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:

Patriot Day 2026: A Time to Remember  

Tomorrow is Patriot Day – September 11th – when we honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 innocent victims who died in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon, and those who perished when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

This day is also when we solemnly remember those valiant first responders who laid down their lives, courageously giving the ‘last full measure of devotion,’ and those who continue to succumb to illnesses related to their extraordinary service at Ground Zero.     

These vicious attacks on our nation by radical Islamic terrorists awoken us to our external vulnerabilities – and demonstrated how, in our darkest hour, American’s forget our differences and come together to protect those freedoms we hold dear.

With our nation so terribly divided by literally everything – race, age, gender, political affiliation, ideology – let us remember that this is the day we have set aside to honor those we lost and commemorate those shared values that bind us together as Americans, demonstrating to the world our collective resolve, and our enduring love for this great nation.

Never forget.

Tetchy Ormond Beach Officials Say “No” to Daytona’s Beachside Refugees

One bit of political theater gave rise to another last week when the Ormond Beach City Commission found it necessary to tell Daytona’s beachside residents they would not be welcoming them to what the late, great Big John referred to as the “Fingerbowl District.”

I think they knew that…

Last month, a group of frustrated Daytona Beach residents and business owners known as Daytona Beachside United began collecting petitions with the stated goal of “de-annexing” the beachside and allowing the area to incorporate as a separate city or become part of neighboring Ormond Beach. 

In my view, it was a highly effective way of calling attention to the blight, neglect, and myriad civic issues that continue to plague Daytona’s forgotten core tourist area as the big money moves west along Boomtown Boulevard…

According to a recent article by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer:  

“We deserve better,” said Sonja Sailor, one of the residents who organized the initiative. “We just want to keep our beachside clean and safe for our residents. We want thriving businesses. We don’t want no more neglect to the Boardwalk or beachside, and we want to have a quality of life. I don’t think that’s a lot to ask for from the city, and we figure if the city can’t help us, then it’s time for us to annex either into another community, or annex ourselves under a special act.”

In addition, civic activist and beachside business owner Louie Louizes said, “Ormond Beach doesn’t have people doing drugs on the sidewalks and stuff like that, and their roads are all nice and everything’s clean,” Louizes said. “The problem I have with the city is all they’re doing is developing west on LPGA, and they forgot about the crown jewel, which almost made everything here Daytona Beach is the Boardwalk. We’ve been left in the dust.”

I thought it was genius political satire – using exaggeration and irony to shine a bright light on the long-term issues dragging down what was once the World’s Most Famous Beach – a place where citizen input and dissent is typically ignored.

Given the media attention, widespread discussion, and well-deserved bureaucratic embarrassment the Beachside United’s nascent secession effort has garnered, it’s working…

Unfortunately, it appears the art of political sarcasm to draw attention and shape public perception was lost on stodgy Ormond Beach officials, who seemed genuinely perplexed by the facetious request to incorporate Daytona’s beachside. 

For instance, Commissioner Travis Sargent used the ridiculous discussion to curry political favor with those who worked to defeat Mayor Jason Leslie by attempting to spin a tempest in a teapot ahead of his own showdown with challenger Jennifer Bright for the Zone 2 seat in November.

During the August 25 Ormond Beach City Commission meeting, Commissioner Sargent got his knickers in an oddly indignant twist and engaged in some cheap political theater of his own, claiming he received “emails and phone calls” (?) after the beachside annexation suggestion was reported by WFTV. 

According to reports, when Mayor Leslie was approached with the idea of annexing Daytona’s beachside, he told the media outlet he was “interested” in the idea and would pass it along to city staff.

That apparently stirred the incendiary ire of the peevish Commissioner Sargent…  

“In the city of Ormond Beach, we are a city manager form of government,” Sargent crowed. “It takes three people to direct staff … I’m very sorry to the residents that this may have caused confusion for.”

Really?

