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:

Mayor’s Self-Serving Soiree Leads to Major Controversy in Deltona

The Lost City of Deltona is once again embroiled in controversy after the age-old question of “Where’d the money go, Santiago?” arose following the “Mayor’s First Annual Winter Ball” held at the city owned The Center earlier this month.   

Unlike the normal political contretemps that plague progress in Deltona, this one could have serious repercussions for those involved…

According to advertisements that were posted to social media, local businesses, and websites affiliated with the municipal government and event organizers, the formal black-tie event was “presented by the Volusia County Hispanic Association in partnership with Mayor Santiago Avila Jr.” 

In addition, the gala was promoted on the City of Deltona’s calendar, to include a city sponsored link to an Eventbrite page where tickets to the “Mayor’s Winter Ball” could be purchased. 

According to a promotional article in the West Volusia Beacon, admittance to the soiree was listed at “$108.55 general admission, with an elegant dinner and evening program, with live music, dancing and entertainment; $161.90 VIP admission, with early access, a networking reception, champagne toast, premium dinner seating and photo opportunities.”

In addition, several “Platinum, Gold, and Silver” sponsors – identified by Mayor Avila as “community partners” (to include several city contractors…) – were conspicuously promoted as having contributed to the gala.   

According to Mayor Avila’s campaign website, “A majority of the proceeds from this year’s Mayor’s Winter Ball will go toward the renovation and expansion of the Harris Saxon location in Deltona — a cornerstone project dedicated to empowering youth and families in our city.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties vision is to:

“Provide a world-class Club Experience that assures success is within reach of every young person who enters our doors — with all members on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle.”

As often happens in the shadowy world of Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr.’s skeevy politics, personal finance, and method of governance, that’s when things took an ugly turn… 

Last week, former Deltona City Commissioner and civic activist David Sosa revealed that before collecting an undetermined amount of cash from attendees and “sponsors” ostensibly to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler County, neither Mayor Avila nor the Volusia County Hispanic Association bothered to notify the Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties that they would be the beneficiary of a “majority” of the proceeds.

You read that right.

After being widely billed as a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs, on the late afternoon of December 5 (one day before the event) Mayor Avila, Deltona City Manager Doc Dougherty, and the Volusia County Hispanic Association received a terse email from Dr. Camesha Whittaker-Samuel, Chief Executive Officer of the BGCVFC, questioning why neither her leadership team or Board of Directors had been previously consulted about the charitable designation, clarifying that the organization has no plans to renovate or expand the Harris Saxon facility.

In turn, Dr. Whittaker-Samuels asked that the event organizers explain how BGCVFC came to be listed as the beneficiary, to include a “formal, immediate meeting” with event organizers and relevant “city partners” to “discuss the plans, clarify intentions, and ensure proper alignment,” and an assurance that the BGCVFC name will not be used in the future “without prior consultation and written approval.”

Whoa.

Now that the “fundraiser” has been exposed as a potential fraudulent use of the name and imprimatur of the Boys & Girls Clubs, many angry Deltona residents are demanding answers as to how this shameless self-promotion by Mayor Avila became quasi-officially associated with the highly respected youth organization?

Things got worse on Saturday when The Daytona Beach News-Journal started asking questions… 

That’s when Mayor Aliva (per usual) attempted to paint himself as the victim – claiming the criticism was a “political stunt by some of my political opponents” – and that he was merely attempting to save Deltona taxpayers money on the renovation of the Harris Saxon Park.   

After initially claiming the Mayor’s Winter Ball was a “remarkable success” – when pressed, Avila now claims “…the cost to put on the event — including food and decor — leaves little in the way of proceeds, far less than the half-million he estimates the building renovation might need, so what was raised will instead go directly to the Boys & Girls Clubs, he said.”

According to Mayor Avila, “We’ll just figure out what needs to get renovated and expanded, and we’ll add it to next year’s budget under park renovations, which is what I was trying to avoid because I was trying to save taxpayers some money.”

Bullshit. 

To clarify the entanglement for confused constituents, on Sunday morning, Commissioner Dori Howington reported on social media that in September the Deltona City Commission appropriated funds in the 2025-26 budget for Harris-Saxon Park improvements.

According to Ms. Howington, “The money is already there. The budget was already approved. There should be no increase to next year’s budget for Harris Saxon Park renovations because the $2 million was already budgeted in the current fiscal year.”

Wow.  Guess Mayor Avila once again proved the old adage “lies beget lies…”

According to the News-Journal’s report, Mayor Avila and the Volusia County Hispanic Association (which has been associated with Deltona Commissioner Emma Santiago) apparently reached out to Dr. Whittaker-Samuel and “clarified the situation,” agreeing to meet after the holidays for “futher (sp) discussion and alignment on next steps.”

“Avila characterized his conversation with Whittaker-Samuel as her asking whether he was using some of the funds to help with his campaign, to which he responded: “Absolutely not. I don’t think that’s legal.”

Good question.  Considering Mayor Avila advertised the event on his campaign website.   

(I know that because it says, “Political Advertisement Paid for and Approved by Deltona, FL Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr.” at the bottom of the webpage www.avilafordeltona.com)

In my view, Deltona residents and event sponsors have a right to know exactly how much money Mayor Avila and the Volusia County Hispanic Association took in by fraudulently claiming an association with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties – where that money is now – and the names of everyone who benefitted from the scheme… 

Then, Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr. – and anyone else who participated – should be held personally accountable for their despicable actions.

Quote of the Week

“Politicians undermine our democratic values by putting a veil over government action. Those are not the actions of well-meaning public servants who want good government supported by good people. Jefferson said that “Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching.” Citizens respond with virtue when government is open and transparent.”

–Attorney Lonnie Groot, Daytona Beach Shores, as excerpted from his editorial in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Keep the clouds away from Florida’s Sunshine Law,” Tuesday, December 9, 2025

In his insightful piece regarding the growing threat to Florida’s venerated open records law, Mr. Groot quoted Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis – “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.”

As usually happens when ordinary people are elected to positions of power – in many local governments across our region, the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker that you and I elevated to high office have now been taken into the ‘system’ – convinced that entrenched bureaucrats are the only legitimate Oracles of Truth – civic clairvoyants gifted with divine guidance on the serious issues of the day (many of which their ineptitude helped create…)

Unfortunately, We, The Little People who pay the bills and are expected to keep our pieholes shut have been painted as the babbling masses – agitators, troublemakers, and loopy gadflies who couldn’t possibly understand the realities and legalities – meddlers who lack the depth and intellect to comprehend the legislative and political nuances that make the cogs and wheels of city/county management work.

Don’t take my word for it. 

Watch any public meetings of the Volusia County Council, the Lost City of Deltona, Orange City, or several other misguided communities that have completely lost touch with those they serve and see for yourself how haughty elected and appointed officials treat citizens who approach their local government with questions and suggestions.

Better yet, spend three-minutes at a public podium yourself sometime.

Ask why anyone in their right mind would consider augmenting our drinking water with recycled sewage, provide insight on your child’s education, seek answers why your home floods each time it rains, or demand an explanation of the process by which out-of-state businesses are gifted public funds to underwrite overhead or guarantee revenue while yours is subject to the artificial ebb and flow of a now uneven playing field?    

Then watch while your catatonic elected representatives stare back at you like inert blobs as you wait for them to merely acknowledge your presence…

Disturbingly, that lack of effective communication is equally prevalent for those on the outside seeking information or public records, only to be frustrated with onerous charges, lengthy delays, “nondisclosure agreements,” and other bureaucratic roadblocks before receiving the terse reply: “There are no records responsive to your request.”  

Eventually, we begin to suspect the worst…

For those on both sides of the dais, it has now become an “Us v. Them” mentality – fueled by mercenary insiders and bureaucrats who know that persistent questions and outside inquiry can result in embarrassing revelations for those who control the rods and strings of government.

Sharing the blame is the egoistic vanity of some elected officials who believe anything they are told by those fawning flatters with a self-serving motive who laugh at their jokes and invite them to all the right parties (only to forget they ever existed once they are out of office), and you begin to understand the importance of controlling the narrative in the Ivory Tower of Power.  

Unfortunately, like many of you, I perceive a real sense of despair in many local communities, a feeling that nothing will change so long as those political manipulators who control the political landscape are committed to defending the stagnant status quo, and apathy takes the place of activism…  

We hear a lot of mewling from elected officials about how heavy the crown can be – especially when talk turns to councils and commissions giving themselves a pay raise, or they are required to make a difficult decision on a controversial issue. Poor babies.

Somehow, they always seem to miss the basics of elective service:

Developing relationships with their constituents by being trustworthy, keeping promises, being open, honest, and sensitive to their civic concerns.  Always being present and attentive during times of crisis, maintaining open communication, sharing thoughts in advance rather than ambushing those effected by decisions, being open to constructive criticism, truly listening, being a cheerleader, celebrating accomplishments and sharing defeat, being respectful of the priorities of those who pay the bills, admitting mistakes, and being compassionate with those who appear before them seeking help navigating the byzantine maze of government.  

Over time, a mutual trust will develop – the civic bond strengthens – and elected and appointed officials come to know their well-meaning efforts will be championed by those they serve in an authentic way.  

I’ve seen it happen.

By building personal connections – not just at election time – and putting the needs of others ahead of their own self-interests, good things will result as their constituents’ respond in kind, giving their trust and respect when and where it is earned.     

That starts with an organizational commitment to servant-leadership, putting the needs of real people above those of the bureaucracy, and developing a “people-first” atmosphere where excellence, efficiency, and innovation is valued over the individual self-interests of those insiders and elected dullards who gorge greedily at the public trough…

And Another Thing!

Sports competitions have referees for a reason. 

Good umpires avoid bias, ensure a level playing field, manage external influences, and foster a respect for the rules by ensuring accountability. Based upon recent evidence, I would argue that modern politics and governance here on Florida’s “Fun Coast” has become a brutal bloodsport in desperate need of impartial guardianship of the ethical and professional standards one expects from elected and appointed officials.

In my view, what passes for Florida’s ethics apparatus – comprised of political appointees, toothless watchdogs, and staffed by easily distracted pro wrestling refs with attention deficit disorder – is now totally hamstrung by an “evidentiary standard” that prevents state and local ethics commissions from launching investigations unless the complaint came from an individual with first-hand/eyes-on/personal knowledge of the violation.

That means complainants must have physically observed the unethical conduct – and those who learn of potential violations through a third-party, anonymous tips, a media report, audit review, or the whispers of a frightened whistleblower are strictly prohibited from even mentioning the matter to the Ethics Commission.

In June 2024, when Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill, Daytona Beach News-Journal editorialist Mark Lane wrote a cogent commentary on the changes that gutted Florida’s ethics enforcement arm which read, in part:

“Florida voters put the commission into the state Constitution in 1976 as part of the Sunshine Amendment reforms backed by then-Gov. Reubin Askew. Passing with almost 80% of the vote, it was the state’s first successful constitutional initiative. It’s not like the Legislature would have voted to create an ethics commission on its own. I’m kind of surprised it took legislators this long to neuter it.”

