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:

This one’s a doozy, y’all. Settle in…

The Case of the Slippery Sidewalks – A Mystery at Mosaic

Last month, The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s investigative journalist Eileen Zaffiro-Kean broke the story of how 40 residents of ICI Homes’ Mosaic community have suffered slip-and-fall incidents on neighborhood sidewalks – some resulting in serious injuries. 

The culprit is standing water due to inadequate drainage that results in a slippery coating of mold, algae, and mud forming across the surface. 

A dirty and dangerous condition that has persisted for years.

For reasons that are yet to be determined, construction performance bonds on the sidewalks – which would have ensured the infrastructure met applicable codes – were reduced or released apparently with little (if any) inspections. 

As a result, the taxpayers of Daytona Beach are on the hook for at least $1 million in repair and replacement costs to correct the problem for Mosaic residents.

Now, the internal intrigue at City Hall is becoming a Nancy Drew Mystery… 

When last we left River Heights, it was reported that assistant city manager for infrastructure Andy Holmes was claiming “Former Daytona Beach City Manager Jim Chisholm, who served from 2004 until 2021, decided unilaterally whether a bond would be reduced or released, Holmes said. Chisholm also decided whether a newly constructed street or sidewalk would be accepted, he said.

Chisholm oversaw Mosaic sidewalk construction from 2017 until 2021, and there are no city inspection records of that work during that period, Holmes said.”

After the diligent investigative efforts of Daytona Beach Commissioner Stacy Cantu, things took an even stranger turn…

At the October 1 commission meeting, Commissioner Cantu revealed internal documents that shed light on who reduced performance bonds covering Mosaic sidewalks, and when.  

Although it was initially made to appear that former City Manager Jim “The Chisler” Chisholm individually released the bonds without adequate inspection, the records Ms. Cantu produced prove that wasn’t the case:

“Chisholm oversaw Mosaic sidewalk construction from 2017 until 2021, and there are no city inspection records of that work during that period, Holmes said at the July meeting.

But one document Cantu obtained shows there was staff oversight, and Chisholm only slightly reduced two performance bonds on newly built sidewalks in the first phase of the neighborhood.

The 2019 document shows Chisholm reduced one bond from $342,736 to $322,844. The other bond was reduced from $320,860 to $304,427. That means the contractor was still on the hook at that point to build the sidewalks correctly.

The Oct. 9, 2019, memo from Holmes to Chisholm requested the city manager reduce the bonds, and noted that “substantial work has been completed and accepted by the city” in the phase one area of the neighborhood.

The memo also notes that “the city engineer has verified that the work in question has been complete, and the amounts of bond reduction correspond to the value of the completed work.” Holmes was the city’s public works director when he wrote the memo six years ago.”

Whoa. 

In response to a public records request, Ms. Cantu obtained documents indicating that current City Manager Deric Feacher significantly reduced the same two bonds, one “from $304,427 to $6,089 in July of 2022,” the other “from $322,844 to $6,457 in July 2022 as well.”

According to the News-Journal, correspondence from Mr. Feacher to ICI Homes at the time claims the sidewalks had been completed to a degree that warranted the performance bond reductions but apparently makes no reference to city inspectors approving the final construction or bond reductions.  

It is not clear whether Mr. Feacher relied on the recommendation of City Engineer Jim Nelson or others, but the report indicates Nelson was copied on the letter to ICI Homes.  

Perhaps more disturbing, the News-Journal is reporting that other communications between ICI Homes and Daytona Beach officials suggest that the issue of sidewalks holding water may not be limited to the Mosaic community…

Look, I’ve never been a fan of “The Chisler,” but if he (or Mr. Feacher) acted upon the best advice of city engineers and inspectors when reducing the performance bonds, then someone has some explaining to do at City Hall.   

As Ms. Cantu was quoted, “I’m not Chisholm’s protector, but what’s right is right,” she said. “You don’t blame someone.”

She’s right.  But it shouldn’t end there.

Now, the residents of Mosaic – and the taxpayers of Daytona Beach – deserve a full investigation into the who, what, when, where, why, and how these substandard sidewalks were approved without adequate inspection to restore the public’s trust in the process. 

Given the pace and scope of development over the past decade, the citizens of Daytona Beach and beyond deserve assurance that conscientious professionals are ensuring safety, compliance, and construction quality – a process city managers should be able to trust when making decisions about specific projects.

