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:

State of the County: “Driving the Future.  Honoring Tradition.”  Seriously?  

We live in a time when our elected officials on the Volusia County Council blatantly obfuscate and procrastinate, muddying the water (literally) on some of the most critical issues of our time. 

In fact, it has become so common that many no longer bother to sort the wheat from the chaff. 

As a result of the near constant manipulation, many of my neighbors say they simply don’t pay attention to it anymore, choosing instead to apathetically bury their heads in the sand and shut out what passes for governance in Volusia County.   

Most troubling, good people increasingly refuse to participate in the political meat grinder that devours those who run for local office.  A process that is now limited to hand-select marionettes, malleable shills born without the emotion of shame, supported by wealthy special interests, and passionately devoted to protecting the stagnant status quo.

I guess it’s true, we get the government we deserve…

Each year we are reminded of just how far afield things have gotten when our politicos, hangers-on, and a smattering of concerned residents come together for the State of the County Address. 

This year our elected officials, senior staff, and those residents with the constitution to stomach it, gathered in the Lost City of Deltona for a “free lunch” usually paid for by government contractors doing business with the County of Volusia (?). 

Read that last line again…

A chance for our political elite to preen and posture, rub elbows, cackle, and backslap, while touting last years “accomplishments.” 

A stilted afternoon where our elected officials desperately try to hide their utter distain for Chairman Jeff Brower and the tragicomedy that plays out around his efforts to slow-the-growth, defend what remains of unspoiled Volusia County, and protect our finite natural resources from the threat of malignant development.  

This year, the dubious theme of the address was “Driving the Future.  Honoring Tradition.”

Really?

A trite line, no doubt concocted by some spinmeister in the “Community Information Division,” that denies the fact our elected officials – and those entrenched senior enablers on staff who craft the narrative – have done nothing to drive our collective future or honor our cherished traditions – such as beach driving/access, supporting a vibrant arts community, or the reverence and respect the vast majority of Volusia County voters have for the protection and conservation of our environment.

I’ve said this before, but we now find ourselves in a time when our quality of life – and that of our children and grandchildren – is threatened by abject incompetence, bureaucratic procrastination, and an institutional dedication to protecting the profit motives of those who can pay-to-play at all levels of government.

And no one who accepts public funds to serve in the public interest seems to care. 

During his speech, Chairman Brower spoke of the importance of maintaining local control and defending our right to self-determination in county and municipal governance. 

He’s right.

With the growing threat of state preemptions to home rule authority increasing every day that the Florida Legislature is in session – and the ongoing assault on local governance as state officials threaten the elimination of small, accessible, and responsive representation – it is clear to anyone paying attention which special interests own the high ground in Tallahassee (hint: It damn sure isn’t We, The Little People who vote those compromised shills into office…)

According to an excellent piece outlining Chairman Brower’s speech by Sierra Williams writing in the Ormond Beach Observer last week:

“At the same time, we understand that responsible government means planning ahead,” he said, “anticipating challenges and making decisions that serve both today’s residents and future generations.”

The United States was designed, he said, to be accessible to the people through a system built on balance.

“The government closest to you is best suited to make local decisions,” Brower said. “Local leaders understand those conditions. Volusia, cities and county governments, understand our communities, our environment, our economy and the real-world effects of policy decisions.”

Even well intended policies can produce unintended consequences. While the county regularly engages with its state and federal partners, he said, it is local officials’ jobs to ensure “decisions made beyond our borders are informed by local realities.”

Well said – and infinitely true. 

That’s something I hope everyone in Volusia County and beyond can get behind this election season – “The government closest to you is best suited to make local decisions” – especially in terms of controlling growth, protecting our threatened environment, and defending our dwindling quality of life… 

Dollars and Sense: Turning Volusia County into a Cultural Wasteland

In a nasty display of bait-and-switch deception, last October, the Volusia County Council put citizens and not-for-profit arts and cultural organizations across our region on an emotional rollercoaster when they voted to deny previously vetted, approved, and budgeted grant funding.  

The vote to cut funding followed a staged Pageant of Pomposity which included some of the worst political grandstanding in the history of the artform…

In June 2023, councilmembers sat stone-faced through two-hours of supportive public comment before voting 6-0 (with Councilman David “No Show” Santiago absent…) to continue the Volusia Cultural Council and the Community Cultural Grant program which has provided assistance to area arts, cultural, and heritage organizations through a competitive process for the past 36-years.

Then – completely out of the blue – last fall, Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins took faux-offense to the fact the 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.

Just like that, over thirty area arts and cultural organizations – legacy programs that have supported Volusia County’s economic viability and enhanced the lives of residents for decades – saw their grant funding completely eliminated when the council voted 6-0 (you guessed it, Santiago had something better to do…) to return the traditional $611,758 allocation to the general fund.