Rather than bolster aggressive policing, demand accountability, and the stress the importance of protecting the public trust, Florida legislators placed a befuddled Toody and Muldoon on the ethics beat – put a bag over their heads – and limited what they can and cannot investigate… 

When you couple the castration of our ethics apparatus with Florida’s fast-and-loose campaign finance laws – essentially blanket permissions that have turned local political contests into a Turkish bazaar – you begin to understand how the proliferation of questionable conduct by elected and appointed officials at all levels of government no longer shocks our conscience.

This week in the Lost City of Deltona, frustrated residents attempted to address their elected officials regarding swirling speculation that Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr. may have illegitimately associated his sketchy “Winter Ball” with city government for credibility – then fraudulently misrepresented the beneficiary of the event to deceive financial donors.   

In addition, questions remain about why entry fees received for the Deltona Christmas Parade were apparently routed through a private school with apparent ties to Mayor Avila – then passed to something called the Deltona Fire Foundation ostensibly to fund a holiday toy drive. 

Say what?

The City of Deltona sought out a private entity to provide bookkeeping services for the city sponsored Christmas Parade so they could, in turn, funnel the money to a private foundation associated with the Deltona Fire Department?

Why?

Adding to the frustration, on Monday evening demands for answers were met with Avila furiously pounding his gavel followed by gruff demands that Deltona taxpayers stop applauding and congratulating their neighbor’s fervent questions from the gallery – or face physical expulsion from the public meeting.

So, what agency or individual do repeat victims in Deltona and elsewhere turn to for help?

As I understand it, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) regulates the solicitation of charitable donations under the Florida Solicitation of Contributions Act.  Compliance with the statute requires that anyone involved in planning, conducting, or executing any solicitation for charitable contributions must first register with FDACS – and obtain written authorization from the benefiting not-for-profit.

A check of Florida’s Check-a-Charity website finds no listing for either Mayor Avila or the Volusia County Hispanic Association.

Further, all solicitations must contain the following:

“A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.”

Maybe I missed it, but I don’t recall that statement displayed on any promotional material for the Mayor’s Winter Ball, did you? 

Also, persons or organizations soliciting contributions are governed by strict accounting rules, which includes a prohibition on commingling charitable contributions with noncharitable funds…

To add gross insult, according to a citizen’s report on social media this week, Mayor Avila is also alleged to have been reimbursed with public funds for travel to a purely partisan political event having no connection to the City of Deltona or Mayor Avila’s elected role. 

Sound familiar? 

Recently, a majority of those baldfaced enablers on the Deltona City Commission voted down a call for a formal forensic audit of city finances and fiscal management practices, resulting in more questions of what city insiders may be trying to hide.

So, when is the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the state Department of Government Efficiency – or anyone with a badge in their pocket – going to get off their collective ass and do something to protect the good citizens of Deltona?  

This raging dumpster fire of alleged corruption and malfeasance cannot be allowed to continue.

In my view, the behind-the-scenes junta that controls the Lost City of Deltona, questions of purchasing card and spending irregularities in Daytona Beach, the recent fear of retribution from our state legislators that prevented local communities from defending their sovereignty and right to home rule, and goofy distractions like the asinine shenanigans of Orange City Mayor Kellianne Marks – an off-the-hook tyrant with a seething God complex and the political instincts of a vindictive snake – are disgusting examples of what happens when official government watchdogs are forced play the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” charade and look the other way.

Now the normal checks and balances of government we came to rely on no longer provide stability – or personal accountability for those who receive public funds to serve in the public interest.  

Don’t expect anything to change here in the Biggest Whorehouse in the World.

It is important that anyone who cares about good governance supports quality candidates for public office next year. 

Then get out and vote.

Our fundamental concept of government of the people, by the people, and for the people depends upon it…   

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

Hi, kids!

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the news and newsmakers of the day who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life or detracted from it in some significant way:

State Auditors Set to Give Daytona Beach a Proctological Exam for the Ages…

“As Mayor, I welcome the operational audit approved by Florida’s Auditor General. We are confident in our financial management and view this as an opportunity to demonstrate transparency and accountability. We will provide full cooperation and access to resources, ensuring a comprehensive review. This process allows us to address any misconceptions, rebuild trust with our residents and business partners, and continue driving Daytona Beach forward. We are committed to addressing any findings and maintaining the city’s positive trajectory.”

–Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry, Tuesday, December 9, 2025

In my experience, most people struggle with criticism. 

Especially that infernal “constructive” kind, where a meddlesome critic tells you all about your faults and foibles because they have your “best interests at heart.”

Scrutiny is always uncomfortable, and few of us possess the emotional intelligence or self-confidence to submit to an independent critique then use the insights to our advantage.   That is especially true for powerful public executives who reside comfortably in the cloistered Ivory Tower of Power of local governments.   

That is because criticism leads to questions – and the right questions can lead to the door…

The City of Daytona Beach has been over the barrel of late, and City Manager Deric Feacher is facing mounting questions on a variety of fronts regarding possible purchasing irregularities, car allowances, seriously outdated personnel policies, and, most recently, salacious rumors of a supervisor/subordinate tryst that may involve the misuse of public funds.

As a result, on November 17, Sen. Tom Wright apparently took a break from skirt chasing around the capitol building and somehow mustered the moral clarity to ask the state Joint Legislative Auditing Committee to consider an external review of the city’s fiscal management practices. 

The request comes after a Daytona Beach delegation consisting of Mayor Derrick Henry, Deputy City Manager Jim Morris, and Chief Building Official Glen Urquhart were summoned to Tallahassee and publicly gibbeted by the JLAC in November.

For the uninitiated, long before the p-card debacle came to light, Daytona Beach was fading the heat for accumulating millions of dollars in excess building permits and licensing fees in apparent violation of state law.  Concerns grew when city officials considered using the excess funds to purchase a problematic building on Beach Street later found to be contaminated with deadly asbestos.

Unfortunately, a follow-up plan to unload the excess funds was also fraught with questionable purchases.

That’s when state lawmakers took notice.  

In a frustrated response to JLAC’s thrashing, Daytona Beach Commissioner Ken Strickland recently said, “Tallahassee needs to mind their own business.  They should be representing us, not ridiculing us. I’m disgusted with our representation up there.”

(I once knew a fiery civic activist named Ken Strickland who would have welcomed an external audit of city finances with open arms…wonder what ever became of that guy?)

Commissioner Strickland’s figurative middle-finger didn’t sit well with Sen. Wright who penned a request for a state audit of the city’s monetary management practices:

“The committee (JLAC) witnessed firsthand that Daytona Beach has amassed substantial and unnecessary surpluses in building permit revenues, well beyond what is permitted under state law.  The committee, alongside members of our Volusia delegation, have already expressed concern over the city’s inability to properly manage or justify these excess funds.”

Ominously, Sen. Wright went on to say “…these issues strongly suggest systemic deficiencies in Daytona Beach’s fiscal oversight and internal accountability.”

Then, last week, in one of the most dramatic exchanges I’ve witnessed at a typically tepid Daytona Beach City Commission meeting, the city’s independent auditor, Abinet Belachew, presented an overview of his recent review of the city’s archaic travel policies. 

During his report, Mr. Belachew took exception to a release by the city’s administration that called the veracity of his report into question by stating the city “strongly disagrees with several key conclusions and characterizations in the summary and findings.”

That didn’t sit well with Mr. Belachew, whose professional reputation demands unquestioned integrity, adherence to the highest ethical standards, and dedication to pinpoint accuracy in preserving the public trust.

Clearly the man knows his stuff – and he’s not afraid to stick to his guns, defend his evidence-based findings, and speak truth to power.

During his informative presentation, Mr. Belachew discussed his preliminary findings of the city’s vehicle allowance policy (25 employees get $95 or more per week in vehicle stipends?) which morphed into several testy exchanges as Mayor Derrick Henry attempted to limit the scope of the dialog, pushing back against Belachew’s disturbing reports of internal “defensiveness” and obstruction of the audit process by senior officials.

Speaking of defensiveness, Mayor Henry issued a knee-jerk admonishment to Mr. Belachew, “Your audit is not about the relationship between the commission and the staff.  Your audit, sir, is about the travel audit, not about staff relationships.”

Then things got really awkward … 

Toward the end of his presentation, Mr. Belachew announced that he has received an anonymous internal report of an alleged interoffice liaison amoureuse involving a supervisor/subordinate sexual relationship in an unnamed city department. 

According to a subsequent report in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Mr. Belachew advised commissioners that the unnamed superior is accused of “…using his city government payment card to buy personal items for his love interest and travel with her on lavish private getaways.”

Whoa.

In my view, the initial reaction of certain commissioners should give Daytona Beach taxpayers cause for concern…  

After Mr. Belachew informed his elected bosses that, as a certified fraud examiner, he is qualified and prepared to investigate the whistleblower’s claims – a weird discussion ensued about whether the allegation should first be handed off to the human resources department – citing fears of a “lawsuit” if the names of those involved become public. 

Trust me.  If true, there will be plenty of litigation resulting from this alleged ugliness – and there is little that can be done at this late date to mitigate the damages.

That’s why the current focus of the City Commission should be throwing open the curtains and ensuring complete transparency in ferreting out fraud, waste, and abuse – regardless of where the chips fall – demanding strong management and leadership, developing effective policies and protocols, fostering an organizational commitment to government efficiency, and building a culture of accountability.  

Ultimately, the commission authorized Mr. Belachew to investigate after narrowing the focus of his review to the purchasing card aspect of the allegation. 

In my experience, Gen. Colin Powell was right – “Bad news isn’t wine.  It doesn’t get better with age” – and the initial reluctance of some commissioners to allow Mr. Belachew to aggressively investigate telegraphed an instinctive organizational reaction to keep the scandal in-house, control the narrative, and contain the crisis…

Perhaps that’s why the whistleblower felt they couldn’t go to HR in the first place?

Disturbing.

During the incredibly enlightening meeting, City Manager Feacher announced his efforts to establish a 10-person Government Efficiency and Innovation Committee – based on the “DOGE” concept – staffed by city officials with a mandate to “…streamline city functions; reduce spending; eliminate waste; examine policies for efficiency and practices that protect tax dollars; and ensure policies and operations align with the city’s strategic goals.”

Things that, by all appearances, haven’t been organizational priorities. 

Until now…

On Monday, the other shoe dropped when the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee, acting on Sen. Wright’s request, voted 12-0 to conduct a thorough digital proctological examination of the City of Daytona Beach, an exhaustive rooting which could take a “few years” to complete… 

According to a report by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in the News-Journal this week, legislators used the audit announcement to take a few political shots at Commissioner Strickland:

“The appropriate response to us is not pound sand,” said state Sen. Jason Brodeur, a Republican who represents Seminole County and a small portion of Volusia County. “The appropriate response to us is how can we work with you to figure out the best use of taxpayer dollars. I was interested before on behalf of the taxpayers. But now I’m real interested.”

State Rep. Chase Tramont, who like Brodeur is a co-chair of the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee, sent The News-Journal a written statement to respond to Strickland.

“I would remind the commissioner that oversight IS our business,” Tramont, R-Port Orange, wrote in his statement. “Our business is to protect the taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud and abuse. Our business as legislators is oversight. Our business is to hold you accountable when you aren’t managing your business properly.”

