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:

‘Politics As Usual’ Exposes Ethical Questions at Volusia County Schools

“Voters deserve to know more than whether someone voted in a general election,” she wrote in an email to The News-Journal. “They deserve to know how their elected School Board has spent more than a billion dollars of taxpayer money each year and whether those decisions represent responsible stewardship of public funds.”

–Volusia County District 1 School Board candidate Brenda Beery, as quoted by The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Volusia County School Board race heats up over political mailer,” Friday, October 9, 2026

The good, bad, and ugly of politics is a part of public education.

With school board members elected to provide oversight, set policy, and steward tax dollars there will always be campaigning (and all that comes with it). Unfortunately, in today’s political environment, that includes aggressive electioneering fueled by big money from external influencers with a chip in the game.

As election day approaches, the infamous “glossy mailer” has made its appearance – this time in the District 1 Volusia County School Board race featuring political newcomer Brenda Beery challenging incumbent sluggard Jamie Haynes.

The key element of the postcard strategy is to find the most despicable mistake a candidate has ever made (or manufacture one, if necessary) then shotgun it by mail to potential voters as a means of besmirching the character and reputation of one’s opponent.

In this case, the mailer targeting Ms. Beery originated from a “political action committee,” which allows plausible deniability for the candidate who stands to benefit from the ad hominem smear of their rival.

Of Course, Haynes feigned faux outrage to full effect, clutching her pearls and gasping, “I would have never…”

Bullshit.

In an article by reporter Kairi Lowery writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, we learned:

“A political mailer circulating in Volusia County questions School Board Zone 1 candidate Brenda Beery’s voting record.

As voters gear up for the Nov. 3 election, campaign ads — many of them sharply critical of candidates running for office — have begun filling local mailboxes. And a Volusia County School Board race has become the latest.

Some Volusia County residents may have recently received a red, black and yellow campaign ad depicting District 1 School Board candidate Brenda Beery as untrustworthy due to her sparse voting record.

The ad, paid for by the Committee to Protect Florida, a Tallahassee-based political committee, claims Beery voted twice in the last 16 years — once in 2014 and once in 2024.”

That’s all you’ve got, Ms. Haynes?

Look, no on takes voting more seriously than I do.

In fact, I consider casting a ballot our sacred obligation as citizens of a free and democratic nation. It’s important because, (to mangle a long-forgotten quote) “Bad public officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.”

Unfortunately, we live in a time when both political parties seem intent on fielding the worst possible candidates for high office. Hand-select marionettes capable of being manipulated by those special interests who fund both sides in a massive influence peddling scheme that seeks to divide us along every demographical line imaginable.

The perpetual nature of the pay-to-play ruse has left many voters apathetic, dispirited, and indifferent.

Admittedly, there have been times in the not-to-distant past when I’ve held my nose to suppress a gag reflex when voting in these godforsaken dilemmas that pass for local political contests…

Perhaps Ms. Beery chose service over political participation – or, like so many these days, she had no interest in politics and governance until she experienced the grim results of the stagnant status quo?

I don’t know Brenda Beery, but she is clearly not part of the “in-crowd” at Volusia County Schools – and her candidacy is making those anointed hierarchs in the Ivory Tower of Power extremely nervous.

For example, in what I consider an incredibly unethical professional conflict, Volusia County School Superintendent Carmen Balgobin, and her brown-nosed minion Chief Communications Director Mike Micallef, used public communications resources in the form of their official Facebook pages to tacitly endorse Jamie Haynes’ campaign advertisements on the social media platform…

For the uninitiated, on Facebook, a “Like” is a small thumbs-up emoji signifying one’s public approval, support, or appreciation for a post, page, or comment.

In my view, by using her official Facebook profile, “Dr. Carmen Balgobin, Superintendent Volusia County Schools,” to “like” posts on the campaign site “Re-elect Jamie M. Haynes, Volusia County School Board, District 1” – posts clearly marked as a “Political advertisement paid for and approved by Jamie Haynes, nonpartisan, for School Board District 1” – Superintendent Balgobin crossed a very bright line.

In addition, VCS Chief Communications Director Mike Micallef – the literal face of the district’s public information apparatus – also used his official VCS Facebook page to post a similar “like” on the Facebook campaign site “Ruben Colón for Volusia County School Board, District 5,” after School Board Chairman Colón posted his political endorsement of Jamie Haynes’ re-election.

Disturbing.

Especially when you consider the district’s wholly unqualified Chief Mouthpiece Mike Micallef reportedly filed a complaint against District 4 School Board member Donna Brosemer claiming a social media post critical of Balgobin’s decision to eliminate public comment on district social media accounts amounts to an “ethical” violation.

In turn, the School Board has approved an agreement with Tampa-based Brown Law & Consulting to conduct a formal investigation into Micallef’s defamatory accusation against Ms. Brosemer.

With no time constraints or cap on expenses, the firm will receive $300 an hour for attorney time, $200 an hour for a senior human resources consultant, and $90 an hour for paralegal services, to include reimbursement for travel and out-of-pocket expenses as they ferret out how a meme posted by Donna Brosmer hurt Mr. Micallef’s feewings…

With Superintendent Balgobin and her dutiful toady, Mouthpiece Micallef, now using district resources and communications channels to lend the influence and imprimatur of their official public office to the advantage of an incumbent candidate for school board, perhaps someone with a badge in their pocket and a duty to protect the public trust should do some sleuthing of their own…

So, what does Ms. Haynes plan to do about Balgobin and Micallef’s clear ethical lapse in her role as a school board member?

After all, ethics rules and standards of professional conduct should apply equally to everyone, or they should apply to no one.

A Lesson in Leadership and Compassion in Flagler County

“When you are in an emergency, you don’t ask permission from anybody except God to keep that emergency shelter open,” Carney said. “I don’t need to hear from 4-H and Mr. and Mrs. So and So, I don’t need to hear that this is an emergency shelter.

We don’t need the general public to understand or approve who’s in it. It does not make sense. The state would not have given us $10,000 [actually, $10 million] if we were going to ask every party privy to this destination if it’s okay to use it. I’m not doing it. That was why I made the motion, and I’m standing with my motion.”

— Flagler Board of County Commissioners District 3/Vice Chair Kim Carney, as quoted by Flaglerlive.com, “Petty Stinginess and Unseemly 4-H Frets as Cold-Weather Homeless Shelter Wins Fairgrounds Home,” Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Following an oddly contentious exchange, the Flagler Board of County Commissioners recently voted to amend an interlocal agreement with Palm Coast, Bunnell, and Flagler Beach to provide cold-weather sheltering for its most vulnerable population.

