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:

  Elections 2026: Let the Games Begin…

“It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office.”

–H. L. Mencken

Let’s face it, denizens of Florida’s “Fun Coast” can be a cynical bunch.  

Especially at election time…   

We come by it honestly, our callouses hard-earned.  Shaped by the actions of mealy-mouthed elected officials who told us one thing during their campaign – then proved to be little more than a cheap shill for those special interests who own the paper on their political soul.

Sound familiar?

Last Friday the “qualification period” for the primaries and general election came to a close.  Unopposed candidates were automatically elevated to their respective post, while others will now enter the Octagon – that bloody knife fight that passes for political contests around these parts.

There’s a lot at stake.  That’s why hundreds-of-thousands of dollars are being poured into County Council contests and municipal seats throughout Volusia County.

Some of those races are going to be ugly.  They always are…

For instance, we live in a weird time when lies and innuendo printed on a “glossy mailer” carry more weight than the abysmal voting record of compromised incumbents who spent the last two to four years screwing us blue.

Now, for a precious few months, those same barefaced liars – local incumbents who have literally ignored our needs while promoting the for-profit wants on their political benefactors and state legislators who have preempted local control of growth management and set the stage to consolidate power in Tallahassee – now magically transform into our best friends and neighbors, shamelessly groveling for another bite at the rotten apple.

Bizarre. 

That’s one reason many voters have become apathetic, refusing to participate in what they see as a pernicious process that often boils down to an impossible decision between equally detestable options, an ugly dilemma that requires a moral compromise they’re not willing to make. 

That should sound familiar, too…    

In my view, our local microcosm is the best and worst of a representative democracy. On the surface an egalitarian system where most everyone is welcome to try and one needn’t possess any specific skills, credentials, education, or training to qualify.  Unfortunately, the only prerequisites in modern politics are the ability to parrot the party line (even in so-called “non-partisan” races), embrace moral and ethical hypocrisy, and maintain lockstep adherence to the self-serving edicts of their uber-wealthy political benefactors.

In my jaded view, our collective electoral ennui comes from being repeatedly marginalized; our needs routinely ignored by those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest, and a sense that the deck has been stacked against us. 

Because it has.  

It shouldn’t be that way.  

Here are some considerations for those newly qualified candidates – and those of us who will cast our sacred vote for them – from a longtime political voyeur who has seen the best (and the worst) of “Fun Coast” politics.

For those who have chosen to enter the fray and have declared their candidacy for high office, if you take the time, you’ll find that Article II, Section 8, of the Florida Constitution reminds us, “A public office is a public trust.” 

I think it’s important for newcomers to understand what longtime incumbents seem to have forgotten.

For many, public service is a calling – that “fire in the belly” – a passion to serve others at great personal sacrifice.  A chance to work hard in a cause greater than one’s self-interests, the opportunity to help make your community, state, or nation a better place for those you are sworn to serve.

Unfortunately, for many who enter politics, it has become a means to an end…

A seat at the table of power where they make the rules and pave the way for those mercenary special interests who brought them to the dance.  Access to other people’s money with little oversight (or accountability), and statutorily defined ethics rules and removal procedures that are so deliberately onerous that once in office it is almost impossible to recall the scoundrels.

For most, it is a function of adapting to a scheme they neither understand nor have the strength of character to resist. As a result, I find that many elected officials eventually become everything they hated when first entering politics.

I call it being taken into the system.

I’ve said this before, but if I were to purchase one gift for first term politicians preparing to take their seat on the dais of power, it would be a hand mirror.

When the time comes – and it will – when the crown lays heavy and the feeling of infallibility overcomes the newly elected officials willingness to listen, when their constituents are screaming and critics like me are bitching, when compromising their ethics would be the easiest course, or those times when special interests are lobbying for a controversial project, policy, or perquisite – they could take a hard look in that mirror and remember why they sought and fought to serve in the first place. 

The process of being “indoctrinated” begins shortly after their victory party when everyone laughs at their jokes, wealthy people who wouldn’t spit on them before the election suddenly know their name, career bureaucrats fawn over them, well-connected people gossip with them at soirées, and appointed public executives seem to agree with them on decisions large and small. 

Heady stuff for the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker…

That’s when our once idealistic “leaders” lose touch with reality and begin to consider themselves infallible. 

Senior “staff” become the only experts on (enter civic issue here) and our elected dilettantes quickly become blinded by that hubristic feeling of pompous omnipotence.  That overweening sense of self-righteous invincibility that allows them to sit on the dais like stone gargoyles, staring blankly at the hoi polloi who dare to disagree with them.

After all, the “system” has already removed much of the heavy lifting for them. 

Public policy decisions are typically hammered out behind closed doors, away from the prying eyes and input of those whose lives and livelihoods will be directly affected.  Only then do the elected officials play their role as a reliable rubber-stamp – or risk being ostracized, marginalized, and expelled from a very exclusive club.  

Don’t take my word for it, ask Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower how things work…

But clawing one’s way to the seat of power is not for the squeamish – and it’s going to be a long, hot summer for candidates across the region.    

Let the games begin, y’all.

Now that qualifying is complete and the field is set ahead of the August primaries, there is time to do your homework, familiarize yourself with the issues, speak to the candidates, research their policy positions, check the voting records of incumbents, and review campaign finance reports (Find them here: https://tinyurl.com/3dbnd7hw ).

For the system to work properly, it needs informed voters who approach the ballot box with a working understanding of the issues facing our region and the ability to decern the truth from campaign hype and horseshit.

Whether we agree or disagree on the issues, I hope you will stick with Barker’s View during the brutal months ahead as we navigate the “silly season” of political yard signs, debates, hob-nobs, “grip-n-gins,” knocks at the front door from sweaty candidates, and the smiling visage of politicians plastered on billboards, social media, and advertisements of every stripe.

As a faultfinding carper who points out where those actually in the arena stumbled, a cranky fusspot who takes perverse pleasure in poking fun at those haughty egomaniacs holding high office, I egotistically consider this alternative opinion blog important to maintaining balance and accountability in a process that has neither.

It’s not fact-based journalism – just one man’s jaded opinion on the news and newsmakers of the day.

But I hope these screeds on the issues we collectively face give you something to think about and provoke a larger discussion in the community.  A view diametrically different from the pap and fluff of government spinmeisters or carefully orchestrated political messaging.

Here’s a special thanks to everyone who took a big leap of faith and threw their hat in the ring this year. 

It’s a big decision – putting your family through the meatgrinder of modern politics – and a total mind-and-body pursuit not entered into lightly.   

My hat’s off to those courageous souls who hold themselves out, candidates who live up to their promise to improve our lives and livelihoods, consider our fragile environment, slow the malignant sprawl (and maniacal greed) that is rapidly destroying our beautiful state, and protect the health, safety, and welfare of our children and grandchildren.

I can’t think of anything more important.   

Quote of the Week

“We often get reminded that the people voted,” County Council member David Santiago said. “The people spoke on other items that have been before us —that we should listen to them, because the people have spoken, right? We hear that all the time. Well, guess what? The people will speak on this too, and we’ll know very loud and clear whether 60% or more, or less, want what is being argued for or against, so the debate really needs to happen amongst your neighbors.”