In my view, now is the time for the City of Daytona Beach to open itself to a thorough examination by its internal auditor, Mr. Belachew – someone with an ethical commitment to searching out waste and misspending with a demonstrated desire to help improve efficiency and oversight at City Hall – before those with more politically malevolent intentions arrive and do it for them in the most painful, pointed, and protracted way possible…    

A Very Merry Christmas for Some – Sticks and Coal for Flagler County’s Heidi Petito

“In a set of evaluations potentially devastating to Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito’s tenure, three of her commissioners—Chair Leann Pennington, Kim Carney, and Pam Richardson—concluded in their evaluations of Petito that she “does not meet expectations.”

They each rated her a failing 2 out of 5, sharply criticized her leadership, and two of them explicitly said Petito is no longer the person for the job.

“I am not confident that the current Administration or certain members of staff are fully prepared to meet that challenge or deliver the transformational change that will be required,” Commission Chair Leann Pennington wrote in a sum-up with the ring of a tocsin to Petito’s tenure. “I do believe there remains an important role for Mrs. Petito within this organization; however, as the county and legislative directives continue to evolve, I am not certain that role is best suited as County Administrator.”

–FlaglerLive.com, “County Administrator Heidi Petito ‘Does Not Meet Expectations,’ 3 of 5 Commissioners Say, Putting Her Future in Doubt,” Thursday, December 4, 2025

It appears that Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito’s propensity for blindsiding her bosses and engaging in intergovernmental controversies finally caught up to her. 

Look, I get it.  Trying to placate the five strong personalities that comprise the Flagler Board of County Commissioners is a hard dollar – and city/county management is in many ways an itinerant pursuit.  That instability is frequently cited in support of the astronomical salary, benefit, and golden parachutes showered on public executives.

It’s that time of the year when many city and county managers hear from their elected bosses – our “representatives” – albeit in a stilted (and often scripted) way, and, as Ms. Petito can attest, the news is not always good.

By contrast, just down the sandy trail in Volusia County things could not be rosier…

According to a report in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week, “Volusia County councilmen unanimously approved a 4% raise for both County Manager George Recktenwald and County Attorney Mike Dyer during annual evaluations on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

The vote came after Recktenwald and Dyer both said they’d rather not be considered for a larger salary boost. Other county employees received a 4% raise during budget discussions.

“We would be uncomfortable taking anything more than what the general raise was for everybody else,” Recktenwald said.

Brower said he believed the 4% was appropriate and that giving the two men a larger boost might impact employee negotiations.

“I just think it’s appropriate,” he said.

Recktenwald’s salary will go from about $271,993 to about $282,873. Dyer’s salary will go from about $254,245 to about $264,415.”

The $10,000 increases are in addition to the legendary perquisites, allowances, and gimmies that round out public sector executive compensation.  That’s why Recktenwald and Dyer know better than most the importance of keeping their bosses (and those behind the scenes who truly control the rods and strings of politics) happy, content, and well-fed…   

In addition, last week we learned that the gaping leadership chasm in Palm Coast City Hall has finally been filled. 

According to a report in FlaglerLive.com:

“Incoming Palm Coast City Manager Michael McGlothlin would be paid $225,000 a year and have a total compensation package that would push the total past the $300,000 mark based on the proposed contract the City Council is set to approve on Tuesday.

McGlothlin negotiated the contract with Mayor Mike Norris, City Attorney Marcus Duffy and Human Resources Director Renina Fuller. McGlothlin got the final product on Nov. 25.

The base pay is 29 percent higher than that of his predecessor in the permanent job, Denise Bevan, who was paid $175,000 a year. Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston was paid $189,000 when hired as interim after Bevan’s firing in March 2024, as Johnston was to carry on her previous duties in addition to the manager’s duties.

When McGlothlin was hired as manager of Redington Shores two years ago, a job he no longer held when he applied for the Palm Coast job, his salary was $126,000.

Flagler Beach City Manager Dale Martin just got a 4 percent raise after two years on the job, bringing his base salary to $171,620. Bunnell City Manager Alvin Jackson in October got a 10 percent raise, to $158,000. School Superintendent LaShakia Moore is paid $182,000 a year. County Administrator Heidi Petito’s original base pay in 2021 was $179,000, but has been raised annually, matching inflation, and is closer to $222,000 a year. None of those salaries include benefits and other forms of compensation.”

According to reports, the median household income in the City of Palm Coast is approximately $75,329 – $72,923 in Flagler County – and $66,581 in Volusia County…    

I hope your small business or household incomes increase is just as lucrative this Holiday Season as it has been in the gilded halls of power across “Fun Coast” governments. 

Yeah, right… 

Quote of the Week

“To run the city, we all have to get along. I keep on hearing all these things from the community, ‘be kind,’ and ‘she’s not kind’ and ‘she’s this’ and ‘she’s that,’ but look in the mirror, because you’re attacking me, and you’re not being kind, so why don’t we all just be kind and move on from this?” Marks said. “… Look how many hours we went through with all of this nonsense.”

–Embattled Orange City Mayor Kellianne Marks, as quoted by reporter Mark Harper writing The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Orange City Mayor Kelli Marks tells angry crowd she is not a racist,” Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Earlier this week, in a classic case of defensive projection, Orange City Mayor Kellianne Marks apparently forgot that the ugly imbroglio that has engulfed the small Wild West Volusia community is unequivocally her own meanspirited fault. 

The direct result of Mayor Marks’ unbridled hubris and a vindictive desire to flex her power and destroy the careers of dedicated civil servants like City Clerk Kaley Burleson.  

Two-weeks after Mayor Marks – in a pique of personal embarrassment – demanded an “emergency” city council meeting to fire Burleson; on Tuesday, Orange City residents continued to call for her resignation. 

According to an informative report by Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week:

“Many were still angry about a Facebook Messenger exchange between Marks and a former councilman, the late Alex Tiamson, dating to October 2024. They exchanged messages sharing how neither wanted to speak at an event honoring Sharon Stafford, a Black woman and the sister of Councilwoman Lisa Stafford.

“So ghetto,” Tiamson said at one point, followed by Marks posting memes showing Black women with the phrases, “Honey, please! I’m a child of the ghetto,” and “Now everybody want to be ghetto fabulous.”

By demanding that angry residents “look in the mirror” and start being “kind” to her, Mayor Marks exposes the fact she is completely incapable of shame – or of issuing a sincere apology to Ms. Stafford for her offensive behind-the-scenes behavior.

Look, megalomania is common in politics. 

Some would argue that a narcissistic ego and manipulative mind are prerequisites for holding elective office.  However, in my view, Ms. Marks’ gross hypocrisy, and willingness to destroy others to deflect blame, marks the nadir of that particular political personality disorder…

According to the News-Journal, at the beginning of Tuesday’s Orange City Council meeting, Mayor Marks issued a statement which said, in part:

“I judge people by their character, not their color,” Marks said, as some in the audience audibly laughed. “I believe all people should be treated equal and fair. This personal conversation between the former vice mayor and myself was a private conversation … on Facebook Messenger that somehow was released in the hands of the public. Don’t know how that happened. This will be investigated as well.”

She said she has been the victim of a “witch hunt” and has faced “relentless cyberbullying on social media platforms, where false claims and defamatory (remarks) have been circulated. The behavior not only undermines my character, but it also disrupts the progress of our city.”

I agree. Ms. Marks has the right to say whatever she wants – publicly and privately – but she does not have the right to use her position to orchestrate the destruction of Ms. Burleson’s career because she responded to a citizen request and distributed an embarrassing message thread to the council.

Speech may be free, but it is not without personal and political consequences…

In perhaps the most bizarre occurrence of the evening, an 11-year-old boy approached the podium and voiced support for Mayor Marks, calling out assembled residents for “disrespecting” the mayor.  According to reports, Sharon Stafford later learned that Mayor Marks had asked the child to speak on her behalf…

Sick.

In my view, it is time Mayor Marks overcomes her pathological persecution complex and awakes to the sobering realization that she alone is responsible for this distraction.  No one else. 

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

And Another Thing!

–“Anything Can Happen” Words and music by Jimmie Dodd

Buckle-up, my fellow Mouseketeers…

In just over a month’s time, longsuffering Floridians will gird our loins and brace for the beginning of the 2026 State Legislative Session – a dark and apprehensive time when, like Wednesdays on the Mickey Mouse Club, literally anything can happen…

One thing is certain, whatever legislation is successfully extruded from that diseased alimentary canal in Tallahassee will have two things built in:

1. Pandering to the mercenary interests of their political overseers in the real estate development industry. 

• Circumventing the venerated tradition of Home Rule and gutting the ability of communities to determine their own destiny by controlling growth, density, and malignant sprawl.

That’s a given.

But like many of you, I am utterly confused by jumbled reports that our state legislature will attempt to free us from the yoke of property taxes…

The chaotic proposal(s) is keeping many engaged citizens and legislators on both sides of the aisle up at night as they consider the possible ramifications of lame duck Governor Ron DeSantis’ half-baked proposal to dramatically cut or eliminate property taxes on homesteaded properties across the state.    

Sounds good? 

Maybe.  But be careful what you wish for…

We live in a state where our bought and paid for ‘powers that be’ take immense pride in having allowed unchecked growth to far outpace transportation infrastructure, public utility capacity, water quality/quantity, and critical services, such as law enforcement, fire protection, and emergency medical services.    

In addition, one glance at a local television news segment will tell you that Central Florida ranks as one of the most dangerous places in the nation – with a murder rate that must now rival Ciudad Juárez – and Volusia County’s crowded roadways hold the dubious distinction as one of the deadliest places for pedestrians in the United States… 

By and large, in Florida, essential infrastructure and services are paid for with ad valorem taxes – meaning “according to value” – a system where taxes are based on the fair market value of property – with an annual millage rate set by the local governing body with “one mill” representing $1 for every $1,000 in assessed value.  

This system of taxation remains the critical funding mechanism for local and state governments to pay for essentials like police, fire services, parks, and schools.

Now, Gov. DeSantis is pushing an unvetted “plan” to reduce or eliminate property taxes in favor of (insert theoretical tax alternative here). 

Will we radically increase the sales tax?  See the imposition of a dreaded income tax?  Eliminate municipalities altogether?  Dramatically increase impact fees on new development (yeah, right…), Grow the size of an unapproachable centralized government?  Consolidate essential services to homogenize and drastically reduce service delivery while increasing response times?  Turn local governments into state dependents beholden to the whims of the developer-controlled legislature?  Transfer the cost of services to business, industry, apartments, and commercial property owners? 

All of the above?     

Regardless of how you cut it, the DeSantis proposal eventually kills local governments by exsanguination…

In my view, after years of preempting local control, forcing unfunded mandates, and whittling away at Home Rule, that is the true plan no one in Tallahassee is talking about.

Unfortunately, in many ways, county and municipal governments across the state have no one to blame but themselves.   

For instance, there is little taxpayer sympathy for local governments in Florida who have allowed astronomical increases in ad valorem taxes – which, over the last decade (2014-2024), have skyrocketed more than 108 percent, or by $28.7 billion – outpacing both population growth and inflation.

Sound familiar? 

If you live in Volusia County, it should.

In my view, it is high time our elected officials rethink the Taj Mahal government facilities, eliminate corporate welfare, curtail massive executive salaries, monarchical benefits, and clockwork increases for redundant senior staff, reverse the bureaucratic gluttony, and begin reducing the tax burden. 