Under the agreement, The Sheltering Tree – which operates Flagler County’s only homeless shelter – will be permitted to use the fairground’s Expo Hall (as grant funds demand), with support costs of $1,500 each night the shelter is operational split between the county and signatory cities.

The shelter was open 24 nights last winter.

After Vice Chair Carney fanned a tempest in a teapot over a $500 cost increase (support that provides each person seeking shelter with transportation, dinner, breakfast, security, and bedding), Commissioner Andy Dance went a step too far, suggesting the onerous requirement that other users of the fairgrounds be consulted before the amendment was approved.

Specifically, Commissioner Dance mentioned the 4-H Club livestock barn – whose parents and participants reportedly expressed “concerns” about being in proximity to homeless persons sheltering at the fairgrounds (?)…

According to FlaglerLive.com, Commissioner Dance explained “…parents of 4-H children had concerns, and that the proposal should be tabled until other users of the fairgrounds were consulted. He wants “rules, and guidelines about the operations.”

The shelter does not generally operate when 4-H or other organizations use the fairgrounds (from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., on nights when the temperature falls below 40 degrees, not usually the sort of periods when the fairgrounds are hopping).

Pennington and Commissioner Greg Hansen pushed back on Dance’s suggestion. “Andy, you’re stepping into some real, real bad ground that we don’t want to get into,” Hansen said. “It’s a shelter. It’s a shelter.”

Given the lifesaving benefit of sheltering those most vulnerable during a winter weather emergency, I was confused by what those “concerns” may represent; especially when a key tenet of the 4-H program is “…developing young people who are empowered, confident, hard-working, determined, responsible and compassionate—seeing a world beyond themselves…”

Whenever I see politicians sitting on a dais – with full-bellies and a roof over their heads – dithering over ‘what to do’ with those unfortunate souls who, for myriad reasons of insanity, infirmity, destitution, and addiction – find themselves without adequate shelter during life-threatening weather events, I pay close attention.

If you consider yourself an educated voter, you should too.

In my experience, you can learn a lot about the priorities and leadership of a community in those moments.

If you have ever been cold – I mean truly hypothermic – when the wind and biting chill are so inescapable it leaves you feeling claustrophobic, then you know what a mental and physical toll freezing weather can extract. Even in Florida, where the humidity, or something else, always seems to makes the ambient temperature feel even colder.

For those at the mercy of the elements – taking shelter from extreme weather is not a matter of comfort – it is the difference between life and death.

Perhaps there is a lesson in compassion, and a practical example of “seeing the world beyond themselves,” for those young members of the Flagler 4-H – and the Flagler Board of County Commissioners – to be found in the timeless wisdom of Thomas Jefferson’s truism, “The measure of society is how it treats the weakest members.”

Quote of the Week

“It’s like a bad dream you can’t really wake up from,” said Melissa Lammers of Ormond Beach.

This particular Volusia Forever purchase was handled differently from previous ones, she and another Sierra Club leader, Steve Wonderly, explained.

Normally, the land purchase doesn’t go through unless Volusia Forever gets matching funds from another agency, such as the state government. Then, any infrastructure needed — bike paths, picnic tables, etc. — is paid for by the county’s ECHO fund, which stands for Environmental, Cultural, Historic, and Outdoors.

But for this purchase, the county council “matched” the Volusia Forever funding by pulling money from its ECHO fund, they said. The county matched ITSELF, using money that’s never before been used for buying land.”

–Environmental Reporter Craig Pittman, writing in the Florida Phoenix, “Florida county wants motocross course on land bought for conservation,” Thursday, October 8, 2026

Volusia County government once again found itself in a larger spotlight last week when someone from outside our sandy microcosm here on the “Fun Coast” realized that using voter-approved conservation funds for the construction of a commercial motorcross facility is “a problem.”

Most of us who live here already knew that…

Last week, veteran Tampa Bay Times environmental reporter (and recognized “Florida Literary Legend”) Craig Pittman wrote a biting essay in Florida Politics pointing out the strange contradiction of how the very place where tax-supported land preservation began used millions in conservation funds to facilitate the noise and environmental impacts of a professional motocross facility.

“Volusia County, where Florida’s practice of preserving land for environmental purposes has a rich history, has gotten itself tied into knots over the proper use of some recently purchased conservation property.

The county spent $4.6 million in taxpayer-approved preservation funding to purchase 365 acres. Then, after the deal went through, county officials decided to preserve only 279 of those acres.

The other 77, they said, would be used for a county-sponsored motocross course.

They voted for motocross even though that land is smack in the middle of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. It’s supposed to be for bears, bobcats, and panthers, not dirt bikes,” Pittman wrote.

Sounds even more asinine when you hear it from an outsider, eh?

Featured prominently in Mr. Pittman’s exposé is Volusia County Councilman Don Dempsey, who is widely considered the progenitor of the great “bait and switch” that, in my view, supplanted tax-supported conservation funds to facilitate his family hobby.

For the record, Councilman Dempsey is currently hanging on by his fingernails in the District 1 race against political newcomer Wendy Anderson, a Ph.D. biologist and Chair of Environmental Science and Studies at Stetson University.

According to the op/ed, “The county official pushing hardest for motocross is a DeLand lawyer named Don Dempsey. He’s a Volusia County Council member whose son just happens to be — surprise! — a motocross racer.

Dempsey denied he’s pursuing this for personal reasons.

“I’m not doing this for me or my son,” he said, according to the Daytona Beach News Journal. “I’m doing this for the community.”

Sure he is.

Because nothing says comprehensive outdoor recreation in an established wildlife corridor quite like the earsplitting “Braaaaaap-Braaaaaap” of a high-performance 450cc motocross bike making hot laps around a technical motocross track…

Whatever.

In my view, despite Mr. Dempsey’s repeated denials that his push for a county-funded track is anything less than a pet project to accommodate his family pastime, many believe his argument is disingenuous, and it casts doubt on everything else he says and does from his lofty perch on the dais of power.

For instance, is anyone else confused by the fact Councilman Dempsey, in a politically expedient move, has opposed “toilet to tap” – the disgusting reuse of treated sewage as drinking water to facilitate more development – while simultaneously seeking to eliminate the permanency provisions of Volusia FOREVER?

