Memorial Day is a day of remembrance now officially established as the last Monday in May.  It is the day we honor and memorialize those brave men and women who have given their lives in defense of our nation.

Each Memorial Day, Barker’s View publishes the remarkable story of Spike Team ASP – an incredible tale of the heroism and ultimate sacrifice of three United States Army Special Forces soldiers on a covert mission in the Laotian countryside on March 28, 1968 – and their enduring legacy of service and devotion.

Never forget.

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In late March 1968, United States Army Sergeant First Class George “Ron” Brown of Holly Hill, Florida, Sergeant Alan Boyer of Missoula, Montana, and Sergeant Greg Huston of Shelby County, Ohio, along with six indigenous personnel – collectively known as “Spike Team Asp” – conducted a top-secret intelligence operation behind enemy lines approximately 12-miles northeast of Tchepone, Laos.

Assigned to the Military Assistance Command Vietnam/Studies and Observation Group (MACV/SOG) this team of elite Special Forces soldiers was tasked with setting Air Force wire-tapping equipment and sensors along the labyrinthine Ho Chi Minh trail system, the main north-south supply line for the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army.

The men had been covertly inserted into the area after launching from Nakon Phanom, Thailand aboard a CH-3 from the Air Force’s 20th Helicopter Squadron call sign “Pony Express.”

More than 25 special forces soldiers and many indigenous troops had already been killed or gone missing in our deadly secret war in Laos.

At approximately 11:00am on the morning of March 28, the team reported that they were in contact with an enemy force and requested an immediate emergency extraction from the area.

A helicopter arrived in the area a short time later and quickly located the team on the ground.

Due to thick canopy jungle and rough terrain the pilot was unable to land so a rope ladder was dropped from the open doorway of the aircraft to the men below.  Five of the six indigenous troops climbed the ladder and were safely taken into the helicopter.

As the sixth was going up, Sergeant Boyer was seen beginning his ascent on the bottom rung of the ladder.

Just as Boyer started climbing, one of the rope’s mounting brackets either broke free or was shot away by heavy enemy ground fire.  Personnel on the helicopter reported observing the indigenous soldier and Sgt. Boyer falling to the ground.

According to reports, Sgt. Dave Mayberry, who served as the chase medic on the extraction helicopter, observed the Green Berets still very much alive and heroically returning fire and defending their position.

When Sgt. Mayberry turned to treat one of the wounded he lost sight of the men on the ground.

Brown, Huston and Boyer were never seen again.

Numerous air assets were diverted to the area and a rescue team was assembled, but the mission was called off later that afternoon when there were no further communications from the men.

On April 1, 1968, Special Forces Sergeant Chuck Feller, along with several indigenous soldiers, launched on a mission to locate the lost men of Spike Team Asp.  After just six hours on the ground, Sgt. Feller and his team came into direct contact with the enemy and called for an emergency extraction.

Again, a rope ladder had to be dropped and one of the indigenous soldiers was forced to dangle from the rungs as the helicopter returned to the airbase in Thailand.  Sgt. Feller later reported that his search found no evidence of Spike Team Asp.

Interestingly, after Al Boyer went missing in action, his best friend since childhood, Doug Hagen, was attending North Dakota State University when he heard the news.  He decided he needed to find out what happened to his friend, and enlisted in the Army, ultimately joining the 5^th Special Forces Group, just as Boyer had done.

On August 7, 1971, 1^st Lieutenant Doug Hagen was killed during heavy fighting while leading a reconnaissance team – RT Kansas – on a secret mission deep within enemy controlled territory.

For his heroism, Doug received the Medal of Honor, the United States highest decoration for valor.  He was the last United States Army soldier to earn the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam war.

In January 2000, a team from the former Joint POW/MIA Accounting Office conducted extensive excavations of the Laotian countryside near where Spike Team Asp was last seen.

During the latter part of the war, the Ho Chi Minh trail was heavily bombed leaving the earth deeply cratered and much of the topography completely different than it had been in 1968, making search and recovery efforts extremely difficult.

However, the archaeological excavation uncovered several personal artifacts attributable to U.S. military personnel, to include a metal boot insert and several uniform buttons.

In addition, a single human tooth was recovered at the site.

The tooth was later linked to Ron Brown through dental x-rays at the Department of Defense Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii.

In May 2003, Sergeant Brown’s daughter, Ronda Brown-Pitts, was notified by the Army that her father’s remains had been found in Laos.  Unfortunately, dental records provided to her showed that her father’s tooth had a filling – and the tooth recovered did not.

Due to the confusion, Ronda demanded a DNA test, but it was refused based on the Army’s policy of “body desecration.” A DNA test would have destroyed “all of the remains.”

In 2006, a casket containing the remains of Master Sergeant George “Ron” Brown was delivered to his daughter and later interred with full military honors in Dayton, Texas.

Many years ago, I received a POW/MIA bracelet bearing Ron’s name.

When I was a young boy growing up during the Vietnam era, these bracelets were a fairly common sight, but not so much anymore.  In the 1970’s many school children wore the bracelet as a means of ensuring that the POW/MIA issue remained a priority until they all came home.

For those whose adopted POW didn’t come home, the bracelet holder became the keeper of the eternal memory of one man’s sacrifice.

The silver band has become both a personal memorial, and a public reminder, that there are some debts of gratitude that cannot be repaid.

This small token has allowed me to learn about Ron’s military career and his incredible heroism; and I have had the honor of speaking with his friends and family, and to meet and correspond with some of the men he served with on Okinawa and in Vietnam.

He was a husband, a father, a former member of the U.S. Army Parachute Team “The Golden Knights,” and a professional soldier of incredible skill and dedication.

Even though Ron’s “remains” have been repatriated, I still wear his bracelet as a personal remembrance of one man’s sacrifice to the high cost of freedom – and in memory of Greg Huston, who remains missing.

Incredibly, the story of Spike Team Asp continues.

On March 7, 2016, one day before what would have been Sergeant Alan Boyer’s 70th birthday, United States Army and DOD officials presented his sister with Alan’s military decorations, to include the Silver Star and Purple Heart.

During the visit, Judi Boyer Bouchard, now of Leesburg, Florida, was notified that a single leg bone fragment had been located by the Defense Department POW/MIA Accounting Office.  The bone shard was apparently purchased by a Laotian activist from Lao nationals described as “remains dealers,” and later positively identified through mitochondrial DNA analysis.

On June 22, 2016, Sergeant Alan Boyer was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 28.

He was laid to rest just 15-feet from his best friend, Doug Hagen.

Currently, more than 1,573 Americans remain missing after the Vietnam War.

Overall, there are more than 81,600 missing personnel from past conflicts, including World War II, Korea, the Cold War and the Global War on Terror.

On this Memorial Day, and every day, let us remember the extraordinary service of men like Ron Brown, Al Boyer, Greg Huston and Doug Hagen – and all those brave souls who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our great nation.

Never forgotten.

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: A “Priority Problem”  

“Board member Donna Brosemer said she vacillated between no and letting voters decide. But she believes the district has wasted money.

“I think about how many times we have to redecorate executive suites because we don’t like the color or we don’t like the furniture,” she said.

“I do not see a revenue problem for this district. I see a priority problem,” Brosemer said. “I believe strongly that this is on us to fix for the teachers.”

–Volusia County School Board Member Donna Brosemer, as reported by The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Mark Harper, “Volusia School Board won’t ask voters to support tax hike,” Thursday, May 14, 2026

“The Singularity” is a sci-fi-esque term used to describe the increasingly probable theory that technological growth will soon accelerate to a point where it overtakes human control, cutting us out of the loop, leading to the destruction of civilization and eventually biological extinction.  

(Call me a paranoiac, but I’ve always suspected that Roomba and Alexa are plotting against me whenever I leave the room…)

The singularity hypothesis suggests that when technology reaches the point where it perceives its environment and begins taking autonomous actions to adapt – every self-replicating iteration learning, remembering, and functioning more like a human mind, but at unimaginable speed. 

Each version becoming “smarter” until a “superintelligence” emerges.  An “Artificial Intelligence” that ultimately surpasses human brainpower making us, well, obsolete.

Other experts believe the opposite, that AI will fail to match the requisite “human-level intelligence across all cognitive domains” resulting in decreasing returns.  Without that, some scientists are convinced AI will eventually level off, never reaching the cognition and general intelligence of the biological brain, ultimately becoming little more than a convincing imitation.