That begins with a return to triaging the basic necessities we depend on for our safety, security, and quality of life.

In my experience, small cities and fiscally constrained counties have traditionally lived within their means. They make ends meet by focusing on quality service delivery, maintaining an accessible and responsive government, doing more with less, prioritizing existing assets and facilities, keeping salaries and benefits reasonably competitive, and maintaining a watchful eye on spending.

As the 2026 legislative session approaches, I haven’t seen one legitimate alternative proposed by the DeSantis administration (or anyone else) for ensuring the continuation of quality local services so that homeowners and businesses in municipalities will be able to keep their beloved police and fire departments, utilities, public employees, and responsive government services.  

Why is our Governor doing everything in his considerable power to expand the influence of state government, consolidate control, manipulate the purse strings, and destroy local government on his way out the door without an articulable plan?  

Fortunately, the elimination of property taxes would require a constitutional amendment with 60% of voters in agreement.  A referendum that, at this point, would be based on murky speculation and a hodge-podge of disjointed “plans” that could see us say goodbye to our community firefighters, police officers, EMT’s, and essential workers…   

It is a frightening proposition – considering Floridian’s still don’t have a clue how you and I will eventually pay for our essential local government services long after he is gone from the governor’s office.   

In my view, rapidly transitioning from one extreme to another – based on a dangerous and half-baked political charade – proposed by a term limited politician desperate to remain relevant as he considers ‘what comes next’ – is not in the best interest of Floridia taxpayers.   

That’s all for me. 

Enjoy the City of Daytona Beach’s “Dashing Through Daytona” Christmas parade, which rolls along Beach Street and the Riverside Esplanade beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday!

Tis the Season! 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:

Today’s production of Barker’s Theatre of the Absurd is a long one! Buckle-up, grab the beverage of your choice, and settle in for my jaded opinion on the news and newsmakers here on Florida’s “Fun Coast.”

Welcome back, y’all…

Volusia County Council of Cowards: The Final Blow for “The World’s Most Famous Beach”

On Tuesday, the Volusia County Council of Cowards dealt the coup de grâce to struggling Main Street merchants and our beleaguered core tourist area when they voted 5-2 to crush any further mention of reopening beach driving and access between Auditorium Boulevard and International Speedway Boulevard in Daytona Beach.

In exchange, some mysterious “investment group” with murky plans to “possibly” develop another hotel and half-empty commercial space in the former Boardwalk area got everything they needed.

And we don’t even know their names…  

It didn’t matter. The beach driving “discussion” was dead on arrival.

Restoring vehicular beach access was the cornerstone of Chairman Jeff Brower’s first and second terms – which means it was doomed from the beginning.  Per usual, this week the most wholly compromised group of self-serving political hacks ever assembled did everything in their power to pander to the mercenary whims of their political benefactors while crushing any hope of returning our 112-year-old tradition to Volusia County beaches.

How do I know that? 

Because whenever “staff” places an item on the agenda which begins, “At the Chair’s request…” the issue is guaranteed to go down in flames… 

Every. Damn. Time.

In April, the same council paid lip service to Chairman Brower and the Main Street Merchants Association who asked for a reversal of a 25-year-old mistake that removed beach driving from the area as part of a disastrous “deal” between the City of Daytona Beach and developers of the Ocean Walk Shoppes. 

They got an exclusive beach. We got a scary parking garage…

That lopsided development agreement, coupled with the whims of some of the Halifax areas all-powerful “movers and shakers,” convinced those in city/county government that keeping residents and visitors from driving on the beach would be the cure-all for our myriad civic, social, and economic problems.

It wasn’t.

In the lead to Tuesday’s meeting, county “staff” drug their feet for eight-months, finally reaching out to recalcitrant hoteliers and other beachfront landowners content with their quasi-private beach – five of which responded with letters in opposition to beach driving.

That strategic procrastination pushed the question beyond consideration for the 2026 state legislative session, further kicking the can down the dusty political trail. 

Unfortunately, the City of Daytona Beach couldn’t be bothered to weigh in on the issue…

We’ve heard it all before. 

The same tired arguments that are trotted out each time this age-old Us v. Them fight for beach access comes up haven’t changed:

The legislative hurdles are too steep, the incidental take permit is in jeopardy, unnamed “investors” who are “possibly” on the cusp of saving us all are now considering moving to more lucrative beachfront property (bullshit) if beach driving is even discussed, putting the wants of do-nothing hoteliers and vacant property owners who have sat on their hands for decades ahead of struggling residents and merchants, yada, yada, yada…

At the end of the day, one thing remains clear, the majority of our elected cowards still have their heads wedged firmly in their sizeable backsides – because that is what they were told to do by those who own the paper on their political souls – and absolutely nothing changes.   

That’s why the tragic stagnation of the status quo rules the day in the smoldering ruins of ‘Old Daytona.’

During the typically unbalanced and previously choreographed charade – Councilman Troy Kent, the only other councilmember to support Chairman Brower’s push for beach access – explained the obvious, “There are two words to describe the results of this experiment, and those words to me are ‘epic failure.’”

In turn, Mr. Kent reminded everyone of what’s really at stake: “When you shut off access to the beach, you basically make a private beach for the landowners that own that beach…”

For his part, the always detached Councilman David “No Show” Santiago exposed how little he knows (or cares) about east Volusia, or the concerns of struggling Main Street entrepreneurs, when he pontificated that the push to restore beach driving represented “false hope.”

“Daytona Beach is the economic engine of Volusia County.  Investment needs to occur there, and no insult to them —they are stuck in the ’80s. We need to find ways to get investment in here, and we’re hearing from people in the investment world: A solution to this in the vote of a no is a potential moving forward.” Santiago said.  

Horseshit.

We have people who invested blood, sweat, tears, and money on Main Street and beyond – and they have repeatedly told the council what they need to be successful.

They were arrogantly ignored…

Trust me – many Halifax area residents wish we had the prosperity our core tourist area enjoyed during the 1970’s and 80’s – before Volusia County took control and systematically destroyed our most important natural and economic amenity – and long before the likes of “No Show” Santiago put the wants of a few “possible investors,” over the needs of Volusia County taxpayers.

Per usual, there was the obligatory incoherent string-of-consciousness rambles from Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins designed to belittle Chairman Brower for being attentive to his constituents, then pushing to return beach access to this important tourist corridor.

In my view, the outcome was preordained before the meeting was ever gaveled to order.  

Sadly, thanks to the complete acquiescence of those dullards we elected to represent our interests – who so blatantly ignore their own rules time-after-time, then do whatever they want to advance the whims of their political benefactors, shadowy “possible investors,” and speculative developers with another “panacea” project – our “powers that be” finally accomplished their ultimate goal of permanently removing our heritage of beach driving from our tired and dilapidated core tourist area.

They won.  You lost.

Tragic.

Like “Gaslight” Robins mewled from the dais, he’s “frustrated,” and “something has to change.” 

He’s right.

I encourage you to vote like your livelihoods and quality of life depend upon it.  Let’s vote Danny Robins, David Santiago, and their confederated political jacklegs to the ash heap of history where they so richly belong while there is still something worth fighting for.

Orange City Mayor’s Malevolent Meltdown Raises the Ire of Citizens

On a Friday evening in late November when most residents were unwinding for the weekend, the tyrannical Orange City Mayor Kellianne Marks – a meanspirited half-bright with a God complex – exposed her overweening hubris when she hastily called an inconvenient “special meeting” of the Orange City Council with the single agenda item:

“Discuss performance of the City Clerk.”

It was clear from the onset of the standing room only meeting that Mayor Marks’ true intent was to terminate City Clerk Kaley Burleson.  To underscore Marks’ spitefulness, at the time of the meeting, Ms. Burleson was on preapproved personal leave assisting her mother who had undergone major surgery earlier in the day.

In order to defend herself against Mayor Marks’ malicious accusations of “insubordination,” “…demonstrated contempt for this government body and has undermined the authority of this council itself,” and failing to adequately respond to communications from state Sen. Tom Wright’s office which “…may have cost the city approximately $3 million” in potential state funding, Ms. Burleson was forced to leave her mother’s bedside and appear in her own defense at the meeting.

In turn, Councilwoman Dawn Tiamson piled on with references to a series of Facebook messages between Marks and her late husband, former councilman Alex Tiamson – exchanges that some felt contained racist remarks – which were distributed to the council by Burleson at the behest of a resident, and “…created public chaos, rumor and defamation, which is not the desired characteristic of a public official.”

Fortunately, Mayor Marks’ nasty attempt at personal retaliation backfired in her face.    

Horribly…

From the minute the meeting was called to order, angry Orange City residents were repeatedly gaveled down by Mayor Marks amid threats of ejection as they shouted to make themselves heard by their elected officials and jeered the officious proceedings from the gallery.

In fact, in an act of patriotic defiance, during the Pledge of Allegiance, the assembled citizens of Orange City loudly emphasized every word to remind their elected representatives of their civic duty.  

After Mayor Marks vindictively explained the reasons why she felt Ms. Burleson was no longer fit to serve the community, she called for a motion to terminate the City Clerk’s contract.  The motion was brought by the Marks’ obsequious minion, Dawn Tiamson, and seconded for discussion by Councilman Harold Grimm.

Then, Ms. Burleson had an opportunity to respond…

That’s when Ms. Burleson took off the gloves and defended her professionalism and dedication to Orange City – explaining how Mayor Marks mistreats city employees, made racist statements, berated staff, and created what was later described as a toxic work environment that has seen an incredibly disruptive turnover in senior city staff.    

Then came perhaps the most salacious revelation of the raucous evening when Ms. Burleson explained how she was on vacation when the meeting request from Sen. Wright’s office was received. 

According to an article by Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

“She (Burleson) noted that she was on vacation the week Wright’s invitation came to her email, and her auto-reply asked senders to reach out to the clerk’s office. She said Marks had a meeting with Wright, regardless, which Burleson suggested the mayor handled inappropriately.

“You,” Burleson said to Marks, “came in my office and told me how you took your intern to Tallahassee Day because she had big boobs and had her showoff her cleavage to Tom Wright because he likes that kind of stuff.”

Whoa.  It appears Sen. “Terrible Tommy” Wright’s vile reputation as a lecherous creep has escaped the cloistered bounds of his normal hunting grounds – domestic violence shelters…

In my view, if true, that shocking disclosure alone should result in the immediate resignation of Mayor Marks for her role in pandering to Sen. Wright’s prurient proclivities by suggesting a female intern dress promiscuously as a means of gaining a funding advantage…

According to the News-Journal’s report, “Burleson said she had two witnesses in her office when Marks made the remark, which the mayor did not dispute.”

I guess Mayor Marks gave her intern a valuable lesson in how things get accomplished in Tallahassee, eh? 

My God.

How many times does Florida’s senate leadership need to hear these lewd anecdotes regarding Sen. Wright’s appalling inclinations before they do something to protect the integrity of the legislature, the appropriations process, and vulnerable females subject to Wright’s well-documented predation? 

According to the report, “Burleson said some of the dispute between the mayor and herself had to do with emails regarding a meeting earlier in November, when Marks had requested the council be served food from Olive Garden “because the council expects to be fed before 6 p.m.”

When Burleson provided the Olive Garden meals on the city’s dime, she said the standard in the past had been to make the food also available to any member of the public in attendance. So she did, and Marks complained.