During a December 2025 council workshop (and again in March 2026), Dempsey pounded his fists, dug in his heels, and bellowed that he didn’t like the idea of future council members being blocked from building a nuclear reactor in Volusia County should the need arise…

By Dempsey’s bizarre logic – when fossil fuels are exhausted and the Floridan aquifer runs dry – “Fun Coast” residents 1,000 years hence will be doomed to a Mad Max dystopia because we voted for a conservation program where forever meant just that.

Why?

Because we prehistoric inhabitants of Volusia County once perceived an existential threat of our own and selfishly voted to conserve some ecologically sensitive greenspace at a time when every inch of ground was being slashed, burned, and churned into a black muck to accommodate more, more, more sprawl…

In supporting his thesis that preservation goals can get skewed at the nexus of pet projects and public funds, Mr. Pittman wrote, “Nature is never enough for some people. Even though we see less and less of it, these people think a quiet natural area is a waste of space. They want some big, noisy manmade distraction.

I did a quick search of Volusia County Property Appraiser records and Dempsy owns a lot of land. I bet he’s got room to build his own commercial motocross course without using any taxpayer dollars. Then the conservation land the county bought could be used for what the voters intended.

I tried calling Dempsey several times to make this suggestion, but I could never reach him. Maybe he couldn’t hear the phone ringing over all the motorcycles. I SAID, MAYBE HE COULDN’T HEAR THE PHONE!”

Well said.

If Mr. Dempsey thinks a commercial motocross facility is financially viable in Volusia County (experts say it isn’t at the site the county purchased) then he should put his own money where his mouth is, take an entrepreneurial roll of the dice, and stop using our tax-supported Volusia ECHO and Forever funds to finance his private amusement.

From a tax funded motocross facility, to eviscerating the perpetuity provisions of Volusia Forever, even voting against a registry that protects potential victims from those previously convicted of domestic violence (?), “Drama Don” Dempsey seems to feed on confusing his constituents with contrived controversy.

In my view, that’s not leadership.  It is self-serving opportunism that benefits a few at the expense of many.

Here’s hoping the long-suffering residents of District 1 have had enough.

And Another Thing!

“One of the most striking things about Florida’s Amendment 3 is that almost everybody who’s actually studied this plan thinks it’s a bad idea.

Fiscal watchdogs and Wall Street Analysts. Sheriffs and first responders. Republican and Democratic leaders of cities and counties both rural and urban.

The proposal is billed as a tax cut, but will actually jack up housing costs for millions of Floridians.

And it was so poorly thought out — rushed through a 48-hour special legislative session without analysis — that even fiscally conservative groups that normally promote tax breaks have said this one’s flawed.”

–Editorialist Scott Maxwell, writing in the Orlando Sentinel, “Florida sheriffs, fiscal watchdogs say Amendment 3 is a misleading, financial disaster,” Friday, October 2, 2026

(Read the rest of Mr. Maxwell’s disturbing essay here: https://tinyurl.com/yrhazw8t )

You may have noticed that rather than openly endorse candidates and causes during an election, I typically make my opinions known than let readers make up their own mind based upon all available information (or past performance…)

When it comes to Florida’s incredibly divisive Amendment 3, most citizens – including those hapless state legislators who opted to put it on the ballot – don’t have a clue about the potential threats to our collective quality of life and the financial future of our hometowns.

They can’t – because the unintended (and intended) consequences remain unknown.

Recently, I discussed the potential ramifications of the Amendment 3 tax shift with smart political minds that I admire.

They agreed this sham is the worst piece of legislative horseshit ever foisted on the electorate – a constitutional amendment that claims to reduce property taxes – while intentionally concealing the fact it merely shifts costs for essential services.

In fact, the tax shift effectively exsanguinates local essential services like law enforcement, fire, emergency medical response, flood control, right-of-way maintenance, mosquito control, hospital funding, critical emergency management functions, etc.

It also defunds those amenities that make our hometowns so special – youth and senior programs, fireworks displays, public libraries, parades, parks, and recreational opportunities – those things that enhance civic pride and make a community attractive for residential and commercial investment.

Last week, the orchestrated effort by Florida’s real estate and development industries – those special interests who will financially benefit from Amendment 3 – heated up on social media and beyond.

Frankly, I was shocked by some of the unvetted agitprop being spewed by members of the real estate industry, one that has long relied on strict ethical standards for its legitimacy.

The fact these mercenary special interests failed to consider the urgent cautions of local legislators who claimed they were strongarmed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to put the item on the ballot – and now admit Amendment 3 is bad for Florida – speaks volumes about the real estate/development industry’s mercenary motivations.

I have consistently used this space to criticize big government spending while praising those small and midsized municipalities who, by necessity, live within their means while providing residents with tailored services, an excellent quality of life, and a unique civic identity.

From enormous executive salaries in large bureaucracies, Taj Mahal facilities, and gross mismanagement; to the bastardization of environmental and conservation programs, and a lack of citizen input in budget decisions, I believe We, The Little People deserve a well-thought comprehensive overhaul of the tax structure in Florida.

Amendment 3 isn’t it.

As the bulldozers continue to roar across the width and breadth of Florida, saturating the state with more, more, more 3/2 homogenized cracker boxes, our civic infrastructure and essential service needs will increase exponentially, with no way to pay for it other than still undefined “alternative revenue sources.”

Please protect our hometowns and unique quality of life by voting “No” on Amendment 3.

That’s all for me. Have a great Biketoberfest 2026, 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: Rewarding Incompetence to Perpetuate the Lie

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

Ladies and Gentlemen, you’re entering the wondrous dimension of imagination.

Next stop…The Twilight Zone.”

a/k/a The Volusia County School Board…

It has been said there is nothing kind about a lie that feels like encouragement.

Unfortunately, it seems the majority of our elected representatives on the Volusia County School Board have been diluting the meaning of academic and administrative excellence for so long they have come to believe their own prevarications.

That’s a dangerous indulgence in a public school district with a budget north of $1 Billion…

In my view, it represents organizational pseudologia fantastica – pathological lying – a pattern of compulsive and elaborate false narratives where the upper echelon of the Ivory Tower of Power eventually becomes convinced of thier own fabrications.

That irrational self-deception is facilitated by an environment where stakeholders naturally believe an “A” grade represents superior achievement.  Until we learn the fictitious grade is based on Florida’s skewed system where districts that obtain just 65% or higher over twelve categories are considered top-rated by the Florida Department of Education.

