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:

FDOT District 5: Incompetence Over Ingenuity – Every.  Damn.  Time…

Hanlon’s razor is a philosophical rule of thumb that reminds us “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” 

A logical means of eliminating unlikely explanations for human or organizational behavior, similar to the popular reinterpretation of Arthur C. Clarke’s Third Law, which says, “Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice.”

Instead of naturally assuming someone is out to get you, this heuristic encourages us to consider stupidity before malevolence… 

I was reminded of that maxim last week when it was reported that the Florida Department of Transportation is continuing its ill designed $13 million assault on commonsense along A-1-A from Ormond-by-the-Sea to the Flagler County line. 

An engineering nightmare that is systematically destroying the smooth flow of traffic on the busy oceanfront highway. 

According to a disturbing report by Molly Reed of News6:

“Employees at Lagerheads Bar and Grill say that while a major construction project is underway, not only are temporary barricades surrounding the property, but FDOT has also installed a permanent curb that blocks off their main parking lot entirely.

“People just ride past because they think we’re closed,” said Shannon Gutierrez, an employee at Lagerheads.

Despite appearances, Lagerheads employees Shannon Gutierrez and Bri Brannan say the restaurant is open. But the perception of being cut off has already taken a financial toll on their 30 employees and 20 musicians.

“Having to be cut back from 30 to 40 hours a week, people are now getting 18 to 25 a week, and some of our employees are single moms,” Gutierrez said.”

Essentially, the FDOT project has completely eliminated the popular beachside restaurant’s main parking lot, leaving only a small ten space lot down the hill behind the building. 

Why would a state transportation agency turn a small locally owned restaurant into what appears to be an inaccessible island to passersby?

According to the report, “News 6 emailed FDOT with several questions about the project and the curb installation. A spokesperson confirmed that Lagerheads’ parking spots are in FDOT’s right-of-way and that parking there “is no longer available.”

Now, many are asking: Is it a meanspirited lack of concern – or bureaucratic incompetence?

In addition, employees claim FDOT promised the restaurant a “Miami curb” – a sloping gutter system that can serve as a functional compromise when correcting accessibility issues like this.

That didn’t happen.  

Sounds like someone at FDOT District 5 dropped the ball.  Repeatedly… 

For over a year, residents and business owners from Ormond Beach to Daytona Beach have been unified in their utter distain for the $20.5 million abomination that FDOT committed on A-1-A. 

That includes the $9.2 million obstacle course that is now east/west Granada Boulevard through the city’s heavily traveled downtown, a barely navigable roadway ostensibly engineered to “encourage safer driving speeds and enhance pedestrian safety.”

Bullshit.

For many motorists, FDOT’s handiwork has become a daily nuisance – a dangerous impediment to the smooth flow of traffic on Ormond’s increasingly clogged streets and thoroughfares – a nonsensical slalom course complete with whoop-de-doos, moguls, “bulb-outs,” chicanes, and concrete extensions along the shoulder. 

As a result, the curb is increasingly marred with tire scuffing where vehicles have left the driving surface. 

Last year, FDOT was required to make expensive modifications to a section of the project after Chris Mavronas, owner of Steve’s Famous Diner in Daytona Beach, rightfully complained he was losing business after a raised median blocked customer access to his parking lot. 

Just down the road at the Bellaire Condominiums, the homeowner’s association reported that the roadwork had increased danger to motorists, describing the response of residents to the changes on A-1-A as “Absolute utter shock at the idiocy of it.”

Sound familiar?

By any metric, the project has been a five-alarm foul-up from its inception – one of those “only in government” fiascos – where bureaucrats analyze what works, conduct expensive engineering studies, investigate ways to expedite traffic, alleviate congestion, and enhance pedestrian safety – then do the exact opposite.

According to a social media post from Lagerheads, since the media attention, FDOT officials have been at the restaurant trying to find a workaround for the parking problem…

I’ll bet they have. 

But how many of these expensive gaffes are we going to be on the hook for?

In my view, it is time for state Sen. Tom Leek (who sits on the transportation appropriations committee) – and the always lethargic Rep. Bill “The Sluggard” Partington (who, unlike Sen. Leek, doesn’t appear to do much of anything in Tallahassee) – to get off their backsides and make official inquiry into the gross maladministration at the FDOT District 5 office in DeLand. 

How many more businesses will have their existence threatened before someone does something about this?

Our elected representatives should demand better for frustrated constituents and small business owners who have been repeatedly victimized by the bureaucratic incompetence of an uncaring and inaccessible state agency that has lost the confidence of those they exist to serve.

Volusia County Council: Smoke, Mirrors, and Data Center Bans

I’m not sure who wrote it, but I recently read an insightful essay on the politics of distraction and how those in power use it to capture our focus, especially during election cycles or times of controversy.

“Political distraction is not noise — it’s design. It’s a governing method — one that trades clarity for control. When citizens lose focus, power concentrates.

In modern democracies, control over attention has become control over accountability.”

On the eve of last week’s primary election, the Volusia County Council voted to enact a ban on “large-scale” data centers, defined as “…a single location, with a data center on site, that has an anticipated monthly peak load of 50 megawatts or more, calculated as the highest average load over a 15-minute interval.”

According to reports, under SB 484 – which was recently signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis – these mega data centers are exempt from the overreaching preemptions of SB 180 – bad legislation which essentially removed all local growth management regulations and gifted the real estate development industry carte blanche to build when, where, and what they want.

These large-scale facilities house servers, storage systems, networking equipment, and other IT infrastructure that process massive quantities of digital data.  Depending on the size and type, data centers often consume enormous amounts of water and energy, emit sustained noise, and can produce noxious fumes from generators and industrial HVAC systems that make them incompatible with residential and commercial areas. 

Despite attempts to mediate these environmental impacts, data centers are an infernal nuisance for their neighbors but remain a necessity in our digital world. If you watch Netflix, search the internet, use social media, or are reading this blog, a data center is in the chain.

Fortunately, massive 50 MW or greater data centers are few and far between.

In my view, that’s why the specificity of a “large scale data center” ban was a cheap political ploy during a hard-fought election season for Volusia County Council members who have ignored our environment, weakened conservation programs, and made low-impact development practices optional and are now hoping we forget those insults as they seek reelection. 

The ensuing political theater provided an opportunity for more hot air from the dais and the chance to appear as though they listen to the concerns of their constituents who spoke in opposition to data centers. 

They don’t.

In my view, it was a meaningless gesture orchestrated for the eve of a primary which resulted in incumbents rightfully struggling for their political futures.  

After all the pap and fluff, the ban will only apply to unincorporated Volusia County and will be limited to one area north of Ormond Beach which is zoned I-2 (Heavy Industrial) that cannot accommodate a large-scale center. 

In my view, rather than focus on the low hanging fruit of “large-scale” centers, our elected officials in both Volusia County and the municipalities should be working on broad regulations for the various range and types of data centers that will inevitably seek to locate here.  

These should include changes to zoning and comprehensive plans directing where centers can be located, along with “pay your own way” requirement and ratepayer protections for power, utilities, and infrastructure; strict environmental and nuisance abatement protections, a means of enforcing the rules once a data center is built, and a provision that data centers will not be eligible for tax abatements, incentives, or non-disclosure protections.

In Volusia County, each municipality will need to address data centers on their own. 

Recently the City of Ormond Beach passed an 18-month moratorium on all types of data centers, Flagler County approved a one-year moratorium on new data centers in unincorporated areas, and the Edgewater City Council is placing a referendum on the November ballot that would prohibit the construction, expansion, or operation of new data centers anywhere in the city.

In DeSoto County, commissioners recently approved a one-year moratorium on new data center applications – but explicitly exempted projects already in the approval process – to include rezoning for a massive 4,000 MW 800-plus-acre data center project proposed earlier this year. 

The “hyperscale” facility has been described by industry experts as “one of the largest data center projects on earth.”

I appreciate the outpouring of support for Volusia’s ban by well-meaning environmentalists and citizens who are fighting hard to protect our quality of life in a place where common sense is under constant siege. 

In my view, this was just ‘bidness’ as usual’ for these masters of political distraction and procrastination… 

Do you think Councilmen Don “Motocross” Dempsey, David “No Show” Santiago, or Danny “Gaslight” Robins give two-shits about prohibiting data centers in Volusia County or anywhere else?

When was the last time that bunch of malleable shills told a developer with a profit motive what they can and cannot do on land they own, regardless of how onerous the civic and environmental impacts? 

How about our wholly compromised Florida legislature who continue to preempt local control and defund essential services during this period of explosive growth? 

Do you think they have our best interests at heart? 