–Volusia County Councilman David “No Show” Santiago, speaking during a public hearing on proposed charter amendments, as quoted by the Ormond Beach Observer, “Five Volusia charter amendments, including a register of conservation lands, to be placed on November ballot,” Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Volusia County Councilman David “No Show” Santiago’s gaslighting lectures from the dais never cease to amaze me… 

He has the meanspirited ability to shamelessly contort the needs, wants, and concerns of his longsuffering constituents, then serve it back to them. Cold.

This week we learned that Volusia County residents are (once again) the victims of the old “bait-and-switch” – a classic political con frequently used by conniving politicians to warp the will of the people into something unrecognizable from its original form.    

In this case, voters overwhelmingly approved the venerated conservation program Volusia Forever under the guise of protecting endangered lands in perpetuity, i.e., “forever.”

Now, a charter amendment has been proposed that would nullify the permanency provisions of Volusia Forever by allowing a majority plus-one vote of the County Council to remove the same land you and I previously paid to protect from a “registry” of “protected conservation lands” for sale or transfer.  The amendment would also make exceptions for “takings by entities with authority of eminent domain” and allow conservation properties to be used for “public purposes.”

Whatever that means…

If the charter amendment is approved by a majority of Volusia County voters, environmentally sensitive lands we were led to believe would be protected from greed-crazed exploitation for all time would be subject to the whims of a supermajority of bought-and-paid-for shills on the Volusia County Council.

Does that sound like what you voted for? 

Another charter amendment proposed by Chairman Jeff Brower that would have required a unanimous vote of the council to sell or transfer Volusia Forever lands was tabled on a 4-2 vote with Brower and Councilman Troy Kent on the losing end.

According to the Observer’s report, “This was a result of arguments made by some environmentalists who felt that the fifth charter amendment involving conservation lands takes away protections because it will allow council to sell these lands or use them for a “public purpose.”

Whenever our elected officials start couching things with subjective terms like “public purpose,” I get nervous…

You should too.

“Dream Green Volusia founder Suzanne Scheiber, a member of the Charter Review Committee, stated on her organization’s Facebook page that public purpose is “defined by case law and can be a wastewater treatment plant, a fire station, a road, a water treatment plant, a park, etc.”

She advocated for the county to emulate Alachua County, where lands placed on a conservation registry can only be sold via a voter referendum. As county legal opinions say this wouldn’t hold up in courts, Scheiber asked the council to pass an ordinance requiring a unanimous vote to sell or transfer conservation lands, and put the sixth charter amendment on the ballot for voters to decide.

“It strengthens the initial voter referendum and does not affect Volusia Forever’s original intent,” Scheiber said. “Show us that you have no plans to sell our Volusia Forever conservation lands, and that words spoken in support of the program meant something.”

So much for listening to the “will of the voters,” eh?

In my view, now is the time for Volusia County voters to decide just how fast we can launch the likes of “No Show” Santiago and those other shameless shills who are up for reelection – empty suits who constantly remind us they are tired of listening to the needs of their long-suffering constituents – and replace them with responsive, accessible, and transparent elected officials who (we hope) will stand by their campaign promises, not backroom machinations and bureaucratically created loopholes.

This election season let’s reiterate our commitment to Volusia Forever (and good governance) by voting a resounding “NO!” on these charter amendments that do absolutely nothing to improve our environment, water quality, quality of life, or our children’s future.

And Another Thing!

I wondered how long it would take… 

This week, disgraced former Flagler County Sheriff James Manfre uttered the “C word” and gave us all a glimpse at the real reason Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida legislature are pushing to shift the tax burden in Florida: Consolidation of services – and power…   

Writing in the Palm Coast Observer this week, Manfre took several swipes at current Sheriff Rick Staly’s spending before suggesting the consolidation of “…all municipal law enforcement, fire and rescue and emergency management under the Sheriffs Office. With the 150% increase over 10 years in the sheriff’s budget, Rick Staly should have the administrative resources to oversee and integrate those operations into one comprehensive unit.”

I found it odd that Manfre bolstered his argument for an enormous, cumbersome, and horribly expensive law enforcement/fire/EMS/emergency management/etc. conglomerate by pointing to the controversial practices of Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony.

According to Manfre, “In Broward County, the Sheriff’s Office oversees law enforcement for the county and 14 separate municipalities, fire and rescue and emergency management. The administration expenses savings has been dramatic.”

Bullshit.

Last week, Sheriff Tony became the subject of a state DOGE audit after asking Broward County government for a $103 million increase in the agency’s annual budget.  Area elected officials have long been left in the dark when it comes to Sheriff Tony’s spending practices due to his notorious lack of fiscal transparency.   

According to a report by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, municipal officials throughout Broward County welcome the state’s request for financial information from BSO:

“It’s the kind of information public officials have repeatedly said they would want to see as they decide whether to accept Tony’s growing funding requests. Last year he asked the county for a 9% funding increase and received a 3% bump to $833 million. This year, he all but renewed last year’s rejected request and built on it, submitting a 2027 budget request that is 12.4% higher than the adopted budget for 2026.

Deerfield Beach decided to restart its own police and fire-rescue service in 2027 rather than meet Tony’s funding requests.”

Look, I realize state auditors picking over the spending of local governments while ignoring their own rampant waste, fraud, and abuse is the height of kleptocratic hypocrisy, but that’s where we find ourselves here in the Sunshine State… 

Former Sheriff Manfre is a lawyer (with a “concentration on development and land use issues”) – not a cop. 

During Manfre’s reign in Flagler County, he was the subject of sustained ethics complaints dating to 2013 for improper use of the agency credit card and failure to report a gift — a stay at an out-of-state resort cabin belonging to then-undersheriff Rick Staly.

The administrative law judge failed to uphold an additional charge against Manfre for misusing a county-owned vehicle for personal trips outside Florida.

Ultimately, Manfre was sanctioned on an 8-0 vote of the Florida Ethics Commission and received a $6,200 fine, public censure, and a reprimand from then Governor Rick Scott.  For his part, Manfre blamed then Undersheriff Staly, and his Finance Director, for failing in their duty to advise and inform him of his obligations… 

According to a 2016 report in FlaglerLive.com, “Manfre himself zigzagged between accepting and challenging various judgments until he decided in late May to accept the final judgment.”

Whatever.

In my view, given his tarnished history while in public office, former Sheriff Manfre is the last person we should be taking advice from. Especially when it involves the dissolution of our efficient, effective, and essential hometown services in favor of another bloated and inaccessible bureaucracy.

Conversely, Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly spoke against the property tax shift this week during a budget presentation before the Palm Coast City Council. 

According to a report in FlaglerLive.com this week, “In a long statement as surprising for its bluntness as for its prescription and prediction–he is not at all sure that the amendment will pass–Staly said all that state lawmakers did when they approved the proposal was “screw around with the cities and the county.”

He called it “politics.” He called it thoughtless and lacking proper definitions. He all but called lawmakers hypocrites. And he said he’d never seen a proposal of such reach pass the legislature in a mere three-day special session.