Like some people you probably know…

Last week, Volusia County District Schools reached what I call the “Stupidity Singularity.” 

That point where the arrogance and ignorance of a cloistered bureaucracy exceeds all logic – and the self-serving administration abdicates responsibility and votes itself into obsolescence – eliminating the need for a superintendent, general counsel, senior administrators, or an elected oversight board, for that matter.   

During the same meeting where Superintendent Carmen Balgobin overstepped her non-political administrative role by actively lobbying to suppress a ballot initiative that would have allowed Volusia County voters to decide whether to approve a small property tax increase to pay for teacher salary improvements, the School Board voted 4-1 to approve a $121,000 annual contract with a private firm to produce public policy, administrative guidelines, board bylaws, procedures, and forms.

You know, all the things we hired Superintendent Balgobin – and those overpaid denizens of the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand – to accomplish when they’re not knitting together positive academic statistics, nominating each other for awards, and telling us how great they are… 

In my view, the reason we employ these highly compensated senior administrators – some 38 Chiefs, Executive Directors, Directors, Coordinators, and Administrators by my count – is to use their institutional knowledge, professional skills, stakeholder relationships, and local insight to craft unique policies and procedures that best serve Volusia County students and staff.

That is literally why their positions exist within that thick rind of fat sitting atop the district’s bloated bureaucracy in DeLand.  

Instead, the horribly conflicted District/School Board General Counsel Dr. Gilbert Evans will apparently sit around, polishing a wingback chair with his backside, while an Ohio-based contractor sends him boilerplate templates (formulaic pap in place of his own intellectual product) – canned policies and one-size-fits-all administrative guidelines the Volusia County School Board will later rubber stamp on a 4-1 vote.

I’m not an attorney, just another rube wandering the wilderness, but while breezing over the contract, I found it interesting that the company included a caveat making it clear they have “…no obligation to verify or approve the accuracy, validity, or completeness of the District-Specific Materials.”

Which (I guess) now makes Dr. Evans an extremely well-paid proofreader?    

To her credit, District 4 representative and true servant/leader Donna Brosemer was the only member of the School Board to vote “No” to farming out policy and administrative responsibilities to an out-of-state company…

During public participation, the incredibly bright Kim Short, a civic activist who serves on the Education & Workforce Committee for five area Chambers of Commerce, lambasted Superintendent Balgobin and her dutiful minions on the School Board, saying aloud what everyone watching was thinking:

“Tonight you paid for a service for yourselves.”   

To her credit, Ms. Short rightfully decried the fact that, as the district’s senior administration continues to grow, students are faced with dwindling resources and instructional staff.  She then asked the most pertinent question of the evening:

“What’s wrong with all of you?

In my view, aside from the obvious arrogance of power, overconfidence, hubristic egotism, and overweening sense of invincibility that permeates the Balgobin administration, I think the answer to Ms. Short’s question is that many of our elected and appointed officials overseeing Volusia County Schools possess the financial IQ of wallpaper paste… 

Unfortunately, Ms. Short’s righteous admonition was met with a dismissive snicker from the egoistical Balgobin, in my view, a pretentious poseur who seems pathologically incapable of using constructive criticism to her advantage or listening to the concerns of her increasingly bewildered constituents.   

As a result, her administration has become a top-heavy echo chamber where elected officials receive only that information the Superintendent wants/allows them to hear – controlling the narrative in support of the Board’s long-standing tactic of strategic ignorance and plausible deniability – which provides political insulation when things inevitably turn to shit.

That’s a recipe for disaster in a public school system with an annual budget of $1.4 Billion…      

In my view, the toxic “culture” fostered by Superintendent Balgobin has created an environment where a false sense of bureaucratic infallibility, bolstered by contrived “accomplishments,” provides the camouflage that masks serious leadership and communications issues, long-term problems that continue to impact staff morale, learning opportunities, and financial stewardship.

How long will Volusia County taxpayers allow this travesty to continue?

I encourage you to educate yourself on the myriad issues facing Volusia County Schools – attend a School Board meeting and voice your concerns – then vote your conscience to change the culture and trajectory of our incredibly challenged public school system.  

Our children – and those who teach them – deserve better.

Note: With just two-days’ notice to concerned families, this afternoon, the district will hold a “Community Reimagining Discussion” (whatever the hell that means) to provide information on the asinine (and potentially dangerous) mistake of collocating the Riverview alternative learning center on the Holly Hill Elementary School campus. 

As I understand it, the “plan” is to cordon off a compound with fencing in an effort to physically separate older Riverview students with documented disciplinary and behavioral issues from young children attending Holly Hill Elementary.   The meeting will be held on the school campus, 1500 Center Avenue, Holly Hill, beginning at 5:30pm.)  

Palm Coast Councilman Charles “The Toady” Gambaro: Pollyanna Politics in Palm Coast

“Do you want me to be diplomatic or be Mike Norris?,” the Palm Coast mayor this morning asked the three dozen people gathered for the groundbreaking of the $125 million “loop road” that will connect Matanzas Woods Parkway to Palm Coast Parkway through thousands of acres set for the development of 22,000 homes.

The question answered itself. The only filter Norris favors is on his cigarettes.

“I don’t support this project, and I’m going to fight it all the way,” Norris said, discarding the speech city staff had written for him and looking at a stone-faced audience. “For the representatives from Rayonier, don’t think that you’re going to do what was done on this side of the railroad, on that side of the railroad. We’re not going to stand for it. Pringle Branch is part of the Pringle Branch Forever forest out there, and we’re going to cut a line right through it. I understand the state’s priority as far as putting corridors in, out to 2209. I can understand that. But when you cut through and you drain the swamp, I don’t agree with that. I grew up in a swamp, and this is not something that I can support.”

–Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris, as quoted by FlaglerLive.com, “Palm Coast Mayor Norris Turns Loop Road Groundbreaking Into Lashing of Western Expansion and Developer,” Thursday, May 14, 2026

Anyone who pays attention knows that Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris can be confrontational – especially when it comes to threats posed by malignant growth and the outsized influence of developers on local government.    

For his refusal to ‘go along and get along,’ Mayor Norris has garnered more than his share of scorn and ridicule from his “colleagues.”

You’ll see what I mean in a minute…

In my view, Mike Norris is an excellent example of the courageous no-nonsense plain talkers We, The Little People need standing in the breach between mercenary development interests and our dwindling quality of life. 

Elected officials who are not afraid – or financially beholden – to those who would pave over every square inch of greenspace with an impervious blanket of 3/2 wood frame zero-lot-line cracker boxes, sacrificing our natural resources and our children’s future, on the altar of greed.

Last week, Mayor Norris stood firm against the coming “western expansion,” massive development in areas west of U.S. 1 on timberland owned by Rayonier and set to be developed by a subsidiary known as Raydient. 

According to FlaglerLive.com, the development will include “The 6.2-mile “loop road,” so far entirely funded by taxpayers, is to eventually connect with State Road 2209, itself connecting I-95 south of Jacksonville to Orlando and planned as an additional hurricane evacuation route, though the plan is conceptual for now.”

During a recent meeting, the Palm Coast City Council was told by staff that some 547 miles of the city’s existing roadways are in desperate need of resurfacing.  According to a recent analysis, a fifth of arterial roads and half the residential roads have a pavement condition index of “fair to poor.”

What? 

You want current streets and thoroughfares widened, reengineered, or properly resurfaced before any “loop road” is built to accommodate more growth?   

You’re tired of waiting through three cycles of a light at (insert intersection here) and want greater civic focus on improving existing transportation infrastructure before adding even more traffic?

Tough shit.  “We’re expanding west, Rube.  If you’re not growing, you’re dying…”

So much for “growth pays for itself,” eh? 

Apparently, things took an unctuous turn at the groundbreaking ceremony when appointed, not elected Palm Coast Councilman Charles “The Toady” Gambaro – a sycophantic developers stooge and current candidate for Florida’s Sixth Congressional District – launched himself to the podium following Mayor Norris’ remarks so he could kiss the collective ass and smooth the feathers of Raydient executives.

According to the report, Gambaro told FlaglerLive.com, “What we saw today was an absolute lack of leadership,” he said. “It’s disgraceful, and quite frankly, it just shows that Mike Norris continues to be an embarrassment for our community.”