In my view, the City of Daytona Beach has done the right thing in working with ICI Homes and others to make the residents of Mosaic safe and whole – and the credit goes to Commissioner Stacy Cantu for her efforts to expose the good, the bad, and the ugly, tackle difficult problems, and demand solutions for her constituents.

Volusia County Schools – Defending the “Cult of Silence”

One thing outsiders quickly understand about the administration of Volusia County School’s is that no expense will be spared when the District defends its dubious operational policies from external scrutiny. 

In fact, controlling the narrative and silencing contrary opinions has become the overriding focus of Superintendent Carmen Balgobin and her “cabinet” of obsequious drones – a well-crafted and intensely protected storyline that has mesmerized the majority of our so-called “elected oversight” on the Volusia County School Board. 

Last year, School Board member Donna Brosemer defeated an entrenched insider – the malleable Carl Persis – who spent as much time staring at his shoes and apologizing for the District’s latest scandal or blunder as he did rubber stamping the administration’s policies… 

To her credit, Ms. Brosemer made it immediately clear who she works for – and it isn’t Superintendent Balgobin. 

That independence hasn’t set well with Volusia’s stagnant ‘Old Guard,’ lead-assed insiders who prefer a “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” approach when propping up a flimsy façade of competence (while cementing a culture of mediocrity) that is turning Volusia County students into victims and running off quality educators who are sick of the hypocrisy. 

For instance, earlier this year, Ms. Brosemer was shocked to learn that over one-hundred non-instructional staff had been directed to sign a non-disclosure agreement by the Balgobin administration – an overbroad gag order that included information specifically covered by Florida’s open records law – something many saw as a means of bureaucratically silencing those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest.

To her credit, Ms. Brosemer had the courage to seek answers – and spent her own money to fight for her constituents – going in her own pocket to obtain independent counsel while being charged by the administration she was elected to oversee to fulfill her public records requests.

Read that again.    

Last week, during a School Board workshop, we learned that the District hired Aaron Wolfe, an attorney with Doran, Foxman, Sims, Wolfe & Yoon of Daytona Beach, to defend Volusia County Schools Attorney Gilbert Evans’ opinion that the Balgobin NDA is somehow both legal and constitutional in a tax funded entity subject to Florida’s open records law.

In turn, at personal expense, Ms. Brosemer engaged Irine Korte, of Apfelbaum Martinez Law in Port St. Lucie, who determined the document was most likely “void, illegal and unenforceable under Florida law.”

In a purely obstructionist move, the District failed to make Ms. Korte’s determinations available until the agenda item was called at the workshop.  Then a short 15-minute recess allowed board members time to skim Korte’s well-formed dissenting opinion…

Bullshit.

Of course, Mr. Wolfe attended the meeting and explained in monotonous detail all the reasons why Dr. Balgobin was right and Ms. Brosemer was wrong – claiming that the NDA itself explains that “confidential information” does not include information that is “required to be disclosed by law, regulation or court order” – even though the extremely broad language governs public records, such as “the district’s financial operations, including budgets, funding sources and allocation of resources.”

In attorney Korte’s opinion, “Strategic planning documents and information − this is a very broad statement and likely could not be construed to fall under any statute which permits confidentiality.  Therefore, protection of this information likely violates the Florida Constitution and applicable Florida law.”

With little discussion, other board members essentially told Ms. Brosemer to mind her own business (?) – explaining their groupthink has concluded the controversial (and potentially unconstitutional) nondisclosure agreements are the sole authority of the politically unaccountable Superintendent Balgobin.

“I think there’s lanes,” said School Board member (and admitted liar) Jessie “Whackadoodle” Thompson. “… There are things that come before us, policy being a major one, but that kind of stuff (NDAs) falls under organization. That’s why we pick the superintendent.”

In my experience, whenever an elected watchdog gets too close to the truth, the instinctive organizational defense is to isolate the inquirer, accuse them of crossing the line, then berate them for meddling in the affairs of sacrosanct administrators.   

In the aftermath of the District’s expensive dog-and-pony show, this week Ms. Brosemer spoke of the acquiescence of our elected “representatives,” and the frightening effects of internal censorship and information manipulation on our right to know:

“The board has surrendered its ability to challenge, question, or research any action by the district, and the district makes it as difficult as possible to get answers or information in any form.

How will we know whether information provided by any staff member in any form is all there is to know, and not just what the district wants us to know?”

Disturbing.