“I’m going to try my best to bite my tongue on my opinion on what occurred in Tallahassee,” Staly said. “I’ll probably have more to say about that later. But let’s remember that the voters haven’t spoken yet.” The sheriff was addressing the Palm Coast City Council this morning as part of his annual budget presentation and request–a request that included the addition of nine sheriff’s deputies and a budget increase of $2 million, to $13.5 million.”

Sheriff Rick Staly is a veteran lawman who has the best interests of Flagler County and beyond in his heart.

If you value the unique amenities and personality of the community you call home, one with tailored and efficient essential services, like police, fire, EMS, city utilities, emergency management, planning, and recreation – overseen by a locally elected body comprised of your neighbors who listen to your concerns, value input in community decisions, and provide an excellent quality of life in a place with a unique civic and historical identity – then this one bears watching.

It appears those who stand to benefit from the state’s property tax shim-sham are already building their fiefdoms and divvying up the spoils. The vote isn’t until November… 

What?

You don’t want to become just another neglected appendage of an inaccessible and wholly unaccountable state bureaucracy with a history of waste and siphoning public funds to political donors?

You don’t want your hometown to be priced out of the market and ultimately absorbed due to usurious annual fee increases and exorbitant assessments to pay for consolidated services you no longer have control over?

Tough shit, rube…

The state wants Florida’s municipalities eating out of their hands like baby birds – beholden to Tallahassee for their survival – not likely to make waves for influential political donors with a chip in the game who desperately want to consolidate power where it can be manipulated to their advantage.

In order to accomplish that, they plan to dismantle our venerated system of local governance – and they want to use us to do the dirty work for them by voting for an ill-conceived power grab dressed up as a half-baked property tax break.

In my view, this is a well-orchestrated effort to destroy Florida municipalities, eviscerate responsive local services, and remove any further local impediments to the mercenary wants of those special interests and private profiteers who own the soul of the State of Florida.

Let’s protect our beautiful mosaic of communities that form the backbone of Volusia County and beyond from this pernicious push to destroy our way of life and tell the state legislature We, The Little People refuse to normalize pay-to-play politics.

In my jaded view, when Florida’s compromised legislature – or the Biggest Whorehouse in the World, as I call it – goaded by an anxious lame-duck governor with grand political ambitions, hastily approves and promotes a constitutional ballot initiative (in less than 48-hours with no comprehensive studies of how the proposal will impact our responsive, effective, and fiscally efficient local essential services) on a promise they’re doing us a favor:

Don’t believe them…  

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:

City of Daytona Beach: Perception Becomes a Destabilizing Reality

The idiom “Every man is his own worst enemy” suggests that a person’s greatest obstacles often come from within themselves rather than external factors.  An internal conflict that sometimes undermines our own success through self-destructive behaviors and errant choices. 

Trust me.  I can relate…  

Fortunately, most of us have been gifted the neurological wiring to instinctively protect ourselves – the somatic reflex that occurs without conscious thought – allowing our body to rapidly react to harmful stimuli, such as pulling your hand away from a hot stove. 

But what do we call those who ignore the obvious? 

Ostensibly smart people and organizations who know better, yet repeatedly disregard all best evidence, advice, and previous injury, then proceed to do things they know will have adverse consequences, aggravate an already dire situation, or add to the appearance of impropriety. 

At best, that’s called reckless and impulsive – the result of a “desensitization” to circumstances and admonitions that those of us who have been burned before use as a forewarning – scars that form a reliable predictor of the adverse outcomes that result from repeat harmful behavior. 

At worst, it is something far more sinister… 

By any metric, the City of Daytona Beach is in serious peril.  More so than most of its elected officials fully realize (or seem to care). 

Yet, they push forward, seemingly incapable of changing tack even in the midst of a raging tempest, pathologically committed to the same wildly careless fiscal, financial, and operational policies (and personnel) that have brought intense scrutiny to City Hall in the form of an active criminal investigation by the Public Integrity Unit of the Statewide Prosecutor’s Office.

Read that again…

For instance, knowing the devastating effects of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest political stunt that would shift fiscal responsibility for local essential services in Florida, city leaders moved forward with a $27 million Taj Mahal fire station (that replaced the Daytona Beach Fire Department’s historic Station No. 1 to make way for who knows what?)

During an elaborate ribbon-cutting ceremony last week – rather than have a subdued dedication amid the city’s current realities and questionable spending in the fire department – Daytona Beach taxpayers winced as an ostentatious “pyrotechnic” display heralded the opening of what the News-Journal described as the “palatial” new public facility located in the struggling business corridor of South Ridgewood Avenue.  

In my view, the extravagant building and equally grandiose celebration was a subliminal middle-finger in the face of state investigators, auditors, and those concerned citizens who questioned if this is the time to take on millions in additional debt.

In an excellent article by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week, we learned:

“When asked about whether he was concerned about the optics of spending that much on a fire station, during a time of intense scrutiny over finances, City Manager Deric Feacher said Daytona Beach residents “want a quality fire department.”

“They want men and women who are going to serve this community, so I don’t see any issues or concerns about what we’ve done for the residents of Daytona Beach and for our visitors,” he said.

The News-Journal reached out to the city about the cost of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. That information wasn’t immediately available on June 2.”

In my experience, with the right leadership, a “quality fire department” can be operated out of a well-maintained tin can.  Exceptional public services don’t require the trimmings of a flashy facility to serve residents with professionalism, fiscal efficiency, and esprit de corps.

I’ve seen it done. 

To add injury, last week, the Daytona Beach City Commission debated the ethics of public contributions made to groups which include individual commissioners as members.

During the meeting, the city’s dutiful watchdog Commissioner Stacey Cantu proposed an ordinance prohibiting gifts to organizations with connections to sitting officials, rightfully citing potential conflicts of interest. 

The questionable practice was publicly aired and ended in a 3-3 split vote, with the usual cast of characters – Commissioners Paula Reed, Ken Strickland, and Vice Mayor Dannette Henry (Mayor Derrick Henry was absent) – arguing that the unusual practice does not pose an ethical conflict.

Bullshit.

In my view, the entire concept of the city’s asinine “Mayoral/Zone Support Fund” – a discretionary slush fund that allows elected officials to curry favor with voters by gifting public funds to area events and organizations supposedly for the benefit of Daytona Beach and its residents – is wrong on its face.

Rather than use a competitive grant process, assessment of city needs, or independent external nominations, the scheme allows individual commissioners to request an expenditure from the city’s general fund which is then rubber stamped by resolution.  In my view, the practice of allowing elected officials access to public funds so they can politically promote themselves by offering a cumshaw to their supporters in area civic and service organizations, is ripe for abuse.

This week, another layer of this odorous onion was peeled when the Florida Attorney General’s Office issued a subpoena for “All changes made to Henry’s biography page, the dates of the changes and the identity of the person or persons who made the changes.”

In April, WFTV-9 reporter Demi Johnson reported that investigators had subpoenaed information related to:

“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.”

As of this week, it appears any mention of Mayor Henry having served as Executive Director of Step-by-Step Expressions, Inc. has been removed from the city’s website… 

Why?

Here’s hoping Daytona Beach officials will finally awake to the fact that extravagant indulgences – and the easily avoidable perception of impropriety and conflict of interest – are destabilizing, and a direct affront to the public trust, especially during this sensitive and confusing time in the city’s history.