“Gambaro had all but jumped from his seat to take the mayor’s place after the smattering of applause that accompanied Norris off the podium after his three-minute speech. Gambaro wasn’t part of the lineup of speakers (only City Manager Mike McGlothlin had preceded Norris), but he said he had to speak.

“Going to jump in here and end on a positive note,” Gambaro told the audience. “Everybody’s done a great job. Everybody’s worked hard. This project is important for our community for a lot of different reasons, but I want to end on a positive note. There’s no reason to be negative here, okay? Everybody has their own opinions, but this is a time to celebrate a major achievement for our community. We must remain positive. Our residents want us to remain positive as we move forward.”

Ah, another sighting of that foul bird the shameless brownnosed shill in the wild…  

Councilman Gambaro should understand – his claustrophobic constituents don’t want faux positivity and political platitudes – they want those who were elected to stand firm and protect their quality of life from unchecked overdevelopment.

Now.  Before it’s too late.

If you live in the Sixth Congressional District (south of Saint Augustine to South Daytona, inland to the outskirts of Ocala, Leesburg, and Sanford, to include the city of Daytona Beach) I encourage you to do your homework.  Learn the “who’s who” of developer-funded campaigns, and consider the source of those canned endorsements, pap, and fluff from compromised finger-puppets who take their marching orders from deep-pocketed political donors.

Let’s start electing people at all levels of government who care more about us than those special interests who buy-and-sell them like chattel…  

Quote of the Week

“We’ve all heard the mantra: Property Owners’ Rights.

However, both are property owners.

Regarding Tomoka Oaks — because “the system” favored the developer (it almost always does) those homeowners who bought/own property on the golf course will now see their property value decrease significantly. As well, all Tomoka Oaks residents and nearby residents will see their quality of life deteriorate.

The system needs more balance where the rights of the incumbent property owners (homeowners) are considered equally. Right now, they are not.”

–Ken and Julie Sipes, Ormond Beach, Letters to the Editor, Ormond Beach Observer, “Developer Rights vs Homeowner Rights,” Tuesday, May 12, 2026

When an asinine plan was announced that would have allowed a foreign bulk fuel supplier to build a 20-million-gallon petroleum storage and distribution terminal adjacent to the Ormond Beach Sports Complex, the city’s municipal airport, and the coming monstrosity that will be Ormond Crossings, I decided to have some fun. 

As an inveterate smartass, I facetiously wrote that I planned to take advantage of Florida’s “anything goes” development strategy and have my postage-stamp residential property here in the Northbrook neighborhood rezoned to accommodate an industrial medical waste incinerator.

Right smackdab in my weed strewn backyard.

My entrepreneurial vision was to construct a batch load, direct fire industrial medical waste incinerator running 24/7 at a constant 12,000-degrees – capable of destroying all regulated medical waste at the molecular level – to include pathological refuse, amputated limbs, rotten organs, biological tissue, bloody gauze, gowns, and dressings – you name it!

I saw it as a “win-win,” as land use attorney’s always say (right after they forcibly bend elected councils/commissions over a barrel – then hold them hostage with the threat of a lawsuit – just before their developer client is gifted carte blanche to build what, when, and where they want…)

Hell, I was even prepared to throw some serious coin around. 

You know, make lavish campaign contributions to local and state incumbents as a means of smoothing out the humps and bumps of having my side yard classified as a Subtitle D landfill where the resultant cremated dust and ash could be dumped. (MBA’s call that “collocating complementary industries” to reduce cost and increase revenues. Ma Barker didn’t raise no dummy, y’all…)

Alas, my dream of becoming a titan of industrial waste disposal was not to be…

Well-meaning elected and appointed officials were quick to explain that local, state, and federal environmental protections, comprehensive plans, and zoning districts prevent discordant and environmentally impactful operations in residential neighborhoods.

Apparently, they have these things called “land use regulations” that are designed to protect the health, safety, welfare, and property values of surrounding homes from intrusive or incompatible uses.  

Who knew?

So, why do those same protections never apply whenever a speculative real estate developer decides their “property rights” trump those of existing homeowners?

In many instances, regionally impactful projects revert back to historical changes to land use regulations that were approved decades ago – rezonings that no longer comport with the character, density, and infrastructure of the modern community – yet the development is invariably rubber stamped without question.

Why is that?

In my view, the inherent inequity in “property rights” is an excellent question to ask those members of our state legislative delegation at their next reelection campaign stop.

We deserve hard answers from those bought-and-paid-for finger-puppets who went to Tallahassee and sold out their constituents, preempting local growth management regulations to the state, ignored flooding and density concerns, and continue to burden our natural resources and overtaxed infrastructure, while stuffing their campaign war chests with developer dollars.

As I once understood it, Equality Before the Law meant that everyone faces the same legal rules and processes – regardless of wealth, status, or political power. The concepts of isonomy, fairness, and impartiality that contrast with the outsized influence and skewed playing field inherent to oligarchies.  

Now an antiquated notion that no longer applies here in The Biggest Whorehouse in the World…

And Another Thing!

“Suzanne Scheiber is founder and president of Dream Green Volusia, which describes itself as “a grassroots non-profit organization working on environmental issues across Volusia County.” She is also a member of the Charter Review Commission.

She said a main concern she has with the proposed amendment is that the County Council would get to decide how the land is used, not the public. Another concern is that the county could use the lands for a public purpose.

She believes the public should decide how the conservation land is being used, since taxpayers are footing the bill for purchasing the land.

“There’s not protection if the County Councils of the future … can vote to sell the land or develop it. The people that voted to tax themselves should be able to determine (the future of the land),” she said.”

–Environmental activist Suzanne Scheiber, Ormond Beach, as quoted by reporter Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Would amendment actually protect Volusia lands? Critic says no,” Monday, May 18, 2026

From protecting Ormond Beach’s Scenic Loop, standing for flood victims in Edgewater, and championing the preservation of environmentally sensitive areas for future generations, the intrepid Suzanne Scheiber and her grassroots advocacy Dream Green Volusia has been on the front lines of conservation efforts throughout the region.

Most recently, Ms. Scheiber served as a member of the Volusia County Charter Review Commission. 

The Volusia County Charter requires that the County Council assemble a Charter Review Commission at least once every 10 years to “examine the Charter, ordinances, and workings of Volusia County’s government and, if needed, recommend Charter amendments to be placed on the general election ballot.”

After eight-months of deliberation, “public input,” and anticipation, the fifteen member “Blue Ribbon” panel – led by prominent land use attorney Mark Watts (of course it was) – came up with five bureaucratically neutered charter amendments for the Volusia County Council to consider putting on the ballot in November.  

On Tuesday, the Volusia County Council held the first of three required public hearings on the proposed amendments.

When you remove the housekeeping measures, the remaining ballot questions are essentially limited to removing We, The Little People’s ability to elect our County Chair, whether to compensate elected officials for “work-related” expenses (despite the fact they already receive a paycheck), and a backhanded means by which the Volusia County Council can sell conservation properties that we were promised would be held in “perpetuity” i.e., forever, despite the fact the lands were purchased by taxpayers under the voter-approved Volusia Forever program.

In my view, this is the pernicious result of another “public policy by ambush,” this time orchestrated by Councilman Don Dempsey who, after ramrodding his pet publicly funded motorcross facility on land purchased with Volusia Forever and ECHO funds (?), concocted a tempest in a teapot about tying the hands of future councils from impacting conservation lands as they fight to stave off a contrived Armageddon scenario.   

At the end of a March VCC meeting, Councilman Dempsey pounded his little fists, dug in his heels, and bellowed that he didn’t like the idea of a council in future millennia being contractually blocked from building a nuclear reactor in Volusia County should the need arise…

By Dempsey’s weird logic – when fossil fuels are exhausted and the Floridan aquifer runs dry, “Fun Coast” residents 1,000 years hence will be doomed to a Mad Max dystopia – all because we prehistoric Volusians perceived an existential threat of our own and selfishly voted to conserve some ecologically sensitive greenspace in a previous epoch when every inch of ground around us was being slashed, burned, and churned into a black muck to accommodate more, more, more growth…

Bullshit.  

There’s a reason why Volusia’s “Old Guard” wants to keep the preservation of so-called “conservation” land out of our hands and under the control of compromised elected officials.

Trust me.  It has nothing to do with protecting environmentally sensitive areas for future generations.  In my view, what we are witnessing is a brazen attempt to provide a legal loophole for future development, commercial extraction of resources, and conversion to incompatible uses.