In my view, NDA’s are clearly a public policy decision for our elected representatives – not the manipulative whims of a self-aggrandizing superintendent with a superiority complex…  

Kudos to Donna Brosemer for standing firm for the rights of Volusia County taxpayers – and shining a very bright light on how things have been done in Balgobin’s “Ivory Tower of Power” in DeLand for far too long.  

Please find Ms. Brosemer’s thoughts on the NDA’s – and the School Board’s gross inaction – here: https://tinyurl.com/2c7tcc8p

Volusia County Council of Cowards – The Day the Arts Died on Florida’s “Fun Coast”

After approving the allocation of cultural arts grant funding earlier this year, on Tuesday, the Volusia County Council staged one of its overacted melodramas as Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins effectively killed the arts in Volusia County by callously pulling the rug out from under thirty-two local nonprofit organizations at the eleventh-hour.

Per usual, District 5 Councilman David “No Show” Santiago had something better to do… 

Why would the Volusia County Council appropriate arts funding, allow their Cultural Council to waste time and effort vetting, ranking, and approving detailed applications submitted by nonprofits, then ignore the recommendations of their appointees – and the fervent pleas of residents involved in Volusia’s struggling arts scene – by terminating funding across the board? 

The answer is preposterous, even by the Volusia County Council’s subjective standards…

It appears the tiny Shoestring Theater, a Lake Helen playhouse that has served Volusia County for 75-years – allowed a privately funded “Volusia Pride Pageant” – while the iconic 103-year-old Athens Theater in DeLand permitted an outside group to rent the venue to screen an adult only production of the “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which included a “drag show” before the movie.

What stunned many is that two-years ago, the Volusia County Council discussed the issue and voted 6-0 to preserve funding for the Community Cultural Grant program, which provides a vital shot-in-the-arm for countywide nonprofits who produce art festivals, museums, theaters, stage concerts, curate historical collections, promote public art, and hold associated educational programs for “Fun Coast” residents and visitors. 

For the record, “No Show” Santiago was absent from that meeting as well…  

On Tuesday, after staring down like catatonic gargoyles from the dais as residents spoke passionately about how the arts enhance their quality of life – from a program called “Guitars4Vets” at the Hub on Canal in New Smyrna Beach (which the speaker said is saving lives among struggling military veterans), to healing music for cancer patients, the Halifax Historical Society, and MOAS – it took three ham-handed motions and a final 6-0 vote to return the $611,758 allocation back to the general fund.

Only Councilman Matt Reinhart championed public support for the cultural arts, but his pleas were equally ignored. 

Hell, even Councilman Jake Johansson tried his patented “elder statesman” routine, suggesting that funding for the Athens and Shoestring theaters be culled for later discussion, which would allow the other organizations to receive funds.  

So, where will the $611,758 be spent?   

According to a report by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “I think we need to take this $611 (thousand) and move it to the $5 million that we have for roads, sidewalks, for support — because we have very limited funds to maintain our roads,” Brower said. “For me, that’s more of a core responsibility.”

That’s a great political soundbite for Chairman Jeff Brower, but why didn’t they do that when budget allocations were being discussed, rather than publicly humiliating organizations who took the time to submit grant applications to accommodate Councilman Robins’ political grandstanding?

Whatever. 

At the end of the day, Councilman “Gaslight” Robins got his way – along with a chance to preen and peacock with one of his patented political parlor tricks while dashing the hopes of Volusia’s struggling arts community.

This isn’t institutional wokeness, it is two long-established nonprofit organizations who tried to live up to their obligation for self-sustainability by renting space to third-party entities, then got publicly flogged because the productions didn’t appeal to Mr. Robins.   

Look, I believe cultural arts should be self-sustaining – and gaps in limited public funding not covered by Volusia’s voter approved ECHO program should be met by philanthropic patrons – and the proceeds of fundraisers and successful productions that fill seats in theaters and concert halls. 

That said, I’ve watched that shitshow in DeLand long enough to have seen millions in taxpayer dollars pissed away to fund everything from the pet projects of individual elected officials to myriad corporate welfare schemes for their political benefactors.

Like a publicly funded motorcross facility deemed essential by Councilman Don Dempsey to marketing budgets for start-up airlines, infrastructure, tax breaks for massive corporations, and spiffs for all the right last names who fund their political campaigns and expect a return on investment.

Yet, Councilman Robins now has a “moral obligation” to be the gatekeeper and allow only his version of a “healthy family-oriented arts and culture learning and education experience” for the rest of us?

Sure he does.

Hypocritical assholes…

In my view, as evidenced by his staunch resistance to addressing widespread development-induced flooding across the width and breadth of Volusia County – Danny “Gaslight” Robins doesn’t give two-shits about the health of your family or mine. 

