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:

“A Money Pit”: Councilman Don Dempsey’s Folly Progresses in Volusia County

During the first Volusia County Council meeting of the new year, it was ‘bidness as usual’ when a measure to piss away $195,795 from Volusia ECHO funds to hire a contractor to provide advice to the county bureaucracy in developing a “P-3” – a public-private partnership (read: public funds used to underwrite a private enterprise) – ostensibly for the development and operation of Councilman Don Dempsey’s pet motocross facility.

The controversial and incredibly expensive folly was buried as Item H on the council’s consent agenda…

To his credit, Chairman Jeff Brower released the public information and input vacuum when he pulled the item for discussion. 

What ensued was a classic well-choreographed Volusia County Kabuki, fronted by perhaps the worst presentation by a publicly compensated official I’ve ever witnessed.

Trust me.  I’ve seen a few…

Our new “Assistant County Manager” Gus Zambrano earned his $185,000 salary by reading a PowerPoint, verbatim – its slides embroidered with nonsensical cartoon-like graphics – all to sell the notion of using nearly $200,000 in public funds to hire a private consultant to do the swollen bureaucracy’s work, construct a Request for Proposal, engage with bidders, and help select a private entity to operate the Don Dempsey Motocross and ATV/UTV Trail Riding Facility.

Yep.  Ol’ Gus is going to fit right in over there in the Ivory Tower of Power… 

Given the knowns and unknowns of the state’s push to reduce or eliminate property taxes – along with the council’s faux focus on funding core government responsibilities – Mr. Brower suggested the already purchased land would be an excellent location for a county owned park and supported the idea of opening the site to recreational riding.

It was apparent from the moment Mr. Brower pulled the item for discussion that the outcome had been determined well before the meeting began… 

Per usual, Councilman David “No Show” Santiago attempted to paint Chairman Brower as a liar for daring to question the project – manipulatively mewling about “deception” and “motives” – twisting inference, and claiming that because the project is exploiting Volusia ECHO and not the general fund, residents apparently don’t have a valid reason to oppose the $3.5 million+ expenditure.

Bullshit.

During what passed for public participation, “C.J.,” a citizen who identified himself as the owner of Pax Trax, a Flagler County commercial motorcross facility and a recognized expert in the sport, stood before the council and candidly explained – if Volusia County builds a track it will “shut me down” – claiming that motorcross tracks across the state are closing due to a lack of business, with several of the properties still up for sale.

In fact, the gentleman implored council members to fully understand what they were up committing to in operating a motorcross facility – explaining that if he felt a facility in Volusia was financially viable, he would have purchased the land and opened the business himself.

In an odd departure from the council’s standard practice of staring catatonically into space and refusing to acknowledge citizens who approach the dais, the track owner’s plea resulted in an agitated Don Dempsey doing the unthinkable and actually responding to the private operator’s grim prediction from the dais.

In a weird exchange, Councilman Dempsey challenged the industry expert, “You don’t remember our golf cart ride at Magic Mountain (?) three years ago where we talked about this very project?” 

In exchange, C.J. answered from the gallery, recalling he told Mr. Dempsey the project would be successful as a “night track,” before the exchange was shut down by Councilman Johansson, who knows that no good comes from openly discussing issues with constituents…

It was Councilman Dempsey’s weepy rant – arguing that concerned constituents are using his pet project as a bludgeon because he frequently votes against growth management measures and environmental protections that I found most disingenuous – and offensive to Volusia County taxpayers.

“I know a lot of people are mad at me because I vote against moratoriums and I don’t always vote the way the environmentalists want me to vote, and I can’t help but think, sometimes, that this is just a way of getting even with me.”

Say what?  How in the hell did Don Dempsey become the victim?