Undeterred by having the rug pulled out from under them in the eleventh-hour, patrons, activists, and concerned citizens continued to voice their support each month – speaking out at Volusia County Council meetings, establishing petitions, and organizing alternative funding – including an incredibly selfless sacrifice by both the Athens and Shoestring theaters to defuse Councilman Robins’ tempest in a teapot by pulling their grant applications from consideration. 

The opportunity to reconsider the vote was made possible thanks to the efforts of County Councilman Matt Reinhart, who made a motion to bring the matter back at the council’s February 17 meeting.

On Tuesday, before a packed house, the council voted 5-2 to authorize some $572,000 for the grants, partially fulfilling their broken promise to arts and cultural organizations.  Councilmen Robins and Troy Kent voted to deny funding and continue the gross betrayal of those groups, fairs, festivals, galleries, and productions that enhance our quality of life and add millions of dollars to our regional economy annually.

Unfortunately, it appears this asinine bruhaha may be the end of future arts and cultural grant funding in Volusia County…

Why? 

Some of our shortsighted elected “representatives” tut-tutted about “priorities,” claiming the arts are not a “core government service” – which has never been a problem before – especially when corporate welfare and pet projects (like a multi-million-dollar publicly funded motorcross facility?) need our greenbacks… 

According to a report by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week:

“Some also pointed to the possibility that taxpayers could vote for significant property tax reductions in November, which would take a large chunk of county government funding away.

“Things have greatly changed in Florida. The Florida Legislature is going to put some kind of a property tax reform on the ballot. When they do that, it will pass because no one likes property taxes,” Volusia County Council Chairman Jeff Brower said.”

Call me a naïve rube, but I happen to believe Floridian’s are (by and large) smart enough to see this property tax initiative for the rushed shim/sham it is – a means of legislatively skewing the playing field in favor of their political sugar daddies in the development industry – by eliminating small, responsive, and attentive local governments as a means of reducing the mosaic of growth management regulations that form a chainmail to protect what’s left of the Sunshine State.    

Most people understand the need for quality governance and well-tailored essential services and don’t mind paying fair and reasonable taxes to ensure their quality of life, protect our unique culture and heritage, and preserve the beautiful natural amenities that Florida offers.

For now, politicians at all levels of government will use this legislative sideshow to their advantage, right up until voters tell these bought-and-paid-for shills to stick their “property tax elimination” scam where the Florida sun don’t shine.

Maybe then those we send to Tallahassee can get serious developing workable and sustainable tax reform for all Florida residents and business interests.  

Volusia County Government: Where Common Sense Goes to Die…

“Public infrastructure should never be installed without appropriate due diligence,” Willacker said. “There should be a required review to ensure that any solution is effective, legal and safe for all users before it is built, not after a complaint is filed.”

The Beacon sought additional information from Volusia County regarding the decision-making process, including who authorized the installation, what design standards were used and whether the project received an ADA or administrative review before construction.

Multiple requests for clarification were sent to Volusia County Parks and Recreation Director Tim Baylie, County Manager George Recktenwald and County Council Member David Santiago. None of the officials responded.”

–Reporter Robin Mimna, writing in the West Volusia Beacon, “Deltona trail bollards to be widened after ADA concerns,” Wednesday, February 25, 2026

According to reports, in 2023, Deltona residents expressed concerns over unauthorized all-terrain vehicles, golfcarts, and other motorized traffic unlawfully accessing the Coast-to-Coast/St. Johns River-to-Sea Loop trail. 

Apparently, the best efforts of county officials, law enforcement, surveillance cameras, and signage failed to resolve the problem. In response, Volusia County hired a contractor (?) to place bollards (concrete filled metal pipes) at the Courtland Boulevard crossing to physically prevent vehicular traffic from entering the trail.

Sounds like a logical solution, right?

According to the Beacon’s report, “Soon after installation, trail users reported the openings were too narrow for some legitimate users, including people using adaptive bicycles, wheelchairs and strollers. Advocates said the original spacing measured about 29 to 30 inches, below the 36-inch minimum clearance generally required under the Americans with Disabilities Act for accessible routes.”

Doh! (facepalm…)

Yep.  It seems everyone up and down the line – including the myriad senior bureaucrats who must have been involved in the project’s research, development, approval, and supervision (or lack thereof) – forgot the old craftsman’s adage, “Measure twice, cut once,” or to ask the commonsense question, “Is this physical impediment we’re erecting ADA compliant?”

That expensive and laborious point wasn’t lost on Ann-Marie Willacker, a DeLand resident and wheelchair user who regularly travels the C2C trail.