What he cares about is getting reelected to political office so he can continue slavishly serving the wants of his wealthy benefactors in the real estate development industry. 

Sadly, if he has to crush your kids’ choral group, cut your mothers Plein Air class, pull funding for veterans’ museums, summer art camps, IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts, school field trips, the Ormond Memorial Art Museum, Pioneer Settlement Jamboree, DeLand’s Fall Festival of the Arts, etcetera – then so be it. 

All that matters is that he can play the role of the “posturing puritan” when it is politically convenient. 

Equally sad, the others present didn’t have the moral or political courage to think for themselves…  

Now that’s obscene.

Quote of the Week

“The jobs alone,” Volusia County Councilman Matt Reinhart said, “just providing those jobs and boosting the economy is, I mean, I can’t put words to it, that’s exciting.”

Amazon Fulfillment Center DAB2 is a 630,000-square-foot robotics facility that can hold up to 30 million items and is offering a starting salary of $19 per hour. Once fully operational, DAB2 will have the capability to ship more than 800,000 packages in a single day. As of this writing, the facility was running at 65% of capacity. Andrew Jaworski, the general manager of DAB2, expects the fulfillment center to be fully operational before the year is out.

Working at Amazon means receiving a comprehensive benefits package from day one, a 401(k) with 50% Amazon match, paid leave and free mental health resources. Some DAB2 warehouse employees can work in shorts and a T-shirt and all have access to a multi-faith room (AKA prayer room).

This is Amazon’s second facility in Daytona Beach, joining a “last mile” delivery station on Mason Avenue.

Daytona Beach City Manager Deric C. Feacher agreed Amazon’s interest in Daytona is creating business leads for the city. “There are other entities that are looking at us, not only from the Amazon type market, but from hospitality and accommodations that I think will be significant,” Mr. Feacher said.

Mayor Henry concurred, “It just sends a ripple effect. Hopefully, others will come and see us as a viable space.”

He pointed to a “great school system” and “great colleges and universities” that make Daytona, “a good resource for employers.”

–Journalist Charles Guarria, writing in Volusia Hometown News, “Amazon opens robotic fulfillment center at Daytona,” Thursday, October 2, 2025

I hate to be the proverbial turd in the punchbowl, but… 

While our local politicos are rolling over and urinating all over themselves like overexcited puppies – touting the “grand slam” that is the new Daytona Beach Amazon Robotics Fulfillment Center – I’m still hung-up on the word “Robotics.”

Just me?

After gifting some $4 million in corporate welfare incentives in the form of tax breaks for the largest e-commerce behemoth in the known universe (rather than demand concessions for allowing a 24/7/365 fulfillment center at the incredibly lucrative nexus of I-4 and I-95, adjacent to Daytona “International” Airport), last week the gargantuan Amazon logistics operation opened to great fanfare.

With the promise of 1,000 jobs paying at least $19 an hour, during the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony, Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry gushed, “Let me be clear: these aren’t just jobs. They are careers,” he said. “This means our neighbors and young people entering the workforce will not only have stable employment but also a future where they can build skills, raise a family and prosper.”

Maybe the flummoxed Councilman Matt Reinhart and the overexuberant Mayor Henry know something the burgeoning Generative AI industry doesn’t?   

In June, Forbes reported that Amazon eliminated 1,000 jobs from its workforce due to advances in Artificial Intelligence and robotics technology, something job market analyst Eli Amdur suggests might be a “harbinger of things to come at Amazon,” and potentially a “phenomenon we will see far and wide, not just at Amazon.”

According to Amdur, “It’s inescapable for a few reasons. First, according to data from layoffs.fyi, which monitors tech worker layoffs, already this year 141 companies have laid off 62,832 employees. In 2024, it was 152,922 employees from 551 companies and in 2023, it was 264,220 employees from 1,193 companies.

Layoffs, we see, are inevitable – especially in tech. At the onset of new technologies or the introduction of new products, hiring takes place with kid-in-a-candy-store concern for consequences. A year later, things look quite different – and that kid is now an obese diabetic.”

Interesting…

In my view, the word “Robotics” means just that – intelligent machines performing heavy lifting and repetitive tasks with the speed, reliability, and efficiency that human workers cannot match – resulting in fewer people doing jobs that have been technologically automated.

