty please” in the face of rank aggression by those craven “rent-a-representatives” in Tallahassee…   

With the emphasis on tucking into a hot catered lunch, our elected dullards on the dais of power in DeLand rushed to clear the deck of how to address SB-180.  The new law was couched by the developer-controlled Florida legislature as a means of cutting red tape for property owners attempting to rebuild their homes and lives in the aftermath of a hurricane.

In reality, the law is a ruthless assault on Home Rule charter government by a wholly owned state government intent on destroying the concept of local democracy and self-determination to expedite the greed-crazed profit motives of their political benefactors.   

The legislature’s blatant end-run paves the way (literally) for even more unchecked development across the state, and represents a frightening beatdown of local elected officials, preempting virtually all municipal and county comprehensive plans, land development regulations, procedures for the review, approval, or issuance of site plans, development orders, and moratoriums retroactive to August 1, 2024.

In some cases the law overturns the will of Florida voters in favor of special interests by invalidating voter approved protections, such as Orange County’s rural boundary charter amendment (which passed with 73% of the vote), and the City of Deltona’s recent attempt to enact a moratorium on new development until serious flooding and utilities concerns can be addressed.

In fact, many local governments across the state have been forced to sheepishly repeal growth management measures – including much needed enhanced stormwater regulations – in the face of legal threats and saber-rattling by emboldened development interests.

Last month, rather than aggressively pushback against this historic threat to local decision-making – such as supporting the City of Deltona’s efforts to defy state overreach, demanding a special legislative session to overturn the law, or taking the lead in organizing other cities and counties considering a combined statewide legal challenge – the Volusia County Council faint-heartedly directed the county attorney to prepare a “discussion item” to consider suggestions for amending SB-180…

This week, the council shoehorned their tepid “discussion” of the most clear and present threat to our collective quality of life before their lunch got cold… 

During the public participation portion of the agenda item, environmental activist Cathrine Pante rightfully suggested that going to Tallahassee during next year’s legislative session – hat-in-hand – to ask for amendments to the law is a “weak” approach.

According to Pante, the timing of the process would prevent Volusia’s proposed rural boundary amendment from making it on the 2026 ballot, and accurately explained the well camouflaged purpose of the law to our slack-jawed “representatives” on the dais:

“Let’s call SB 180 what it truly is: A calculated move by the Legislature, aided by our local delegation, to strip away local authority and eliminate Home Rule.  It was designed not to be amended, but to serve powerful development interests that now dominate the legislative process.”

Well said.

With lunch waiting in the back, council members voted unanimously to direct the county’s lobbyist to make entreaty to our powerful state overseers seeking modest amendments to the law that narrow the focus to exempt properties damaged by hurricanes from local regulations.

In other words, correct the language to better represent the stated purpose of the law.

Does anyone think mealy-mouth groveling is going to work with that bunch in Tallahassee?   

In my view, Councilman (and current Florida Senate candidate) Jake Johansson epitomized the council’s kowtowing to the state’s abject thuggery when he whimpered:

“I still think the best way to move forward is to work collaboratively to try to get these changes in there without stirring the pot.  We’ve seen a couple counties stir the pot and they’re not in a good place right now compared to us, and I want to protect what we have from being preempted in the future as well.”

Really? 

How “collaborative” were those aloof members of Volusia’s legislative delegation when they voted to gut our sacred right to self-determination?

Did anyone get the impression our legislators were willing to compromise and cooperate with threatened local communities when they defended their vote on SB-180 at the West Volusia town hall last month? 

In my experience, trying to appease bullies never works. 

Pleading with those who intentionally misuse the legislative process (by hiding the true purpose of laws that benefit their political benefactors) is cowardly – and counter to the concept of self-governance, and the right of We, The Little People to control our destiny and preserve our quality of life.   

The more power and control you surrender to an aggressor – the more you dance to their tune, capitulate to demands, and rollover in the face of belligerence – the more dominance they will assert.   

Because power, ascendency, and control are the nature of the relationship between a subjugator and their victim…  

Quote of the Week

“There were lots of times he had somebody meet him at the house … to bring him cash,” Langston claimed, noting that she did not know who the person was.

“People would come with money bags, and he would get cash,” she added.

She also recalled an incident at a steakhouse in Washington, D.C. She and Mills were having dinner with Shannon Doyle and Jeffrey Kroeker, Mills’ fellow corporate directors at PACEM North Canada Inc., according to a filing that was updated in December. “They did not speak about business at all, but Cory did leave with money,” Langston said.”