Of course, the ‘mantra’ remains – “Property Rights Rule!”  Except for existing residential property owners who always come up short to those with a very lucrative chip in the game…

Here in the Biggest Whorehouse in the World, money talks – and I’ll just bet those who build and operate data centers of all types understand how to apply it to maximum effect…   

As I understand it, the majority of data facilities currently operating in Florida have an operating capacity of 12 MW or less.  I suspect we will see centers without the “large-scale” definition as specified in SB 484 – and Volusia County’s ban – coming to our region in the not-too-distant future…   

The next “hot button” distraction to divert attention away the political inattention to real threats to our lives, livelihoods, and environment: Flock cameras and tag readers…

While the bulldozers roar.

Quote of the Week

“A member of the Deltona City Commission is in the clear.

City Commissioner Dori Howington is not facing any charges resulting from an incident with one of her peers at City Hall in the spring.

The State Attorney’s Office has filed with the Circuit Court its intention not to charge Howington for allegedly touching Commissioner Emma Santiago on the shoulder and allegedly making a threatening statement against her.

“After reviewing the available evidence and considering the totality of the circumstances, this Office concludes that the interests of justice do not support the formal filing of criminal charges in this matter,” wrote Assistant State Attorney Nicholas Kramperth in a memorandum dated July 7. “This determination should not be interpreted as condoning the reported conduct, but instead reflects an exercise of prosecutorial discretion consistent with the purposes of criminal prosecution and the furtherance of justice.”

The touching incident took place May 5 at Deltona City Hall, where the two women encountered each other and “a verbal altercation” ensued. This encounter followed from the City Commission’s meeting the evening before. The account was part of a report taken by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and included in “a non-arrest affidavit” listing two possible charges against Howington. The possible charges then pending against Howington were battery and corrupt by threat of a public servant.” 

–Reporter Al Everson writing in the West Volusia Beacon, “Deltona elected official escapes charges,” Friday, August 21, 2026

I wonder if the State Attorney’s Office ever gets tired of playing WWE referee to the Lost City of Deltona’s seemingly endless horseshit histrionics and political chicanery? 

During a May 2026 meeting, during an audit report, Commissioner Emma Santiago set the stage by challenging Commissioner Howington’s job as chief financial officer for the Volusia County Clerk of the Court by asking for a legal opinion on a potential conflict of interest.

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

During the subsequent exchange on the dais, Mayor Avila claims he overheard Howington say, sotto voce, “I’m going to get that bitch…”

That set up (literally) a verbal confrontation between Howington and Santiago the following day in a non-public area of City Hall – an exchange that was suspiciously captured on video by Mayor Avila (?) – who secreted himself behind a corner, hiding like the proverbial owl in the ivy, to surreptitiously record Howington’s communications without her knowledge or permission.

During the exchange, Howington could be seen lightly placing her hand on Santiago’s shoulder and allegedly said, “I know where you live.” As a result, Commissioner Santiago filed a criminal complaint charging Howington with battery and corruption by threats to a public official. 

According to media reports, Ms. Santiago’s complaint was forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office for review. 

It was clear that the junta of compromised dullards who call the shots on and off the dais in Deltona wanted Commissioner Howington gone – and they didn’t particularly care what skeevy tactics they had to employ to accomplished it. 

At the time, Commissioner Santiago’ husband, Volusia County Councilman David “No Show” Santiago – a strange little man and perennial politician who is currently running for reelection against J. David Sosa – weighed in, huffing-and-puffing in mock indignation that Howington should resign.  

I’ve said this before, but the question remains valid this election season – 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, petty dustups with constituents, manipulating Deltona politics, and destroying the reputations of anyone who crosses them.   

In my view, the goal of Deltona’s insiders was ensuring that Howington was no longer an impediment to their political benefactors in the development community…

It was a heavy price to pay for challenging the status quo.    

Last week, the State Attorney’s Office announced it would not be pursuing a criminal prosecution in the matter – and Deltona voters signaled they have finally had their fill and sent Mayor Avila to the ash heap of history in his three-way race with Vice Mayor Maritza Vazquez and newcomer Jason Voelz.

Good.  On both fronts.

I hope the longsuffering residents of the Lost City of Deltona – and Volusia County’s District 5 – finally get the responsive, accessible, and community-focused representation they deserve. 

That begins at the ballot box in November.

And Another Thing!

“Getting to Yes (22 parcels, 14 of them in a CRA): With one exception, these are non-conforming lots, from 2,500-4,800 square feet.  Most of these parcels are vacant and of a similar size to their neighbors. While some could be considered for divestment to abutters, perhaps some could be considered for in-fill housing.

To smooth the way for in-fill housing, consider development of a program called Getting to Yes. This would be a program with pre-approved building plans designed to take the pain out of activating these parcels with housing. This would not be an affordable housing program, but rather a parcel activation program; houses could be more affordable if they are smaller and easier to build.”

–Civic Activist Anne Ruby, in a report presented to the Daytona Beach City Commission, “Study of Property Owned by the City of Daytona Beach,” Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Last week, one of the biggest assets the City of Daytona Beach has on its side – civic activist Anne Ruby – presented her in-depth study of vacant city owned properties.  Most important, Ms. Ruby may have planted a viable seed for supporting desperately needed neighborhood infill and redevelopment opportunities in the community.

The innovative concept is called “Getting to Yes,” an urban revitalization process which has seen success in South Bend, Indiana.  The program facilitates small to middle scale housing development in neighborhoods, primarily on small or non-conforming city owned lots which may remain vacant due to configuration, size, or current regulations.

The South Bend program supports neighborhood infill and economic opportunities for locals by offering a set of pre-approved building plans matched to the lot at no cost.  In essence, the city provides qualified applicants with a catalog of high-quality architectural designs – complete with preapproved building and site development approval – which results in significant time and cost savings for those seeking to build on languishing lots.  

According to a report by Rich Caroll writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, Ms. Ruby’s study “…found the city owns 385 parcels. Of those, 84 were identified as properties that could potentially be returned to the tax rolls after additional review. Twenty-two properties — including 14 within Community Redevelopment Areas — were placed in the “Getting to Yes” category. Most are vacant, nonconforming lots between about 2,500 and 4,800 square feet.

Ruby proposed developing pre-approved building plans designed specifically for small lots, such as a 50-by-50-foot property. Instead of requiring a property owner to begin the design and approval process from scratch, the city could have several house designs ready for use.

“The advantage of trying to get to yes would be that it would streamline the path to construction,” Ruby said. “It would be easier to build.” 

In my experience, commonsense solutions rarely originate in the cloistered confines of government offices – and good ideas never come from the unimaginative “that’s the way we’ve always done it” lockstep conformity of a strict regulatory environment.

It is said, “the antidote to stagnation is innovation.” 

In my view, the City of Daytona Beach was smart to engage with Anne Ruby.

Clearly, Ms. Ruby understands the importance of collaborative government, the ability to learn from others – seeing a need and seeking solutions outside the bureaucratic box – then pushing hard to see programs implemented locally that have been successful in other communities.    

That is the essence of citizen engagement, and few do it better that Anne Ruby.

Unfortunately, Daytona Beach isn’t the only area government that seems incapable of embracing new ideas, perspectives, and experiences – preferring to buy more time and distance with expensive studies – paralysis by analysis – then allowing the results to molder on a groaning shelf next to other unread reports in a dead records morgue…

According to the Observer’s report, “Commissioner Paula Reed said the concept could help residents who may own property but don’t know what they can build on it.

“I love your suggestions,” Reed said. “The report is great. I think if we were to take your suggestions, it would be proactive on our part.”

According to the report, the “Getting to Yes” program remains in the conceptual stage, and Ms. Ruby’s study suggests further evaluation of potential projects, annual reviews of city-owned properties, and plans for surplus properties in the city’s inventory.

Commissioners have expressed interest in holding a workshop to learn more about how the concept could benefit Daytona Beach.

Time is of the essence.

With area business owners and residents actively rallying to secede from the beachside and be annexed into Ormond Beach – and neighboring Daytona Beach Shores looking to ditch the “Daytona Beach” boat anchor and try their luck as “The Shores” – in my view, our “powers that be” should be lobbying local elected officials to embrace innovative suggestions for improvement regardless of where they originate.  

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:

Volusia County Schools: The “Positivity Movement” = Institutional Deception

“The positivity movement is a good thing for our community,” Board member Krista Goodrich said. “Let’s keep it going. Let’s celebrate the achievements that every, student, every teacher, every principal, every district member has done.”

–Volusia County School Board Member Krista Goodrich, as quoted by reporter Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Observer, “Investing in students: Volusia County Schools celebrates its second consecutive ‘A’ grade,” Thursday, August 13, 2026  

In Elenor H. Porter’s 1913 classic Pollyanna, the title character is an eleven-year-old orphan who goes to Vermont to live with her dour Aunt Polly Harrington. 

In what has come to be known as the Pollyanna Principle, the child’s father taught her to focus on “The Glad Game,” a means of developing an overly optimistic outlook based on finding gratitude and positivity in every situation, regardless of how grim the reality may be.