In keeping with the letter and spirit of Volusia Forever, Ms. Schieber and other area environmentalists are asking that our elected officials put a charter amendment on the ballot mirrored after a similar measure approved by Alachua County voters in 2008.

The Alachua amendment establishes a registry of protected public places, and states that listed properties “…may not be sold, or converted to a use that will result in a loss of a value or values for which a property was placed on the registry, except by a majority vote of the electors voting in a countywide referendum election.”

Of course, Ms. Schieber’s suggestion that taxpayers have a say in how lands purchased with our tax dollars are ultimately disposed of was immediately pooh-poohed by county staff, who now claim the Alachua amendment would be unlawful here, should it ever be challenged…  

Why would anyone challenge letting the people vote?

According to the News-Journal, the county issued a statement explaining “…Volusia County Charter Amendment’s land registry proposal complies with state law. The Alachua-like amendment like Scheiber suggested would not, according to the county.”

Why? 

Apparently, a similar measure in Sarasota County faced a legal challenge, “because the provision deprived the County Commission of its authority under state law,” according to the county. “The court further noted that requiring a referendum to sell the property also violated state law for the same reason.”

Of course it does.  Because whenever the needs of We, The Little People conflict with the wants of special interests, we lose.

In my view, that makes the entire charter amendment process – like the voter-approved provisions of Volusia Forever – an orchestrated sham. 

At best, the ludicrous “Dempsey Amendment” makes conservation in Volusia County a bait-and-switch confidence scam – at worst, a “good old boy’s investment club” – where you and I provide tax dollars to purchase environmentally sensitive land at a premium, then a future council (read: wholly-owned developer shills) can sell the properties to their political benefactors for pennies on the dollar to facilitate the for-profit motives of future speculative land developers.

Here’s a charter amendment to consider: How about we return a government of the people, by the people, and for the people to Volusia County? 

Let’s replace this flagrant kleptocracy that exists to serve the wants of the few with the representative democracy so many have sacrificed so much to preserve.

Vote like your quality of life depends on it. 

That’s all for me. 

Here’s hoping you have a meaningful day of solemn reflection, remembrance, and gratitude for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our rights and freedoms this Memorial Day.  

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:

The Debacle at Daytona: Welcome to the Twilight Zone

“This highway leads to the shadowy tip of reality: you’re on a through route to the land of the different, the bizarre, the unexplainable…Go as far as you like on this road. Its limits are only those of mind itself. Ladies and Gentlemen, you’re entering the wondrous dimension of imagination.

Next stop…The Twilight Zone.”

a/k/a The City of Daytona Beach… 

During a bizarre episode of the Twilight Zone last week – that “fifth dimension” beyond right and reason – the Daytona Beach City Commission defied logic (which isn’t a new concept) when they voted 4-3 to retain embattled City Manager Deric Feacher.

The inexplicable move restarted the clock and extended Mr. Feacher’s contract for three more years. 

In my view, the simple (and cost effective) alternative would have been to allow Feacher’s current five-year contract to expire at the end of this month allowing him to depart amicably – no severance, no drama, and a distinct demarcation between what has been, and what comes next. 

A clean break at a time when the City of Daytona Beach desperately needs to find transformative leadership.

Instead, the commission opted for a ham-handed “performance evaluation,” a past due administrative requirement they had previously neglected, a ludicrous process tantamount to scoring the captain of a foundering ship while his vessel is on fire and being dashed against the rocks… 

It wasn’t fair. To Daytona Beach taxpayers, that is.

According to a report by Sierra Williams writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, on a scoring system of one to five, “(Commissioners) Cantu and May gave Feacher overall scores of 2.18 and 2.94. Mayor Derrick Henry and Monica Paris gave him overall scores of 3.05 and 3.27, while Reed and Commissioners Ken Strickland and Danielle Henry gave him overall a 4.86, 4.82 and 4.27.”

Based upon an aggregate score of 3.63, Commissioner Paula Reed gushed that Mr. Feacher has “…met the expectations of the commission.” 

Seriously.  I don’t make this shit up, folks.

Despite the escalating controversy at City Hall that is dominating media coverage across the region, Commissioners Reed and Ken Strickland rated City Manager Feacher nearly perfect in ten performance areas. 

To their credit, for reasons obvious to anyone familiar with the concepts of leadership and accountability, Commissioners Stacy Cantu, Quanita May, and Monica Paris all voted against renewing Feacher’s contract.  

In my view, it was clear to anyone watching that the results of the evaluation – and the outcome of the internal and external maneuvering (complete with an overexuberant cheering section) that kept Feacher in place for the time being – had been carefully orchestrated off-the-dais. 

A painfully obvious attempt at self-preservation by embattled elected and appointed officials who are desperately embroiled in a state financial audit turned criminal investigation led by Florida’s recently formed Public Integrity Unit… 

That became painfully evident during comments from the dais when every trope and dodge was knitted together and trotted out, to include ridiculous allegations that the multilayered crisis facing Daytona Beach was conjured up by a “certain television station” and Commissioner Cantu, a civic watchdog who has been openly critical of the city’s stewardship of public funds since before multiple internal audits and media scrutiny proved her right.   

Adding to the abject absurdity, Commissioner Ken Strickland, a political chameleon who has become everything he hated when he first ran for office, went on a weird rant, claiming the pitiful fact that no city official is currently in jail somehow justifies retaining the City Manager (?).

Really?

According to the Observer’s report, Mayor Derrick Henry “…said that the recent allegations against the city have not been shown to be Feacher’s fault. Mayor Henry said he has seen nothing that shows the commission should terminate Feacher’s employment.

If anything were to happen in the future that shows he should be, Henry said, the commission can always return to this.

“His evaluation does not reflect an evaluation that says that you need to be terminated,” Henry said.”  

In addition, Mayor Henry droned on in one of his patented rambling and nonsensical diatribes – flippantly explaining away questionable expenditures with broad strokes – minimizing the misuse of purchasing cards, blaming former City Manager Jim “The Chisler” Chisholm for causing problems with JLAC, and accusing the state of failing to give direction (besides state statutes?) as to how they could spend $14 million in improperly amassed permit fees…

Shockingly, Mayor Henry looked his constituents in the eye and said “I haven’t seen anything.  And I haven’t seen anything that says we should terminate him,” essentially asking bewildered Daytona Beach residents to believe that – just because there’s smoke, heat, and raging flames in every corner of City Hall – the circumstances don’t necessarily indicate there’s a fire… 

One symptom of toxicity in government is the delusional self-denial that always comes before the fall – that phase of a civic crisis when elected and appointed officials convince themselves of a false reality, point fingers, brand their detractors, and abdicate their sworn responsibility – all while ignoring the facts in order to preserve their contrived narrative.

A strange organizational psychosis based on political self-preservation that results in a growing distrust among those of us on the outside looking in. Citizens who recognize the grave threat posed by the dysfunction and distraction who cannot understand why those in a position to affect positive change, won’t?

Good question.

Kudos to Commissioners Stacy Cantu, Quanita May, and Monica Paris for having the courage to lead during this disastrous period in Daytona Beach’s history…     

City of Ormond Beach: Let the People Vote, Dammit  

You can always tell when a “grassroots” initiative is unpopular with an entrenched bureaucracy.    

The opposition becomes evident during what they refer to as the “education” phase.  That’s when the “experts” are brought in – typically other bureaucrats with a cottage industry selling one position or another to elected officials.  Self-appointed “specialists” who stand in front of a mind-numbing PowerPoint, droning on, ad nauseum, manufacturing political insulation until the original point is lost in the ether.

In this case, the question surrounded whether We, The Little People of Ormond Beach deserve the opportunity to vote on a charter amendment banning potable reuse in our community.

Often called ‘Toilet to Tap,’ the practice permits development beyond the natural carrying capacity of our finite water resources by injecting treated sewage into the aquifer for “storage,” or sending treated wastewater directly to consumers via the water distribution system.

The practice isn’t just gross, it’s potentially harmful to the aquifer and public health. 

In the estimation of many, the real reason it is being promoted is to allow developers to blanket more of the land with 3/2 wood frame cracker boxes, half-empty strip centers, and impervious pavement by “augmenting” our limited natural water supplies with treated sewage… 

In my view, given the claustrophobic density already foisted on us, the concept is obscene.