Volusia County Schools squeaked by with a mediocre 66%…

As a result, standards and traditional metrics have become meaningless, the process a means of organizational reassurance, rather than an objective measurement of performance.

Now, the district’s malignancy of lies continues, and that same perversion of academic achievement is being applied to Superintendent Carmen Balgobin’s annual performance evaluation.

According to a disturbing article by reporter Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week:

“The board evaluated Balgobin ahead of the Sept. 8 meeting. The job performance assessment was raised as an agenda item, but no one discussed it in detail, nor were board members’ marks included in the public agenda. The News-Journal requested the five board members’ evaluations as public records and received them it on Sept. 21.”

“The evaluation tool covered seven goals, with 26 specific indicators within those goals. The superintendent received either a mark of proficient, reasonable progress toward expectation, and needs improvement on each of the 26.”

In a move that sent a chill down my spine, our recently reelected board chair Ruben Colón gave Superintendent Balgobin a perfect score…

Using the “back-to-back “A” grades” shim-sham to maximum effect, Chairman Colón swallowed what must be the tattered remnants of his dignity when he wrote, “The superintendent shows proactive leadership across instruction, staffing, safety, operations, technology, communications, and community engagement, he said, adding Balgobin “consistently communicated the district mission, vision and strategic priorities.”

Clearly, Mr. Colón forgot to go outside the silo of Balgobin’s executive suite and speak to those who suffer the district’s recurrent dysfunction, expensive systemic failures, payroll/tax/benefits maladministration, systems, and policies that continue to fail students, teachers, staff, and parents who approach the podium each meeting trying desperately to sound the alarm.

He has also forgotten the sound advice of Sen. Rosalind Osgood (D-Tamarac) who commented on the dysfunction of senior administrators in Volusia County Schools during a February hearing on Florida’s School Board Member Bill of Rights in Tallahassee.

Sen. Osgood asked whether Balgobin was elected or appointed?

When it was explained that the Superintendent was appointed, Osgood remarked, “Y’all should fire ’em…”

Remember? I do.

It is now clear that Chairman Colón – a malleable finger-puppet who parrots the district’s line and callously ignores the systemic failures and dysfunction that continue to plague Volusia County Schools – has become so blinded by the system that he has become a useless appendage on a board whose statutory raison d’être is independent oversight.

For her part, the administration’s attack/lap dog Krista Goodrich gave Balgobin 25 “proficient” marks and one “reasonable progress toward expectation” in the “communication and community engagement” category.

In addition, Goodrich gave Superintendent Balgobin a glowing endorsement, calling the district’s non-existent accomplishments “remarkable,” cementing her place as an obedient foot soldier of influential special interests who use those “A” grades as a cheap marketing tool…

As board member Jamie Haynes battles for her political life against newcomer Brenda Beery, she saw fit to mark all but two of Balgobin’s grades as “proficient;” while the no-longer-relevant Jessie “Whackadoodle” Thompson – an admitted liar and demonstrable looney-tune who was defeated in the August primary – made a mockery of the process by gifting the Superintendent 25 “proficient” grades.

Only in the Twilight Zone…

According to the News-Journal’s report, the one consistent servant-leader on the board – District 4 member Donna Brosemer – courageously “…rated Balgobin just 12% proficient, giving her 18 “needs improvement” marks out of 26 grades. Brosemer did not follow the instrument’s directions by giving comments on each specific needs-improvement grade, but offered a harsh overview, calling the district “the most toxic environment I have encountered in my 35 years in public policy.”

For her consistent defense of our children’s education and development, Ms. Brosmer has been marked as a troublemaker – publicly marginalized, accused, and maligned by the district’s cliquish “insiders” and those external influencers who run interference – for having the personal and political courage to speak the truth to power.

Now, it appears Ms. Brosemer is the target of an open-ended “investigation” – commissioned by the school board and paid for by taxpayers – as a means of punishing her for posting a meme on social media criticizing the Balgobin administration’s infringement on our first amendment rights by blocking citizen comments on official communications.

Read that again…

In a March 2026 essay discussing the hidden costs of lowering the educational bar, educator and writer Kate Martin said, “A society that can’t honestly assess competence is going to struggle to govern itself well. When grades stop meaning anything, trust erodes — not just in schools, but in credentials, in institutions, and eventually in the professions that depend on them.”

In my view, that thought is equally appliable to the evaluation of a public education executive commanding some $300,000 annually in salary and benefits…

As Ms. Martin explained, “Accountability requires differentiation. You can’t improve what you’re not allowed to honestly measure.”

Vote like your children’s education, academic integrity, and our tax dollars matter.

City of Bunnell: A Change of Leadership Restores Trust

Last week, the tenure of Bunnell’s embattle City Manager Alvin “Secret Squirrell” Jackson ended as enigmatically as one of his behind-closed-doors negotiations with a commercial developer when he (sort of) announced that he was resigning his role effective immediately.

Apparently, Jackson’s resignation came one step ahead of a move by City Commissioner John Rogers to fire him…

Last Friday, when FlaglerLive.com announced Jackson’s departure, it was the first many residents (and some city officials) had heard of it:

“Bunnell City Manager Alvin Jackson has resigned, ending an eight-year tenure that in the past several months unraveled as he was criticized by commissioners and members of the public for a lack of transparency, of machinating secret deals, and of improper, possibly illegal conduct, such as when he maneuvered secretly for a 610-acre garbage dump, negotiated with a fuel-dump company and contacted the employer of a resident who’d filed a public record request.”

According to the report, Mr. Jackson had originally planned to retire in February 2028, then recently expedited things to June 2027, amid mounting community outrage surrounding the mysterious “Project Butterfly” – which turned out to be a commercial landfill…

In an odd twist, rather than say goodbye and calm mounting rumors among city employees, the report claims Jackson called an all-hands/closed-door meeting on Thursday afternoon and spoke to staff as though he were still at the helm, even though he had already submitted his resignation (?).

According to FlaglerLive.com, rather than announce his departure to confused employees, Jackson “…celebrated himself, describing “the progress that we’re making” as “just astounding and magnificent,” and Bunnell as “truly becoming a very great city–a city that industry wants to come to, a city that residentials want to come to, a city that commercial development is happening.”