It’s a wonderful work of fiction – and a demoralizing metaphor for what is happening in the cloistered confines of Volusia County District School’s senior administrative offices…

Unfortunately, those of us who live here in the often cruel and competitive “real world” understand that toxic optimism – the pathological compulsion to ignore problems, dismiss failures, and overlook challenges regardless of long-term consequences – leads to a sense of denial.

A self-deception that, regardless of outcome, always paints a rosy picture that furthers the professional progression of those who would otherwise be held accountable – and allows bragging rights for influential insiders – “big shots” with a chip in the game who rely on inflated education scores for their own self-enrichment.

Last week, Volusia County School Superintendent Carmen Balgobin and her coterie of incompetents in the Ivory Tower of Power, interrupted actual educational activities to hold a rah-rah session at Mainland High School again promoting the rank fallacy that the district “earned” two back-to-back “A” grades. 

It even came with a professionally constructed banner which plastered the faces of Superintendent Balgobin and Board Member Goodrich near the school. (I’m not sure what that blatant political/personal self-promotion has to do with an “A” district – especially when you and I paid for the billboard…)  

According to the report, “To be named an “A” for the 2025-2026 school year, the district obtained 66 percentage points; districts that earn 65% or higher are considered an “A” rated district by FDOE, which uses a grading formula based on 12 components. In total, VCS earned 797 points, the highest its ever earned, Balgobin said.”

Since when did 66% “earn” an “A”? 

Where I come from, that equates to a hard “D” – a 1.6 on a traditional 4.0 scale. 

When someone speaks the truth out loud, they are immediately set upon by Superintendent Balgobin and her toadies – marginalized, ostracized, their employers warned that the offenders continued employment might be bad for business – all for refusing to participate in the district’s contrived “positivity movement” – a cheap canard that cloaks mediocrity with the laurels of high achievement.

When “professional education administrators” engage in that level of shameless career protection at the expense of academic integrity, who do you think ultimately loses? 

Sadly, this has nothing to do with learning, measuring educational accomplishment, lauding student effort, or the good work of teachers at the point of the spear who do what they can with what they have. 

Don’t take my word for it, ask any of the talented educators who have fled Volusia County Schools citing a lack of support and respect, inadequate compensation, salary compression, dangerous student behavior, maladministration, targeting, and the overriding emphasis on image over substance.

Trust me.  I’ve received heartbreaking notes from incredibly dedicated teachers and professionals who resigned to teach elsewhere, or left the classroom altogether, disenchanted with a mediocracy in DeLand that rewards sycophants and stooges over competency.

That’s why I find it infernally frustrating that those overcompensated knobs in the Balgobin administration – and her fawning brownnosers on the Volusia County School Board – have the unmitigated gall to feign outrage and attack those who speak truth to power? 

Bullshit.

Fortunately, it appears the times they are a-changin’ based on the outcome of two of three School Board primary races this week.  While current Chair (and champion of the status quo) Ruben Colón won the District 5 race outright, there were major upsets with Dr. Grace Kellermeier routing incumbent Jessie “Whackadoodle” Thompson in District 3, and newcomer Brenda Beery taking 49.61% of the vote over incumbent Jamie Haynes, setting up a run-off in November.

In my view, the primary results spoke volumes about how Volusia County voters feel about the state of our schools and those who oversee the incredibly expensive operation from the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand.

Perhaps our elected representatives on the School Board might want to rethink Superintendent Balgobin’s “Positivity Movement” and focus on real solutions going forward…

Something tells me the current shadow puppetry that is the Volusia County School Board – a majority of malleable shills that enjoy gibbeting anyone who dares speak out against an administration that indulges institutional deception over the future of Volusia County students – is quickly coming to an end.

“The Vilest Primary in the Nation…”

“Top Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, are denouncing a political ad targeting Florida Congressman Randy Fine as antisemitic.

Fine, who represents the 6th District, including the Daytona Beach area and all of Flagler County, is facing four challengers in the Republican primary. His most serious contender is Las Vegas businessman and influencer Dan Bilzerian, who entered the race in April as an opponent of the Iran war.

Bilzerian’s animus toward Fine − who is Jewish − has been front and center throughout the campaign, but appears to have reached a crescendo with his Aug. 14 posting on X of a 2-minute, 25-second ad featuring an attractive nightclub singer mixed with derisive AI-generated images of Fine, attacks on Israel, and, at one point, an appearance by an Adolf Hitler figure, with the lyric: “Should we revisit that Austrian painter’s opinions?”

–Reporter Mark Harper, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Antisemitic ad attacks Randy Fine, boosts Hitler’s opinions,” Sunday, August 16, 2026

I’m damn glad the primary election has come and gone – a spectacle one national media outlet called the “most vile primary in the nation.”  It is a relief to know that the flaming shit-heel Dan “Blitz” Bilzerian won’t be representing us in Washington. 

I still can’t believe I wrote the name “Bilzerian” and “representing us in “Washington” in the same sentence…

The avowed antisemite and Holocaust denier Bilzerian was not “one of us.” 

He did not share our values.   

These long-winded screeds of mine originate from Barker’s View HQ located on the eastern periphery of Florida’s 6^th Congressional District, which runs roughly south of Saint Augustine to South Daytona and inland to the outskirts of Ocala, Leesburg, and Sanford.

That makes me another disgruntled constituent of incumbent Congressman Randy Fine, a former member of the Florida House and Senate from Brevard County, who “changed his residence” and won the district 6 seat in a 2025 special election after Mike Waltz was named National Security Advisor by President Donald Trump.

By any metric, Rep. Fine is a personally repugnant and polarizing figure – incredibly outspoken, vulgar, and provocative – with a well-earned reputation for bombastic and hate-filled rhetoric of his own. 

His long history of personal and political controversies include being held in contempt of court in 2024 when a judge determined he made obscene gestures and mouthed curse words during a hearing.

In fact, following the special congressional election, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said of Fine, “He repels people…”

In my view, none of that justifies the vicious antisemitic attack launched by Fine’s carpetbagging opponent ahead of Tuesday’s primary – the self-styled social media influencer, professional hedonist, part-time actor, and Las Vegas resident Dan Bilzerian.

In my view, Bilzerian’s vitriolic video and hate-filled bluster gave our entire region a black eye.   

We can’t catch a break… 

I have a theory that this ground we call Florida’s Congressional District 6 (and 7, for that matter) is forever jinxed by an ancient Timucuan curse laid down by ol’ Chief Tomokie, who got a case of the ass after we ran his people off the land and allowed his once proud statute at Tomoka State Park to fall into utter disrepair.

In turn, the angry Chief doomed us all to shitty governance for a thousand years – setting loose a plague of malignant overdevelopment that is blanketing the land with a pox of zero lot line wood frame cracker boxes, fouling our water, and stressing our terribly inadequate transportation and utilities infrastructure like a swarm of diseased locusts.

Do you have a better explanation for how the celestial bodies might have aligned that saw Dan “King of Instagram” Bilzerian select our backyard to run for Congress? 

Sadly, it’s not much better next door in District 7, where scandal-plagued U.S. Representative Cory Mills – the subject of a House ethics investigation, credible allegations of stolen valor for misrepresenting his military record, accusations of unethical business dealings, reportedly assaulting a girlfriend, and the sexual extortion/stalking of another former girlfriend – shamelessly sought reelection.

Fortunately, he was defeated for the Republican nomination by Ryan Elijah on Tuesday.

In my view, when Bilzerian evoked Adolph Hitler as part of his brutal attack on Congressman Fine’s Jewish faith, it crossed a very bright line.  In my view, his dark and despicable actions denigrate the residents of Florida’s 6^th District and should offend decent people everywhere.

I couldn’t stomach watching the video, but reports indicate it claims Rep. Fine views his constituents as “goyim cattle,” accuses him of “raping kids,” being a “fat jew” and a “shylock,” and refers to him as a “satanic whore” posted over an image of Rep. Fine sprouting horns.  

On the eve of the primary, the video had been viewed over 1.4 million times.

For his part, Rep. Fine reposted the video and explained: “It is unheard of to share an opponent’s television commercial. But I want you to watch it. Every second. Celebrating Hitler. Having horns grow out of the heads of Jews. Showing me violently assaulted.

“And if this appeals to you, I don’t want your vote. We have a choice on Tuesday: either to embrace the kind of Nazism that led to the Holocaust or to repudiate this filth, and reaffirm American values and character.”

At the end of the day, Randy Fine won the Republican nomination with 59.95% of the vote.

Appallingly, Bilzerian’s bullshit resonated with 16,773 of our neighbors in District 6… 

In Florida’s United States Senate race, Angie Nixon, a theatrically angry state representative from Jacksonville and avowed member of the Democratic Socialists of America (a radical offshoot of the Democratic party who, among other anti-American objectives, seeks to replace capitalism with communism dressed in a ‘social equality’ costume) will now face Republican Ashley Moody in the US Senate general election.