When water quality activists and environmentalists sound the alarm, compromised politicians claim that the process is akin to Dick Tracy’s two-way wrist communicator – technology years in the future and far from practical implementation – tut-tutting that demonstrating initiative or taking proactive measures is a timewasting exercise in protecting their anxious constituents from a nonexistent threat. 

Bullshit.

Potable reuse pilot programs are currently underway in thirteen communities around the state (with more on the way) as officials in Tallahassee (read: developer shills) tout Florida as a “national leader” in the use of treated wastewater for drinking purposes.

In recent years, experimental reuse programs have been permitted in the City of Daytona Beach (thankfully, the process was never foisted on unsuspecting consumers) and test wells have been allowed by state regulators in Deltona that would permit water from Lake Monroe and reclaimed water to be injected and “stored” underground (read: in our source aquifer).

According to a report by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, during last week’s water supply and reuse workshop, development maven (and current mayoral candidate) Commissioner Lori Tolland said “…the initiative needs to be accompanied by an education piece as the “toilet to tap” label is “misleading.”

“It wants you to believe that all reuse water directly goes to your spigot,” Tolland said. “It does not want you to know that reuse undergoes advanced multi-barrier treatment designs and meets strict safety standards.”

With some $96,200 in her campaign war chest (for an Ormond Beach mayoral race?) much of it from development interests, per usual, Ms. Tolland strategically misses the point…

The clean water advocacy Let Volusia Vote is simply asking the Ormond Beach City Commission to place a charter amendment on the ballot to allow residents the opportunity to vote their conscience on the issue. 

A chance to determine the future of our community through the democratic process, rather than sit helplessly in the gallery watching Ms. Tolland and other elected officials sell out to their political benefactor’s time-and-time again.

The chance to cast our ballot without the rah-rah agitprop of those with a profit motive or being subjected to expensive “public indoctrination” programs presented by hand-select “experts” who tell us exactly what the bureaucracy wants us to hear.

In my experience, the vast majority of citizens are capable of gathering information, enlightening themselves on the issues from a variety of sources both for and against, then casting an educated vote absent the static and obstructionism that comes whenever an initiative threatens the lucrative status quo.

To their credit, Ormond Beach Mayor Jason Leslie and Commissioner Harold Briley are on record supporting our right to vote. 

According to the Observer’s report, Commissioner Briley explained:

“Any commission can undo what a previous commission has done, but the voters can also undo what previous voters did,” Briley said. “But I think if you put in the charter and you give the residents the ability to vote on it.”

Mayor Jason Leslie agreed.

“They’re educated people and they’ll make their own choice,” he said.”

Why wouldn’t our elected officials want their constituents to have a say on potable reuse (or any other issue effecting their children’s future) in this era of explosive growth that is straining public infrastructure and threatening our natural resources across Florida? 

What’s the harm in letting the people decide this controversial issue for themselves? 

This election season, I encourage you to follow the money – educate yourself on who is funding the campaigns and political ambitions of certain candidates – then ask the $96,200 question:

Why would an elected official deny your right to vote? 

Find all you need to know here: https://tinyurl.com/3dbnd7hw

I encourage everyone in Volusia County to sign the Let Volusia Vote petition and reinforce our collective opposition to drinking our own reclaimed sewage simply to facilitate the insatiable appetite of development interests.  

Please find the petition and further instructions here:  https://tinyurl.com/3b2f8cej

While we’re on the topic, if you live in beautiful Ormond Beach, please take a new survey hosted by our friends at the civic advocacy Protect Ormond Beach. 

“The purpose of this survey is to listen to the community, gather real data, and help ensure resident voices are part of the conversation moving forward.

The survey is ANONYMOUS and takes less than 3 minutes to complete. Aggregate results and updates will be shared in our Facebook groups Protect Volusia and Ormond Beach Citizens: Protect Ormond Beach.

Thank you for making your voice heard!”

Your community.  Your voice.

Find the survey here: https://tinyurl.com/4pvbwr2p

Quote of the Week

“Kim Barrett, who works on the boardwalk, said, “We used to have a Ferris wheel, roller coaster, bumper car, cars. We have nothing here on the boardwalk. So they’re going to extend the boardwalk. Hopefully, they have some entertainment for children.”

The city purchased a half-acre piece of beachfront land for over $2 million in June to facilitate the project. Final renderings are still being completed, and city leaders hope the new addition will be finished by the fall of 2027.

Residents are hopeful the extension will bring new life to the area. “It’s 12:00, and they got the rock concert in town and the Daytona Speedway. This place should be jumping. And it’s not,” said Daytona Beach resident Michael Daly.

When completed, the new extension will match the existing boardwalk designs, including the pavers and width. It will also connect to a beach access point near Harvey Avenue.

The final construction cost has not yet been determined, as the project remains in its design and permitting phase.”

–Reporter Pamela Comme, WESH-2 News, residents react to a possible extension of the Daytona Beach Boardwalk on city owned beachfront land, “Daytona Beach’s iconic boardwalk could get a lot bigger,” Friday, May 8, 2026

In my view, Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry, and the majority of his “colleagues” on the City Commission, have become their own worst enemy; allowing mishandled finances, bungled purchasing, and policy failures to suppurate into a civic inferno of state financial audits and public integrity investigations.

As a result, the public’s trust in this wobbly and unpredictable city administration is at an all-time low.

And falling fast…

Unfortunately, the swirling controversy at City Hall has exposed an entrenched instability and gross dysfunction that is overshadowing every other aspect of the municipal government.  Now, residents are coming to the daunting realization that they are faced with a political problem that requires a political solution, as the subpoenas continue to fly.

This week beleaguered residents of the long-languishing beachside learned that work has begun to expand the city’s historic boardwalk.  The new section will extend south along a 245-foot stretch from the southern end of Breakers Oceanfront Park to the north side of Harvey Avenue to incorporate the beach approach.

According to reports, seawall construction is underway with the Boardwalk portion of the project still in the preliminary “design and permitting” phase.

Construction is expected to be complete in “Fall 2027.”

The cost of construction – and how to pay for it all – has yet to be determined… 

In the summer of 2023, Halifax area residents were told that the Mexican restaurant consortium Grupo Anderson was bringing a Señor Frog’s to a publicly owned beachfront lot in the city’s core tourist area.  

Remember?  I do.

It was all the rage…until it wasn’t.

According to a July 2023 report in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Señor Frog’s has agreed to lease the city-owned property just north of Harvey Avenue for the next 50 years, and the city will give the project a boost by covering $500,000 of its construction costs. The city will also pay a broker’s commission subsidy of $61,625.”

As I understood it (and I’m not sure I ever did), the return on investment for Daytona Beach taxpayers who were suddenly thrust into the restaurant business was that the city would serve as the eatery’s landlord – collecting monthly rent of $10,000 – which would double to $20,000 per month by the sixth year of operation with a 3% annual increase beginning in year seven.

According to the News-Journal, “The city will also charge Señor Frog’s percentage rent, collecting 3% of annual restaurant revenue that exceeds $5 million. The 3% payment on all sales over $5 million can provide an additional $30,000 per $1 million in sales.

The city is also getting a $9 million development on the .75-acre parcel between the beach and Ocean Avenue that’s been empty for decades and only used for parking in recent years.”

Even with a guaranteed half-million buildout spiff and code waivers, nearly three-years later, we haven’t heard a croak out of Señor Frog… 

Despite my longstanding aversion to offering lucrative public subsidies (“corporate welfare”) to for-profit interests, in my view, an attraction like Señor Frog’s would be a wonderful addition to our beleaguered beachside, one that has the potential to serve as a catalyst for more good things in our down-at-the-heels core tourist area.

In my view, this is an excellent opportunity to change the face of our core tourist area, something Daytona Beach and Volusia County officials should not take lightly. 

However, before blundering forward without any reasonable idea what a taxpayer investment in the extension will look like, those who accept public funds to plan economic development opportunities should determine why the “iconic” Daytona Beach Boardwalk has been a colossal failure for decades before tacking on 245-feet of ‘more of the same.’

Let’s determine why similarly situated communities around Florida and elsewhere enjoy successful boardwalks – scientifically and aesthetically designed places that offer a consistent draw – while ours languishes amid vacant lots and bad headlines…    

Let’s ask what others are doing/not doing that produces active public spaces where people want to be, then build something that reflects Daytona Beach’s unique history, beach culture, and civic identity.  