Most shocking, it was revealed that there may be state and federal audits forthcoming due, in part, to a four-day workweek Jackson implemented for city employees that may have run afoul of wage and hour laws.  The FlaglerLive.com report stated that during the staff meeting an employee explained “…we have got departments who have consistently ignored that, which means that we could potentially be audited either by the feds or the state, where somebody can make their complaint, and we could end up in court for millions. We can’t do that. That’s a huge risk.”

Wow.

In my experience, that’s the problem with secrecy in government – bad news never ages well…

On Monday, the Bunnel City Commission voted unanimously to accept Jackson’s resignation (he left City Hall on Friday), then voted 4-1 to deny Jackson a “pre-submitted” severance package. Mayor Catherine Robinson cast the lone vote in support of paying Mr. Jackson a severance, calling his departure a “forced resignation.”

According to reports, “…Jackson was asking for 12 weeks’ severance, to which he is not entitled, as well as health and other benefits, to which he is not entitled, and a payout for 13 holidays, to which he is also not entitled.”

In turn, the commission unanimously approved the appointment of the city’s competent Police Chief David Brannon as interim city manager, who stepped down from his law enforcement role to accept the temporary assignment.

Here’s hoping Chief Brannon can use his considerable talents to help restore the public trust – and mend difficult divisions on the Bunnell City Commission – as the city sets about the important task of recruiting, vetting, and hiring the transparent leadership residents deserve.

Quote of the Week

“The First Step Shelter has agreed to pay two former employees a total of $440,000 to settle a whistleblower lawsuit, according to a statement provided to The News-Journal.

Patrick Smith, the former director of philanthropy, will receive $300,000 in the settlement, according to his attorney, Kelly Chanfrau. Pamela Alexander, the former housing director, settled the case a couple of weeks earlier and received $140,000, said Chanfrau, who represented Alexander as well.

Smith and Alexander filed the lawsuit against First Step Shelter in December 2024, alleging they were fired in retaliation for their complaints against the shelter and had been publicly defamed by both the shelter and the city of Daytona Beach, according to a previous News-Journal story.

The city of Daytona Beach was subsequently dismissed from the lawsuit early in the case.

The lawsuit was amended to add Victoria Fahlberg as a defendant on April 1, 2025. At the time, Fahlberg was the executive director of the First Step Shelter, a post she had held since it opened. Fahlberg resigned in April 2026.”

–Reporter Frank Fernandez, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “First Step Shelter to pay whistleblowers $440K to settle lawsuit,” Friday, September 2, 2026

With the controversial reign of Victoria Fahlberg now a bad memory, a new executive director at the helm, and this ugly chapter in the shelter’s history now settled, perhaps it is time for the Daytona Beach City Commission to complete the transition to new leadership by replacing the First Step Board of Directors?

In my view, the boards ham-handed (if not cruel) mismanagement of this situation was a textbook example of what not to do when faced with whistleblower allegations.

For instance, by allowing board members to openly malign the character and reputation of whistleblowers in meetings and on social media – belittling their willingness to come forward and labeling concerns as “appalling and ridiculous,” a “scam,” and a “charade” – effectively ensuring that no other First Step employee would ever dare come forward again.

According to the News-Journal’s report, “The city of Daytona Beach was named in the lawsuit because it owns the shelter building west of Interstate 95, has oversight powers of the shelter board and has contributed $400,000 per year since the shelter opened five years ago, according to a story published in 2024.”

Unfortunately, the article also states that a representative for Daytona Beach City Manager Deric Feacher directed all media inquiries to the city’s mouthpiece…

Given the turmoil that continues to shake the very foundation of the municipal government, in my view, this was another missed opportunity to demonstrate transparency and communicate a plan for inspiring positive change at First Step.

(This week I learned that the City of Daytona Beach has now taken to charging exorbitant fees to citizens seeking information through lawful public records requests – which begs the question – “What are they trying to hide?”)

I’ve said this before, but now is the time to mitigate further damage (and future liability) by purging the First Step Board of Directors.  In my view, the shelter’s new Executive Director Susan Clark – and the citizens of Daytona Beach – deserve new blood, innovative perspectives, and a fresh set of eyes to assist with the arduous process of rebuilding the organizations image and stewarding the First Step Shelter in a fresh new direction.

And Another Thing!

“In regard to voting on ECHO funding for The Brown, County Council Chair Brower asked the county attorney if three council members needed to recuse themselves, as each had received political campaign donations from Cici and Hyatt Brown — major donors, and the namesakes, to the museum’s renovation.

The three council members were Johansson, Danny Robins and David Santiago. Johansson is running for Florida Senate; Robins and Santiago are running for reelection on the council.

County Attorney Mike Dyer confirmed they did not need to recuse themselves, as campaign contributions do not create a conflict of interest for voting purposes, per the Florida Commission on Ethics.

County Councilman Troy Kent, who is not up for reelection, said Brower’s statements “crossed a line.”

“I feel like you’re putting not only the individuals that are running currently, but also Mr. Brown’s integrity, into question,” he said. “I think it’s wildly inappropriate. I don’t think it’s called for. I feel like the political season is ugly enough, and I just feel like as a body, we are better than that.”

Brower responded that the public needs to hear the clarification from the county attorney to clear up any concerns.

“I think it looks ugly to the public who depends on us to handle their money properly,” Brower said. “It makes them wonder.”

–Reporter Jarleene Almenas, writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “Volusia County Council approves $13M in ECHO projects,” Tuesday, September 6, 2026

It appears Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower said the quiet part out loud.

Rather than stir a thoughtful discussion of the public’s perception of money and influence in local government – it went over like the proverbial fart in church…

During Tuesday mornings discussion of $13 million in ECHO projects, to include $2.5 million for a redesign of “The Brown/Museum of Arts and Sciences” in Daytona Beach – which is the philanthropic namesake of billionaire insurance magnate and political bankroller J. Hyatt Brown and his wife.

It is no secret that Mr. Brown, both personally and through various corporate entities, has donated handsomely to hand-select candidates for local public office for years, making Brown one of the heaviest hitters in Volusia County politics.

To his credit, Chairman Brower – who has historically been shunned by Mr. Brown and Volusia’s uber-wealthy kingmakers – took a clear swipe at his always adversarial “colleagues” by asking County Attorney Mike Dyer if Jake Johansson, Danny “Gaslight” Robins and David “No Show” Santiago, as recipients of Brown’s largesse, should recuse themselves from the vote?

I got a kick out of that…

In stirring the political pot, Chairman Brower rhetorically questioned if the acceptance of Mr. Brown’s campaign contributions created a potential conflict of interest for those sitting council members/candidates who would vote on “The Brown” funding request.