You read that right: A self-professed socialist is the Democratic candidate to represent Florida in the United States Senate.

Komrade Nixon received the vote of 16,531 registered Democrats in Volusia County…   

Look, I’m not some handwringing Henny Penny, but the quality and character of some high-profile candidates for various local, state, and federal offices around our region is downright scary.   

In my view, the juvenile antics of candidates and their supporters across the spectrum of local races – verbal and physical swipes at polling places, asinine “sign wars,” ad hominem attacks by attack dogs more focused on character assassination than the issues facing my family and yours, massive campaign contributions from all the right last names, etc. – could well explain the abject apathy that resulted in the abysmal voter turnout on Tuesday…

In the aftermath, I find it hard to believe that some of these disgraceful candidates – and the back-alley tactics they employ – represent the very best we have to offer?

At the risk of sounding like the curmudgeonly ‘boomer’ I am, that causes me grave concern for what will remain of our venerated system of governance – the greatest representative democracy in the world – and what the future holds for my grandchildren and yours.

As Plato warned, “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferior…”

Quote of the Week

“Beachside residents and business owners in Daytona Beach are pushing for a big change. They want to break away from the city and be annexed into Ormond Beach.

The group said the beachside has been neglected for too long, and members believe Ormond Beach could do a better job addressing blight and improving the area.

This would have to be approved by both cities, but the group said it wants Ormond Beach to take over the beachside from Daytona Beach Shores to the Ormond Beach line along A1A.

If residents get their way, Daytona Beach would essentially no longer have a beach.

“We’re done waiting for great moments. We’re just done,” said Louie Louizes, owner of Ocean Avenue Gallery.

“We want to leave. We don’t want to be Daytona, that part of Daytona. We would rather be Daytona beachside in Ormond,” Daytona Beach resident Sonja Sailor said.” 

–WFTV-9 reporters Demie Johnson, “Daytona Beach residents push to join Ormond Beach due to ‘neglect,’” Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Wow…

Even if this push doesn’t have a snowballs chance in hell of coming to fruition – the Daytona Beach City Commission, Volusia County Council, the Convention and Visitors & Visitors Bureau, and its funding source, the Halifax Area Advertising Authority – should take the sentiment very seriously…

According to WFTV’s disturbing report, “In January, 9 Investigates exposed concerns about millions of dollars in unspent Daytona Beach community redevelopment agency, or CRA, funds intended to address blight.

We found the Main Street district had $11 million budgeted for projects, but only one had been approved. In another district, $279,000 went toward staff salaries, leaving only $21,000 for improvement projects.

“You have to almost rage on social media to get them to do anything. And all of a sudden, they may show up and paint a curb or put lights up around something, but it’s just a Band-Aid,” Louizes said.

We asked the City of Daytona Beach whether it would ever give up its beachside but have not received a response.”

In my experience, a non-response to pointed questions can be just as telling as a direct answer – because it often signals that something is being withheld – or that the problem being explored is more significant than it appears… 

One would have thought Mayor Derrick Henry would have learned that difficult lesson by now.

According to a recent unscientific survey taken by the City of Daytona Beach Shores, some 65.7% of respondents supported a charter amendment dropping the association with “Daytona Beach” from the beachside municipality’s name and rebranding with the local vernacular, “The Shores.”

In my view, a neighboring community seeking to disassociate themselves – along with a grassroots movement to secede from the City of Daytona Beach by desperate area merchants and frustrated residents – is not something the Chamber of Commerce set can (or should) easily dismiss.

And Another Thing!

“Eid: “If you notice any other state/city you visit that has beachside (it) is always the most beautiful!

“Why is Daytona Beach so neglected? We all know we are lacking entertainment and food and beverage. People aren’t going all the way to Daytona Beach with nothing to do.

“We are all going to hear the same story — Daytona Beach has a stigma, it is burned out, in need of improvement. The city of Daytona Beach needs a master plan.”

— Jonathan Eid, owner of the Daytona Beach Plaza Resort & Spa, speaking during a private meeting of hoteliers in September 2021, focusing on the “…decrepit state of Daytona’s core beachside,” as quoted by The Daytona Beach News-Journal, October 3, 2021  

Well, that didn’t age well…

Last week, long-suffering beachside residents and merchants learned that after sitting vacant since Hurricane Ian in September 2022, the historic Plaza Hotel and Spa is no closer to reopening than it was four-years ago.  

Following a recent meeting between city officials and owner Jonathan Eid, it was determined that the iconic Seabreeze Boulevard beach access tunnel will be closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic until further notice… 

Sounds like it’s going to be a lean end-of-summer for those whose livelihoods depend on beach access and a lively tourist trade.   

According to a report by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “City and county officials met with Plaza Resort property owner Johnathan Eid and his contractor the morning of Aug. 14 before making the decision, according to Daytona Beach city government spokeswoman Susan Cerbone.”

“Officials carefully considered the importance of maintaining public access to the beach and explored every reasonable effort to keep the approach open,” Cerbone said. “Ultimately, however, the need to protect beachgoers and construction workers took precedence.”

We lost.

Perhaps most disturbing, last week WFTV-9 investigative reporter Demie Johnson broke the news that “…the owner of a Daytona Beach landmark property collected more than $20 million dollars in insurance payments after Hurricane Ian, yet the city says no permits have been pulled for repairs.”

Say what?

Now, members of the Plaza Homeowners Association have expressed concerns regarding the financial management of the association.  According to WFTV, “Unit owners are asking the city to make efforts to gain entry to the building to do its own inspection because they believe it’s a public safety concern that’s in need of emergency repairs.”

In addition, “Jonathan Eid told 9 Investigates over the phone that there were no individual unit owners; they only own air space to individual units. He has not agreed to do a sit-down interview to explain further.”

Disturbing…

I don’t know about you, but I find it shocking that for the past four-years Daytona Beach city officials have allowed the beachside’s century old signature resort to stagnate – a shuttered behemoth at the very epicenter of our core tourist area – apparently accumulating code, health, and safety violations which (finally) resulted in the hotel being declared “non-compliant” last week.

According to media reports, Mr. Eid has hired a new contractor and refreshed a building permit to complete necessary repairs, and Daytona Beach officials say the city plans to “expedite” the application review so work can “move along quickly.” 

Geez.  Let’s hope so.

In 2021, during the same meeting where Mr. Eid made his critical comments regarding the blight, neglect, and stagnation that has effectively destroyed a world-famous tourist destination, Jim Berkley, former general manager of the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort, said the revitalization of Daytona’s beachside “…will take unified efforts from the city. The conversations that I’ve had with the city I was told we didn’t have the resources, staff, or equipment. There is a disconnect.”

I found Mr. Berkley’s professional assessment eerily similar to the findings of the long-ignored 2013 comprehensive analysis of Volusia County tourism marketing efforts which determined:

“There is no unified countywide plan to support the improvement of the tourism product, notably the beachside of Daytona Beach.  There needs to be a concerted effort involving county, city, and business leadership to upgrade the beachside of Daytona Beach.  This is a significant weakness in remaining competitive as a destination.”

What’s changed?

I mean, other than the fact fed-up beachside business owners and residents are now actively trying to disincorporate the World’ Most Famous Beach and be annexed into Ormond Beach…     

Perhaps the Daytona Beach City Commission should determine what senior staff meant when they told hoteliers that the deterioration of our core tourist area – a.k.a. the product – is due to a lack of “resources, staff, and equipment,” especially considering unanswered concerns about CRA spending.

Only then can responsible officials reorient priorities, eliminate redundant positions, engage with placemaking experts, and focus all available assets on the true revitalization of our downtrodden beachside while there’s still something left to worry about…

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:

Daytona Beach Resort Area: How to Eat the Elephant

Those of us who grew up in the Halifax area often wax nostalgic about better times on what was once known as the World’s Most Famous Beach.  A communal touchstone, our greatest natural amenity, somewhere we gravitated to, day or night, by simply driving down an always open ramp onto ~47 miles of wide-open beach.

No kiosks, cameras, parking restrictions, poison poles, parking prohibitions, or sign pollution. 

A time before “incidental take permits” and malleable elected officials (and the powerful insiders who control them) decided it best to give away our generational tradition as a cheap spiff for oceanfront developers… 

Long-time locals remember when beachside businesses were thriving – the unique sights, smells, and attractions of our Boardwalk and beyond anchored by a hospitality-oriented commercial base with family-owned restaurants, thriving hotels, and specialty shops that offered something for everyone. 

An internationally famous tourist destination. 

Our hometown.   

Slowly, everything changed – best explained in The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s riveting 2017 exposé by reporter Eileen Zaffiro-Kean known as “Tarnished Jewel: Daytona’s troubled beachside.”

The News-Journal’s valiant reportage exposed our core tourist area’s suppurating warts and put them on the front page.  The resulting embarrassment gave birth to the ill-fated Beachside Redevelopment Committee, a blue-ribbon group commissioned by the Volusia County Council, which brought our best-and-brightest around the same table to find actionable solutions to long-term problems.  