Flagler County: BOCC Proves “FAFO” Works Both Ways…

“I believe that we need to get more information out,” said Commissioner Kim Carney, who brought up the matter during the board’s June 1 meeting, calling Ingoglia’s analysis a “campaign crutch.”

“And I don’t like it,” Carney said. “It’s not going to go away before the election. He is going to pound on this, and try to get credit on this, up through the election.”

What do Flagler commissioners want clarified about budget overspending allegations?

Commissioner Andy Dance supported the idea for the webpage and encouraged the board to be specific in what it should say.

“I think the major accusations, from the original (March 2026) press release, should be addressed,” Dance said referring to the claims in Ingoglia’s report about the addition of “80 full-time administrative employees to accommodate a 32,564 increase in population growth” over the past six years.

“Because the rest of it is just vague … it’s just generalizations,” he added.”

–Flagler Board of County Commissioners Kim Carney and Andy Dance, as quoted by reporter Brenno Carillo, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Still no audit from Ingoglia; Carney calls stunt ‘campaign crutch,’” Friday, June 5, 2026

Rather than wait for more embellished misinformation from Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, the Flagler Board of County Commissioners are finally standing up for themselves and calling bullshit on the CFO’s nonexistent “audit” by providing their confused constituents with facts, figures, and explanations.

What took them so long?

For the uninitiated, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer (and current candidate to retain the role) Blaise Ingoglia has made a cottage industry over the past year travelling around the state (on a publicly funded campaign tour?) making sweeping allegations of what he calls “excessive” and “wasteful” overspending by cities and counties. 

Not surprisingly, Ingoglia’s statewide dog-and-pony-show came ahead of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to transfer, consolidate, and centralize power from local governments to Tallahassee by changing how we pay for essential local services.   

Last week, the Florida legislature – with few specifics and no financial analysis – thought it prudent to completely upend our system of governance by asking Florida voters to transition from the reasonably equitable ad valorem system to God knows what…

Nearly two-weeks later our legislators still can’t explain it to us – because they don’t understand it either…  

When CFO Ingoglia blew into Flagler County earlier this year, he stood behind a podium emblazoned “FAFO Audit” and mercilessly eviscerated elected officials and senior government administrators.

At the time, FlaglerLive.com described the disturbing scene:

“Blaise Ingoglia, Florida’s chief financial officer, excoriated a room full of Flagler County government officials this afternoon at the Club at Hammock Beach, saying “government is spending too much, government is taxing too much,” and singling out Flagler County government for being proportionately the biggest wasteful spender in the state, according to an oversimplified methodology his office is applying to local government budgets.

Flagler’s officials didn’t say a word, took it, and applauded. The performance lasted 32 minutes. The officials seemed ready for a performance twice as long.  None had known what government–county or municipal–Ingoglia would attack.”

The problem is/was – CFO Ingoglia has failed to produce a legitimate budget analysis or audit report to prove his claims of widespread waste and abuse in Flagler County – or anywhere else –and he continues to ignore mounting public record requests from media outlets that he produce the documents, you know, as Florida law demands. 

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer should know that…

In a follow-up report to the CFO’s Flagler County bloodletting, the News-Journal explained, “Ingoglia said at the time that he reached that number from a basic calculation: He compared how much the county spent in 2019 compared to what it spent in 2025-26, factoring in population growth and inflation. He didn’t mention the inflation rate.”

That’s not a financial “audit” – it’s a wild-assed guess… 

In response, it appears Flagler County officials are preparing to explain to Candidate Ingoglia that “FAFO” works both ways:

According to a report in the News-Journal this week, “County staff is working on a webpage detailing the county’s spending and most significant financial movements over the last six years — the period in which Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia said its budget was nearly $60 million in excess.”

Good.  Nothing dispels the stench of politically motivated lies like the disinfecting light of truth.  

In my view, the only positive to emerge from Mr. Ingoglia’s attempt to fabricate a tax revolt from whole cloth – using fictional “audits,” and sensationalized terms like “FAFO” to sow widespread confusion – is the increase in fiscal transparency as humiliated local officials throw open the books and finally defend themselves from the state’s abject thuggery.  

Obviously, there is excessive spending, fraud, waste, and abuse in some monstrously bloated bureaucracies across Florida – starting with that transactional whorehouse that is the Florida State Capitol. 

But it is increasingly clear that CFO Blaise Ingoglia and his “do as I say, not as I do” strategy has ruined his personal, professional, and political credibility with inflammatory hype and horseshit that seems to paint every local government with the same brush.   

In my view, if Mr. Ingoglia has intentionally embellished spending for a political end, he has done a terrible disservice to the citizens of Flagler County, and the state of Florida.

Quote of the Week

“Everyone is talking about property taxes. Almost nobody is talking about power.

That’s strange because power, not taxes, is what this debate is really about. The sales pitch is simple: property taxes are unpopular, homeowners are angry, government has grown, and cutting tax bills will provide relief. Who doesn’t like that? But there is a difference between cutting taxes and changing who controls government. Florida is not debating a tax cut. Florida is debating a fundamental redesign of how local government is financed.

For more than half a century, Florida has embraced home rule. The idea was simple: Local communities should make local decisions. If a city council spends too much, voters can replace it. If a county commission raises taxes, voters can replace it. The people making spending decisions are accountable to the people paying the bills. That system is imperfect, but it is transparent. If your local government fails, you know exactly where to direct your frustration and exactly who to vote against.

Now imagine a different system. Imagine counties and cities that can no longer fund themselves. Imagine local officials traveling to Tallahassee not to seek a grant for a new project, but to keep deputies on patrol, firefighters in stations, and ambulances on the road. At that point, who is really running local government? The answer is not the county commission. The answer is not the city council.

The answer is whoever controls the money.”

–Former Florida Sen. Jeff Brandes, President of the Florida Policy Project, a nonpartisan public policy research organization focused on Florida’s biggest challenges. As a republican politician, he served for 12 years in the Florida Legislature, including service in both the Florida House and Senate.  This excerpt is from his commentary in the Florida Trident, “The property tax blast radius nobody is talking about,” Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Please find the rest of Mr. Brandes’ informative piece here: https://tinyurl.com/bmjwarfp

Former Sen. Jeff Brandes just said the quiet part out loud…

In recent days, I have considered opinions on both sides of the recently approved ballot initiative to “eliminate” (read: shift) property taxes (because opinions and supposition are all we have). Few of those viewpoints were more cogent that Mr. Brandes’ insider peek behind the velvet curtain revealing the true motivations of those who control the rods and strings of our state government.

Look, no one complains more about government spending, waste, and abuse than I do. 

In fact, it’s kind of “my thing.” 

A perverse pastime cogitating on the issues of the day, then taking those who accept public funds to serve the interests of their political benefactors to the proverbial woodshed.  It fits my curmudgeonly persona and gives me that sense of purpose in retirement. 

Most important, it comports well with my other hobby: Day drinking… 

That said, I’ve had a tough time wrapping my head around the property tax ballot initiative because it flies in the face of those values I hold dear – namely small, limited, and accountable government comprised of, by, and for the people it serves.