According to the report, “I think we’re looking at two separate problems,” Willacker said. “The first is that the bollards installed are an ineffective, dangerous and illegal solution to the very real issue of unauthorized vehicles on the trail. The second, and the more concerning one, is that the county does not appear to have a clear procedure for installing barriers on public property.”

Volusia County officials don’t seem to give two-shits, either…

When the West Volusia Beacon and others reached out to Volusia County Parks and Recreation Director Tim Baylie, County Manager George Recktenwald, and Councilman David “No Show” Santiago – senior appointed and elected officials who are incredibly well compensated with public funds to serve in the public interest – they couldn’t be bothered to return their calls…

So much for that “responsive” county administration we hear so much about, eh?

I can’t wait to see how “No Show” Santiago attempts to spin his way out this latest SNAFU…

Whatever.

In most organizations, there are formal processes in place to ensure accountability – the ownership of outcomes – one that evaluates individual responsibilities, sets clear expectations, investigates failures, and builds internal and external trust through transparency.

Not here.

In Volusia County, mediocrity remains the operative ethic…     

Quote of the Week

“It’s time for Ormond Beach residents to come out again to witness two commissioners meetings in Ormond Beach, one on March 13 at 6 p.m. and the other on March 24 at 7 p.m. at the City Commission Chambers at City Hall in Ormond Beach.

The meeting on March 24 at 7 p.m. will be a regular commissioners meeting with the Tomoka Oaks Golf Course issue on the agenda.  The meetings will focus on the developers’ five-year fight to convince everyone that their idea of building homes on the golf course is not a safety or a quality-of-life issue.

I assume that the developers who want to build on the golf course in the middle of the Tomoka Oaks Development will present their case to the city, and the public, about what has changed that makes this the right time to build 254 homes on the golf course.

Could it be that since we last met with the developers that sidewalks have been put in on the sides of the roads leading to the proposed new development or perhaps roads have been widened?  Have the 119 species of wildlife packed their bags and moved out of harm’s way?  Maybe the residents have convinced themselves that their property values will increase despite the incompatible new homes that would be built in the middle of their long-established neighborhood?

Will the developers be able to convince us that the inevitable traffic congestion accompanying the new homes will not be a public safety issue?”

–Ormond Beach Resident Darla Widnall, as excerpted from her “Letter to the Editor,” Ormond Beach Observer, “Has anything changed?” Wednesday, March 4, 2026

To quote the clairvoyant child Carol Anne from Poltergeist II: The Other Side – “They’re back…”

And Another Thing!

“Hey kids, it’s time for another episode of correcting Mr. Mark “Bad Information” Barker also known as Roscoe P. Coltrane, the small town sheriff who never gets the story right.

There you go again defending Greg Gimbert as a “civic activist” and calling me out for supposedly labeling someone who disagrees with me a liar.

No, Mark. I asked him to clarify to the people that Volusia County has no plans for this. Big difference. But I wouldn’t expect Roscoe P. Coltrane to understand the nuance of actual facts versus fiction.

Greg Gimbert, in my opinion is a bad person. You may like him I get that. Your favorable stories about him clearly show that. It looks like you failed that FBI Academy class on investigations or at least the part about attempting to get the truth. I can only assume when you were the top cop in your local small town there were several cases left unsolved if you did similar quality work there.

That’s why the name Roscoe P. Coltrane suits you so well.

Another great thing about this? I’m grateful to the several people who have reached out to me thanking me for taking you and your silly blog to task and also for taking on your con artist friends that you defend so religiously.

I decided to do some research and asked AI to suggest what you may look like during your “Blog Fiction Articles” writing time and this is what it came up with. See attached image

Looks about right to me! The “Hazzard County Sheriff’s Department” sign the “Barker’s View Blog” on the computer Flash the dog looking embarrassed at his owner’s work the failed FBI Academy report card the martini and gin bottle for inspiration and of course the nameplate “Roscoe P. Coltrane.”

So until next time kids stay tuned for another episode of Roscoe P. Coltrane’s Fiction Hour. Let’s see what tall tale he dreams up next while Flash hides under the desk in shame. Keep watching because the show never disappoints even if the facts d (sic).”

–District 5 Volusia County Council Member David Santiago, as posted to various Facebook sites, Thursday, February 26, 2026

Gotta admit the above oddly framed grammatical nightmare – the apparent official response of a sitting Volusia County Councilman and voting member of our River-to-Sea Transportation Planning Organization – is among the most cringingly creepy diatribes I have ever received.    

Trust me. I’ve received a few dispatches from Bizzarro World in my day, but this takes the cake. 

Hell, it takes the whole damn bakery…    

Does Councilman Santiago really have the time to “…research AI to suggest what I may look like”? 

Seriously? 

Environmental destruction, threats to perpetual conservation, and overdevelopment?  Screw it.