Per usual, the committee’s efforts were bureaucratically undermined – the final report effectively castrated by Volusia County senior bureaucrats who wanted to make certain no one could possibly be held responsible for the inaction that was sure to follow. 

It became another timewasting exercise in political procrastination – putting time and distance between Tarnished Jewel and the continued dithering and indecision… 

Look, I’m not going to indulge my penchant for finger pointing – suffice it to say there is enough blame for the malignant blight and neglect on beachside to stretch from Daytona Beach City Hall to the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building in DeLand – and back again. 

As a pollyannish rube, I am admittedly a repeat victim of my own optimistic outlook, but hope springs eternal… 

Last week, the Daytona Beach City Commission discussed the potential of adding more legal arrows to their quiver in dealing with dilapidated buildings and stalled redevelopment projects. 

Addressing the historic problem of malignant blight comes at a time of renewed focus on beachside issues, primarily from those who live and do business in the area – entrepreneurs and homeowners who have invested their lives in the area and are (once again) demanding action.

For instance, one longtime beachside business owner has a growing following on social media after posting disturbing videos showing the deplorable condition of much of our core tourist area; to include the vacant properties, down-at-the-heel appearance, and omnipresent homeless who use water features as a public bath and make camp under the once iconic Main Street pier.  

Beleaguered Main Street merchants – owners of established year-round businesses – continue to fight like rabid badgers for their livelihoods; to include organizing cleanups of the historic Pinewood Cemetery, hosting eclectic events, offering unique dining and entertainment options, and imploring those stone-faced gargoyles on the Volusia County Council to return beach driving and parking to the strand behind what remains of the Boardwalk.

After repeatedly touching the hot stove of “hope,” I have learned to never get too excited when it comes to the fits-and-starts of beachside redevelopment – especially during an election year. 

However, given the passionate voices working behind the scenes to protect their investment and resurrect what is now considered Old Daytona from the ashes of civic neglect and failed speculation, I believe there is reason for cautious optimism on the beachside.

During last week’s City Commission meeting, Commissioner Ken Strickland took a step in that direction when he asked staff to find ways to eliminate longstanding “eyesores,” questioning why some property owners are allowed to use feints and ruses to avoid adverse consequences, then abandon the project once the enforcement threat has passed. 

It could be argued that those same start/stop foot-dragging tactics have plagued redevelopment efforts on the beachside for decades – and cleaning up existing blight and dilapidation and moving approved projects forward is a great place to start.  

According to an article by reporter Rich Caroll writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “I’d like for us to figure out a way in the future that when we grant developers permits and approve their projects, that we tighten up our ability to get them to go to work properly,” Strickland said.

“I’d like for our legal department or whoever, permits and licensing, somebody to help us tighten this up so that we can encourage people that come in for permits and want to develop and improve properties rather than allowing them to sit there in disrepair and be an eyesore for not months, but years, lots of years.”

That’s a good place to start. Hell, anywhere is a good place to start…

In my view, Daytona Beach and Volusia County officials should remember the old adage “You eat an elephant one bite at a time,” a metaphor for tackling daunting challenges by approaching the core issues incrementally.

A systematic approach to redevelopment and revitalization using problem identification, goal setting, removing government hurdles and overregulation, engaging dynamic project management and placemaking experts to ensure plans are completed in a timely manner, then building on observable progress and civic enthusiasm.  

Every masterpiece starts with a clean canvas.  A well-prepared foundation that allows the artist’s vision to come to life. 

Choosing a marketable civic brand to rebuild a destination around is the next step.

Unfortunately, history proves that instead of solving our decades-old civic identity crisis, our “hospitality gurus” would rather spend marketing funds on ludicrous (and horribly expensive) slogans – like “Seize the Daytona,” “Wide. Open. Fun.,” with occasional desperate attempts to capture a more wholesome vibe with “Spring Family Beach Break.”

They throw good money after bad trying to focus efforts on what the executive director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau once described as “…attention on the families — however you define them — and the rich array of family-friendly activities that the destination has to offer.”

Then, people realize we don’t have many “family-friendly activities” to offer, and we return to our popular tradition of “Beer, Bikes, Tats, and Titties.”  Desperate beachside businesses grab for those short-term special event dollars while they can – while the city squeezes permit fees out of them – further jeopardizing the tenuous survival of year-round businesses until the next circus comes to town…

I know there is a lot of well-earned skepticism in the community, but the Daytona Beach City Commission deserves credit for reanimating the process, putting teeth in the enforcement process, and continuing the search for an effective means of consuming this disheveled and shambling pachyderm once and for all.

Volusia County Schools: Public Policy by Ambush in Ormond Beach.  Again…

“Right now, we’re looking at a vital piece of property that could go to a developer,” City Commissioner Kristin Deaton said. “And let’s face it, all we hear all day from everybody who comes up here is that they don’t want to see more development. This would be more development.”

–Ormond Beach City Commissioner Kristin Deaton, as quoted by reporter Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “Ormond Beach is interested in purchasing former Osceola Elementary site,” Wednesday, August 5, 2026

It shouldn’t be this way…

Historically, schools have been an important part of the neighborhoods they serve.   

Realizing the interdependent nature of public education, smart school administrators work to form a symbiotic relationship with area businesses, nonprofits, residents, and civic leaders to holistically meet the needs of students and the community.

Rather than work cooperatively with host communities, Volusia County District Schools Superintendent Carmen Balgobin and her coterie of incompetents in the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand seem intent on burning bridges – springing ham-handed “power plays” that leave local elected officials (and school board members) blindsided – and anxious residents concerned for their future quality of life.

In Ormond Beach, many are still questioning the manner and means by which the historic Osceola Elementary – the only school on the city’s beachside – was summarily closed and merged with Ortona Elementary to form Beachside Elementary. 

In 2021, residents in Osceola Elementary’s Seminole neighborhood were infuriated when the district failed to give adequate notification of the proposed closure.  At the time, they joined with perplexed Ormond Beach city officials who passed a resolution offering $2 million to the district if they agreed to keep the school on the Osceola campus.

At the time, former Ormond Beach Mayor now State Representative Bill Partington said, “During the half cent sales tax referendum, the voters here in Ormond Beach were told that there would be significant renovations to Osceola. They were never told that the entire school would be closed.”

In eerily similar fashion, in 2024, Ormond Beach residents were again ambushed by the news the district planned to move the Riverview Learning Center – an “alternative” school for students with serious behavioral and disciplinary issues (that hosts Superintendent Balgobin’s husband as principal?) – to the abandoned Osceola campus…   

No one asked or explained – they simply forced the issue on unsuspecting residents.

That blow was the final straw for the political career of then District 4 School Board member Carl Persis who was, once again, left staring at his shoes while mumbling apologies to his constituents, and rightfully admitting that the lack of community notification was a “major error.”

Mr. Persis lost his seat later that year…

In April, Holly Hill residents and city officials were taken by complete surprise when they learned the Riverview program would now be moved from Osceola to a fenced compound on the Holly Hill Elementary School campus – a traditional neighborhood K-8 – leaving confused stakeholders feeling left out of the planning process.

Because they were.

Last month, Ormond Beach city officials were again caught flatfooted by the news the district plans to demolish the former Osceola campus and sell the 11.6-acre property to the “highest bidder” – which is code for a real estate developer with a plan to shoehorn “about 30-40 houses” in the surrounding established neighborhood… 

Why? 

It seems the Balgobin administration is incapable of maintaining a vacant building for less than $3.43 million a year.

In March, the School Board agreed to sell 48 acres in DeBary to a Deerfield Beach developer, and an 18-acre parcel within Halifax Plantation in Ormond Beach to a holding company, “…involved in multifamily acquisition and management in Florida, New York and New Jersey.”

How is that putting our communities first?

Is it just me, or does anyone see a pattern here?

According to the Observer, the district gave a July 22 deadline to decide if the city will purchase the property for a public purpose (recreation, stormwater retention, etc.).  Now, Ormond Beach officials have requested a two-week extension while they consider the potential ramifications of the Amendment 3 tax shift on the city’s financial future. 

“City Commissioner Travis Sargent said he agreed with the uncertainty surrounding property taxes, but that if the city doesn’t purchase it, a developer will build homes.

“I think it’s too valuable to let it go,” he said. “Our residents deserve stuff on beachside for recreation. It’s been in our long-term plan. … To me, it’s a lifetime opportunity that we cannot pass up.”

The commission directed staff to submit a letter of intent to purchase the property to the School Board, willing to negotiate the purchase price up to $2.5 million.”

It now appears Superintendent Balgobin is extremely confident in the security of her position because she enjoys the support of some extremely influential heavy hitters around town (to include the real estate development industry) powerful insiders who seem more interested in maintaining bragging rights for dubious school ratings than addressing the maladministration and academic needs of students.