Sorry, I forgot.  Thanks to those dullards at the Halifax Area Advertising Authority, we don’t have a defined identity – forever stuck somewhere between a “family destination” and the debauched “Wide. Open. Fun.” of bikes, boobs, and beer.  

I’m cool with either civic personality – just pick one…

Once we’ve determined what works, what hasn’t, and why – city/county officials can form a strategic plan (hopefully not one that molders on a groaning shelf in a dusty dead records morgue) – taking lessons learned from other beachfront attractions and emulating those best practices here. 

(Or just dust off the 2013 Volusia County Tourism Marketing Analysis that was wholly ignored…)

I’ve said this before, but the future of our beachside should start by partnering with private “placemaking” experts.  Bringing together professional planners, engineers, and designers who can collaborate with residents and stakeholders to craft a vision that incorporates our unique oceanfront environment into the experience, increase entrepreneurial investment, and change the tragic trajectory of the most neglected stretch of dilapidated oceanfront on the Eastern Seaboard.  

In my view, a “build it and they will come” more of the same strategy, led by a horribly dysfunctional municipal government in the throes of a civic meltdown, is an incredibly expensive gamble for Volusia County taxpayers during these uncertain times.

And Another Thing!

“What has happened down here is the wind have changed,

Clouds roll in from the north and it started to rain,

It rained real hard and it rained for a real long time,

Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline…

They’re trying to wash us away,

They’re trying to wash us away…”

—Louisiana 1927, Randy Newman

That old song came to mind last week when I read the heartbreaking news from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who, after a two-year multidisciplinary analysis of flooding in Daytona’s historic Midtown neighborhood, have determined that there’s nothing they can do to stop the inundation…

The winds have changed, alright.  All across the width and breadth of Volusia County.

So have political loyalties.

No one who should gives two-shits about Midtown – or your established neighborhood, for that matter.  As the “Big Money” moves west, so does the focus and attention of our movers-and-shakers.  Now, complications from inadequate infrastructure are meant to be marginalized or covered up – not openly discussed – especially when they become intractable problems with no viable solution.

Trust me, those who stand to profit most from malignant growth wish people like me would stop mentioning the unpleasant side effects in public.  But if you think this problem is limited to Midtown, just look at the fill-and-build construction happening next to your neighborhood, then think again…    

During last week’s City Commission meeting, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers representatives explained the area of Midtown and Fairway Estates is, topographically speaking, a “bowl.” 

When storms come, rainwater and “unmanageable runoff” quickly fills the low-lying area and is devastatingly slow to recede.  The problem is worsened by a number of factors, to include inadequate drainage infrastructure, the antiquated 100-year-old Nova Canal that was never designed for current demands, and the challenges of draining water east to the Halifax River due to tidal influences.

The situation has resulted in extensive repeat flooding in an area that can least afford to rebuild due to generational poverty, civic neglect, and other economic constraints.   

According to the experts, there are no practicable solutions to the problem.   

In an article by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week, she explained “The Army Corps engineers were tasked with finding a feasible solution, and they concluded anything that would help would be prohibitively expensive.

They suggested the city pursue federal funds to buy out about 40 of the most flood-prone properties in Midtown.

“I know it’s bad news, and it’s going to take time to process,” Jim LaGrone, a project manager with the Army Corp’s Jacksonville District, told city commissioners.”

If it’s any solace to residents soon to be displaced from their homes, Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry is apparently unconsolable, “You have brought to us the worst news. Our biggest dream was we’d have a solution. If I said I was anything less than heartbroken now, I’d be lying.”

Whatever.

Look, historically speaking, there’s enough blame to go around – and few answers as to why a neighborhood was allowed to be built at the bottom of a natural retention pond – or why more wasn’t done to upgrade drainage infrastructure once these problems were identified years ago?

Unfortunately, that same question could be asked in most places across the “Fun Coast” where development-induced flooding repeatedly inundates homes and property, as the bulldozers continue to roar… 

According to the News-Journal, “There’s also very little green space in Midtown and Fairway Estates to absorb rainwater, and many of the buildings there are older and have their first floors at or below street level.”

Sound familiar?

The Corps of Engineers representatives explained that each of the proposed solutions – to include building storm surge barriers, raising canal berms, and even turning the municipal golf course into a large drainage area using 15-foot levies – were prohibitively expensive, costing much more than the structures they would be saving. 

That means competing for federal funds with other jurisdictions having more “feasible and economically justified projects” puts Daytona Beach at the bottom of the list…

Apparently, the only feasible alternative is for the City of Daytona Beach to partner with the federal government and mitigate future expenses by purchasing the most flood prone properties, something that will leave hundreds of other homes and commercial properties subject to continued inundation.

Unfortunately, it appears Midtown is literally being washed away – culturally, economically, and physically – and there’s not a damn thing anyone can do about it. 

I have no doubt some soulless developer will exploit this tragedy to their advantage – slash, burn, fill, and build around the perimeter of what was once historic Midtown – then market their new wood frame cracker boxes as “waterfront property from the $400’s.”

Sad, but infinitely possible, in an era of abject corruption in Tallahassee where anything goes.

As our region continues to be paved over with little (if any) consideration of expanding public utilities and infrastructure – a perfect storm (as it were) of a bought-and-pain-for state legislature intent on preempting local control of growth management – expect to see more of these “Nuttin’ we can do, y’all” explanations coming to more areas across Volusia County and beyond…  

Is your neighborhood next?

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

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:

The Debacle at Daytona: Justice Demands Accountability  

In legal parlance a “fishing expedition” is described as seeking broad, unspecified information that is seemingly irrelevant to the focus of an investigation.  Casting a wide net in hopes of developing evidence of wrongdoing or confirming unsubstantiated allegations.  

Based upon information contained in the latest round of subpoenas issued by Special Counsel Richard Mantei, a special prosecutor with the Florida Attorney General’s Public Integrity Unit investigating questionable spending in Daytona Beach municipal government, it is now apparent this is no prosecutorial fishing trip… 

After initially compelling Deputy City Manager/Fire Chief Dru Driscoll and Deputy Fire Chief Jessica Matthews to provide sworn statements and additional information regarding disturbing audit findings in the fire department, last week the Office of Statewide Prosecution issued additional subpoenas to key city officials.   

These latest subpoenas demand information, documents, “electronically stored information,” and communications from city owned and personal devices of City Manager Deric Feacher, Mayor Derrick Henry, Growth Management and Planning Director James Morris, Fire Chief Dru Driscoll, Business Enterprise Management Director Michael Stallworth and Commissioners Paula Reed and Dannette Henry.

According to a follow-up report by WFTV-9 investigative reporter Demie Johnson, “Also, on the list – all city purchasing cards, their transactions, and who is using them.

Bills, receipts, invoices and email transactions related to Step-by-Step Expressions inc. or themathparty.com, have also been requested. The mayor is listed as the Executive Director of Step-By-Step Expressions inc. on his bio on the city’s website. Sunbiz.com lists his wife as the CEO.

According to themathparty.com, the mayor’s wife founded that organization as well.

To be clear, just because city officials are listed in these subpoenas, does not mean they are guilty or accused of a crime.”

According to a report earlier this week by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, the scope narrowed further on Friday afternoon when another subpoena arrived at the City Clerk’s office, “…seeking records connected to Feacher again, Chief Financial Officer Natalia Eckroth, and former Daytona Beach city employee Amber Spears, who worked in purchasing. There’s also a specific inquiry about the Mayor’s Math and Fitness Bootcamp, and a 2024 Childhood Obesity Grant.”

In addition, “The assistant state prosecutor said he wants all records and emails, including attachments, relating to city purchasing cards containing the following terms alone or in any combination: circumvent, violation, hemorrhaging, non-employees, splitting charges and out of contract.

Mantei is also seeking any agenda summary, application, bid or description regarding funding of the Mayor’s Math and Fitness Bootcamp, and the city manager office’s acceptance of Childhood Obesity Grant 2024 together with documentation of any payouts or spending from that fund including all accountable payments for the total value of the grant.”

Look, it doesn’t take the deductive reasoning of Hercule Poirot to recall that in 2024, the City of Daytona Beach received a $125,000 grant as a part of the Childhood Obesity Prevention & Environmental Health and Sustainability Awards sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the American Beverage Association’s Foundation for a Healthy America.