In my view, former senator Brandes brings Tallahassee’s true motivations into perspective:

“There is an irony here that should give conservatives pause. A proposal intended to shrink government could ultimately centralize it. When counties and cities become financially dependent on Tallahassee, the governor effectively becomes the mayor of communities he was never elected to run. Imagine a future governor deciding which counties receive funding for deputies, which cities receive support for fire services, and which communities must wait. Local government becomes less local. Home rule becomes a slogan instead of a governing principle.”

Forcing cities and counties under the bootheel of state government by making them wholly dependent on Tallahassee bureaucrats for their lifeblood quickly changes the power dynamic. 

Rather than continue to chip away at home rule with mandates and preemptions, it appears that on his way out the door, Gov. DeSantis wants to topple our entire system of governance through, as Mr. Brandes so aptly put it, “…one of the largest transfers of financial responsibility in modern Florida history.”

Cui bono? Certainly not Florida residents.

Be careful what you wish for – especially when an extreme “solution” is proposed by a term limited politician with higher ambitions…

As former Sen. Brandes warns, “Supporters frame this debate as a battle between taxpayers and government. That is the wrong framework. The real question is whether Florida wants independent local governments or dependent local governments. Because independent local government means paying your own bills.”

And Another Thing!

“At last Monday’s County Commission meeting the county administration threw more cold water on the proposed development of 22,000 homes on 22,000 acres west of U.S. 1 commonly known as the “western expansion.” The proposal has weathered a few public cold showers from a Palm Coast City Council member and the mayor.

“The agreement will leave in place the potential future possibility of injecting wastewater into the aquifer,” Deputy County Attorney Sean Moylan told the county commissioners Monday. “If it were approved today as written, it would not allow for that to happen immediately. There would have to be a separate approval later. But it at least opens the door for the subject, and it’s something that’s never happened in our county before. The aquifer doesn’t just follow jurisdictional lines, it really belongs to all of us.”

Moylan was referring to a particular segment of the 128-page development order, known as a master planned development agreement, or MPD, that opened the way for incinerator plants, hog and poultry farms and “deep well injection of waste products,” among other uses. None of those uses would be permitted without an amendment to the MPD and an affirmative vote by the regulatory boards. But the list had been added there in the third version of the MPD, in essence opening that door Moylan was referring to.”

–As excerpted from FlaglerLive.com, “As County Throws More Cold Water on 22,000-Home ‘Western Expansion,’ Developer Defends Retreat from Previous Commitments,” Friday, June 5, 2026

(Please find the rest of the article here: https://tinyurl.com/d3cmu5jn )

As the wrangling between the voices of reason on the Palm Coast City Council – namely Mayor Mike Norris and Councilwoman Theresa Pontieri – and developers of Flagler’s massive “western expansion” continues, another iteration of the Master Planned Development agreement is being considered. 

Let’s just say a lot of controversial issues remain to be negotiated…

In fact, Ms. Pontieri has called the most recent version, “garbage.”

As I understand it, the development agreement includes regionally impactful considerations, such as the fate of Flagler’s historic Old Brick Road, the use of public funds for construction of the “Loop Road” connector, and the extent to which the developer will assume responsibility for certain infrastructure, a “sports amenity,” and other issues posing profound consequences for existing residents.

Last week, a representative for Raydient, the development subsidiary of landowner Rayonier, told Palm Coast residents the intrusive industrial uses that would have been allowed by amendment – what Raydient called “the list of horribles” – have been deleted from the agreement. 

That said, the mere presence of these impactful industrial uses should be a wakeup call to everyone in the region.  In my view, it demonstrates how our water quality and quantity could be adversely affected by affirmative vote of compromised regulatory boards that would allow “deep well injection of waste products” into our source aquifer.  

For instance, last week Jerry Valcik, an Ormond Beach resident who describes himself as a public health/environmental engineer with expertise in safe drinking water, wrote an editorial published in the Ormond Beach Observer entitled “’Toilet-to-tap’ is not a credible issue in Ormond Beach.”   

The piece touted “…the beneficial reuse of nonpotable wastewaters…” 

According to Mr. Valcik, “First, there are approximately 300 septic tanks in Ormond and another 4,000 in Ormond-by-the-Sea, parts of which we supply with drinking water. After natural soil filtration, some resulting leachate from these tanks percolates into our aquifer where extensive dilution occurs.

Second, there are 4-5 million gallons of highly treated wastewater applied daily to irrigate and enhance lawns and landscapes throughout our city. This reclaimed water is used by 4,500+ residents (about 10% of our population), commercial businesses and in public areas. Eventually, residual leachate from treated wastewater irrigating lawns also finds its way into our aquifer where tremendous dilution occurs.

If a public referendum is authorized and all toilet-to-tap (recycling of nonpotable wastewaters) is banned, then would septic tanks be outlawed? Must lawn and landscape irrigation cease to the detriment of our paradise? How would the city replace these critical services? How quickly? At what cost? How would these major projects be funded? These critical questions must be addressed.”

Also, why is this being raised now? No direct toilet-to-tap plans have been announced by our city or county.”

(Please find the rest of Mr. Valcik’s opinion here: https://tinyurl.com/yaxw5t5d )

As is common with “wastewater experts,” (most of whom will admit they don’t have a clue about the long-term impacts of chemicals used to treat wastewater on the sensitive geology of our aquifer) Mr. Valcik went on to remind we finicky fusspots with an aversion to drinking our own waste that “direct toilet-to-tap reuse occurs on the space station.”

Whatever.   

To my knowledge, no one has asked for a charter amendment banning septic tanks in Ormond Beach or prohibiting the use of treated sewage for irrigation. 

That’s a cheap scare tactic.    

What has been proposed is a referendum asking residents to decide the question of “potable reuse,” sending treated wastewater to our taps, and the direct injection of wastewater into our source aquifer. 

In my view, it is a common-sense preemptive means of protecting public health, preserving water quality and quantity, and ensuring that development and density does not exceed the natural capacity of our finite resources by prohibiting artificial augmentation.

As the latest iteration of the MPD for Flagler’s “westward expansion” proves, despite what mealy-mouth politicians beholden to their puppet masters in the development industry will tell you, “deep well injection of waste products” is only one approved “agreement” away – and the concept of “potable reuse” is becoming a very real possibility in rapidly growing communities across the state. 

Elections have consequences. 

Development decisions made today have the potential to adversely affect the safety of our children and grandchildren; future generations who will be forced to live with the fact their health and quality of life was sacrificed on the altar of greed… 

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:

State of Florida: Half-Baked Property Tax Shift Heads to Florida Voters

One year ago, lame duck Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a $1 million study to examine the wide-ranging effects of “eliminating” the property tax in Florida.  As a rule, before developing public policy government analyzes everything, ad nauseum – sending proposed legislation through countless committee hearings, budget studies, and legal reviews.

So why not get a comprehensive understanding of the fiscal impacts of upending Florida’s 150-year-old reasonably equitable system of funding essential local services?

Good question. 

Especially in light of the fact neither Gov. DeSantis, nor our local legislative delegation, have explained how our essential services will continue without adequate funding.  That’s because they don’t understand it either. 

If approved by 60% of Florida voters in November, the tax shift (not elimination) would fundamentally change governance in the state – transferring all power to Tallahassee – and have a detrimental impact on the responsive city and county services that protect your neighborhood and mine.