Councilman Dempsey’s “everybody’s pickin’ on me” pout turned into a self-serving tirade as he painted his effort as being exclusively “for the kids” – railing that the sport of motorcross is readily accessible to everyone (if you have thousands of dollars for specialty motorcycles, trailers, protective equipment, physical agility, etc., etc., that is…) and that denying the multi-million-dollar public/private facility would prevent eight-year-olds from practicing motorcross at night.

All Mr. Dempsey’s melodramatic diatribe lacked was Sarah McLachlan’s “In the Arms of the Angel” moaning gently in the background to have me bawling like a lachrymose grandmother…  

What a godawful farce. 

Don’t take my word for it. 

Watch it all for yourself here (the fun begins at 1:07:30): https://tinyurl.com/5t3tk4du

There’s something about watching a millionaire politician throw a selfish tantrum on the dais because he’s receiving moderate pushback against having a publicly funded motorcross facility built in his backyard that provides a disturbing insight into how our egomaniacal elected “representatives” think – and spend our money…

Ultimately, the always sanctimonious Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins (who last year ignored the $50 million annual impact of cultural events on Volusia County’s economy in his shortsighted charge to eliminate all previously budgeted arts funding) dismissed Chairman Brower’s commonsense argument as “political salad,” before arrogantly calling the vote. 

Like choreographed clockwork, the expenditure was approved 5-1 with Councilman Troy Kent absent due to a family emergency.  Now, having spent +/- $200K to hire someone else to write and administrate a simple RFP, that bloated bureaucracy in DeLand can go back to sitting on its thumbs, concocting their next nonsensical PowerPoint…

My God.

In my view, this farcical charade once again demonstrates just how far these flip-flopping shills will go to repay a cooperative “colleague” for his loyalty in helping smooth out the humps-and-bumps for their common political benefactors who control the rods and strings of government in Volusia County and beyond.

If you live and pay taxes in Volusia County – and believe as I do that the core tenets of Volusia ECHO and Forever programs have been highjacked in a crude effort to ramrod the Dempsey Family Motorcross Facility – I encourage you to vote your conscience, launch these slimy slugs onto the political ash heap, and return a sense of honor, integrity, and sanity to the Volusia County Council.

Policies and Guidelines: Improving Fiscal Oversight in the City of Daytona Beach

To say the initial probes by the City of Daytona Beach’s new internal auditor, Abinet Belachew – a hard-charging watchdog with a penchant for uncovering misspending while upholding standards that ensure the ethical stewardship of public funds – caught his elected bosses and appointed colleagues by surprise is an understatement. 

Dude kicked the proverbial door down – then hung the dirty laundry on the line for all the villagers to see…

Having just scratched the surface, Mr. Belachew has already uncovered potential misuse of city purchasing cards, travel irregularities, a lack of receipts and documentation, outdated or ineffective policies, and most recently, allegations of a scandalous liaison possibly involving a supervisor and subordinate, which may have involved the misappropriation of public funds.

Sadly, after his initial foray, Mr. Belachew reported that his efforts had been met with a disturbing degree of opposition and obstruction by some senior officials – something that often happens when the established status quo is challenged.  When some insiders questioned his audit results it appeared Mr. Belachew clearly felt the veracity of his inquiry was being disputed, which set up some tense public exchanges that made the elected officials visibly uncomfortable…

To their credit, the Daytona Beach City Commission recently agreed upon a set of rules to guide Mr. Belachew’s scope of responsibilities going forward, providing specific guidelines without neutering the purpose and authority of his vital role.

According to an informative report by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

“At their Wednesday, Jan. 7 meeting, city commissioners adopted a 10-page governing policy that both Belachew and other city officials will operate under for auditing issues.

The policy will include everything from how long top city employees have to respond to one of Belachew’s audit reports to a detailed explanation of the internal auditor’s mission.

The mission of the city auditor is to provide independent and objective assurance and advisory services that enhance accountability, transparency, and efficiency; and to proactively identify risks, evaluate internal controls, and make practical recommendations that strengthen city operations, safeguard public resources, support effective governance, and prevent potential fraud, waste and abuse.”