— Lindsey Langston, reigning Miss United States and Columbia County, Florida Republican State Committeewoman, as quoted by reporters Courtney Weil and Jill Savage in Blaze Media, “Miss United States accuses Rep. Cory Mills of sextortion, accepting ‘money bags,’” Monday, August 5, 2025

Welp, my fellow “Fun Coasters,” U.S. Representative Cory Mills was back in the news this week. 

Twice. 

And one of those revelations is a flippin’ doozy…   

It was recently reported that Congressman Mills, who represents Seminole County and parts of southern Volusia County, was being evicted from his luxury penthouse apartment in Washington D.C. after owing a reported $85,000 in back rent on the $20,833 a month lease.  In addition to his D.C. digs, it has been reported that Rep. Mills also rents a beach house in New Smyrna Beach.

For the record, Rep. Mills earns $170,000 a year as a member of Congress.  His estimated net worth fluctuates from the sublime to the ridiculous depending upon where you look… 

In March, it was reported that Mills is under investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics for possibly “omitting or misrepresenting” information on financial disclosures, accepting excessive campaign contributions, and benefiting from government contracts while in office.

On Monday, we learned in a report by the News-Journal’s Mark Harper that Rep. Mills has apparently made good on the back rent fiasco and will not face eviction from his Washington penthouse next month. 

“The notice does not state how much Mills paid or whether he will remain a tenant of the luxury $20,833-per-month penthouse. But the congressman himself acknowledged the development in a text message to The News-Journal.

All is paid, sir,” Mills responded to an inquiry.”

That clears that up, I guess…

Then, the bizarre life and times of Rep. Cory Mills went completely off the rails on Monday when a shocking article appeared in Blaze Media. 

According to the incredibly disturbing report, Lindsey Langston, the reigning Miss United States and current Republican Committeewoman from Columbia County (who claims to have been in a personal relationship with Mills), has made horrific allegations of sexual extortion, physical threats, and possible financial irregularities by the sitting Congressman.

(Assuming a congressman having bags of cash delivered to his home can still be described as “out of the norm” at this point…)

According to the article, Ms. Langston’s accusations have been reported to both the Columbia County, Florida Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Find the salacious details here: https://tinyurl.com/f5x66jyx

I’ll warn you in advance, the accusations are shocking to the conscience…  

(Assuming anything a member of congress does in their personal life could still be considered scandalous, outrageous, or disgusting…)

I found it interesting that Ms. Langston is represented by the one and only Anthony Sabatini – the Republican firebrand and Mount Dora attorney who has recently made a cottage industry of representing “Fun Coast” mayors – to include Deltona’s always controversial Santiago Avila, Jr and Palm Coast’s embattled Mike Norris.  

In 2022, Mr. Sabatini – a voracious critic of Rep. Mills – was one of eight Republicans who ran in the 7th District congressional primary against Mills, who won with 37.9%.

According to the News-Journal, Rep. Mills denies the allegations against him, and explained, “Anthony Sabatini is weaponizing the legal system to launch a political attack against the man who beat him in the primary, using his corporate legal office to push a narrative built on lies and flawed legal arguments −all to score political headlines,” Mills said.

“These claims are false and misrepresent the nature of my interactions. I have always conducted myself with integrity, both personally and in service to Florida’s 7th District,” Mills said.”

Jesus.  I hope so. 

In my view, if half of the coercive, manipulative, and frighteningly threatening text messages attributed to Rep. Mills are true – someone with a badge in the pocket of their suitcoat needs to get off their ass and take a hard look at Florida statutes prohibiting threats and extortion – along with federal prohibitions on publishing non-consensual intimate imagery, a protection which was signed into law by President Donald Trump earlier this year.

If Ms. Langston’s allegations are proven true, Mills should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, regardless of his powerful political influence in Washington.   

The acrid smoke surrounding Rep. Mills is getting too thick to ignore, and the repeatedly embarrassed residents of the 7^th District deserve better…

And Another Thing!

I’ll be honest, I know I don’t look a day over 80 – but I turn 65 today (trust me, no one is more perplexed than me, and my mystified personal physician…) 

65. The gateway to the confusing new reality of blotchy “old people skin” and navigating the labyrinth of Medicare Parts A, B, D & G

A symbolic milestone marking the disorienting transition into the gloaming of my life. 