I became suspicious of Gov. DeSantis ambiguous “plan” last year when Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia busied himself traveling around the state (on our dime) promoting his bogus “audits” of some local governments – a complete shim-sham conjured out of whole cloth – a baldfaced lie that laid the groundwork for Gov. DeSantis’ half-baked call to “eliminate” most property taxes.

Damn the consequences.  Just vote to wipe away everyone’s tax burden – we’ll sell more homes to people moving here from out-of-state to ride the “Free Stuff!” gravy train.  We can sort the deleterious effects on public safety and our quality of life later…

According to a report by the Orlando Sentinel last week, CFO Ingoglia has yet to respond to serious questions regarding how much his “FAFO” dog-and-pony show has cost Florida taxpayers, why he pushed special legislation benefiting Disney while holding stock in the company (?), or “…who ordered armed officers to visit the home of a man who sent Ingoglia a postcard that said: “You lack values.”

Again, all good questions for Florida’s senior fiscal watchdog whose ethos seems to be “Do as I say, not as I do…”  

Earlier this week, while meeting in special session, the Florida legislature ignored the pleas of soon to be defunded first responders, law enforcement, and emergency medical personnel – essential services traditionally paid for with our ad valorem taxes. 

Instead, state officials pushed a modified plan that will amend the state constitution to raise Florida’s $50,000 homestead exemption to $150,000 on January 1, 2027, then $250,000 by January 1, 2028, effectively slashing revenues for local governments. 

Regardless of whether you favor the tax shift or disagree with the free ride for some while shifting the burden to others strategy, if approved, the measure will forever change the level of essential service delivery your family and mine currently enjoy.

According to reports, the legislature added protections for funding school districts and county constitutional officers, which include supervisors of elections, sheriff’s offices, and clerks of court.

In an article by Christine Sexton and Jay Waagmeester writing in the Florida Phoenix this week: 

“Despite the changes, though, the plan continues to face opposition from a disparate cohort of interest groups ranging from the Florida Association of Counties to the Florida Policy Institute.

The counties sent an email to association members following the vote, highlighting the changes made and noting that Tuesday’s vote was “not the end of the conversation, but the beginning of a new one.”

“County leaders should begin talking publicly about what local property taxes fund in their communities and what is at stake if those dollars go away,” the email reads.

“Floridians benefit from the services property taxes fund, and they deserve a clear-eyed accounting of what this proposal does and does not do, from the people who deliver those services every day.”

The nonpartisan, not-for-profit Florida Policy Institute dedicates itself to “advancing policies and budgets that improve the economic mobility and quality of life for all Floridians,” according to its website. Following the vote, the association put out a statement saying the proposal doesn’t represent a tax reduction but a tax shift.

“One that will force local lawmakers to cut local services that families rely upon or increase other taxes and fees to make up for the missing revenue,” Institute CEO Sadaf Knight said in a prepared statement. “In either case, everyday Floridians ultimately pay the price for the massive loss in property tax revenue.”

In the aftermath of the vote, similar cautions have been expressed by the Florida League of Cities, Florida Association of Counties, and even Florida TaxWatch – who said reductions in tax revenue, “…will simply be passed on to non-homestead property owners or replaced with other taxes, fees and assessments,” resulting in further inequity. 

According to the Florida Association of Counties deputy director of public policy Jeff Scala, “We know this is a tax shift. They’re framing it as a tax cut, but our small businesses, all businesses, they’re going to feel the pain. Renters, they’re not going to get an exemption.”

In effect, the foolish measure approved for the ballot by the legislature seeks to eviscerate the responsive, tailored, and accessible local services we have come to rely on while preempting ultimate power to Tallahassee. 

In my view, by any metric, Florida has become an open kleptocracy – an administration that pissed away hundreds-of-millions in public funds to DeSantis donors, on political posturing, and pet projects for all the right last names, all facilitated by state legislators now wholly compromised by insatiable real estate developers.

Almost immediately after the vote, the gaslighting from our elected officials in Tallahassee began – and anyone paying attention knows this has nothing to do with ‘letting the people vote’ on a reasonable tax relief package – as they would have us believe…   

Now, those “republicans in name only” who drape themselves in the term for political advantage are effectively defunding law enforcement and first responders – disregarding the party’s once venerated commitment to limited, efficient, and accessible government – under the guise of a radical tax shift. 

Exchanging responsive small government for a system of large, consolidated, and underfunded bureaucracies who will increase fees, sales taxes, assessments on commercial and rental properties, and finding other intrusive sources of revenue to fill the very deep void is not a Republican value…

In my view, some local governments have no one to blame but themselves for this existential crisis.

Many large and cumbersome bureaucracies have raised taxes, grown the size of government, continue to build Taj Mahal facilities, provide massive pay and benefit increases to senior administrators, while inflating their actual needs year-after-year.

But what about those small, nimble, and fiscally responsible counties and municipalities that provide fiscally effective and efficient services to their appreciative constituents who are being destroyed for the sins of others? 

This isn’t meaningful tax reform – it’s a shameless power grab.

Like development decisions, reducing government spending and demanding accountability should be a local responsibility, not a dictatorial state edict handed down from on high.  A choice We, The Little People should make at the ballot box every two to four years when we elect our neighbors to represent our interests on city and county councils and commissions. 

Let’s keep it that way.   

City of Daytona Beach: Another Tale of Two Cities…   

“Rand said the city should revisit its long-term vision plan and develop a clear 20-year roadmap with measurable benchmarks to help guide future growth.

“The board recognizes the existence of a vision plan that the city has,” Rand said. “We recommend that the city be more of a collaborative process for updating and refreshing the Daytona Beach plan. Clearly articulate a 20-year vision of Daytona Beach and establish measurable benchmarks and implementation goals.”

The board also emphasized that Daytona Beach’s beachside and mainland areas function as “two really separate economic machines” and require tailored strategies while still working together to achieve broader city goals.

“The beachside and the mainland, they’re very separate. However, they need to work together to accomplish the goals of the city,” Rand said.”

— Daytona Beach Economic Development Advisory Board Chairman Bob Rand, as quoted by reporter Rich Carroll in the Ormond Beach Observer, “Daytona Beach looks to sharpen economic development strategy with updated vision, targeted growth plans,” Friday, May 29, 2026

Which “long-term vision plan” is Mr. Rand talking about?

Is it the “shove ten-pounds of shit into a five-pound bag, growth at all costs” strategy?  Or the “let the beachside rot into obscurity until it becomes the cheapest real estate on the Eastern Seaboard” plan?   

Regardless, mission accomplished on both fronts… 

In May 2017, I published a piece in this space called “A Tale of Two Cities,” my jaundiced take on the dichotomy between Daytona’s downtrodden beachside and (at the time) the unbridled excitement surrounding the then yet-to-be constructed Latitude Margaritaville in what is increasingly described by realtors as “West Daytona.”

At the time, I opined on an article by The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s business editor Clayton Park:

“According to Minto’s overexcited Senior Vice President Bill Bullock, “How could you not be ecstatic?  On both the east and west of the interstate you’ve got incredible things happening – and they’re all complementary uses – it’s putting Daytona back on the map!”