Most important, Mr. Belachew will remain independent of senior administrators – reporting to the Mayor and City Commissioners – with established protections from undue influence on the “…audit scope, methodology, findings, conclusions, or timing of the audit.”

In addition, the new audit parameters ensure the City Manager and department heads have the opportunity to review and respond to findings in a timely manner – and provide answers which can be evaluated by the auditor.  Modifications to audit reports can be made based on valid explanations supported by sufficient evidence.

The new policy provides for a dedicated hotline that will allow residents and employees to report fraud, waste, and abuse – and if Mr. Belachew finds the complaint applicable to his office and a formal investigation warranted – he will notify the city commission who will determine how to proceed.

According to the News-Journal’s report, “The city auditor is authorized to conduct investigations of complaints received from city employees relating to acts or suspected acts by city employees or agents of gross mismanagement, malfeasance, misfeasance, gross waste of public funds, or gross neglect of duty related to financial and compliance matters.

When a city employee seeking to invoke the protection of the Whistleblower’s Act discloses information to the city auditor, the auditor is authorized to initiate an investigation.”

To ensure transparency, Mr. Belachew will coordinate with the city’s public information officer to post audit reports to the public website.

In my experience, financial audits and the independent examination of policies, protocols, and managerial practices help guarantee compliance with regulations, ensures best practices, safeguard resources, and establishes a culture of accountability that leads to better governance.    

Kudos to Daytona Beach – and those local governments who employ professional internal auditors – then allow that critical position the freedom and flexibility to publicly report their findings, speak openly to the media and answer constituent questions on matters of concern, and, by their personal and professional example, set exacting standards for the ethical and efficient conduct of the people’s business. 

Quote of the Week

“Since 2017, companies linked to a multibillion-dollar investment manager in New York have spent at least $230 million buying up more than 80,000 acres across north Florida — amassing giant tracts of largely rural land near Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Panama City.

That same investment firm now wants Florida lawmakers to make it much easier to develop that land.

Records obtained by Seeking Rents show that executives at Ruane Cunniff — a Manhattan-based firm that manages hedge funds, mutual funds and other investment vehicles — are behind an obscure entity pushing bills in the Florida Legislature this year that would enable giant landowners to have their properties rezoned for high-intensity development without a local public hearing or vote in the communities where the projects would occur.

The Ruane Cunniff-backed company has hired nearly 20 lobbyists in Tallahassee who have been quietly meeting with lawmakers in support of the legislation — which, if passed, could dramatically boost the value of the vast land holdings the firm has assembled in Florida over the past decade.

That’s not all. Separate records show that another corporate entity controlled by Ruane Cunniff executives recently began showering money on key figures in the Florida Capitol. That entity has made more than $150,000 in campaign contributions in the two months since House Bill 299 and Senate Bill 354 were filed in the Legislature — including $10,000 apiece for each of the bill sponsors.”

–Investigative Journalist Jason Garcia writing in Seeking Rents, a newsletter and podcast focusing on Florida politics, “A New York investment firm with vast land holdings across north Florida wants state lawmakers to greenlight giant developments,” Wednesday, January 7, 2026

If you care about the ongoing destruction of Florida through malignant development and the overweening greed driving it, you’re going to want to down a strong antiemetic and read Mr. Garcia’s shocking expose here: https://tinyurl.com/5buer3jx

On Tuesday, we denizens of the Sunshine State girded our loins as that Turkish bazaar that is the 2026 Florida Legislative Session began in Tallahassee. 

The opening session was marked by palpable tensions among leadership – along with a shocking lack of proposed legislation that would improve the average Floridian’s life and livelihood as our elected representatives work overtime to preempt local growth management regulations and pave the way (literally) for their political overseers in the real estate development industry. 