To quote my hero Augustus McCrae, “It’s been a hell of a party…”

I feel incredibly fortunate and began the day quietly thanking God for another year, all the wonderful blessings in my life (which includes everyone who takes the time to read these screeds), and giving thanks for all the people who have been put in my path that had my best interest at heart – or taught me the tough lesson that not everyone does…  

As I age not-so-gracefully – a Gin-soaked geriatric with a pack-a-day habit and diminishing tolerance for douche-baggery in all its forms – I still enjoy working the Rubic’s Cube of local politics, figuring out the motives, machinations, and agendas of those we elect here on the “Fun Coast.” 

Keeps my mind limber.

Although I must admit, it is getting increasingly difficult for me to sit through hours of those well-choreographed kabuki’s that pass for local council and commission meetings, even fortified with a dram or three of Tullamore Dew and three-fingers of a strong antiemetic, it’s getting tough…  

This week, I watched a few snippets from the Volusia County Council meeting, lamenting the fact I won’t have Volusia’s Growth and Resource Management Director Clay Ervin to kick around anymore… 

According to reports, Mr. Ervin entered a well-deserved retirement from the roil and rumble of county government last week. 

I wish him all the best with what comes next.    

This week, our elected dullards appointed the decennial Volusia Charter Review Commission – a mixed bag of former politicians, business and insurance executives, a retired judge, a prominent land use attorney, an environmentalist, and retired city manager. 

 Not a lot of Joe & Jane Lunchpails trying to eke out a living in this artificial economy on the list… 

Being the infernal optimist that I am, my hope is the commission will prove to be a well-balanced group with diverse opinions who will meet with open minds, consider citizen input, and decide on potential changes to Volusia’s governing document for voter approval.

We’ll see…

The venerated former Volusia County Council member Pat Northey is back from the 2016 Charter Review Commission, along with Cobb Cole land use attorney Mark Watts – former Chair J. Hyatt Brown is conspicuously not…

The big question this week was how/if the Volusia County Council would tackle the increasingly awkward question of what to do with “Dempsey’s Folly,” now that so much of the public’s time and money have been invested in exploring a potential motorcross track on 356-acres of “conservation” land off State Road 44.

Admittedly, I got a chuckle out of what passed for deliberation of how to move forward…

For his part, Chairman Jeff Brower took a circuitous track (pun intended) to get to the point that the proposed motorcross facility (and the weird funding scheme that got us here) is considered by many to be Councilman Dempsey’s “pet project.”

Because it is…

According to an excellent report by reporter Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week, “(Brower) noted that Dempsey voted against the pilot program to allow dogs on Ormond Beach, which has since become a permanent feature. During that discussion, Dempsey said people could go to Flagler County instead.

Brower pointed out that Flagler County already has a track. Brower said he was concerned it would go out of business if a county built a motocross facility.”  

In listening to his concerns about the Flagler County track, I found it odd that the normally environmentally conscious Chairman Brower virtually cooed over the number and variety of wildlife – deer, sandhill cranes, and alligators – that, he suggests, are all raising their young nearby and “takeover” the track each evening when the roar is done for the day. 

Others suggested the same magnificent biodiversity would appear once the Volusia facility is built – right in the middle of a designated wildlife corridor. 

Does anyone think that’s a good idea?  

After listening to Chairman Brower’s fumbling’s, I thought – What the hell else does he expect these claustrophobic creatures to do?  Move?

Where?

Then, in a stunning reversal from his usual foot-dragging, parliamentary procrastination, and penchant for kicking the proverbial can down the dusty political trail – Councilman David “No Show” Santiago announced he was “proud” to support the motorcross facility – before making a motion to have their consultant explore a potential public/private partnership and bring the matter back for discussion in December.  

According to the News-Journal, “Santiago said he wants the Council to make a final decision on direction instead of a slow “drip” of decisions.”

“Let’s rip this Band-Aid off. Let’s get on with it,” he said.”

Really?

On serious issues that directly impact the lives, livelihoods, and quality of life of Volusia County residents, “No Show” Santiago invariably needs more time/information/discussion/studies/staff input/PowerPoints/workshops/ad nauseum but when it comes to Dempsey’s motorcross facility – paid for with millions-of-dollars in public funds earmarked for passive outdoor recreation and environmental conservation – “Let’s rip the Band-Aid off this Sucker and get on with it!”

I don’t make this shit up, folks…

Others who participate in the sport enthusiastically support the idea. 

Time will tell. 

The next discussion of “Dempsey’s Folly” is scheduled for the December 2nd Volusia County Council meeting in DeLand.

Just in time for Christmas…

That’s all for me.  School starts for Volusia County students on Monday – let’s drive carefully out there, y’all!