A 2025 essay published in the education journal Teachers Institute explained:

“Schools don’t exist in a vacuum. Every school sits within a community – a neighborhood of families, local businesses, civic groups, and cultural institutions. When schools and communities work together, the results are powerful: students perform better, resources stretch further, and the entire neighborhood benefits. School-community partnerships are not just a nice idea – they are a proven strategy for improving education outcomes and building stronger societies.”

I realize the spirit of cooperation and partnership doesn’t comport with Superintendent Balgobin’s hyper-controlling strategy of chaos, pathological self-promotion, and public policy by ambush – but history proves that elected representatives who want to remain on the Volusia County School Board should take the idea to heart…

Vote your conscience. 

Quote of the Week

“One of the individuals involved became highly confrontational to start toward me, repeatedly screaming, using profanity, and making statements that I perceived as threatening and intimidating,” DePew posted on Facebook on Aug. 9. “As I continued putting up the signs, this individual deliberately moved into my path, and initiated physical contact by thrusting her arm into the sign I was holding, after I stated where I was putting it, and that they had been taken down my original sign without permission.”

–Edgewater Mayor Diezel Depew, as quoted by reporter Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Police forward battery complaint against Edgewater Mayor Diezel Depew,” Monday, August 10, 2026

The dreaded ritual played out once again this week…

After parking my truck in the back lot of the Ormond Beach Library, I made my approach – chin tucked to my chest, eyes straight ahead, the silent mantra “please don’t speak to me” telepathically communicating to nearby candidates and crusaders – prepared to go all Danger Stranger on their ass, “Stop!  Step Back! No, No, No!” if any approached – now at a trot, almost there, then breathing a sigh of relief once I finally cleared the “no solicitation” line…

Only then could I perform my sacred civic duty and cast a ballot during early voting. 

I call it running the gauntlet of a modern polling place, and I’m not sure it should be that way? 

In typical fashion, I arrived just before the doors opened early Monday morning.  As I entered the lot, I was met with the usual kaleidoscope of campaign signs, colorful tents, and campaign staffers sporting bright t-shirts – so many signs packed around the perimeter and sprouting from every available inch of the landscape – that it looked like a weird work of abstract expressionism… 

Frankly, I found it impossible to differentiate one candidates sign/slogan from the next.  The clutter too overwhelming, the visual pollution drowning out the intended message.

Whatever. 

I don’t vote for candidates based on some contrived slogan, annoying sign, “glossy mailer,” or a stilted grip-n-grin at some partisan hobnob…

Each election season political candidates engage in increasingly silly “sign wars,” with every camp reporting the theft, mutilation, or intentional blockage of their placards by the opposition – campaign workers and candidates strategically placing their signs just-so – hoping the sheer number of them will swing the vote.

These petty skirmishes can get downright ugly… 

For instance, during the 2022 campaign, Edgewater Mayor Diezel Depew – first elected right out of high school – captured his opponent, the former city police chief and mayor, on camera allegedly stealing his campaign signs during a heated mayoral race.

Ultimately, Depew’s opponent was charged with petty theft by the State Attorney’s Office…  

Many believe the embarrassing publicity surrounding the incident resulted in the more experienced candidate losing the election to Depew.

Last week, the sign battles returned to Edgewater on the eve of early voting, and this time it was Mayor Depew facing charges of simple battery for allegedly touching an opponent’s supporter with a large campaign sign… 

On Wednesday, the state attorney’s office announced that Mayor Depew will not face criminal charges related to the sign incident.  Now, the voters of Edgewater are left to sort the political wheat from the chaff…

Like every elected official, Mayor Depew has supporters and detractors.  He also has a passion for serving his community and has taken a hands-on approach to addressing the destructive threat of overdevelopment and resultant flooding.

The problem isn’t limited to the shit-trench of Volusia politics.   

According to a report in the Palm Coast Observer, on Tuesday, Palm Coast City Council members called for “…clearer communication and consistent enforcement of the city’s sign rules Tuesday after concerns were raised about campaign signs being removed from early voting locations.”

The discussion came after city council candidate Jeani Duarte reported several of her signs had been removed from an early voting site, claiming the practice reduced visibility to voters.

“This is a breach of trust,” Duarte said. “Election interference reduces visibility and interest and violates citizens’ rights to be informed.”

For his part, Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris said, “I’d like in America, I’d like to get rid of political signs altogether,” Norris said. “And this year, it’s even worse than in the past because they’re popping up all over the place.”

Wait.  Is he suggesting candidates and incumbents stand on their own platform, merits, character, and record rather than a good PR strategy?

Interesting concept, eh?

And Another Thing

“We have one high school, and I don’t mean to take anything away from students or parents, and it is a Title One school, so high-five for doing this, they had a 100% graduation rate last year — 100%.  Now, I’ve walked that school multiple times. I’ve met some bright students, and I’ve met some students that I wouldn’t trust filling up my tank of gas, so I find it really hard to believe that they graduate, and graduation is now turned into basically just handing out participation ribbons.” 

–Volusia School Board Member Jessie “Whackadoodle” Thompson, speaking at a breakout session of the Moms for Liberty 2024 Joyful Warriors Summit, Washington D.C., August 2024

Folks, that’s not my bloviating bullshit – it came right from the horse’s mouth.   

The oddball Jessie Thompson – the sitting District 3 representative to the Volusia County School Board (who is currently standing for reelection) – said the quiet part out loud two-years ago, admitting that “…graduation is now turned into basically just handing out participation ribbons.” 

Again, she said it.  I didn’t.

During her mental meltdown at a session called “How to Work With Your School Board” during a Moms for Liberty summit in Washington D.C., Ms. Thompson referred to current School Board Chair Ruben Colón, a Latino, as a “tan man,” before playing the victim:

“I’m on a minority school board, just in case we weren’t aware, like I’m hated by the rest of my board, and I can deal with that emotionally,” Thompson said, “They’re not nice people.”

Most disturbing, Thompson admitted to blatantly lying to her fellow elected officials when she placed a safety and security measure into a contract approved by the board, explaining “Fun fact, if you really want to mess up someone’s day on a school board and you don’t like them, you can feed them false data, and I guarantee that they are going to Ron Burgundy it and not research it.”

Ultimately, Ms. Thompson was publicly chastised and required to step down as School Board Chair.  Apparently, that’s when she learned the benefit of lockstep conformity – getting along and going along with influential string pullers – to one’s political longevity in Volusia County.

Now that Ms. Thompson is firmly on the “A’s for everybody!” train, it appears all has been forgiven…    

I repeated Ms. Thompson’s admission about “participation ribbons” because I recently heard disturbing rumors of an organized effort at Volusia County District Schools – apparently involving district employees and external influencers – to suppress dissent, intimidate critics, and defend the preferred narrative that the district “earned back-to-back “A” ratings” from the Florida Department of Education. 

That sounds impressive, until you learn that an “A” is “earned” by attaining just 64% of available points across twelve performance components set by the Florida Department of Education.  Most disturbing, according to reports, some 40% to 50% of Volusia County students cannot read or perform mathematics at grade level – basic skills needed for success in life. 

Way back when I was struggling with the “Three R’s,” 64% would earn you a “D” – meaning “less than satisfactory or below average performance.”

We can’t have that, can we? 

A “D” represents mediocrity and failed leadership.  That doesn’t help sell 3-2 cracker boxes “starting in the mid $300’s,” and it damn sure doesn’t give our movers-and-shakers in the Chamber of Commerce set bragging rights to lure more “robotic logistics centers” to our area. 

You know, those mythical “high paying jobs” we hear so much about, where victims of a broken educational system can find scut work schlepping boxes (that is, until a mechanoid does it faster, more efficiently, and with less complaining…)

To remain “competitive,” our ‘powers that be’ in Tallahassee simply lower the academic bar, then allow local administrators to take credit for high achievement…

As a result, anyone who disagrees with Superintendent Carmen Balgobin’s toxic optimism (and pathological self-promotion) will find themselves on the ‘shit list’ – marginalized, ostracized, and labeled a malcontent – or worse… 

Don’t take my word for it, watch a replay of this week’s School Board meeting and see for yourself the unconscionable mauling District 4 member Donna Brosemer took at the hands of her “colleagues” for having the courage to hold a strong a fiscal line on the district’s bloated budget and proposed millage increase to pay for it all.    

Despicable. And incredibly telling about where loyalties lie…

I can attest that writing an alternative opinion blog – views that are often in direct opposition to the pap, fluff, and spin generated by the propaganda organs of local governments and taxing districts – requires some hard bark.

Criticism and controversy come with the territory and I’m no stranger hate mail – or the slings-and-arrows of legitimate disagreement and well-thought rebuttal.  Those passionate responses usually begin with “Get your head out of your ass, Barker…” 

I enjoy those.  It’s how I learn.  