Burleson later said Marks told her: “My concern is I don’t want to eat from a buffet with a ton of people touching the food I’m eating. It’s not sanitary.”

I think they call that the “Dictator’s Diet,” in microcosm – feast like a queen on food purchased with public funds, while residents go hungry…

Following Ms. Burleson’s statement, more than a dozen citizens – to include current and former employees, politicians, and civic activists – rose in support of Burleson, vehemently speaking out on her behalf, with many calling for Marks immediate resignation.

Not one person who approached the podium supported Mayor Marks’ attempt to fire Burleson.

During public comment, former Orange City Mayor Gary Blair asked, “Why are we here?”

“She’s excellent. You are tearing this city down Miss Marks. You’re burning it down … Look at all the senior staff that you’ve lost because of you.”

“My mother used to use a term, and I will use it on you tonight: That you are rotten to your core. These people who asked you to resign? You better go home and think about it … So do everyone a favor, and sign out.”  

After citizen remarks, Mayor Marks – in a narcissistic pique of power – had a member of the gallery ejected from the meeting for speaking out, then called for a short recess.  When the meeting returned to order, City Attorney Paul Waters recommended a vote be taken on the original motion to terminate Burleson’s contract. 

The motion failed on a 5-2 vote with Mayor Marks and Councilwoman Tiamson apparently failing to grasp the passionate sentiments of their constituents…

In my view, the debacle in Orange City exemplifies the best and worst of municipal government, that local level of our representative democracy closest to “We, The Little People,” and most responsive (we hope) to our needs and input.

Perhaps Mayor Kellianne Marks will learn a valuable lesson from her self-created spectacle, namely that leadership isn’t about slamming gavels, positional power, or haughty honorifics – it is defined by one’s actions and character…

In the aftermath, let’s hope Mayor Marks listens to the will of her constituents and steps aside – taking the sycophantic simpleton Dawn Tiamson with her – and allow this small community to heal from her egotistic power grab and rebuild confidence in community governance.

Fooled Us Again – The Triumphant Return of JetBlue to DAB

In 2018, just three-years after Volusia County economic development types ponied up some $2.3 million in “public incentives” to lure JetBlue to Daytona “International” Airport – area residents were left holding an empty bag when the carrier fled DAB for more lucrative markets by announcing JetBlue was “consolidating underperforming routes.”

Remember?  I do.

To attract the airline to Daytona Beach, Volusia County officials went so far as developing a “travel bank” comprised of local companies – to include Brown & Brown, the former Consolidated-Tomoka Land Company, International Speedway Corporation, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – which were required to spend a quarter-million dollars over two-years with JetBlue in exchange for one flight per day to New York’s JFK.

Add thousands of dollars in marketing support from area advertising authorities, waived fees, and free upgrades to the airline’s gate location at DAB, and it was a surprisingly good deal – for JetBlue anyway…

When JetBlue left us rubes in their jetwash, I cynically called it another “investment” of public funds in a private/for-profit enterprise that never panned out, but that does not seem to dissuade our economic development officials from making the same mistake twice.  

Similar incentives have been used to entice low-cost airlines like Avelo and Breeze – including the ludicrous, unsustainable, and artificial practice of offering a “minimum revenue guarantee” to ensure income for the airlines. 

Is anyone at Volusia County offering your small business a revenue guarantee? 

I didn’t think so…

As a longtime observer of Volusia County governance, I harbor a disturbing theory that our redundant economic development apparatus (and those elected/appointed representatives who ostensibly provide “oversight”) have evolved without a somatic reflex. 

An intricate polysynaptic process of the nervous system that allows normal people to instinctively protect themselves from harmful situations, like quickly withdrawing one’s fingers from a hot stove.   

Typically, those physiological reactions – coupled with the capacity for experiential learning, reflectivity, and discernment – keeps us from making the same detrimental errors in judgement a second time.

Not here.

Today marks the triumphant return of JetBlue to DAB. 

You guessed it – ignoring the lessons of the past, once again, Volusia County lavished the carrier with more financial incentives – a horribly reckless and irresponsible move that left many Volusia County residents I spoke with shaking their heads…  

Last month, the Volusia County Council approved a request by Daytona “International” Airport officials totaling $400,000 for more public incentives.  According to the agenda report:

“The incentives consist of a waiver of all terminal rent fees, landing fees, marketing/advertising support up to $200,000 per market, and inclusion in the annual advertising program ($350,000 approx. value). A transfer of $400,000 from reserves will be executed upon approval of this agenda item to cover the remaining costs of marketing and advertising support.”

The fact is, airlines will consider demand, costs, and competition then locate where they can be competitive, selecting routes based on their profitability, in keeping with the company’s strategic goals. In my view, the fact Volusia County held out another lucrative goody bag to “lure” JetBlue back to this Hooterville market simply proves the old idiom, “A fool and our money are soon parted.”  

I often speculate if those economic development shills who gamble fast and loose with public assets would be so quick to shower the same “incentives” – on a carrier who gave them the slip seven years before – if they were playing with their own money?

In my view, every aspect of Volusia County government – including enterprise funds and previous corporate welfare giveaways – are in desperate need of a thorough independent audit. 

Once the facts are exposed, anyone who willingly ignored the lessons of history and pissed good money after bad should be terminated, prosecuted, or both. 

Despite what we are told, repeating a fiscal mistake with public funds – time after time – isn’t normal, logical, or ethical – it is the textbook definition of insanity…  

Quote of the Week!

“Just weeks after New Smyrna Beach voters killed a plan to extend the mayor’s term length from two to four years, the 2026 race for the job is taking shape.

Incumbent Mayor Fred Cleveland was already in, having filed for re-election in September. A second candidate, little-known James Curtis Taylor, had also filed a year earlier. Now Lisa Martin, the incumbent Zone 2 city councilwoman, is stepping forward.

Martin and Cleveland have been on opposite ends of key votes, including the approval of Deering Park Innovation Center, a massive multipurpose development with homes, businesses and green spaces on the southwest side of the Interstate 95-State Road 44 interchange.

Cleveland, 67, and Martin, 75, were first elected to the City Commission in 2022, inheriting a city that had suffered widespread flooding during a devastating storm, Ian. Days after the election, another hurricane, Nicole, added a double dose of destruction.

A key issue for the election will be how to handle the pace of development and its impacts on the city’s quality of life, not just Deering Park, but the impact of previous developments, such as Venetian Bay and Coastal Woods, all to the west of what Cleveland dubs “Old Town” New Smyrna Beach.”

–Reporter Mark Harper, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Incumbent commissioner enters New Smyrna Beach mayoral race,” Friday, November 28, 2025

In the view of many residents of the once quaint community of New Smyrna Beach, the reign of Mayor Fred Cleveland has been a disaster. 

Literally.

After extensive flooding left existing NSB homes and businesses inundated, Mayor Cleveland and the City Commission undertook a dubious stormwater study that many believe was tailored to tell them exactly what they wanted to hear while concerned citizens were left shaking their heads.

According to Mayor Cleveland, the analysis determined new development at the waterlogged Venetian Bay and the massive Coastal Woods “…had no impact on the flooding that occurred in other areas of the city…”  

Sure…whatever you say, Fred…

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

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

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

Really?

In spinelessly slinking away from the biggest fight for local control in state history, Cleveland confirmed that any community who dares stand against the devastating effects of overdevelopment will be silenced by base thuggery, threats, and intimidation.  Something the majority of our state legislative delegation are going to have to answer for at the ballot box next year…

Then, New Smyrna Beach residents watched as the cheese slipped off Fred’s cracker when he openly called for using the iron boot of government to police their right to free expression on the ‘everyman’s soapbox’ of social media.

You read that right.

During a public meeting last month, the hypersensitive Fred “Fraidy Cat” Cleveland fumed over social media posts he found offensive, which resulted in City Attorney Carrie Avallone sending a letter on official letterhead to Volusia County Council District 3 candidate Bryon White – an outspoken opponent of overdevelopment and its effects on our natural places – demanding that he “correct or remove” statements critical of NSB officials from social media.

You read that right, too.

In my view it was a gross abuse of power and a heavy-handed attempt to silence a political critic using city resources.

That’s frightening.

During his rambling diatribe against anyone who expresses a viewpoint different from those espoused by the NSB spinmeisters – Mayor Cleveland ominously asked if one of the city’s thought police in the “public information” department could “monitor” the social media posts of residents and “set the record straight” with anyone who “berates” city officials or tries to “further an agenda.”

In my view, Mayor Cleveland’s rampant paranoia and willingness to censor critics at public expense is just one reason New Smyrna Beach residents approved only two of the seven city charter amendments during last month’s election. 

That included righteously rejecting extending the mayor’s term from two to four years and increasing the salaries of the mayor and city commissioners.

It is time for the voters of “Old Town” New Smyrna Beach to send Fred Cleveland packing – before he ramrods more westward expansion while crushing citizen opposition – a dangerous combination tailored to meet the mercenary wants of real estate developers, not the needs of residents in this once quaint slice of what made Florida special… 

And Another Thing!

I’m an infernal realist. 

Not by choice.  I would love nothing more than to run with the flock, shove my head in the sand, and live in the fantasy of a cotton candy world, as Harry McClintock said, “…with lemonade springs where the bluebird sings in the Big Rock Candy Mountains…”

Unfortunately, I’ve been fated to see the harsh reality of things as they are – warts and all – through a Gin-soaked haze…

As a result, I’m rarely moved by party politics or faux passion, destined to instinctively recognize politically choreographed outcomes by connecting historic lessons (that others have conveniently forgotten) with current events.

Do that long enough and you learn that leopards and politicians don’t change their spots… 

After all these years I still cling to the old-fashioned notion that good citizens who contribute to our society, struggle to make a living in this artificial economy, pay increasingly onerous taxes and fees, work hard to raise and educate their families and follow the rules, form the backbone of our community – and they deserve better from those who have been elected to represent their interests.

When it comes to politics, I am a true No Party Affiliate, with moderate, even apolitical, views on most issues.  As a result, I rarely involve myself in the terrible divisiveness of the national battle for partisan dominance, which has now devolved to savage retaliation and a seething need for vengeance on both sides of the aisle.

That probably sounds odd coming from someone who churns out a weekly political opinion blog, but, as you may have noticed, my screeds tend to take our local politicos (and those who control the rods and strings of governance) to the woodshed for their assholery, ineptitude, and petty posturing – not party politics.

That’s not going to change.

Besides, Volusia County and its various political subdivisions provide ample fodder for community discussion – and oceanic room for improvement…

Why is that?

In my view, for decades, the “Fun Coast” has been controlled by a weird oligarchy of uber-wealthy political donors seeking to control their environment.  An exclusive club which exists to serve itself – and the egocentric nature of their shadowy rule has forever disfigured Volusia County – now considered the ugly stepsister of Central Florida. 

A place best avoided, generally sidestepped by the real players in the region, who treat us like something they don’t want to step in…

Look, don’t take my word for it.

Just review any substantive local issue over the last decade or so – from the poorly planned albatross of SunRail, to the gross suburban sprawl that now blankets our region, widespread development-induced flooding, the corporate welfare and cronyism that allows deep pocketed local governments to pick winners and losers in the marketplace, our water quality and the pending implementation of toilet-to-tap, the environmental carnage inherent to overdevelopment, the lack of affordable housing, outdated transportation infrastructure, stressed public utilities, the blight and dilapidation that commercially handicaps our core tourist area, etc. – and you will find the same institutional and systematic fingerprints.