It was in all the papers…

At the time, Mayor Henry said the grant funds “…will be instrumental in positively impacting the children participating in the city’s summer programs. With a focus on math and fitness strategies, the grant funds will help improve our youngest residents’ academic, physical, and emotional well-being.”

Say what?  “Math and Fitness” go together like kittens and sauerkraut?

Now, we learn that Mayor Henry and his wife own a company with a website called themathparty.com – which just happens to advertise “…a motivational musical method of mathematics created by Dr. Stephanie Pasley-Henry, to amplify the interest, retention and achievement levels of students who struggle in mathematics.” 

It also uses the “Mayor’s Math and Fitness Bootcamp” in its online marketing… 

Look, I’m not hurling accusations here – just connecting the increasingly visible dots – but surly Mayor Henry didn’t use city sponsored youth programs as a conduit to direct grant funds to a company owned and operated by himself and his wife?   

Let’s hope not. 

Because, in my view, that would come perilously close to violating Florida’s statutory prohibitions on elected officials, acting in a private capacity, selling goods or services to their own agency… 

The metaphorical term “House of Cards” describes the precariousness of a delicate situation, relationship, or plan – where seemingly insignificant or unrelated actions or events can cause the entire system to collapse on itself.

It is commonly used when describing a criminal enterprise that falls like a “house of cards” when people get nervous, start talking to law enforcement, and the evidence mounts against co-conspirators… 

In this case, it appears the significant questions surrounding how the municipal government has stewarded public funds – to include increasingly credible allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse – may prove to be the downfall of a pernicious system where certain entrenched insiders and outside influencers have played fast-and-loose with government funds – or enriched themselves at the public’s expense.

Despite Mayor Derrick Henry’s rambling diatribe last evening supporting City Manager Feacher’s continued employment while attempting to sugarcoat serious financial irregularities, time will tell, as the cards begin to fall…

If the state’s investigation, and any resultant prosecution, proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Daytona Beach elected officials or city employees violated the ethical and fiduciary standards expected of those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest – someone should go to jail. 

This is as serious as it gets. Preserving the public’s trust in their government is all-important and justice demands accountability.

Based upon what has been reported by WFTV’s Demie Johnson, the News-Journal’s Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, and others, it appears Mayor Henry and senior city administrators are about to be reminded of that… 

Volusia County Council: The Benefits of an Election Year

Ah, that every year could be election year here on the “Fun Coast,” eh?    

A topsy-turvy time when up is down, down is up, lambs lay down with lions, dogs and cats live in complete harmony – those halcyon days every two to four years when those running for reelection treat We, The Little People as though our concerns and input actually matter to them…

For instance, on Tuesday, Volusia County residents got a glimpse at the fleeting benefit of election year optics when our County Council suddenly transmogrified from bought-and-paid-for development shills into tree-hugging dirt worshipers when they voted unanimously to allocate $20.1 million in Volusia Forever conservation funds to purchase the River Bend Ranch, an ecologically sensitive parcel consisting of 1,299-acres in southern Volusia County.

To show just how wild and wacky things can get during election season, District 1 Councilman Don Dempsey – who previously joined with his “colleagues” to misappropriate $4.62 million in Volusia Forever and ECHO funds to purchase 356 acres off S.R. 44 to accommodate his pet motorcross track – pasted a fake smile on his face and somehow championed the effort from the dais without choking on his own sarcasm: “To me, this is exactly what Volusia Forever’s all about.”

(Now I’m gagging…)

The River Bend Ranch is directly adjacent to the county-owned 1,385-acre Deering Preserve at Deep Creek and includes approximately two miles of frontage along the St. Johns River, and 1.3 miles of frontage along Deep Creek, providing water resource protections in addition to land conservation.

According to a county report, the conservation land holds some 561 acres of wetlands and “The property lies within the St. Johns River floodplain and supports natural water storage, filtration, and flood attenuation for the Middle St. Johns River basin.”

The purchase satisfied Councilman Dempsey because it was completed without state or federal partnerships, which means some distant iteration of the Volusia County Council can theoretically say “screw the wishes of those puritanical pilgrim’s way back in 2026,” and sell the property for development or use it to meet the needs of the county…  

“I’m in full support of this,” Dempsey crowed. “The fact that we own it fee simple, the fact that there’s no partners, the fact that in 500 years, if the city and council finds some emergency need for it, they have that ability to do what they need to do to, take care of whatever the issue at hand might be in the future. I have no problem with it being forever in perpetuity, as long as the county owns it by themselves.”

Bullshit…

In my view, the acquisition of River Bend Ranch is the very essence of the voter approved/tax supported Volusia Forever program and speaks well of those intrepid local environmentalists who worked hard to spread the word on the importance of conserving this sensitive land to future generations, forever.  

Here’s hoping the Volusia County Council will heed the will of the people, respect the letter and spirit of Volusia Forever, and place a charter amendment on this year’s ballot requiring a vote of We, The Little People – those who paid for the properties and expect them to be protected in perpetuity – before conservation lands can be sold, removed, or degraded by a manipulated “supermajority” vote of the council the next time developers stack the deck…    

I know you rarely hear this from “Barker the Bitcher,” but absent a brief bout of bilious nausea caused by Councilmen Troy Kent and David Santiago’s shameless politicking from the dais during their closing comments, it was a surprisingly good meeting. 

While I didn’t agree with everything they “accomplished” (and kept waiting for the wheel to come off the cart as Chairman Jeff Brower droned on about God knows what before mercifully adjourning the festivities) it was a rare example of a (relatively) painless and productive public meeting.

For instance, in approving the consent agenda, the VCC allocated $477,113.08 to “update” antiquated audio/video capabilities in the council chamber. 

About time…

For years, what passes for a meeting of the Volusia County Council has sounded like it was being broadcast from the dark side of the moon – transmitted between rusty tomato cans connected with taut waxed twine – as our ‘powers that be’ conduct what passes for the “people’s business” and us rubes who pay the bills put in our ear trumpets and lean closer to our choppy YouTube feed. 

I’ve heard clearer communications transmitted in chirps and squeaks from space probes in the Kuiper Belt…

While things have gotten slightly more comprehensible in recent years; historically, the sound quality, unreliability, and physical manipulation required to remain marginally connected to these staged bimonthly hootenanny’s sucks.

Am I wrong?

Kudos to the Volusia County Council for bringing communications with their long-suffering constituents into the 21^st Century… 

The Lost City of Deltona: A Community in Flames

I’m frequently asked why I rarely write about the conflagration that is the Lost City of Deltona anymore, and the reason is simple: I take no pleasure in kicking a horribly crippled and self-destructing municipal government now that it is hopelessly beyond repair.

In my dim view, there is no hope of saving Deltona in its present form and configuration.

Well-meaning people send me the latest ugliness coming out of Volusia County’s largest city by population – a toxic kakistocracy “governed” by an elected body that, in my view, should be uniformly purged from the dais and prosecuted by Gov. Ron DeSantis for gross malfeasance and abject stupidity – that includes the oafish cartoon character of a mayor that I believe represents the worst of the worst in local governance.  

In my view, Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr is a shameless political poseur with a history of shady self-promotion who relies on a public paycheck to feed his family absent any visible means of support. 

That’s dangerous, because he’s desperate.

By any metric, Mayor Avila is a political vagrant who survives by promoting the whims and wants of those special interests willing to fund his feeble political ambitions, a disreputable hack who exploits a vulnerable community and uses public funds as his personal piggybank – much like a parasitic leech who survives off the blood of its host.

This week, Councilwoman Dori Howington, a mawkish political amateur whose redeeming quality is she fought valiantly against unchecked development in Deltona (to no avail) had something of a psychological meltdown during a shambolic public meeting. 

It was a godawful sideshow that saw Howington removed/resigned as Deltona’s representative to Team Volusia’s executive board (that “good old boys travel club” that is perhaps the biggest corporate welfare shim-sham ever to infect Volusia County governance). 

During the meeting, that disastrous cabal of half-brights that now control the Lost City of Deltona insinuated that Councilwoman Howington’s employment as Chief Financial Officer with the Volusia County Clerk of the Court may be a conflict of interest.

Why? Because the Clerk has ancillary dealings with the City of Deltona (and every other municipality in Volusia County).

Bullshit.

This week, an off-the-dais City Hall dust-up between Councilwoman Howington and Councilwoman Emma Santiago – whose husband, Volusia County Councilman David “No Show” Santiago (another perennial scrounger whose only viable income appears to be based on political connections) who fancies himself a behind-the-scenes puppeteer of Deltona politics – dissolved into the latest shitstorm to befall the long-suffering community. 