For good or ill, in Florida, the mere receipt of campaign contributions does not represent an ethical conflict of interest.  However, there are strict campaign finance disclosure requirements that identify donors by name/entity/amount, allowing voters to make up their own mind about a candidate’s loyalties and independence.

I think Mr. Brower knew that all along…

Per usual, Councilman Santiago – that pint-sized martinet who is running for his political life in the district 5 race – climbed up on his sanctimonious soapbox and labeled Brower’s question “political theater” (that’s rich, considering the source…)

According to the Observer’s report, “He (Brower) had the answers to that legal question already, because legal already looked at it days ago and told him and told us,” Santiago said. “This is the mockery that he makes of this council since he’s been here seven — excuse me, six years.”

In my view, Councilman “No Show” Santiago is a techy perennial politician with little visible means of support outside government/politics/influence.  I have been on the receiving end of his meanspirited attacks, lies, and distortions – and have watched as he viciously bullied civically engaged residents and advisory board volunteers from the dais.

That’s why his response demeaning Chairman Brower’s service isn’t surprising.

Since he took office, Chairman Brower has been the whipping boy of Volusia’s stagnant “Old Guard,” stodgy insiders who benefit from the status quo and to whom Robins and Santiago owe their political souls.

Despite Councilman Kent’s attempt to make nice-nice for Mr. Brown, the fact remains – the Volusia County Council is forever plagued by a corrosive cynicism and complete lack of public confidence known as the “trust issue.”

It’s a whole different game when the piñata hits back, and I find it refreshing to see Chairman Brower finally standing up to those compromised shills who have blocked, marginalized, and maligned every civic and environmental initiative he has brought forward over the last six-years.

Vote like your quality of life depends upon it.

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

Note:

Please help the City of Holly Hill celebrate its 125th Birthday on Saturday!

The community will host a “Block Party” on Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 4:00pm to 8:30pm at Sunrise Park (1135 Riverside Drive). The hometown celebration will feature a performance by The Fabulous B Naturals, food trucks, family activities, and a drone show on the banks of the beautiful Halifax River!

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:

Beyond the “Great Debate”: Robins v. White in Volusia County’s District 3 Race

Last week, Volusia County Council District 3 incumbent Danny Robins and his opponent, citizen advocate and political newcomer Byron White, faced off in a moderated debate held at The Magnolia at NSB.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it.

I wash my beard on Wednesday nights…

The fact is I don’t give a tinker’s damn what a sitting politician has to say – especially one with the well-documented track record of “Gaslight” Robins – who received his fitting moniker in this space for repeatedly doing just that to his constituents.

In politics, past is prelude, and previous votes are the best predictor of future performance.

In my experience, politicians rarely change their innate character or propensity for deception, quibbling, and outright lies, and when Mr. Robins took office six-years ago, it quickly became evident who (and what) he served.

It had nothing to do with protecting the interests of Volusia County residents.

In my view, the best example came during a grassroots push to mitigate countywide flooding concerns by mandating that developers incorporate low-impact practices in regional projects.

Commonsense (and the scientific study of hydrology) tells us that “fill and build” construction –including the proliferation of impervious surfaces that alter the natural drainage, retention, and percolation of stormwater – adversely impacts natural processes and increases the damaging effects of runoff, making adjacent areas prone to flooding.

It doesn’t take a civil engineer to understand the concept.

Simply invert a bowl on your counter and pour a glass of water over it. The results are easy to understand – and hard to argue…

Yet, in the face of recurrent flooding and unprecedented suffering, those rent-a-representatives on the Volusia County Council concluded that not only should one of the most flood prone counties in Florida make best practices optional, but they also agreed to provide lucrative incentives for their puppeteers in the development community who volunteer to apply accepted industry standards.

In perhaps the most profoundly stupid (and telling) statement ever uttered from that gilded dais of power in DeLand, Councilman Robins said:

“If there was data that would show mandatory LID practices would solve the county’s flooding concerns, Robins said, “there wouldn’t be any question up here.”

We have to pay attention to the data and the facts, and I think it’s very important,” he said. “We’ve been down this road several times and I’m ready to vote.”

Per usual, Mr. Robins conveniently ignored (to his political benefactor’s benefit) the fact that low-impact practices were designed by environmental scientists, hydrologists, and building industry experts to preserve natural drainage processes, reduce stormwater runoff, and help retain more rainfall onsite. 

The practice is widely supported by “data and facts” vetted by the United States Department of Environmental Protection who confirmed the practice “decreases costly flooding and property damage.“

In August 2025, Chairman Jeff Brower appeared before the Edgewater City Council to champion the waterlogged community’s opposition to the state’s preemption of growth management regulations in SB 180.

In one of his scripted harangues, Councilman Robins accused Mr. Brower of having “diarrhea of the mouth” and claimed the Chairman’s address to the Edgewater City Council undermined the intent of his fellow Caspar Milquetoasts (“the man who speaks softly and gets hit with a big stick”) on the Volusia County Council.

Instead of standing firm against the state’s aggression and joining with other local governments across the state who were considering a lawsuit against the attack on Home Rule, Councilman Robins and his “colleagues” opted to pule and beg on bended knee for amendments to SB 180.

In a shocking demonstration of what obsequious cowards Robins and the others have become – Mr. Robins mewled that, rather than defend local control and vehemently oppose the overreach of SB 180 – council members should be “…walking on eggshells and kissing their (legislators) butts to get this through for our citizens, not campaigning on the dais with this much at stake.”

Read that again…

As a political voyeur who spends an inordinate amount of time watching and commenting on local politics and governance, I could spend the rest of this essay itemizing the myriad ways Mr. Robins has manipulated facts to ingratiate himself with Volusia’s stagnant “Old Guard” and further the wants of his political benefactors.

From painting himself as the hero of conservation efforts, blocking any environmental/civic initiative brought by Chairman Brower or area environmentalists, ignoring citizen input, running interference for developers, kowtowing to state preemptions that threaten home rule, eliminating investment in the arts by callously reversing approved grant funding from local nonprofit organizations at the eleventh-hour, and repeatedly gaslighting his constituents to further the mercenary wants of special interests, Mr. Robins has proven who, and what, he represents.

In my view, Danny Robins – and his cowardly confederates currently defending their seats on the Volusia County Council – represent everything wrong with the “Fun Coast’s” warped version of “governance.”