Be honest.  Have you seen any fundamental improvement over the past four-years?

I’m not talking about what we are told to think by solipsistic elected officials – or the fictional depictions of some canned video at the State of the County Address – but the true status of our civic condition as evidenced by the tangible realities you experience in your daily life and observe with your own eyes.

In less than a month, a new year – and a fresh election season – will be upon us. 

In addition to various municipal elections, in 2026, four Volusia County Council seats – At-large, District 1, District 3, and District 5, and Volusia County School Board Districts 1,3,5 – will be on the ballot.

Folks, it truly is time for substantive change. 

That begins with finding quality candidates for public office then supporting them – politically and financially – so we have a fighting chance to stop the pernicious cycle that has dominated Volusia County for far too long.

A competent choice beyond reelecting political retreads with a history of service to development interests – or those perennial politicians busy climbing the chairs to higher office.  They’re easy to spot, congenital liars earmarked by their preternatural ability to tell you exactly what they think you want to hear – then completely ignore you and your neighbors – staring down like a stone gargoyle from the dais of power whenever you attempt to participate in your local government…

Considering that modern political campaigns in Volusia County have taken on the appearance of a blood-soaked knife fight – an exercise in assured personal and professional destruction – marked by ad hominem attacks based on outright lies, carefully designed to besmirch an opponent’s character and reputation, well-placed rumors that muddy the waters, and manufactured tittle-tattles that cast doubt and deflect attention from the myriad issues we face.

Make no mistake, win or lose, wading into that fetid shitpit is going to leave a mark. 

It isn’t for everyone… 

Because the decisions of local elected officials have such a significant impact on our lives and livelihoods, I find it unfortunate that we have a large number of voters who simply accept the status quo, buying into the false promises of those candidates with enough cold cash in their war chest to get their message – as crafted by their political overseers – in front of the masses with enough frequency and flash to sway opinions.

Someone once wrote that excellence honors passion and noble purpose demands high standards – anything less results in disillusionment and drains enthusiasm.  In Volusia County politics and governance, excellence and high standards are in short supply…

Cowards hide their agenda, misrepresent, make self-protective decisions, obfuscate, deflect, and place blame.  Real leadership leans-in, commits willingly, admits mistakes, holds firm to core principles, demands transparency from the bureaucracy, and makes purpose-driven decisions – leaders reach high, accept responsibility, and inspire confidence by their personal example.

Any of that sound remotely familiar to you here on Florida’s Fun Coast?

I didn’t think so…

With that in mind, there is no reason someone like District 5 Volusia County Councilman David “No Show” Santiago – who, in my view, represents the worst of the worst of self-serving political hacks – should be running unopposed in an area encompassing The Lost City of Deltona – that raging political dumpster fire that is the largest city by population in the region.

Fortunately, a few good candidates have already thrown their hats in the ring in several districts – and I understand others are considering a run for office next year – solid citizens who want something more for their family and yours than business as usual.

If you have that ‘fire in the belly’ to serve, I encourage you to consider stepping into the fray and communicate with your neighbors how you will return honor, integrity, and the public’s trust to local governance. 

It’s important.

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

Note to Readers:

I hope to see everyone in the beautiful City of Holly Hill this weekend as the community kicks off its traditional holiday celebrations!

Tomorrow beginning at 6:00pm, enjoy an evening filled with holiday cheer, festive performances, and a special visit from Santa Claus on the front steps of historic Holly Hill City Hall!

Bring the whole family and help usher in the Holiday Season as we light up the community Christmas tree together. This beloved event is free and open to all!

On Saturday morning at 10:00am, the 66^th Annual Holly Hill Christmas Parade rolls along its new route – travelling west along Second Street to Ridgewood Avenue – then north to LPGA Boulevard.   

Come join us! 

It’s a true smalltown slice of Americana and one of “The City with a Heart’s” most cherished traditions… 

Hope to see you there!

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:

Building Trust Through Transparency in Daytona Beach

I’m certainly not the sharpest knife in the drawer. 

In fact, I’m an uneducated rube so obtuse and monochromatic that I quickly fade into whatever environment I find myself in.  But I have two things going for me – an incredibly sensitive “bullshit detector” – and the innate ability to learn from touching a hot stove.

Having spent the bulk of my life in municipal government, I’ve seen the incredible devotion and selflessness common to those who are called to public service.  I have also witnessed the strength and frailty of human nature – the ability of some to overcome adversity, develop solutions, change tack, and correct mistakes under extraordinary pressure – while others abdicate responsibility and choose career preservation over accountability.   

With the benefit of age and hard-earned experience I have also learned, as Oscar Wilde suggested, the truth is seldom one-dimensional, “rarely pure and never simple…” Perhaps that’s what makes the search for it – especially in the fetid shitpit of local politics – such an interesting (and infinitely frustrating) pursuit.

Now long removed from the fray, I remain firmly ensconced here in the cheap seats, watching the action from afar and analyzing the mini-moves with the acquired ability to discern both the minute and significant. 

My observations allow insight into the various aspects of a civic issue, determining patterns and personalities, always comparing current events with historical outcomes with the understanding that personal and political motivations rarely change. 

I made my share of mistakes in public service – in fact, I embraced my professional faults, foibles, and missteps and shared them with others.  All part of the learning journey, passing along painful knowledge that others might use to their benefit. 

Humility is a learned trait. 

The first police chief I worked for refused to accept excuses or explanations – only personal acceptance of responsibility – and a clear understanding that the same mistake would not be tolerated twice…   

A valuable lesson for a young police officer.

Now, when I feel the benefit of my three-decades of experiential learning can help, I use this space to offer unsolicited (and terribly annoying) insights to those still ‘in the arena’ who are dealing with an acute civic crisis.

Everyone knows that hectoring and lecturing from a washed-up “has been” can be hard to listen to – so, they can take it or leave it.

But one thing is certain, any government official (elected or appointed) who falls victim to the infallibility of position and comes to believe they know it all, will soon find themselves escorted out of their comfortably appointed office (usually by a former subordinate) and thrown on the moldering ash heap of history where arrogance and dodginess inevitably lead…   

The burgeoning purchasing card catastrophe in the City of Daytona Beach is well into its second week – which means it has taken on a life of its own – and this unfolding bruhaha demonstrates the importance of transparency to building credibility, protecting the “brand,” and maintaining confidence when the chips are down.  

It’s called crisis management, a comprehensive process essential to alleviating the concerns of stakeholders and protecting an organizations reputation.                               

The process of rebuilding internal and external trust begins with proactive communication – putting the cards on the table – providing clear information on what is known, and what is being done to mitigate the situation.

In my experience, it helps to establish trusting relationships with the media then make oneself accessible to reporters, answering community questions, admitting mistakes, and humbling oneself to righteous criticism.                                 

Honesty, openness, and complete transparency in the early hours allow leaders to control the narrative with facts while staying ahead of a building crisis by reducing the inevitable conjecture, gossip, and speculation that can quickly spread like a destructive wildfire.

Issues involving fraud, waste, and abuse of public funds will rightfully (and rapidly) draw public attention.  How leadership responds before the crisis crests will determine the long-term outcome – and ultimately the professional fate of those in positions of responsibility.  

Government executives who maintain proper situational awareness will develop 360-degree relationships up and down the chain – and listen to the advice of others – then use their training, skill, and insight to perceive organizational issues before they fester. That creates time and space to think analytically, develop an effable plan, and work through a problem systematically rather than flailing chaotically.

This fact-based decision-making is important because it defines future options, just like bureaucratic spin, clumsy cover-ups, painting the issue as a meanspirited “narrative,” and wallowing in defensive self-pity limits alternatives. 

That’s why the ‘duck and cover’ response of circling the wagons, retreating into the cloistered environment of the executive suite, employing slant and deflection, and limiting external communication to impersonal canned responses quickly results in an “information vacuum” – an unhealthy environment where speculation grows…

In Daytona Beach, City Manager Deric Feacher maintained an almost hermetic seal on information related to the P-card crisis for over a week.  In the ensuing void, WFTV-9 Volusia County correspondent Demi Johnson – a tenacious investigative journalist with a knack for ferreting out the truth – began pouring over raw purchasing data and extrapolating approved spending from perceived misappropriations.

To counter what Mr. Feacher originally described to city commissioners as “misinformation,” he made the compounding mistake of appearing on a sympathetic radio forum (one paid for by the City of Daytona Beach) where the moderator all but body blocked reporter Johnson when she called the program and attempted to ask hardball questions.

It added to the public perception that Mr. Feacher was dodging the issue…

Then, almost a week after the scandal broke, Demi Johnson reported receiving a ‘calendar invite’ for a meeting with City Manager Feacher scheduled for Monday.  During that meeting, Mr. Feacher essentially explained that while he didn’t see anything “nefarious” in his review of the P-card issue thus far, there is a clear problem with outdated policies and procedures, and he will be taking measures to correct the issues.  

By last Friday, the first positive signs emerged when The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported that city officials have established a “…purchasing card information webpage to give the public a clear, easy-to-understand overview of how city and contract employees use the cards and how they’re monitored.”

Find the website here: https://tinyurl.com/5xcyfxrc (The full-access site will return December 8, 2025)

In addition to a frequently asked questions section, the informative site provides the city’s explanation of several P-card expenditures under review.  In a section entitled “Recent Media: Expanded Context,” a $12,852 payment to Seaworld covered an end-of-year trip for youth in the city’s summer camps, while a $37.72 charge to Krispy Kreme provided refreshments for a Parks & Recreation Advisory Board meeting.

Unfortunately, earlier this week, somehow the city’s Information Technology staff allowed a data breach which resulted in employee social security numbers and birth dates being inadvertently posted to the P-card website compromising their personal identifiers.

Another major gaffe that added to the instability as many onlookers asked, “How could this have happened?”

In addition, some questions arose regarding the city’s explanation for the “Marina Manager’s attendance at the Annual Marina Industries (AMI) Conference and Expo in Fort Lauderdale.”  Apparently, under terms of the city’s contract with F3 Marina, for “Fiscal Year 2024, the City Commission approved $5,000 for Travel and Per Diem and $5,000 for education and training for the marina.”

For a private contractor?

In my view, using tax dollars to pay for a private company’s attendance at industry conferences, fund training for its employees, and cover per diem expenses is counter to the reasons governments contract specialized services in the first place…

On Tuesday, WFTV-9 released an interesting report detailing a recent travel audit conducted by Daytona Beach City Auditor Abinet Belachew. 

In my view, the results prove that Mr. Belachew is a fearless defender of the public purse and an indispensable public asset.

According to the report, the travel audit identified “…multiple areas of concern, including outdated policies, weak internal controls, the use of business-class travel, excessive meal and parking costs, insufficient documentation, and noncompliance with best practices.”

Even with the best controls and oversight honest mistakes can still occur – and it is difficult to hold employees accountable for following lax and horribly outdated spending policies – but I found the lack of cooperation reported by Mr. Belachew disturbing:

“While most staff members we interacted with during this audit were cooperative and professional, there were a few isolated instances of uncooperative behavior and unwarranted defensiveness. Although limited, such occurrences should be addressed promptly to maintain a culture of accountability and transparency.”