For his part, Mayor Leslie explained “I didn’t really even know what it was because I didn’t know anything about it, and that was followed up by people from the media contacting me,” Leslie said. “…  there’s no conspiracy behind it, and I wasn’t trying to do something that was out of line. It was just me thanking the residents of Daytona Beach for thinking of us, of holding our city to a high standard, and thank you to everybody who makes this place a great place to live.”

In a silly ‘look at me’ pique, Commissioner Sargent turned what should have been a lighthearted moment – a unifying source of civic pride – into a prime example of all that’s wrong with Ormond Beach’s bickersome elected officials.

That includes kicking lame duck Mayor Leslie when he’s down…

Why?

Perhaps Daytona’s disenfranchised beachside might want to consider annexing into “The Shores” – an upscale community so tired of that dilapidated boat anchor to the north that they’ve put a referendum on the ballot to drop “Daytona Beach” from their name altogether? 

Having lived in Ormond Beach for over 60-years, I can report that once you scratch the carefully crafted civic façade of snobbish superiority, you’ll find the community has many of the same civic issues facing Daytona Beach and beyond.

In many ways, the political atmosphere in Ormond Beach has become similar to tumultuous places like the Lost City of Deltona and Palm Coast – no longer the special place I once knew, with little contrast from anywhere else in the greater Halifax area – now that our elected officials have become uninspired rubber stamps for the developers who fund their political ambitions.

Now that our once quaint community is trapped in the pincer of explosive growth on all fronts – with no shared vision beyond the monotonous proliferation of sprawling subdivisions, strip centers, itinerant chain restaurants, and storage facilities that have made our community just another homogenized “everyplace” – our elected “leadership” prefers the distraction of spiteful backbiting over strategic planning and placemaking.   

Now, we face two-years of Mayor-elect Lori Tolland – the perpetual victim of any land use attorney who rattles their saber – mewling her tone-deaf monologs and telling existing residents how much she hates overdevelopment, but votes for it every damn time… 

In Ormond Beach politics, you’re either part of the cliquish “in-crowd” or you aren’t.  The mercenary wants of developers and corporate executives who stroke campaign contributions now take precedence over the needs of We, The Little People. 

In other words, the stagnant status quo wins again…

Bunnell’s Secretive “Project Butterfly” Exposed – The Reality is Far from Idyllic… 

Each week, long-suffering residents of Florida’s “Fun Coast” are reminded we are mere pawns in a much larger game. 

We live in a weird place and time where plans that directly affect our lives and livelihoods are negotiated behind closed doors by those with a chip in the game, special interests who don’t give two-shits how their for-profit scheme will impact the rest of us.

Rather than listen to citizen input and openly discuss the potential impacts of projects in the sunshine, our “economic development” shills misuse competitive protections to keep projects cloaked in total secrecy. 

They use mysterious cryptonyms like “Project Butterfly,” while the beneficiaries clandestinely work out details with appointed officials in effective darkness, using a perverse bureaucratic sleight-of-hand that often has elected officials voting on projects of significant regional impact with little (if any) information on which to base a decision.    

The resulting sense of alienation and betrayal between citizens and those we elect to serve our interests is destroying public confidence in an environment where public policy is formed in seclusion, and greed is the operative ethic.

According to a disturbing piece by Pierre Tristam writing in FlaglerLive! entitled, “How Bunnell’s Backroom Bootlickers Sold Out West Flagler for a Trash Mountain,” that secret squirrel intrigue took center stage last week when the City of Bunnell Planning Board arbitrarily ignored the fervent pleas of residents and farmers to green-light a massive “610-acre commercial garbage dump in the heart of West Flagler’s agricultural community.” (Find more here: https://tinyurl.com/mv8rp8dt)

You read that right.

The board approved a “solid waste management facility” at 518 County Road 45 on property currently used as a sod farm.  According to reports, the area is zoned “Agriculture and Silviculture” under the City of Bunnell’s land development code.