In my view, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ blatant snubbing of House President Daniel Perez – openly ghosting Perez ahead of the State of the State address, while giving Senate President Ben Albritton a hearty handshake – makes for good political theater, but this year, petty politics is the least of our concerns…  

As Gideon Tucker so eloquently said, “No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session,” and here in Florida, that truism continues to hit increasingly close to home.

On Tuesday, the Senate Community Affairs Committee agreed to amend SB 180 – a law passed last year that essentially gutted local planning by preempting cities and counties from passing “more restrictive or burdensome” growth management regulations – and gave developers the ability to file suit if their plans were denied.

According to a report this week by Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida, a recent legislative update from 1000 Friends of Florida explained, “The bill does not repeal SB 180’s (the 2025 law’s) retroactive provisions, instead shortening their duration,” the growth-management organization said. “As a result, communities like Orange County and Manatee County remain stymied on good-faith planning decisions unrelated to storm recovery, undermining voter- and community-driven local planning efforts.”

Not that any of that matters…

In the legislative spirit of ‘give with one hand and take with the other,’ if passed, legislation known as the “Blue Ribbon Projects” bill would cut out public hearings and citizen input to allow large-tract landowners holding at least 10,000 or more contiguous acres to do as they wish – further neutering the ability of local government to control growth and protect the character of their communities. 

Which brings Jason Garcia’s disturbing reportage on out-of-state carpetbaggers buying massive tracts of undeveloped property across the state – then showering Florida lawmakers with equally massive campaign contributions – into clearer focus… 

In addition, Mr. Garcia reports that there is a plethora of proposed legislation that would further preempt local growth regulation – such as one piece of work that would “…force cities and counties to approve any housing development up to 100 acres if half the property borders existing residential areas (Senate Bill 208). The House, meanwhile, is about to begin moving a bill that would essentially forbid local governments from enforcing strict wetland buffers that keep new development away from environmentally sensitive watersheds (House Bill 479).

“Other bills would let lawyers for developers and local government leaders do more negotiating in secret (Senate Bill 332, House Bill 655), make it easier for homebuilders to construct subdivisions on farmland surrounding cities (Senate Bill 686, House Bill 691), and set the stage for the potential elimination of all local urban-service boundaries (House Bill 399).”

According to historians, pirates and privateers began raiding what is now Florida about the time of the first European settlers, prowling the waters, plundering anything of value on land and sea in the name of King – or abject greed – and openly preying on the weak.

They’re still coming… 

Now, their gaudy costumes and sash replaced by thousand-dollar Georgio Armani suits and Gucci loafers, their trusty sword a Montblanc fountain pen – they’re “motley crew” a passel of bright real estate lawyers and brokers who cobble together LLC’s to facilitate enormous land acquisitions – a groaning chest of cash to buy the loyalty of those we elect to represent our interests. 

But what about “We, The Little People”? 

Where is the proposed legislation to ease our burden, protect our thin slice of the pie, stop this quid pro quo insanity in Tallahassee and beyond, and improve to our quality of life here on this salty piece of land we call home?  

Yeah.  We’re screwed.  Get used to it…

And Another Thing!

“After over 20 years of planning, the developers of Ormond Crossings have broken ground on the almost 3,000-acre community.

An event celebrating the recent groundbreaking of the first phase of the development was held on Monday, Jan. 12, at the Security First Insurance headquarters.

Ormond Crossings is a mixed-use project located south of U.S. 1 and along both the east and west sides of I-95, with land in both Volusia and Flagler counties. In addition to building about 2,550 residential units, Ormond Crossings will have a commerce park and a town center with retail, restaurants and outdoor areas. Planning for the development began in 2002 and is the result of a partnership with the City of Ormond Beach, Volusia County and Tomoka Holdings. The property was acquired by the Ford family, of DeLand, in 2016; they then sold it in December 2023 to Bradford Kline and Associates, of Maryland, for $62 million.”

–Reporter Jarleene Almenas, writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “More than two decades in the making: Ormond Crossings finally breaks ground,” Monday, January 12, 2026

You read that right…

If you thought the once quaint and infinitely desirable jewel that was the City of Ormond Beach couldn’t get any more mundane, run-of-the-mill, or mediocre – guess what? 