Specifically, Mr. Belachew noted that the Chief Financial Officer’s office was less than cooperative during the audit. 

According to the report, “During our audit, we encountered several challenges in obtaining information from the CFO’s Office. Specifically, the team appeared defensive and uncooperative in providing the requested documents in a timely manner, and their approach at times created an atmosphere of hostility…”

That’s troubling.  Given the fact the city’s financial oversight is being questioned on several fronts, this lack of internal cooperation is something Mr. Feacher should rectify immediately.

Now, Mr. Belachew will turn his finely tuned microscope on the purchasing card questions, only – at the urging of Mayor Derrick Henry – the inquiry won’t be a “priority.” 

You read that right…

According to Mayor Henry, “I’m of the mind that rather than allowing our city to just become hostage to some idea that we’ve run amok, I want to let the P-Cards run their course in the way that we have previously because I don’t believe that that’s the case.”

Whatever in the bureaucratic foot-dragging procrastination that means?

In my view, the city’s explanatory website is an excellent step towards answering constituent questions, perhaps defusing another distracting controversy at a time when municipal finances are under serious scrutiny. 

In my experience, most people can forgive what they see themselves doing. 

Taxpayers simply require an honest explanation, open communication with decision-makers, and a transparent portal into the bloody abattoir where public policy is made, and their hard-earned dollars are spent…   

A Destructive Delima in Flagler Beach

The death of ‘Old Florida’ has been hard to watch for some of us geriatrics who remember what used to be – pristine beaches and quaint communities, set in a time when our natural amenities were preserved and protected as a big part of our quality of life – not stressed, exploited, and destroyed on the altar of greed.

A time before the onslaught of speculative developers bought every square inch of greenspace (and the loyalty of our state legislators) then set about paving over paradise in favor of thousands of zero lot line wood frame cracker boxes “…starting in the mid-$300’s.”

And how could I forget those ugly and ubiquitous half-empty strip centers that have replaced pristine old-growth forests.

Now, our view of the beach is obscured by a phalanx of concrete and steel “condotels” and overpriced “five star” resorts, built by South Florida entrepreneurs intent on exporting that godawful faux glitz and “SoBe aesthetic” to us yokels in points north. 

For some reason (read: $$$), those members of the community we once elected with a vested interest in maintaining our collective quality of life – the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker – have given way to hand-select marionettes of the development industry, shills who are bought and paid for by those with a mercenary interest in subverting “growth management regulations” and building when, where, and what they want.

To the exclusion of most every other pressing civic issue, it increasingly appears our local councils, commissions, and state legislature are desperately focused on running interference for those greed-hogs who own the paper on their political souls – flooding, environmental destruction, and the exploitation of our finite resources be damned…     

In some cases, encroaching development has forced elected officials to make tough decisions (before those decisions are made for them) compelling small cities to annex adjoining sprawl as a means of keeping the impacts of even more unchecked growth away from their doorstep.

A losing proposition that always results in the loss of the quaint feel and natural amenities that made their community special in the first place.

Last week, the Flagler Beach City Commission voted 4-1 on first reading to approve the annexation of approximately 545 acres stretching south from State Road 100 along the west side of John Anderson Highway.  Once approved, the annexation will incorporate the proposed “Summertown” development, a part of the expansive Veranda Bay, which is also winding its way through the annexation process in Flagler Beach.

If both subdivisions are approved, the annexations would expand the City of Flagler Beach by nearly 30%, eventually doubling the population of the once quaint beachside hamlet.

To his credit, Flagler Beach City Commissioner Eric Cooley understands the dynamics at play, and said the only way the city will have a say in the development is to annex it.

According to a report by Sierra Williams writing in the Ormond Beach Observer this week, Commissioner Cooley said, “It’s real simple: you don’t annex it, you’re out,” he said. “You have no control over anything. You’re not protecting the city. You’re not protecting anything. You’re turning it over to the universe.”

The majority of the other commissioners and Mayor Patti King agreed with Cooley.

But the projects, both Veranda Bay and Summertown, have left many residents with concerns, even beyond the number of rooftops. Flagler Beach residents urged their commissioners to protect the city’s roadways and water and wastewater infrastructure, as well as Bulow Creek, which abuts the Summertown property.

The developer has committed to multiple concessions in the name of annexing the project: building out a spine road before constructing a certain number of residential units; using 40% of the property, including some directly around Bulow Creek, as open space; applying additional buffers around the property, including a 100-foot natural buffer around Bulow Creek.”

In my view, Commissioner Cooley is right – and it is a damnable shame.   

Since neither the State of Florida, City of Palm Coast, nor Flagler County have the best interests of this small community at heart, it leaves one of the last vestiges of ‘Old Florida’ on the east coast in a terrible dilemma:

The necessity of killing the very civic attributes that make their community special in order to protect it from a worse fate…

Quote of the Week

“The audit identified multiple areas of concern, including outdated policies, weak internal controls, the use of business-class travel, excessive meal and parking costs, insufficient documentation, and noncompliance with best practices.

We would like to note that we provided only a few illustrative examples. However, even a single incident of wasteful spending by City employees is cause for concern. Public funds are held in trust for the benefit of the community, and every dollar must be used prudently and in alignment with the City’s policies and fiscal responsibility standards. Allowing even isolated cases of wasteful or unnecessary spending to go unchecked can set a poor precedent, weaken accountability, and erode public confidence in the City’s stewardship of taxpayer resources. Strong financial controls and ethical standards require that all expenditures, regardless of size or frequency, be fully justified, properly documented, and aligned with a clear public purpose.”

–City of Daytona Beach Internal Auditor Abinet Belachew, as excerpted from the “Summary of Audit Findings, Travel Audit Report,” Wednesday, November 19, 2025

To say that City Auditor Abinet Belachew’s in-depth report detailing the findings of his examination of employee travel for FY 2024 paints a less than flattering picture of the city’s transparency, accountability, and compliance with 26-year-old travel policies is an understatement… 

In my view, the report – and the painstaking efforts it documents – proves Mr. Belachew’s worth to the residents of Daytona Beach and speaks to his commitment to the highest ideals of government accounting, effective internal controls, and adherence to best practices that prevent wasteful or unnecessary spending.

It was eye-opening. 

In the view of many, Mr. Belachew’s description of the lack of cooperation and hostility toward auditors by the Daytona Beach Chief Financial Officer’s team was disturbing…   

That obstinance was especially concerning since the city’s Deputy CFO was identified as “…having used taxpayer funds to purchase a business-class airline ticket for official travel,” while refundable economy fares were available along the same route, without documented justification or pre-approval for the travel.

In addition, the report states that the Deputy CFO “overstated mileage reimbursement by approximately 96.8 miles, resulting in an excess payment using taxpayer funds.”

Disturbing indeed…

Most notably, the internal audit found a glaring lack of oversight and accountability for employee travel – including a failure to set per diem amounts or establish spending limits for meals and lodging, no pre-justification/approval or post travel verifications, weak internal controls, and the CFO’s inability to readily provide supporting documentation and receipts for travel related expenditures.

Now that the problem has been exposed to the healing light of day, the onus is on the Chief Financial Officer, and City Manager Deric Feacher, to ensure that up-to-date policies, procedures, and controls – compliant with modern government accounting standards and best practices – are put in place to ensure “transparency, accountability, and the prudent use of taxpayer funds.”

As Mr. Belachew so eloquently stated, “Working for the City of Daytona Beach is a privilege. All employees share a responsibility to uphold the highest standards of integrity, accountability, and stewardship of public resources, recognizing that we ultimately serve the citizens of Daytona Beach.”

I like that guy…

And Another Thing!

I’m not sure the slack jawed Volusia County Council understood what they were watching during Tuesday’s raucous meeting.

To me, it looked a whole lot like participatory governance in action. 

Look, I don’t care where you stand on the late Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, who was tragically assassinated during an open mic debate with a liberal ‘influencer’ on a Utah college campus in September.  Without question, Mr. Kirk was a galvanizing figure in the contemporary American zeitgeist and an icon of conservative youth.    

Admittedly, national politics isn’t my thing. 

For reasons that should be self-explanatory, I don’t pay more than a passing glance at the raging partisan rhetoric and retribution from both sides of the aisle that spews from the sewer pipe of my television 24/7.  Mostly it is because I have no way of influencing outcomes in Washington (neither do you, but that’s a discussion for another day). 

Prior to that horrific day in Orem, I had not heard of Mr. Kirk.    

In my view, by design, Mr. Kirk’s opinions on contemporary political issues and his views on religion, race, sexual orientation, and foreign/domestic policy were provocative; tailored to ignite debate and stimulate public dialog across the massive political chasms that divide us – something that made him incredibly popular with conservatives – and equally vilified by liberal progressives, particularly on college campuses, once considered bastions of free speech. 

As a charismatic and controversial figure, whether you agreed with Mr. Kirk’s politics and views on contemporary society, or hated everything he stood for, there is enough material, soundbites, and anecdotal “recollections” available online, both with context and terribly exaggerated, to fuel your position. 

(Isn’t that true of everything these days?)

In the aftermath of Mr. Kirk’s murder, Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower recently waded into the fray and announced he was planning to seek the approval of his “colleagues” in designating Ormond’s Scenic Loop as “The Charles “Charlie” James Kirk Memorial Highway” citing his “dedication to civic engagement and free speech, while acknowledging the tragedy that occurred.” 

The idea went over like a turd in the proverbial punchbowl with environmentalists and others who rightfully consider “The Loop,” and its historical significance to Volusia County, sacrosanct – a roadway already designated as a scenic byway – something to be preserved and protected. 

Then Chairman Brower shifted his sights to a section of Maytown Road from Oak Drive in Osteen to Gobblers Lodge Road. 

If you know anything about the residents of the unincorporated settlement of Osteen – they are righteously fanatical about being residents of Osteen – and they have strong opinions about preserving their heritage and unique rural lifestyle and would prefer to designate their roadways in honor of those forefathers who had a more direct impact on the tiny community. 

On Tuesday, some Osteen residents joined a parade of their neighbors from across the width and breadth of Volusia County to oppose designating any roadway in honor of Charlie Kirk – citing everything from his lack of a physical connection to Volusia County – to angry accusations of racism, sexism, homophobia, and all points in between… 

While there were a few who supported Mr. Brower’s sentiments, the vast majority of those who made their feelings known with angry hoots, hollers, shouts, and swipes from the gallery, made it abundantly clear they did not want Mr. Kirk’s name on a Volusia County roadway. 

At the end of the day, Councilman David “No Show” Santiago used his patented strategy of legislative procrastination to lead his “colleagues” out of the uncomfortable quagmire…

In order to kick the can out of sight – Mr. Santiago motioned to indefinitely table the matter until senior staff can come back with a policy for memorial designations of roadways and buildings in Volusia County. 

Expect that policy to come back before the council sometime after the return of the Comet Kohoutek… 

Regardless, it did my heart good to see so many residents of Volusia County turn out to a public meeting.  Those on both sides of an issue who courageously stood before their fellow citizens and let their elected officials know where they stood on a matter of community concern. 