Shockingly, the regionally impactful project was approved just 24-hours after the secretive “Project Butterfly” was publicly revealed by Bunnell City Manager Alvin Jackson, giving citizens little time to study the dynamics of the project, or present a proper defense.

What is the benefit to Bunnell residents who will be required to live and farm near a commercial landfill? 

The newly formed corporation that will operate the dump will reportedly pay a $1.50 per ton “host fee” to the city, although there is currently no written contract specifying the terms, ensuring adjustments for inflation, etc. 

According to a previous report in FlaglerLive!, “The meeting was attended by as many people standing as were sitting–the most heavily attended planning board meeting since the same board recommended approval of the city’s and one of Florida’s largest industrial rezoning in history last year.

Three and a half hours later, a motion by Chelsea Herbert to deny the application failed for lack of a second, a Herbert motion to table it for a month or two to give the public an adequate opportunity to study up on the proposal also failed.

Cory Romaniuk’s motion to approve the landfill carried 3-1.”

The six-person board sat with just four voting members after Lyn Lafferty (one of the landowners of parts of the 610 acres) and Chair Gary Matsen, were absent…

Despite pleas from the crowd – to include the concerns of Flagler County Chair Leann Pennington and Commissioner Andy Dance – the planning board ignored the fact that by the city’s own land use rules, the City Commission is the proper regulatory venue for commercial landfills.

In my view, something stinks in Bunnell – and I’m not talking about the coming olfactory offense wafting off 610-acres of fetid waste (from who knows where?) rotting in the Florida sun… 

For reasons they claim were purely economic, the Planning Board ignored the potential environmental impacts to surrounding farms and landowners, to include water contamination, the safety of food products, wildlife, property values, and quality of life.

Not to mention the potential traffic impacts of an estimated 15,000 loads of waste entering the site off S.R.-100 each year.

According to FlaglerLive!, “The question never asked or answered all evening was where would the overwhelming majority of the garbage would be imported from, as it would have to be if the facility is to live up to its promised numbers, and whether rail transport will be part of transfer process.”

Why the rush to approve a massive garbage dump in the heart of Flagler County’s historic agriculture belt before the first independent environmental study or economic analysis is complete?  

In my view, these backroom machinations are inherently unfair, especially when statutory protections are misused to keep citizens in the dark this deep into the planning and zoning process… 

Shielding trade secrets, protecting proprietary information, and maintaining a competitive advantage during the exploratory phase is one thing – announcing a proposed 610-acre landfill to citizens, generational landowners, and commercial agricultural interests just 24-hours before the first and final vote of an unelected regulatory board is counter to the concept of transparency, fairness, and government in the sunshine.

Quote of the Week

“A lobbying group for real estate agents just put $10 million into a campaign to pass Amendment 3, the proposed constitutional amendment that would dramatically cut and cap local property taxes across Florida — while also forcing steep cuts to local government services and further consolidating governing power in Tallahassee.

Just-posted campaign finance reports show that the Florida Realtors parked the $10 million late last week in “Vote Yes on 3.” It’s a political committee the real estate lobbying group recently set up that can be used to pay for television commercials, neighborhood canvassers, and other campaign expenses in support of the November ballot measure, which will need support from at least 60 percent of voters to pass.

It’s the first major infusion of cash into the campaign for Amendment 3, which Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature rushed onto the ballot during a 27-hour special session in June — despite widespread confusion, even among the legislators who voted for it, about how the plan would actually work.”

–Reporter Jason Garcia, writing in Seeking Rents, “Real estate agents just put $10 million into campaign to pass property tax amendment,” Monday, September 7, 2026

Cui bono is a Latin phrase that means “Who benefits?”

It is often used as a reasoning tool, suggesting that those responsible for a certain crime or event are typically the ones who stand to gain the most from it.