According to a report in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Deltona Commissioner Emma Santiago is seeking criminal charges against fellow Commissioner Dori Howington, alleging that Howington threatened her and touched her without her consent at City Hall.

The tension began at a Deltona City Commission meeting on May 4, according to the report filed with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.

During an audit presentation, Santiago raised concerns about Howington’s employment with the Volusia County Clerk of Court and asked whether the city should get an opinion on a potential conflict of interest.”

According to the report, Ms. Santiago’s complaint has been forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office for review.  In typical form, Volusia County Councilman Santiago saw reason to weigh in, huffing-and-puffing that Howington should resign.  From someone who routinely attacks citizens and civic volunteers who disagree with his self-serving antics, I find that rich…

I wonder why they want Howington gone?   

Is it because she championed a lawsuit challenging Florida’s SB 180 that preempted local control of development regulations and granted Mr. Santiago’s benefactors in the development industry carte blanch to build when, where, and what they want?

Or because she won’t get along and go along with the status quo?

I’m asking.  

If you live and pay taxes in the City of Deltona, you should too – then follow the money…    

Quote of the Week

“Local transportation engineer Maryam Ghyabi White, CEO of Ghyabi Consulting and Management, said the project has been years in the making and is critical for the region’s continued growth.

“This project has been a long time coming,” Ghyabi White said.

She said the improvements will help address traffic concerns while supporting residents, businesses and visitors traveling through the area.

“The initiative reflects a focused effort to improve connectivity, reduce congestion and support the needs of growing communities,” she said.

Ghyabi White added that without the accelerated funding approach, the project likely would have remained years away from construction.

State leaders say the broader initiative represents a significant investment in Florida’s transportation system, targeting key bottlenecks across the state.

For Volusia County, officials say the I-95 and U.S. 1 interchange reconstruction project represents a major step toward improving one of the region’s most heavily traveled corridors and preparing for continued population growth.”

–Reporter Rich Carroll writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “DeSantis visits Ormond Beach to announce I-95 and U.S. 1 interchange project,” Friday, May 1, 2026

Our areas preeminent transportation engineer (and all-around good egg) Maryam Ghyabi White and I are the most unlikely of friends – we shouldn’t agree on anything, but I always come away vastly more enlightened on the issues of the day whenever we have a chance to talk.

She truly cares about transportation infrastructure and its importance to public safety and our quality of life.

By any metric, Maryam is infinitely smarter than I am – and much better connected in Tallahassee and beyond – which means, like the old E. F. Hutton ad implored, when she speaks, I listen.  

I know how hard she has worked to see the I-95/U.S.1 interchange in Ormond Beach, and other long neglected local transportation infrastructure improvements, become a reality in our fast-growing region.

That said, I could do without the Florida Department of Transportation’s disingenuous hype and spin that erodes the public’s trust in the process.     

Last week, many of our local political “movers & shakers” donned their finery and gathered with Gov. Ron DeSantis near the most dilapidated interchange in Florida as he announced the launch of a much-anticipated reconstruction project that has languished for decades.

For years, area residents have been forced to accept the decrepit appearance of the wholly inadequate span – one of the oldest interchanges in the Florida highway system – which has stood as a repellant gateway to Ormond Beach’s largest commercial corridor.   

As a result, it became another monument to mediocrity – a shining example of how infrastructure and concurrency have been considered an afterthought by local and state officials – during this period of unprecedented growth.

A key component of any political dog-and-pony-show is a fabricated whopper – a contrived spin that allows senior officials to take credit for something/anything that can be couched as a positive after the bureaucratically laborious (and insanely expensive) process of prioritizing, engineering, and funding public infrastructure projects. 

Last week’s scripted announcement by Gov. DeSantis at Destination Daytona was no different.

After decades of waiting, in September 2023, some FDOT mouthpiece in Tallahassee swagged a wild-ass guess and arbitrarily pulled a date out of their backside, then announced construction of the interchange was set to begin in “Fall 2027.” 

At the time, then Ormond Beach Mayor (now the District 28 representative in the Florida House) Bill Partington said the obvious: “That intersection has failed at a mind-boggling level on a daily basis,” he added. “For the last few years, there have been a number of deaths and serious traffic accidents.” 

Even though the interchange was repeatedly identified as “antiquated” by senior FDOT officials – and universally seen as an eyesore by area residents and business owners – no one in state government seemed interested in expediting the project as years drug into decades.

“Mind-boggling” indeed.

Thank God for the astonishing power of an election year…

Now that Gov. DeSantis is nearing the end of his term and turning his eye to what comes next, we’re told he is using something called “accelerated funding” to start the project a year ahead of schedule.    

Great.  Whatever it takes…  

Given the fact that area residents have been forced to accept the shabby landscaping and run-down appearance of the now dangerously outdated span – an overgrown blot on the landscape that has kept much of north US-1 a blighted wasteland – as far as I’m concerned, FDOT and Gov. DeSantis can couch it anyway they want. 

Look, I don’t care who takes credit for the reconstruction of the US-1/I-95 interchange, let’s just hope FDOT moves swiftly to ensure the “3-4 year completion estimate” (read: 5-6 years and millions in subsequent “budget modifications”) is anywhere close to accurate. 

The City of Ormond Beach has deserved better for a long, long time…

And Another Thing!

“For the good of the city, for the restoration of public trust and for the stability of this council, I’m asking you to reconsider and step down from your position,” Knight said.”

–Orange City At-Large Council Member Dana Knight, speaking to Mayor Kellianne Marks, as quoted by reporter Robin Mimna writing in the West Volusia Beacon, “Orange City mayor faces renewed calls to resign after tense council meeting,” Wednesday, April 29, 2026

During last week’s Orange City Council meeting, Councilmember Dana Knight reiterated what many residents of her beleaguered community have been openly shouting for months – it is time for Kellianne “My Name is Mayor!” Marks to resign.

Following Ms. Knight’s remarks, a clearly overwrought District 3 Councilmember Dawn Tiamson added to the tragicomedy by reading from a melodramatic memorandum announcing she is withdrawing her candidacy for re-election.

According to the Beacon’s report, “In the memo, dated April 28, Tiamson cited concerns about “the conduct and operational dynamics of both staff and council,” writing that current conditions fall short of “the standards of professionalism, accountability, and effective governance” expected by residents.

“I will not associate my candidacy with an environment that does not support those principles,” Tiamson wrote.”

In light of the constant churn and roil that has gripped the community, in my view, Mayor Marks should follow suit and step aside.  

It’s time.

The tension that shrouds Orange City like a shit-fog is a direct result of the embroglio started by Mayor Marks last December when – in a petty pique of personal embarrassment and hubristic arrogance – she demanded an “emergency” city council meeting in order to fire City Clerk Kaley Burleson. 

That didn’t work out quite as Mayor Marks expected…

As a result, many in the small West Volusia community have continued to call for the mayor’s resignation during subsequent public meetings. 

It seems each council meeting, after first receiving a brusque “blanket first warning” from Mayor Marks – an off-putting monologue letting citizens know they will be removed should they breech her subjective notion of “decorum” – concerned residents dutifully approach their elected officials to demand an independent investigation and ask that Mayor Marks’ show some dignity and leave.   

When emotions get high and citizens react from the gallery, Mayor Marks goes off on a gavel slamming power trip, and the entire affair devolves into a theater of the absurd.

As a veteran voyeur of local civic affairs, I have found that megalomania is common in politics.  In my view, Ms. Marks’ gross hypocrisy, vindictiveness, and willingness to destroy others in order to deflect blame marks the nadir of that particular political personality disorder…

As a result, Mayor Marks’ reign has become a farcical sideshow – a source of division and controversy – as evidenced by her reference to engaged constituents as “riff-raff,” flippant dismissal of legitimate citizen concerns as a “witch hunt,” and increasingly bizarre behavior, like engaging an 11-year-old boy to defend her at the podium during a public meeting.

In my view, it is time for Mayor Marks to overcome her pathological persecution complex and awake to the sobering realization that she alone is responsible for this ongoing distraction. 

The good citizens of Orange City have every right to feel anger and disappointment, and to seek the removal of Mayor Marks as they work to restore dignity to the dais and public confidence in their municipal government.

That’s all for me.  Welcome to Rockville, y’all!