That includes shameless political prostitutes like District 5 Councilman David “No Show” Santiago, shills who long-ago sold their civic souls to those who fund their self-serving ambitions (and work them like a finger-puppet), while callously ignoring the needs, wants, and quality of life of their long-suffering constituents.

Given the short memory of some voters – especially those well-meaning few trying to turn non-partisan local races into a show of party loyalty regardless of past performance (?) – I feel recent history should be remembered before we are doomed to repeat it…

When a sitting politician repeatedly shows you who they are: Believe them.

Trust is defined as a cumulative expectation of good faith based on experience; a reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.  Lies and deceptions – even minor ones – erode that expectation.

In my view, it is time Councilman “Gaslight” Robins and politicians like him learn that lesson at the ballot box.

“We, The Little People” deserve better.

Ormond Beach: Requiem for a Small Business

“I understand that Ormond Beach is growing, and I’m not asking Ormond Beach not to grow,” Ormond Farm Supply owner Renee Ruckert said. “What concerns me is what we may lose while we’re growing. It feels like some of the old way is disappearing. The local stores, the places with history.”

— Renee Ruckert, owner of Ormond Farm Supply, as quoted by reporter Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “Ormond officials vote 4-1 to approve amendment that will pave way for new Tractor Supply store,” Thursday, September 24, 2026

The homogenization of Ormond Beach continues…

When I was growing up around these parts, back when the Halifax area was a much different place, Florida communities enjoyed unique civic identities – aesthetic, cultural, and environmental differences that set them apart and made them distinctive, even inimitable.

My hometown of Ormond Beach – “The Birthplace of Speed” – was once a standout.

Now the place where John D. Rockefeller, once the richest man in the universe, chose for his winter home citing it’s scenic setting and exceptional community virtues has slowly been transformed into a generic every place.

Across the state, large swaths of our sensitive environment, forests, wetlands, and aquifer recharge areas have been slashed and burned to make way for massive “developments of regional impact.” Always accompanied by those uniform chain stores and half-empty strip centers that sell new transplants more things to put in those ubiquitous “storage centers” that keep popping up like suppurating ulcers.

Slowly, ‘local charm’ has given way to a standardized (read: easy to replicate) “sameness,” full of cookie cutter 3/2 wood-frame cracker box tract homes crammed onto identical zero lot line postage stamp parcels.

The result is an impervious and visually monotonous concrete moonscape – now perversely known as the “Florida Model” – marked by unchecked sprawl in the form of large-scale suburban development without adequate civic infrastructure, a cart-before-the-horse “cram ten-pounds of shit into a five-pound bag” money grab that has destroyed what made us special.

This incredibly lucrative corporate model relies on malleable politicians who run interference in state and local governments by actively suppressing, perverting, and preempting commonsense land use regulations…

Sound familiar?

According to a recent article in the Ormond Beach Observer, “A Tractor Supply Company store will be coming to 890 N. U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach. The City Commission approved an amendment to a development order for the Tomoka Commerce Park project in a 4-1 vote on Wednesday, Sept. 23.”

The “commerce park” is being built on a 12.5-acre parcel located at 890 North U.S. 1., and is “…slated to have 56,108 square feet of office, warehouse and industrial space and a 21,901-square-foot Tractor Supply. The City Commission approved the project’s development order in February, but the amendment reduced the approved density of Tomoka Commerce Park, according to a city staff report. The number of buildings was lowered from 11 to six, reducing projected traffic impacts and impervious surface area.”

That’s how sitting officials feel better about themselves…

Unfortunately, a long-established small business located just two-blocks north – Ormond Farm Supply – will be summarily sacrificed on the altar of “progress,” a thirty-year community staple unable to complete with the larger corporate retailer, as the “McDonaldization” of Ormond Beach continues…

Of course, Ormond Beach elected officials lamented the pending death of another otherwise successful business with the standard, “Oh, well.  Nuttin’ we can do, y’all. Hands are tied.  Progress and all. We don’t get to pick what businesses come to town – best of luck, out with the old, in with the new!”

To his credit, lame duck Mayor Jason Leslie was the lone “No” vote – a largely symbolic gesture of support – as the shroud is slowly pulled on the latest commercial casualty of the homogenization of Ormond Beach.

According to the Observer, Mayor Leslie “…said he originally liked the project because of its concept to provide warehouse and office space to small businesses. These are still in the development plans, but the number of buildings were reduced.

Leslie said he opposed the Tractor Supply due to its impact on small businesses.

“I just don’t want to be in the business of putting people out of work and closing businesses,” he said.”

Requiescat in pace, Ormond Beach…

Quote of the Week

“All of this comes down to Mr. Jackson, who doesn’t live within the city,” Steve Wood, a Railroad Street resident in Bunnell, said from the podium, pointing at Jackson, “and has led us down the path to turning our city to shit, okay? You are the problem.” He called Jackson a “spineless jellyfish” for declining to appear on WNZF’s Free For All Friday with David Ayres (Jackson cancelled moments before the show last week), opting instead for the flattering infomercial Jearlyn Dennie pays for.

“If there was any more backside kissing that was going on in that interview, it was disgusting,” Wood told the city manager and the commission. “And for you to sit there and smirk and then be up and down and show these citizens the level of disrespect and contempt that you have for these people that live here, is disgusting. You are a fraud. You have committed fraud. The way you have done this is horrendous.” He accused Jackson of turning Bunnell “into a whorehouse” for money’s sake.”

–Bunnell resident Steve Wood, as quoted by FlaglerLive.com, “City Manager Alvin Jackson Called a ‘Fraud’ Turning Bunnell to ‘S***’ as Landfill Fouls Commission Meeting,” Tuesday, September 29, 2026

I publish this blog on the premise that if you care about good governance in your own backyard, you should care about openness and transparency everywhere.

That’s why in recent weeks I’ve followed the building public outcry to the revelation that Bunnell’s mysterious “Project Butterfly” was in fact a Class 1 landfill to be situated on 610-acres in the heart of rural Flagler County’s historic agriculture area.

The civic controversy began when Bunnell City Manager Alvin Jackson entered a non-disclosure agreement with a private company ostensibly to protect the site selection and planning stage of what was later disclosed to be a solid waste management facility.

The revelation came just hours before the city’s Planning and Zoning Board met to discuss the first/final approval of the landfill. The discovery came far too late for residents to mount an effective defense to their quality of life.

It didn’t matter anyway.