In a December 2025 article by Keith Griffith writing in Realtor.com – an industry magazine founded by the National Association of Realtors – we learned that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ asinine “plan” to drastically cut and ultimately eliminate property taxes could result in an immediate 7% to 9% increase in home prices…

According to the news outlet, Amendment 3’s tax shift will also “…come at a heavy price for renters and first-time homebuyers.”

Interesting.

That would explain why Florida’s influential real estate and development industry is backing this horribly flawed constitutional amendment which, if passed by 60% of Florida voters in November, would gut the ability of local governments to fund essential services during a period of explosive growth – to include law enforcement, fire, emergency services, roads, utilities, community events, senior centers, etc. – along with a host of other impacts which would seriously impact our quality of life. 

For instance, last month, the independent, non-partisan, and non-profit Florida Policy Institute issued a dire warning: “If Amendment 3 passes in November, some public hospital districts in Florida will lose over half their revenue, resulting in less access to care, increased wait times, less staff availability, and decreased funding for community care and programs that serve Floridians with low income.”

According to the FPI study, the potential impact on Volusia hospital districts over the next three years would be $23,859,338, and an estimated $323 million statewide.

If you thought wait times at area emergency departments are long now – have a seat… 

The goal of Florida’s proposed tax shift – transferring the burden from occupied residential properties to commercial property owners, renters, businesses, industry, fees, assessments, and other taxes – has nothing to do with saving Floridians money and everything to do with consolidating power in Tallahassee, ultimately replacing our hometowns with an inaccessible amalgam of bureaucracies. 

Even local legislators who claim they were strongarmed by Gov. DeSantis into putting the half-backed referendum on the ballot during a 27-hour special session earlier this year say the ballot measure will place Floridians in a “bad situation.”

In a June 2026 article in the Ormond Beach Observer, Rep. Chase Tramont was quoted:

“When my vote took place a few weeks ago in the special session, it was not for the policy itself,” he said. “If it had gone through the legislative process as a legislative bill to be implemented right away, it wouldn’t have passed the House — I doubt it would have passed the Senate. The vote was to allow you to decide for it.”

Whether or not the amendment passes will come down to “massive education efforts,” Tramont said. People need to know what services will have to be cut, or, how funds will be replaced to keep them.

“So, is it really a tax relief?” Tramont said. “My fear is that it can hurt the lower-income people, because you get a lot of low-income homes and trailer parks that don’t pay any property taxes. Now all of a sudden they’re not exempt from getting an assessment to that property. Now, you’re going to get people on fixed incomes. It could be a bad situation.”

In my view, Floridian’s deserve true tax (read: spending) reform – that includes ‘right sizing’ government at all levels – and getting a handle on the out-of-control quid pro quo corruption in Tallahassee.   

This isn’t it.  

I hope you will consider the source of this ill-thought and suspiciously rushed initiative – and those mercenary special interests who stand to benefit the most.  Learn all you can about the flagrant power grab that is Amendment 3 and vote like your quality of life depends on it.

Because it does.

And Another Thing!

“We need to have students over 1500 SAT…there are not very many over 1500 in the state of Florida…for us to keep our ranking, we have to get it [students] [from] out-of-state because all these students we get from out-of-state, they have a higher SAT than in-state.”

–University of Florida Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini, urging the Florida Board of Governors not to place limitations on out-of-state admissions, citing that there aren’t enough in-state students passing standard admissions exams, Wednesday, September 2, 2026

According to a report by the College Board, of all 2025 graduating high school seniors in Florida (estimated at 205,000 last year) just 6,029 students earned a 1400-1600 on standardized scholastic assessments.  

In Volusia County, half of all high school students are below grade level in Mathematics and English. 

That’s a problem for state universities now operating under a last-minute mandate issued by the State Legislature (Tallahassee’s new modus operandi) which requires they accept lower performing in-state students at the risk of diluting the academic standards of Florida universities.