You ain’t seen nothing yet…

For decades, forces beyond your control – with the acquiescence of visionless political hacks who infiltrated the Ormond Beach City Commission – have waited until market conditions were optimum to begin developing the community-changing behemoth that will be Ormond Crossings. 

In turn, our clueless ‘powers that be’ have prepared for the impacts of 2,550 new residential units, a two-million-square-foot “commerce park,” and town center with retail space by allowing the Florida Department of Transportation to narrow the main thoroughfare on east/west Granada Boulevard and A-1-A, impeding the flow of increasingly congested traffic with chicanes, bumps, nonsensical medians, and a slalom course of constricted lanes that will soon be overwhelmed by the addition of motorists from (enter name of a “new” or pending cookie-cutter subdivision here).

Twenty-years of so-called “leaders” who were gifted a vibrant palette filled with natural and civic amenities, rich in history, affluence, arts, and culture – features that the visionary private investor Bill Jones used to imagine and create the heart of our community on West Granada Boulevard – inspired placemaking that, unfortunately, did not extend beyond downtown…   

Rather than build on that success, those visionless dullards in City Hall – and developers who are allowed to do as they please – managed to paint a colorless tableau, filled with uninspired strip centers, where old growth forests, specimen hardwoods, and natural buffers are churned into a muddy moonscape to make way for another carwash, convenience store, or storage facility.    

According to the Observer’s report, “At the groundbreaking event, Ormond Beach Mayor Jason Leslie said the occasion marked a “major step forward for the future of our community.”

“Ormond Crossings began with a simple but powerful question back in 2004: What should Ormond Beach look like 20, 30, and even 50 years into the future?” Leslie said.”

Is this uninspired and unoriginal “sameness” something anyone in their right mind would have wanted a beautiful blank canvas like Ormond Beach to “look like” if they had a crystal ball? 

Does Mayor Leslie think now is the right time to greenlight another massive “city-within-a-city” regional development of monumental impact on claustrophobic existing residents, especially at a time when our aging infrastructure and “patchwork” repair and replacement strategy falls short of current carrying capacity, let alone the looming impacts of Ormond Crossings, Avalon Park, Plantation Oaks, pressure from Flagler County, Daytona Beach, etc., etc.?

In my view, this isn’t a “turning point” as Mayor Leslie suggests, given the timing, it is stupid, ill-planned, and inappropriate unless and until the underlying infrastructure issues are addressed – and ‘more of the same’ isn’t “visionary” – its conventional, homogenized, and monotonous.

Of course, none of that matters to those compromised shills who invariably fall for the huckster’s ruse of “high paying jobs” – a subjective marketing term so ubiquitous with artless politicians selling massive projects to their anxious constituents that it has become a sick joke. 

Unfortunately, Ormond Beach Mayor Jason Leslie – a chameleon-like politician who can clearly change his stance depending upon the composition of the room – is clearly no exception… 

According to the Observer, “A lot has changed in the past 20 years, the mayor said, but the vision for Ormond Crossings remains the same: to create a place where people can live, work and play in their community.

Leslie highlighted the economic development opportunities that will come with Ormond Crossings to create high-paying jobs for locals. Security First, he said, is an example.”

Perhaps Mayor Leslie should perform a simple cost/benefit analysis – preferably while he’s sitting through four or more signal cycles on Granada Boulevard and (enter any cross street here) – then determine how much more of our dwindling quality of life he and another out-of-state developer are willing to sacrifice on the altar of greed?

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

Note to Readers:

I want to thank multi-media journalist and host Charles I. Guarria for having me as his guest on The Opinion Guy Podcast this week. The eclectic program features a variety of news, arts & culture, sports, food, and local politics.  Please find the episode here: https://tinyurl.com/3m3fhuaz