Look, I can take a beating – and I give as good as I get – but given the coordinated effort to attack anyone who dares take a contradictory stance against the Ivory Tower of Power’s well-crafted hype, I fear the bullying and intimidation of critics (to include teachers, district employees, one school board member, and anxious parents with children in Volusia County Schools) will have a chilling effect on the public’s right to speak truth to power.

In my view, this forced conformity to a contrived narrative shouldn’t be ‘normalized.’  In fact, it should be condemned and those responsible politically held to account.

I fear this campaign to silence criticism will ultimately result in gross embarrassment for the district, and vicariously besmirch the reputations of those civic leaders who hitched their wagon to the camouflaged incompetence of the Balgobin administration… 

In my view, perpetuating a falsehood – especially one embroidered with illegitimate “grades” and artificial accolades – will ultimately erode the public trust and have devastating consequences for Volusia County students who deserve better from adults who control their destiny.

Three of the five Volusia County School Board seats, to include District 1 Jamie Haynes, District 3 Jessie Thompson, and District 5 Ruben Colón are currently up for reelection.

Again, vote your conscience.

Early voting ends Saturday, August 15, in Volusia County.   

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:

Volusia County Government: Where Oversight and Accountability Go to Die… 

Each December, Volusia County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald and County Attorney Mike Dyer receive massive $10K+ annual pay increases – in my view, a lavish reward for keeping “things” just the way they are…     

Like clockwork, at the end of each year our elected dullards on the dais of power begin the annual beatification ceremony – sometimes skimming over a cursory performance evaluation, always lavishing their only direct reports with ebullient praise – before approving the perfunctory salary increase with rubber stamp efficiency.   

No negotiations, performance standards, management audits, or 360-degree evaluation of countywide operations and administration on which to base an objective review. 

Last year, both Recktenwald and Dyer received a 4% pay raise, commensurate with general government employees, and everyone acted like they were doing taxpayers a favor.

That sounds altruistic, until you consider Mr. Recktenwald’s 2025 salary of $337,875 (per GovSalaries data) is 45% above the average County Manager salary in Florida and 558% above the county median wage…

Perhaps “The Wreck’s” astronomical compensation package is why many were stunned to learn last week that an internal audit of Volusia County building inspections found “critical control weaknesses” and other concerns that may have affected public safety and resulted in a loss of critical revenue…

The audit, conducted by Volusia County’s internal auditor Jonathan Edwards, captured a sampling of inspections conducted from October 2024 to September 2025, and included a historical look at previously issued permits.   

According to a shocking report by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, the audit found discrepancies and a possible conflict of interest, to include “…since 2008, over 8,000 building permits have expired without a final inspection. That includes 4,600 permits “involving life-safety systems.”

“These permits represent construction work (electrical, mechanical, and structural) that was never verified for code compliance,” according to the report. “Residents who occupy these structures may unknowingly be in buildings that were never confirmed to meet the Florida Building Code.”

“Also, the county has lost money from the issues identified in the audit, according to the report.

The report estimated a loss of more than $400,000 in one year from reinspection fees not being charged properly.”

Read that again.

That’s potentially thousands of our new neighbors living in structures that may not meet state life-safety codes – and $400,000+ in potential revenue that nobody seemed to miss.

Who benefits when construction work is never verified for code compliance? 

Oh, wait…

More disturbing, the audit found evidence of possible “…preferential treatment” involving the former chief building inspector at the time, who applied for a building permit for a 5,000-square-foot storage building. The permit was issued in April 2024.”

The audit suggests the former county employee received a drastically reduced permit fee and waiver when “…someone recorded a siding inspection on the property, which had no siding. That caused the permit expiration date to be extended for several months without a $25 extension fee.”

Although the audit found no direct wrongdoing, the PowerPoint accompanying the auditor’s agenda item explained that “An HR investigation was initiated during the audit.  3 employees separated from County employment prior to its conclusion.”

Disturbing.

That’s one reason I found it odd that the current director of the terribly misnamed Growth and Resource Management department only “partially agreed” with the auditor’s suggestion that inspectors “…review, sign, and date their conflict-of-interest disclosure forms annually” to increase documentation and accountability. 

Inconceivably, Ray Tyner ($181,000 annually) the department’s current director wrote “We disagree with requiring inspectors to review, sign, and date conflict-of-interest disclosure forms annually, licensed staff are required by State law to complete mandatory ethics training biannually as a condition of license renewal.”

So, your department has been found to have serious problems dating back years – including the potential loss of revenue, statutory noncompliance, documentation issues, and questions concerning integrity, oversight, public safety, and quality of work – and you disagree that having public employees sign conflict-of-interest disclosure forms might be beneficial going forward? 

Really?

Typically, that’s where a responsive county manager steps in, restores sanity, and tells the auditor, “We’d be happy to comply with that commonsense step to help ensure the integrity of the process…”

Not here.

According to a follow-up report by Sheldon Gardner writing in the News-Journal, “…county officials could not find a government agency that requires building inspectors to file such a form…”

Why be the first to improve accountability, eh?

Unfortunately, rather than demand substantive change and accountability for what would have been a major embarrassment and breach of the public trust anywhere else, the majority of our elected representatives on the Volusia County Council seem content to let “The Wreck” and the good old boys to do some light housekeeping on their own…

You know, tidy things up in the Growth and Resource Mismanagement Department and keep things in-house.

In my view, this exemplifies the fetid culture of mediocrity and lack of accountability commensurate with responsibility that permeates the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building in DeLand – a place where citizens and members of advisory boards who sound the klaxon on issues are labeled “liars” by their elected representatives – and no one (who should) seems to give a tinker’s damn about serious problems and losses.  

Tragically, it is now apparent nobody – from top to bottom – knows what’s going on in that cloistered bureaucracy that seems totally devoid of basic answerability or fiscal oversight.  

In my view, Volusia County taxpayers compensate County Manager Recktenwald and County Attorney Dyer – the two most monstrously overpaid hacks in all the realm – a combined fortune in salary and benefits now worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in pay, benefits, perquisites, and gimmes. 

Senior administrative salaries is the exact spot on the ledger where the Volusia County Council should begin hacking the thick rind of budgetary fat in advance of potentially devastating revenue reductions this fall.

Like those political benefactors in the real estate development industry who buy and sell our elected officials like chattel each election cycle, We, The Little People should demand a better return on our investment… 

Volusia’s “Old Guard”: Maintaining the Status Quo by Any Means Necessary… 

When it comes to politics, I am a true No Party Affiliate – right of center with moderate, even apolitical, views on most national issues – and I rarely involve myself in the terrible divisiveness that results from the countrywide battle for partisan dominance.

In my view, there is a distinct reason 101,766 of my neighbors and I here in Volusia County are now registered NPA.  That’s almost 26% of all active voters on the “Fun Coast,” and just 3,718 shy of the current active Democratic roll. 

In Volusia County, Republicans enjoy a massive margin over Democrats, with 172,055 active voters.

Like my father and grandfather before me, I was a lifelong Republican.  That changed with the rise of fringe politics, the loss of reason and compassion on both sides of the aisle, self-serving party bosses, oligarchal influence, and the resultant irreconcilable differences that have brought our nation to this place of lockstep partisanship.

That’s when I realized that neither the modern Republican party – nor the abject insanity of moon bat democrat/socialists – represent my views as a moderate conservative with a social conscience.  A patriotic American not afraid to question the ‘why’ of things, sick and tired of the political machinations on both sides that are destroying our democratic process and the very fabric of our great nation…

The grim reminders of why I made the choice to go NPA come fast and furious each election season and 2026 is certainly no exception.

For instance, according to a report by Carlos Garin writing in The Florida Pundit earlier this month, “Five people, including two sitting St. Johns County commissioners and a former St. Augustine Beach mayor, face criminal charges in connection with an alleged scheme to distribute unauthorized Republican voter guides during the 2024 primary election.

St. Johns County Commissioners Sarah Arnold and Christian Whitehurst, St. Augustine Beach Commissioner and former Mayor Dylan Rumrell, political consultant Brianna Jordan and Jamie Lynn Johnson were charged after an investigation into campaign mailers allegedly designed to resemble official voter guides from the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee.

Each defendant faces charges of creating an unauthorized voter guide and conspiracy, according to charging documents described in multiple reports.”

Good.  In my view, it’s high time people went to jail over this nefarious horseshit…

Last week, I felt a wave of déjà vu as a similar cheating scandal broke out locally when Republican Executive Committee of Volusia County Chair Maryann Pistilli rightfully excommunicated some twenty members of the group following a dispute involving an unauthorized voter guide that the committee claims was “fraudulent.”

Some of the Republican candidates who were intentionally left off the unsanctioned “Keep Volusia Great” voter guide believe the actions of the now ousted members – who, I am told, included some current elected officials, active candidates, and former members of the RECVC leadership (who are no strangers to intraparty controversy) – constitute election interference and “political corruption.”