Widespread flooding?  Not a pressing concern.

Countywide transportation infrastructure and critical utilities shortfalls?  Not now, maybe later.

Sunrail?  Another day.

Citizen fears about ongoing pressures on our finite natural resources?  Nah. 

Santiago’s got the pressing issue of Barker the Bitcher to deal with…   

My God. 

This is what passes for civic “leadership” in Volusia County, folks…and it is why we are doomed.  

Civically engaged residents who dare to speak out on the myriad issues we face and exercise their inalienable right to free and unfettered speech do so to their own detriment. 

Citizens of Volusia County are increasingly subject to the wrath of petty tyrants who cloak themselves in a false sense of infallibility, label differing opinions as “lies” and “half-truths,” then engage in personal attacks from the dais and social media designed to destroy the character and reputation of anyone with a dissenting view.  

In my view, given the power dynamic – the difference in influence, power, and control – between elected officials and their strategically suppressed constituents, it reeks of abuse of position by thin-skinned politicians and appointed administrators who get their knickers in a twist when We, The Little People attempt to hold them accountable for their dereliction.   

For instance, on Monday, residents of the Lost City of Deltona found that not only has the public participation portion of what passes for a City Commission meeting been omitted from Deltona TV – a public access channel ostensibly broadcasting in the public interest – now they are being punished by having public input on agenda items intentionally obscured from view as well. 

What do they fear from engaged citizens seeking to participate in their government?

In addition, the commission voted to postpone a resolution that would have authorized City Attorney Gemma Torcivia to initiate a lawsuit against a resident who voiced concerns about the city’s water quality after ‘forever chemicals’ were found in Deltona’s drinking water.

I guess between the chilling “cease and desist” order and the saber-rattling of a lawsuit, someone decided to take a closer look at the First Amendment…

While I don’t agree with anything this guy says, it is important that anyone who cares about the sanctity of constitutionally protected free and unfettered speech – especially political speech – defend his right to express concerns free of government funded intimidation.  

Most sitting politicians and senior bureaucrats I frequently take to the woodshed on this blogsite are smart enough to consider the source – just one man’s view on the issues – neither always right, nor always wrong.

They possess the political instinct to consider the slings, arrows, and trivial criticisms from the outside looking in, then use them to their advantage as a barometer of public perception and engage constructively.      

Then there are a few self-important simps who cannot resist getting down in the mud and wallowing around in it.  Protecting the official narrative (and defending the indefensible) with their gaslighting and histrionics – adding to the suspicion and speculation that runs rampant among their confused constituents.

As an example, last week in this space I spoke out on a recent majority vote of the Volusia County Council that denied residents the right to vote on a proposed charter amendment that would have prevented the future possibility of potable reuse – the so-called ‘toilet to tap’ process – from supplementing drinking water in the county’s water utility service area.   

Why? 

Because I happen to disagree with the practice of augmenting our finite water supply with treated sewage simply to allow more, more, more malignant development across our already claustrophobic region.   

In turn, Councilman “No Show” Santiago, a techy perennial politician with little visible means of support outside government/politics/influence, decided it was in the public interest to take to social media and denigrate my former law enforcement career, and publish a blatant falsehood that I “failed” the FBI National Academy (the world’s premiere law enforcement leadership and professional development course) from which I proudly graduated in 1996.

He even took time away from the pressing issues facing his district and Volusia County to create a cartoon of me to reinforce his bullying and bluster, I assume for the benefit of his half-bright minions who can’t read…

Frankly, it was weird.

Like, really weird…

Look, I realize these screeds can be provocative (good!) and after all these years I’ve grown some hard bark.  It takes a lot to get under my skin, especially when the source is some pint-sized martinet with a history of defamation, deceit, and character assassination.

I’m still not sure what to make of Santiago’s cringy invective, but I hope it tells the citizens of Volusia County all they need to know about David Santiago’s worst instincts… 

I believe if you care about good governance in your own backyard, you should care about good governance everywhere.

If you are reading this, I assume you are an educated voter and concerned citizen who respects and learns from diverse opinions on the issues facing the “Fun Coast.” 

Despite the official obstacles placed in your way – I ask you to please stay involved.  

Speak your truth despite bullies who punch down from their exalted dais – keep calling attention to the issues we collectively face – and never accept the carefully orchestrated and self-serving narrative pushed by our ‘powers that be’ as the unvarnished truth. 

Ignore those self-anointed arbiters who stand in their echo chamber and decide which views and opinions are acceptable, and which are “lies,” “half-truths,” and “con games.” Most important, stand up against their intimidation, and voice your opinions on the issues that face your family and mine.  

Then vote your conscience…

That’s all for me.  Have a great final weekend of Bike Week 2026!