According to a report in the Florida Phoenix last week, reporter Jay Waagmeester explained the legislative intent “Put simply, the BOG, which supervises the State University System, can deny a university’s attempt to increase out-of-state tuition fees if the school enrolls more than the system-wide cap of non-Floridian students — now a max of 10% of the student body systemwide.”

For his part, Mr. Hosseini called the political intrusion in the admission process a “travesty,” and said he planned to “talk with legislators about addressing the policy during the next legislative session.”  Let’s hope he “talks” to legislators – and those school board members around the state who seem content with the erosion of academic standards – behind that ornate woodshed where he keeps the campaign donations…    

During the discussion, Florida State University Board of Trustees Chair Peter Collins said, “I think the question you have to ask yourselves is, how good do you want us to be? And if you don’t want us to be great, yeah, we can start admitting a lot more students that don’t meet the criteria. But I don’t think that that should be the goal.”

In turn, Mr. Hosseini voiced concern for Florida universities standing under the current national ranking system, “To achieve higher national rankings, a university may be incentivized to enroll fewer students to avoid disrupting its average academic performance, Hosseini said.

In pursuit of earning a top-five ranking, Hosseini said, “what is going to happen is this: If we can’t get the students out of state that are high GPA and high SAT/ACT, then what we are going to do is bring the number of students down so the percentages don’t affect us.”

If I understand correctly, Mr. Hosseini’s underlying point seems to be that Florida’s school districts aren’t producing a significant number of students with the scholastic aptitude necessary to compete with out-of-state applicants for admission to their own state’s places of higher learning. 

Now, we risk eroding academic excellence and jeopardizing national rankings to meet the politically motivated mandates of the state legislature.

I’m glad our High Panjandrum of Political Power, Mori Hosseini, said it and not me… 

Whenever anyone else points out the fact Volusia County District Schools have become more focused on image over substance – repeating, ad nauseum, the gross fabrication that Volusia County Schools earned back-to-back “A” grades – they are pilloried as naysaying assholes (or worse) and set upon by Superintendent Carmen Balgobin and her coterie of obsequious ass-kissers in the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand…  

In the view of many, Florida’s false imprimatur of educational excellence is based on a skewed system where districts that obtain just 65% or higher over twelve categories are considered “A” rated by the Florida Department of Education.

Volusia County Schools squeaked by with a mediocre 66%…

It is refreshing to see Mr. Hosseini say the quiet part out loud. 

For far too long Florida’s education policymakers have made it easier for rank opportunists like Superintendent Balgobin to give the false impression students are achieving academically simply by reducing performance standards. As a result, while school “grades” continue to increase – student comprehension in key subjects remains dismally low. 

That’s called lowering the bar – a malignant mediocrity that will have cascading repercussions for Florida’s university system and our states national/global competitiveness.  

Regardless of those frightening statistics, Volusia school administrators take perverse pride in the fact that, at the beginning of the 2025/26 school year, some 53% of students in traditional high schools were “below or far below their grade level in mathematics.”

Which is slightly better than the statewide average 55% of high school students who rank below grade level on standardized mathematics tests. 

That makes us the winner? 

As an uneducated rube and a mathematical illiterate, college was never in my cards.  As a lifelong experiential learner, I graduated magna cum laude from the School of Hard Knocks – the most expensive education there is…

That’s one reason I hold those with advanced degrees in high esteem – and why I worry about Florida’s future at the nexus of lower student expectations and reduced university entrance requirements – simply to accommodate the political whims of a compromised state legislature that has proven, time and again, that its hypocrisy knows no limits…

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

Note to Readers:

Barker’s View will be on hiatus next week – a short ‘pause for the cause.’  

During the break, please feel free to enjoy some past screeds from the copious BV achieves at the bottom of this page.  Sometimes it’s fun to take a look in the rearview mirror and with the clarity of hindsight analyze what’s changed and what remains the same here on Florida’s “Fun Coast.”   

All the best,

MDB