Unfortunately, we’ve seen this all before…

As in election years past, this unnecessary drama is nothing new for those ossified members of Volusia’s “Old Guard” who seem to have a pathological compulsion for protecting the stagnant status quo. 

In my experience, petty tyrants and skeevy shysters have always been a problem in local political organizations – typically clubbish cliques that often operate in diametric opposition to the egalitarian principles they claim to represent – but the repetitive nature of these internecine brouhahas is different. 

And telling…

In 2024, the former leadership of Volusia’s Republican Executive Committee conjured some weird parliamentary trickery to intentionally block sitting Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower from the infamous “Official Republican Voter Guide,” even after he carried the primary.

I’ve seen some shit in my day, but the brazenness of that screw-job was unprecedented and proved it wasn’t about getting Republican’s elected in ‘bright red’ Volusia County.  

In my view, the true purpose of suppressing Chairman Brower by intentionally keeping his name off the voter guide was to keep and place malleable marionettes in office who will ensure all the right last names maintain influence and access in county government and beyond.

That ugly debacle left many local Republicans suggesting that Brower’s reelection represented the last time the conniving former RECVC leadership would unfairly manipulate an election.

Guess they were wrong, eh?    

Given the party’s active voter advantage, getting republicans elected in Volusia County isn’t difficult.  So why would certain former members of the Republican Executive Committee see the need to sneak behind party leadership and omit specific republican candidates from a “voter guide”?

Sounds like there are two separate organizations operating under the Republican Executive Committee of Volusia County – one which follows party rules – another which works in the shadows, usurps established guidelines to the advantage of hand-select candidates, and lacks a sense of fair play – using chicanery and misdirection to deceive voters and ensure the “system” remains biased toward those Big Money donors with a chip in the game.

That gives the appearance that, “All Republicans are equal, but some are more equal than others…”

Why is that?

Unfortunately, as a result of this biannual shit show, some good local candidates have been tainted by both their inclusion – or omission – from a bogus “voter guide” cobbled together by an apparent rogue faction of the RECVC. 

A group of repeat shit-stirrers, some with an established pattern of conduct, intent on cheating republican voters and candidates by tainting the legitimacy of this important process.

Chairwoman Pistilli was right to bounce these bums out on their sorry asses.

In my view, discrimination, manipulation, and exclusion of candidates by their own party has the stench of intraparty election tampering.  Perhaps it is time for Volusia County republicans to ask state party officials just how long they intend to tolerate it?

Quote of the Week

“Former Republican state Sen. Jeff Brandes, one of the named plaintiffs, called the ruling a victory for Florida voters.

“Today, the court drew a line. The ballot box is not a place for political advertising,” he said in a text to the Phoenix. “This case was never about whether property taxes should be lower. It was about whether government can market a constitutional amendment instead of honestly explaining it to voters. The court said ‘no.’”

If passed, Amendment 3 would constitute one of the most significant changes to property taxes in the state in more than a generation. Its projected financial impact would reach up to $12 billion annually beginning in 2031. It has drawn widespread opposition from groups that represent firefighters, sheriffs, and police.”

–Reporter Christine Sexton writing in The Florida Phoenix, “Amendment 3 ballot title, summary language, don’t pass muster, judge rules,” Tuesday, August 4, 2026

For the first time since the Florida legislature approved the ill-conceived tax shift known as Amendment 3, common sense (and the law) prevailed this week when a Tallahassee judge ruled the ballot language must be rewritten to avoid “misleading” voters in November.

According to reports, Attorney General James Uthmeier must now redraft Amendment 3’s summary language after Circuit Judge David Frank wrote that the deceptive title – “Save Our Homes From Excessive Property Taxes” – is a political slogan, neither fair nor neutral in the context of explanatory ballot language.

Earlier this week, always outspoken Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd joined growing calls to reject the half-baked plan, calling the drastic proposed amendment “…the most ludicrous piece of unresearched stuff I’ve ever seen.”

He’s right.

Referring to the proposed constitutional amendment as a “train wreck,” Sheriff Judd explained, “When the House and Senate passed Amendment 3, they had never seen a financial analysis of that amendment.  They have no idea the devastation of Amendment 3 in its current form will be to cities and counties. When you get to some small counties, it will wipe them out.”

In my view, transferring total control to Tallahassee – now a detached and wholly corrupt oligarchy comprised of bought-and-paid-for shills, errand boys for the development industry – by exsanguinating our accessible local governments and tailored neighborhood services that contribute to our safety and quality of life is asinine.

In his assessment of Amendment 3, Sheriff Judd noted that the proposed constitutional amendment lacks any means of funding those core services we rely on in the absence of Florida’s traditional ad valorem tax system.  It also goes too far in cutting funding for law enforcement, fire, and emergency services.

“Reasonable people understand services cost money.  Not once have I been in an emergency and have someone stand up and complain about the costs. When your life is on the line, the cost doesn’t make a difference.”

In my view, Floridians deserve responsible property tax relief and reasonable spending reforms – this isn’t it.

And Another Thing!

“In May, we told the teachers that we couldn’t possibly give them 1 mill because it wasn’t the right time …,” Brosemer said. “And so we effectively are doing the same thing. We are getting the same money, but we’re keeping it for ourselves, and that makes me very uncomfortable.”

–District 4 Volusia School Board Member Donna Brosemer, as quoted by reporter Mark Harper in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Did ‘politics’ influence Volusia Schools’ budget, tax rate?” Monday, August 3, 2026

Speaking of desperately needed spending reform… 

To answer the News-Journal’s rhetorical question – of course ‘politics’ influenced Volusia County Schools budget. 

It always does… 

We, The Little People expect that those we elect to represent our interests will consider something beyond their reelection prospects when negotiating the district’s massive $1.1 billion annual budget.

Less political grandstanding, more independent stewardship and oversight.  Better governance and representation for their constituents and less tail wagging the dog…  

We also ask that they independently educate themselves on the true needs of the district, rather than relying solely on stilted lectures from the finance director, the canned response of senior administrators, or the toxic optimism of Superintendent Carmen Balgobin, who each year construct a budget in their own image.

Ensuring perquisites and privileges for the Ivory Tower of Power while ignoring the needs of those most important to the success of the mission.  

In my view, that is best evidenced by denying classroom teachers a competitive wage while shifting public funds to the wants of a bloated bureaucracy and its top-heavy administration, all orchestrated by an egotistical superintendent with an Aristotle Complex…

During last week’s budget debate, much was made over Ms. Brosemer’s refusal to appear before district CFO Deidra Whittenberger so she could be fed regurgitated information like a baby bird. That led to incumbent Jamie Haynes indignantly mewling that she would refuse to pass the budget and tax rate until everyone was “prepared,” (i.e. “indoctrinated”).

According to the News-Journal report, Haynes harrumphed “Since we have a board member that has already stated she’s not going to vote for this, I’m going to state I’m not voting for it, either, tonight,” Haynes said, “because until everybody is prepared to understand it, because one of the biggest responsibilities we have as a board member is to approve the budget.”

Of course, the others piled on, using hyper-dramatic theatrics to hypocritically paint Ms. Brosemer – the one member of the board who actually understands the district’s needs, challenges, and her role in the budget process – as a uniformed obstructionist.

In addition, Superintendent Balgobin got her insubordinate licks in on Brosemer:

“What was this all about? Balgobin settled on a single word.

“I’ve been in education for 27 ½ years,” Balgobin said. “Politics has its place. Politics has its place. But when we use politics, like something that I’m seeing right now − I can’t even believe this … − where it will affect our students and our staff members, I am alarmed at this point.”

Bullshit.

Ultimately, the three incumbents currently standing for reelection – Jamie Haynes, Jessie “The Liar” Thompson, and current Board Chair Ruben Colón – did as they were told and voted in favor of the astronomical $1.1 Billion budget and property-tax hike.

Although she supported the tax increase, board member Krista Goodrich joined Ms. Brosemer in voting no on the budget.

The proposed tax rate and budget will return for a final vote on September 8. 

While many counties and municipalities across Florida are actively cutting positions and reducing essential services – holding the line on spending given the potentially disastrous unknowns of Amendment 3 – it appears Superintendent Balgobin is callously taking full advantage of the state’s education carve out for the expenditure of property taxes.   

Perhaps if our elected representatives on the Volusia County School Board took a few minutes out of their busy day attending pep rallies, cutting decorations for the big Sadie Hawkins dance, and being spoon fed spin by Superintendent Balgobin, they could perform the independent oversight, governance, and fiscal stewardship they are statutorily obligated to conduct.

In my view, fabricating cockamamie “school grades,” engaging in pathological self-promotion, and denying salary increases for classroom teachers and support staff while raising taxes in the shadow of Amendment 3 is obscene.

Vote your conscience.  Volusia County students, teachers, parents, and staff deserve better.

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