Hell, yeah.  Ecstatic.

Then, I turned the page.

It was like listening to “Happy Days Are Here Again!” dissolve into that old Depression-era dirge, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”

In the Editorial section was an enlightening piece entitled, “End the Eyesore on the Boardwalk…”

Now, nearly a decade on, it appears the Halifax area’s “economic development” types are still trying to figure out exactly what to do with the festering carcass of our crumbling beachside.

An old, ugly, and intractable problem – an embarrassing shrine to human greed and government ineptitude – a turnip squeezed dry.  A grotesque thing many turned their back on in favor of the prosperity represented by the city’s rapidly growing western expanse of big box stores and 3/2 zero-lot-line cracker boxes “starting in the mid-$300’s.”

West Daytona represents Progress. Opportunity. Money. 

The other side of that same tarnished coin – our beachside – signifies blight, failure to thrive, economic challenge, bureaucratic roadblocks, and the resultant entrepreneurial frustration.   

The baggage of the past vs. the potential of future progress.

Sadly, it appears the Daytona Beach Economic Development Advisory Board suffers from a selective memory disorder – an inability to recall the myriad recommendations of independent studies that stretch back decades. 

Instead, it appears our stagnant economic apparatus wants to immortalize that sense of separation – preserving the stark division between two parts of a whole – a bicephalous monster, one representing prosperity, the other an economic boat anchor…

“The board also emphasized that Daytona Beach’s beachside and mainland areas function as “two really separate economic machines” and require tailored strategies while still working together to achieve broader city goals.”

In my view, that assessment perpetuates a decades-long failed strategy that culminated in the seminal study of the Halifax area’s predicament by the News-Journal’s investigative journalist Eileen Zaffiro-Kean in her excellent 2017 series “Tarnished Jewel: Daytona’s Troubled Beachside.”

That in-depth exposé laid bare the plight of the beachside, ultimately leading embarrassed civic leaders to form the “blue-ribbon” Beachside Redevelopment Committee. 

In 2018, the committee, comprised of the Halifax area’s best and brightest minds, presented its bureaucratically neutered findings to the Volusia County Council on its study of the historical challenges facing tourism, revitalization, and economic redevelopment from Ormond Beach to Daytona Beach Shores.

Following the presentation, then Volusia County Councilwoman Billie Wheeler told committee members:

“I am fighting with you on this,” Wheeler said. “This is my district, and we do have a plan of action, but I want to make sure it is not one of those plans of actions that goes on the shelf, and I can tell you I am 100% committed to doing whatever I need to do in collaborating with this group on getting things moving.”

So, what happened to the plan? 

Just as former Councilwoman Wheeler feared, it appears the study ended up on a groaning shelf in a dusty corner of a dead records morgue in DeLand – out of sight and out of mind – after serving its purpose of allowing our elected dullards to say, “See, we’re on top of the problem, folks!  Go back to sleep…”

I assume the now-forgotten Beachside Redevelopment Plan is bookended by the 2013 report by Strategic Advisory Group, an outside expert who conducted a painstaking analysis of tourism marketing and its importance to the economic viability of our beachside – next to the most recent analysis of the “Economic Value of Beaches in Volusia County” completed (and ignored) in October 2025 – along with Team Volusia’s “2030 Strategic Plan,” which still refuses to acknowledge Tourism/Hospitality among its “key target business sectors…” 

Whatever.

Why are our “economic development” types looking to “revisit” a “20-year vision for Daytona Beach” – consisting of typical governmental pap that does nothing but ensure absolutely no one can be held accountable for failing to meet nonexistent “benchmarks and implementation goals”?

In my view, rather than look at the area’s health and economic welfare holistically – incorporating the best attributes of both “Old” and “New” in a symbiotic strategy – focusing on the importance of our greatest natural amenity to revive our core tourist area – is the key to improving the health and success of the region.

So, why do our economic development gurus continue to perpetuate a divide? 

Had anyone bothered to mine the treasure-trove of historical data and empirical evidence now rotting in yellowed binders holding studies past, they would have come upon this timeless gem from the 2013 SAG report, which concluded:

“Without resources – leadership and economic – the overall tourism experience in Volusia County will decline.  An overall collaborative strategy is needed.”   

What’s changed?

According to the Observer’s report, “Rand said the board’s recommendations are ultimately aimed at creating a stronger and more resilient Daytona Beach through collaboration between city leaders, staff, and stakeholders.

“The board believes that the recommendations will contribute to a stronger and more resilient Daytona Beach,” Rand said. “Promote sustainable economic growth and long-term tax base expansion.”

What does that gross generalization mean for entrepreneurs and small businesses seeking an actionable strategy?

In my view, these dog-tired exercises only serve to give certain people titles – and ‘big shot’ board appointments to pad their personal marketing strategy.  In turn, they give us more platitudes – reconstituted crap and bureaucratese – that ignore the hard-earned lessons of the past.   

Good luck struggling Main Street merchants and longsuffering Beachside entrepreneurs. 

You’re gonna need it…   

Quote of the Week

“The Palm Coast Planning Board has approved adding commercial space to a part of the Lakeview Estates development, while denying a development amendment that would have removed green space from its other areas.

Lakeview Estates, located north of Matanzas Woods Parkway along Highway U.S. 1, is the development under construction on what was once the Matanzas Woods Golf Course, which permanently closed in 2007. Since then, Matanzas GC Palm Coast, LLC has purchased the property and been approved to develop a maximum of 272 residential units across the 280 acres.

Multiple residents surrounding the Lakeview Estates development showed up to protest the proposed changes, specifically those that would remove green space buffer.

“You would not want this in your backyard. We bought our house with a premise — and we were told — that it was green space. You could not build on it,” London Drive resident Anne Doherty said. “And now that’s being taken away.”

–Reporter Sierra Williams, writing in the Palm Coast Observer, “Palm Coast’s Lakeview Estates development OK’d for new commercial uses, but not removing green space,” Tuesday, May 26, 2026

In a dramatic scene routinely played out before councils, commissions, and planning boards across the “fun Coast,” claustrophobic residents stand before their neighbors on the dais and make impassioned pleas. 

Reminding the ‘powers that be’ of promises made when they bought their little slice of the pie – and how those assurances are being destroyed by buffer zone reductions, privacy concerns, toxic contamination inherent to building on former golf courses, transportation and utilities infrastructure, density, flooding, water quality, etc.

Last week, that sad vignette was staged in front of a packed hearing room as the Palm Coast Planning and Land Development Board considered land use changes proposed for the 280-acre site that was once the Grand Club Matanzas Golf Course which permanently closed in 2007.

According to reports, in 2021, the Palm Coast City Council approved a master planned development for the site allowing 272 “dwelling units” amid existing homes on several “tracts” around the meandering site, each with different designated uses.   

According to reports, the developer is seeking to amend the agreement and change a section of land along US-1 from “greenbelt” to “mixed use,” allowing for commercial development, which would require reducing a “view protection zone” from 150 feet to 100 feet.  That left some residents concerned their view will now consist of commercial buildings – not greenspace. 