In the view of many, it seemed the planning apparatus had already rubber stamped the dump, with many blindsided residents feeling the meeting was a rushed formality by a board whose sitting majority seemed intent on approving the landfill without considering the potential catastrophic consequences of their decision.

According to FlaglerLive.com, the board members who pushed the project were “…Cory Romaniuk, Francena Koch and Gary Gardner. Chelsea Herbert, a member of the board, alone opposed the proposal and deconstructed the applicant’s rationales during the Sept. 1 planning board meeting. Lyn Lafferty, who is among the landowners of the proposed landfill site and who sits on the planning board, absented herself, as did Gary Matsen.”

As I understand it, Ms. Lafferty has since resigned from the city’s planning board…

In my view, it was the manner and means by which Mr. Jackson orchestrated the clandestine negotiations in effective darkness – pledging an oath of secrecy to keep critical information from his constituents until the last minute – that has galvanized the community and started a full-scale citizen revolt.

Good for Bunnell residents who are making their voices heard in easy-to-understand language.

In my view, longsuffering citizens have every right to demand answers, appeal the suspicious approval of a life altering solid waste facility located near homes and working farms – to include the potential for offensive odors, contaminated runoff, and the myriad health, safety, environmental, noise, and traffic concerns.

They also deserve to be told where the waste destined for the landfill will originate?

According to FlaglerLive.com:

“The owner of 141 acres in Bunnell, whose family owns about 900 acres in the city, said she and her family are “within a rock’s throw of the landfill. It is going to contaminate our pastures. It’s going to contaminate our property that we lease to farmers. It’s going to bankrupt the farmers,” she said. She described severe water issues now, before the landfill goes in, and called its opening “catastrophic,” if it were to happen. “My great grandparents came over in a buckboard wagon. They built this town. They didn’t build it for this. They didn’t build for their legacy to go down into a dump.”

Some 15 more people spoke likewise, among them Denise Calderwood, who called out Jackson for his secrecy, calling it “horseshit” (and drawing applause for it), some who spoke their concern about groundwater, about the “stink,” about dump trucks dropping garbage along the way, and some who called out Jackson personally.”

In my view, this unfolding catastrophe should be a wake-up call for all “Fun Coast” residents – what happens elsewhere can (and will) happen in your own backyard.

Vote like your quality of life depends upon it.

And Another Thing!

Earlier this month, the City of Daytona Beach’s internal auditor Abinet Belachew announced he is leaving the fray effective October 15.

In my view, Mr. Belachew’s efforts were incredibly effective, and the citizens of Daytona Beach have lost a true advocate in their fight for transparency, accountability, and good governance.

As a confirmed cynic, when Mr. Belachew’s appointment was announced last year, I didn’t hold out much hope for positive change.  He came to Daytona Beach from a similar role with the former United States Agency for International Development – the now dismantled relief organization that became the poster child for government waste, fraud, abuse.

Although many expressed doubt, it became readily apparent that the financial shitshow of USAID was the best preparation Mr. Belachew could have had for his new role in Daytona Beach government…

During his short tenure with the troubled municipality, Mr. Belachew proved to be a hard-charging watchdog – an exceptionally dedicated bean counter with a penchant for uncovering misspending – while upholding ethical and fiduciary standards that ensure the ethical stewardship of public funds.

He didn’t pull any punches when delivering the results.

In fact, Mr. Belachew’s plain talk caught some of his elected bosses and appointed colleagues by surprise as he uncovered a lack of effective fiscal policies, questionable long-term practices, and an initial lack of cooperation by some senior officials unaccustomed to independent oversight.

In effect, Mr. Belachew kicked down long closed doors inside Daytona’s historically cloistered City Hall and aired the dirty laundry for all to see…

During one of his first audits of city purchasing cards, Mr. Belachew uncovered travel irregularities, a lack of receipts and documentation, outdated and ignored policies, along with salacious allegations of an interdepartmental liaison possibly involving a supervisor and subordinate that may have compromised spending policies.

His approachability and professionalism seemed like fresh air and prompted several Daytona Beach employees to come forward.  Some assisted Mr. Belachew in ferreting out longstanding issues, while others utilized an anonymous hotline to report potential issues.

The resulting churn and roil led to a tumultuous period for the City of Daytona Beach, to include the rise of vocal citizen activists and struggling businessowners who, as my alter ego Howard Beale famously said, “…are mad as hell, and aren’t going to take it anymore…”

In April, Mr. Belachew publicly reported on his review of the city’s take-home vehicle program, along with an examination of the questionable spending habits of the Daytona Beach Fire Department over the last five-years.

In the wake of these internal audits – and a concurrent financial review by Florida’s Auditor General and an active criminal investigation by state law enforcement authorities – Assistant City Manager Andy Holmes, Chief Building Official Glenn Urquhart, and Fire Chief Dru Driscoll all resigned their positions.

Tumultuous indeed…

In keeping with how I think the system is supposed to work, Mr. Belachew’s good work was both prompted and championed by WFTV-9’s impressive investigative journalist Demie Johnson who courageously broke the story of Daytona Beach’s purchasing and oversight issues last year, then reported the audit findings to concerned residents.

As attention turns to the November election and the looming disaster of the real estate/development industry endorsed Amendment 3 tax shift – an utter sham which is being used to consolidate power in Tallahassee by exsanguinating our hometowns under the guise of “reducing” property taxes – perhaps instead we should be mandating aggressive boots-on-the-ground independent auditors in every municipal, county, and state agency in Florida?

These reviews should be accompanied by public presentations, like those Mr. Belachew became famous for, which explain the analytical findings in a practical, clear, and easy to understand manner, rather than presenting cold and indecipherable figures on an Excel spreadsheet parroted by the monotonic drone of some half-bright bureaucrat.

In fact, every local government should establish an anonymous waste, fraud, and abuse hotline – a confidential and independent outlet for whistleblowers beyond the State Auditor or Inspector General – both of which have stood idle during a period of rampant quid pro quo corruption and pay-to-play transactional politics in the Lupanare Grande of Tallahassee for far too long…

This independent internal oversight should go beyond the required annual financial audit and reporting to include active and ongoing divisional reviews of operational policies, spending, and internal compliance as a means of improving public trust, support, and cooperation.

In my view, Abinet Belachew set a high bar for the City of Daytona Beach and other local and state government entities who care about transparency and accountability. A standard I hope public officials will seek to emulate as our local governments face an uncertain financial future.

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