“Come on, Barker – you bloviating windbag!  This is a renaissance, dammit!  The future is bright, and you’re not.  For your information, Bubba, Amazon gave a whopping $20,000 grand to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics at Volusia County Schools to help local kids aspire to schlepping boxes around a warehouse floor, you cantankerous crank…”

Look, don’t take my cynical word for it, in a memo to employees earlier this year, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said it first:

“As we roll out more Generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done. We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs. It’s hard to know exactly where this nets out over time, but in the next few years, we expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce as we get efficiency gains from using AI extensively across the company.”

In my view, it’s nice for our elected and appointed officials to beat their chests and throw around exciting words like “synergy,” “bright future,” “shared vision,” and “grand slam” – so long as they understand the true “ripple effect” that the potential loss of hundreds of jobs/careers could have on our local economy as automation increases – then have the vision to plan for it. 

Ignoring the hard truth while fanning the frenetic excitement of the “next big thing” is what we’ve come to expect from those toxic optimists who continue to throw our money at the promise of “high paying jobs.” All while refusing to seek concessions and much needed infrastructure in exchange for the impacts, job insecurity, traffic, and civic nuisances inherent to largescale industrial warehouse operations.  

And Another Thing!

“To earn an A, Florida schools had to score a 64%.

But when the school grades came out this summer, Atlantic scored a 633 out of 1,000 possible points. That was two points shy of an A, as 635 rounds up to 64%.

“We were right there,” (Atlantic High School Principal) Watson said.

So district officials reviewed the data and found an aberration.

Volusia’s appeal letter to the Department of Education states that students assigned to the district’s Hospital Homebound service were erroneously attributed to Atlantic High.

Where the high school and the program once shared the same address, the district centralized all of its exceptional student education offices, including Hospital Homebound.

“Although these corrections are now reflected in the updated (Master School Identification) file, the change was made after school grades were calculated and reported,” states a letter from Superintendent Carmen Balgobin to the FDOE. “However, Hospital Homebound and Atlantic High School were never physically collocated at any point during the 2024-25 school year.”

–Reporter Mark Harper, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Volusia’s Atlantic High School earns 1st ‘A’ from Florida Department of Education,” Friday, September 24, 2025

Make it make sense…

Look, I’m no academic (the only thing that kept me out of college was high school…) but since when does 64% equate to an “A” grade? 

I’m asking.

Because student performance assessment in Florida classrooms is based on a standard grading scale – where 90-100% is considered an “A” grade (Excellent) – and 64% is considered a “D” (Below Average). 

That’s typically what people consider when they see achievement measured by a traditional grading system.  

Unfortunately, in the wild and wacky world of Florida academic administration – it appears senior officials with the Department of Education and the various taxpayer funded districts simply interpret “legislative mandates and educational policies” – then develop favorable (and easily massaged) metrics for measuring school performance as a means of influencing public perception.

Why are those responsible for administering the education of our children constantly lowering the bar?

In my view, it is because most people prefer to purchase homes and relocate businesses in areas that have high performing schools to educate their children. 

In March, the Florida Citizens Alliance pressed Governor Ron DeSantis and the state legislature to “implement sweeping reforms,” of Florida’s public school grading system.  According to the FCA:

“If the Florida DOE scored their schools the same way they graded students with the traditional grading scale used throughout the U.S., where scores below 60 percent are considered failing, 52 percent of Florida’s public schools would receive a failing grade.”

According to Keith Flaugh, co-founder of Florida Citizens Alliance, “Florida schools are actually in a major crisis academically, despite PR efforts by the Florida Department of Education to persuade taxpayers into believing the state has the very best schools in the nation. With 82 percent of schools effectively earning a ‘D’ grade or lower, and the state ranking near the bottom of the recent Nations Report Card (NAEP) and 43rd in SAT scores nationwide, it’s abundantly clear that urgent action is needed.”

While Volusia County School Superintendent Carmen Balgobin continues to manipulate scores by moving low performing students and programs around like chess pieces until positive results are obtained – flogging the “Everyone got an A!” ruse – then marginalizing anyone who questions the practice and wrapping herself in self-nominated awards to build credibility.

I question who Dr. Balgobin is serving? 

Is she furthering the mercenary interests of the real estate industry and our “economic development” shills fabricating a disguise to lure more warehouse jobs? 

Because she damn sure doesn’t have the interests of struggling Volusia County students who are unwitting victims of a school grading system that has been labeled a “politically manipulated scam” by those in the know.

What a tragic shame…

That’s all for me.  Enjoy Port Orange Family Days, y’all!