The Carrot?  To sweeten the deal, the developer offered to donate Track 8 – an 11.2-acre parcel currently zoned for up to 51 townhouses with an estimated value of $1.5 million – to the City of Palm Coast for a community park.

The Hammer? “The applicant noted that if the amendment is denied, the developer retains the right to build 51 townhouses on Track 8, and the existing track limits remain unchanged.”

According to a report in the Flagler Bee, “The meeting, which ran nearly three and a half hours, ended with the board recommending approval of a land use change for one portion of the property while recommending denial of the accompanying zoning amendment, sending a mixed signal to the City Council, which will make the final decision.”

In my view, thanks to the state’s legislative intrusion into local planning and land use decisions – literally preempting choices that affect your neighborhood and mine to Tallahassee – local advisory boards comprised of citizens trying to help preserve the character of their community are caught between a frustrating rock and a hard place, their vital role now little more than a fading formality, another box to be checked… 

During the meeting, PLDB Vice Chair James Albano explained to his concerned neighbors: “We are volunteers. We are citizens in this community. We have faced some of the same issues that you face with developments going up in our backyards… We’re not here to represent the city. We’re here to look at things as a quasi-judicial board and vote based on facts, not heartstrings.”

But wouldn’t it be nice (just once) if the needs of existing residents who purchased homes – then had the rug pulled out from under them to facilitate more, more, more development – were considered before the next developer issues a “you do this, or I’ll do that, then you’ll really be screwed” ultimatum? 

Perhaps that’s something we should address with members of our state legislative delegation at the ballot box… 

And Another Thing!

I’ve mentioned this before, but I rarely write about the Lost City of Deltona in this space anymore. 

Whenever I do, I get a queasy feeling – like I’m pointing out something you don’t want to step in – a miasma of dysfunction and abject incompetence that continues to make the largest city in Volusia County by population the laughingstock of our metropolitan statistical area…

To be honest, I simply don’t have the countenance to kick a crippled community in the throes of a civic meltdown.  That’s not sporting – and it does nothing to help.  

In fact, it’s counterproductive and hardly fair to residents of what has become little more than a Banana Republic – run by elected officials in name only that take pride in lowering the bar – a place inhabited by repeat victims who long ago lost any influence over what happens to them.

The truth is that I have no more perception or awareness of most civic issues in Deltona (or anywhere else) than you do.  No preternatural prescience like a Cassadaga soothsayer – or a fortuneteller who gazes into a crystal ball and foretells the future.  

I simply have a different perspective on the issues. 

A view based on thirty-years in municipal government, seen through the prism of what I read, hear, or discern from those on the inside.  Insights gained from the rumors and conjecture of my fellow rubes who stand outside the closed portcullis and peer through the greasy pane of a cloistered City Hall hoping for a glimpse of the truth. 

That said, I saw the fate of Deltona City Commissioner Dori Howington, writ large, the moment she stood up to fight the forces of greed, pushing for a temporary building moratorium last year, then boldly walking point in the futile battle against SB 180, the state’s legislative preemption that virtually neutered local land use protections in Florida.

Other area elected officials openly warned their “colleagues” that opposing the state’s action could have grave consequences. 

Apparently, they were right…   

For instance, last September, a visibly frightened New Smyrna Beach City Commission voted 3-2 to opt out of a statewide lawsuit attempting to repeal Senate Bill 180 and preserve municipal growth management regulations and home rule authority for local governments.

The vote was based, in part, on New Smyrna Mayor Fred Cleveland’s public handwringing regarding serious repercussions from those very legislators we sent to represent our interests in Tallahassee…

At the time, Mayor Cleveland explained, “I don’t want us to be on the blacklist of those that get punished, one way or another, under the radar.  A majority of our county commissioners have said to me we will get punished (if the city joined the lawsuit). And it’s not right, I don’t like it, but it’s human nature … I’m concerned about a suit being our first best step.”

In my view, that’s that not good governance and collegiality – it’s base thuggery…

Now, it appears Volusia County Councilman David “No Show” Santiago and his wife, Deltona City Commissioner Emma Santiago, have successfully delivered the personal, professional, and political coup de grâce to Commissioner Howington for her unwillingness to get along and go along with the whims of the ruling junta in the Lost City of Deltona… 

It was anything but graceful.  

According to an article by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week:

“During a Deltona Commission meeting on May 4, Commissioner Emma Santiago, wife of County Councilman David Santiago, raised concerns about Howington’s role with the clerk’s office and supported getting an outside opinion about a possible conflict of interest.

The office has some involvement with the city’s finances, including withholding child support payments from employees’ checks.

Santiago told a deputy that the day after the meeting, Howington patted her on the shoulder and said “I know where you live” during a confrontation at City Hall. She also told a deputy that Mayor Santiago Avila Jr. heard Howington mutter a threat at the May 4 meeting after the commission voted to get an opinion on a potential conflict of interest.

The Volusia Sheriff’s Office forwarded charges to the State Attorney’s Office for review. The charges were simple battery and threatening an elected official or their family. As of May 29, the State Attorney’s Office had not made a decision on whether to move forward with the case.”

Rather than obtain an opinion from Florida’s Attorney General on the conflict-of-interest question, last week, Ms. Howington was summarily fired from her job as Chief Financial Officer with the Volusia County Clerk of the Court.

Not for job-related performance issues – Volusia County Clerk Laura Roth praised Howington’s contributions – but because of the petty allegations brought by the bumptious duo of Councilman and Commissioner Santiago… 

As a result, engaged citizens and activists from across Volusia County are now rightfully concerned about the danger to their personal and professional reputations should they be targeted by politically powerful forces for speaking out, seeking a place at the table, and having the courage to speak their truth to power. 

Hell, I’ve been the target of Councilman Santiago’s distortions and spooky ridicule myself. 

In fact, as a sitting elected official with more on his plate than perhaps he realizes (or cares), in March, Santiago took time to post the most cringeworthy diatribe I have ever received (and I’ve gotten a few). 

In a bizarre rant, the creepy Councilman Santiago explained he did “…some research and asked AI to suggest what you may look like during your “Blog Fiction Articles” writing time…”   

Flippin’ weird, y’all. 

At least I’m in good company. 

When local citizen and clean water advocate Greg Gimbert of Let Volusia Vote asked the Volusia County Council for a charter amendment to ensure treated sewage is never used to augment our aquifer – or sent directly to consumers (‘toilet to tap’) in Volusia County’s service area – Councilman Santiago (who is no stranger to defamation allegations) branded him a racist (for speaking Spanish to Deltona residents?) and a “con artist.”

Similarly, when engaged resident Doug Petit, a volunteer member of Volusia’s ECHO advisory board, questioned the process for developing the programs 2040 strategic plan, Councilman Santiago besmirched Mr. Petit’s good name by labeling him a “liar” from the dais.   

Add Dori Howington’s scalp to the extensive list of those who dared disagree with Councilman Santiago… 

Look, I’m not sure what the Santiagos’ do for a living (outside of dragging on the public teat) but they certainly seem to have a lot of time on their hands for political intrigue, getting in dustups with constituents, manipulating Deltona politics, and destroying the reputations of anyone who crosses them. 

I hope the longsuffering residents of the Lost City of Deltona, and Volusia County’s District 5, remember that come election time… 

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