It was the essence of participatory governance – the active involvement of citizens in the decision-making process – an exercise that promotes engagement and inclusivity in shaping public policy and stimulates citizen interest and participation in civic affairs.

If inspiring passionate public dialog and fostering the civil discussion of ideas and ideals was truly Charlie Kirk’s calling, he certainly succeeded in strengthening that purely American notion during a seemingly inconsequential county council meeting on Tuesday evening. 

Even with the intractable divisions we face as a nation, the discussion reminded us in the most wonderful way that, at least at the local level, we can remain neighbors and friends, still capable of enthusiastic debate – and peaceful disagreement…   

That’s all for me.  Enjoy the 52nd Annual Daytona Turkey Run, y’all!

Note to Readers:

Dear Members of the Barker’s View Tribe,

I’m taking next week off to enjoy time with family and friends. 

Writing Barker’s View continues to be incredibly cathartic for me during these weird times we find ourselves in. 

This blog continues to be a source of pride that provides a much-needed sense of purpose, and the process of contemplating the issues and expressing my thoughts keeps my Gin-soaked mind limber.

I sincerely appreciate the many wonderful, often unlikely, relationships this blog has built.  The effort has supported my long-held belief that we all want to be heard – to have our opinions considered and valued – especially by the decision-makers who establish public policy.

Thank you for listening to mine.

The best part of this forum remains your feedback, discussing differing opinions, and good-naturedly arguing the fine points.  In my view, that drives a larger discussion of the myriad problems we face in our community.

Sometimes you agree with me – other times you vehemently disagree – but we can remain friends.  Through our dialog, we gain a better perspective of the issues we collectively face, and how to solve them.

I can’t think of anything more purely American than that.

May God bless each of you, and our brave men and women in uniform, at home and abroad – our heroic military members and first responders – those who willingly go into harm’s way to protect us. 

Godspeed.

From the Barker Family to yours – have a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!

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:

Sounding the Klaxon in the City of Daytona Beach – A Cause for Concern?

They say the benefit of experience is hindsight. 

Having spent the bulk of my adult life in municipal government, I’ve seen instances of waste and the misuse of public funds – and I’ve been guilty of honest mistakes that cost taxpayers.

Those who manage budgets often say you can’t get blood out of a turnip. 

Trust me, I’ve tried when asked to make draconian cuts to my department’s costs and services during lean times. Based on that experience, I can attest that deep cuts to spending sounds good to some, but you won’t always like what the turnip looks like when your done with it…

In government, like the private sector, those painful errors, omissions, and extravagances allow smart elected and appointed officials to look back at successes and failures, analyze the good, the bad, and the ugly of past decisions, then apply those difficult lessons when making future judgements.

They call it “experiential learning” or “institutional knowledge,” but getting older I realize life is really a gradual release from ignorance – the hard-earned wisdom that comes from touching a hot stove – and understanding the importance of controlling the controllables.

During my productive years in public service, I used the discretion afforded my position to develop an internal policy to protect public assets in the use of government issued purchasing cards – known colloquially as “P Cards.” 

Rather than have authorized individuals carry their p-cards, I directed that the cards assigned to my department be kept in a lockbox maintained by my trusted administrative assistant.  When the need arose, the individual would sign out their respective card, complete the transaction, then both the receipt and p-card would be returned and signed for.  

The straightforward process strengthened existing internal policies governing requisitions and purchasing, and ensured every expenditure was preapproved and the transaction documented before it was routed for proper accounting and external audit.

In my experience, those simple physical safeguards eliminated the problem of “Oh, I must have gotten my city card and personal credit card mixed up,” or “I used my personal car for a work errand, so I got gas on my p-card,” or the on-the-spot conundrum of determining whether a lunch, incidental, or other expense was authorized.

It wasn’t an issue of trust – the controls merely helped ensure accountability in the expenditure of public funds.  Given the fact I was personally responsible for the assets and personnel entrusted to my department, it was something I could mitigate with little hassle or inefficiency with a high degree of integrity.

I was reminded of that process last week when The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s investigative journalist Eileen Zaffiro-Kean published an exposé headlined “Are Daytona Beach city workers abusing purchase cards? An internal auditor wants to know,” detailing potential problems with the issuance of some 280 purchasing cards provided to both city employees and private contractors.

The question arose after Daytona Beach Commissioner Stacy Cantu, a resolute watchdog who keeps the best interests of her constituents at the forefront, examined city p-card purchases and found “some of the transactions to be alarming.”

According to the News-Journal’s report, “You can’t make this stuff up,” Cantu said at the Wednesday, Nov. 5, City Commission meeting. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

Cantu has been shocked to discover about 280 of the 1,000 city employees have P-Cards. And she was especially dismayed to see even 10 contract employees who manage Halifax Harbor Marina for the city had P-cards.

City Manager Deric Feacher has department heads checking their employees’ P-Card purchases for any possible improper use. The head of the Utilities Department is reviewing more than 1,300 P-Card statements from the 57 cardholders in her divisions, and so far she doesn’t see anything “that doesn’t look reasonable.”

During a recent City Commission meeting, City Manager Deric Feacher directed the city’s new internal auditor, Abinet Belachew, audit purchases and examine the issuance and use of p-cards across all city departments and contractors.    

Last week, Mr. Feacher sent a prepared statement to WFTV-9’s Demie Johnson – a tenacious investigative reporter doing the Lord’s work who has requested an in-person interview with the City Manager for over a week (?) – which read, in part:

“Taxpayers deserve confidence that every dollar we spend is handled responsibly, and I take that responsibility very seriously. The city has significant oversight and review processes in place for employee purchasing cards, including multiple levels of approval and regular monitoring of transactions.”

According to the statement, Mr. Feacher claimed that, in addition to the city’s internal audit, he was “…assembling an internal committee of senior staff to take a fresh, comprehensive look at all of our policies and practices.”

Unfortunately, many were confused last Friday when Mr. Feacher adamantly refused to speak with the WFTV reporter and was last seen on camera getting into his car and skedaddling out of a City Hall parking lot without comment. 

Never a good look…   

With Mr. Feacher seemingly dodging the issue, on Tuesday, WFTV’s Johnson contacted Sen. Tom Leek for his thoughts on the still unexplained purchases appearing on city P-cards. 

According to Sen. Leek, “Their CFO needs to come forward with receipts. Show us what these things are being spent on. Don’t just give us a report. Show us the receipts and what it was actually spent on,” said Leek.

We asked Leek if he thinks any of this could be criminal.

“I don’t know yet. You know a couple of years ago when this stuff first started to come out. It stunk. Today it smells rotten. So, I don’t think you can rule out criminal,” said Leek.”

Whoa.

According to the report, Sen. Leek said he would not rule out involvement by the state’s chief financial watchdog, Blaise Ingoglia…

Let’s hope, as Mr. Feacher has suggested, that there are adequate controls and oversight in place to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse – and sound explanations for the expenditures.  More important, now is the time for the city’s new internal auditor to prove his worth by restoring the public’s trust in the purchasing process.

Kudos to Commissioner Cantu for remaining vigilant. 

From her work uncovering asbestos contamination at a Beach Street building slated to be purchased by the city, to her efforts to find solutions to dangerous sidewalks in the Mosaic community, clearly Ms. Cantu takes her sworn duty as an elected representative seriously. 

In my view, Ms. Cantu’s watchfulness – and willingness to ask the tough questions when it matters – is paying big dividends for Daytona Beach taxpayers.    

Lowell L. Lohman, Requiescat in Pace

Last month, the Halifax area lost not only a titan of business, but an important philanthropic source of good. Someone who, despite personal health challenges, made our lives better by his extraordinary generosity. 

According to Mr. Lohman’s beautiful obituary, “The ultimate example of positivity and perseverance, Lowell Lohman taught us that living with Type 1 Diabetes does not have to be limiting. He rose to the daily challenge and regiment required with diabetes and lived a vibrant, adventurous life for 80 years.”  

As visionary entrepreneurs, Mr. Lohman and his wife Nancy owned multiple successful businesses, including Lohman Funeral Homes.  Most recently, the Lohman’s partnered with son Ty and his wife Tova in owning apartment complexes and the development of The Cupola luxury townhome community which has enhanced North Halifax Drive in Ormond Beach.

However, Mr. Lohman will best be remembered for his incredible generosity, the enormous scope and diversity of his impactful giving, and his true sense of care for our community. 

According to his obituary, “His giving resulted in the naming of the planetarium at the Museum of Arts and Sciences, MOAS, in Lowell’s and Nancy’s honor. Lowell often shared how fascinating and humbling it was to study the universe.  Lowell’s hope was their support of the planetarium would inspire others to keep learning. They sponsor the school field study program that continues to enable 6,000-10,000 5th and 8th graders in Volusia County Public Schools to attend a day at MOAS free of charge each year; an idea his best friend, Carl Persis, presented to Lowell several years ago.

Lowell’s generosity also included the support of the Halifax Humane Society Lohman Pet Adoption Center, the Halifax Health Lohman Diabetes Center and the Nancy & Lowell Lohman Art Center at the Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens.” 

Lowell Lohman’s life of dedicated service to others, both personally and professionally, has left an indelible mark on our community.  He left us better than he found us, and we join in mourning his passing at age eighty.

Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Lohman.  We’re glad you passed our way…

Go DOGE Yourself…

With Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis crowing to anyone who will listen about his incredibly risky ploy to eliminate property taxes in favor of funding essential governmental services by, well, who the hell knows? – local governments across the state are attempting to head off Gov. DeSantis’ attack dogs by “DOGE-ing” themselves…

For instance, last week, Daytona Beach City Manager Deric Feacher directed the city’s internal auditor to establish a Department of Government Efficiency using self-audit guidance from the state – a wise move – considering the mounting questions surrounding the city’s fiscal stewardship… 

According to an article by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “The City of Ormond Beach will begin the process of “DOGE-ing” itself.”

“On Tuesday, Nov. 4, the Ormond Beach City Commission held a joint workshop with the city’s Budget Advisory Board to discuss the state’s Department of Government Efficiency framework to self-audit for efficiency. City staff walked the officials through where they believed they may find cost savings, such as the travel policy for staff and commissioners, memberships to various organizations, take-home vehicles, its bid platform and contract management. Based on previous discussions, the city will be focusing on reducing spending and streamlining operations.

The self-DOGE process was kickstarted by City Commissioner Travis Sargent, who presented the state’s guidelines to the commission during the recent budget discussions.”

I found that interesting.

Especially when you consider that during what passed for budget hearings earlier this year, City Attorney Randy Hayes told Ormond Beach taxpayers that a tax increase was imperative because “Sound fiscal management and responsible leadership require it.”

According to Hayes, commissioners were encouraged to vote for the increase due to “…financial risks and liabilities associated with the mayor’s (Jason Leslie’s) intention to seek deep reductions in the millage rate and the budget, and the uncertainties those reductions would have on the ability of the city to deliver quality services to residents.”

In fact, Commissioner (and current mayoral candidate) Lori Tolland – who, for dramatic effect, directed that Mr. Hayes’ handwringing missive be read aloud by the city clerk – openly accused Mayor Leslie of threatening Ormond Beach’s quality of life by even suggesting a tax cut.

Remember?  I do.

At the end of the day, Ormond’s “In-Crowd” got what they wanted – a substantial tax increase – with an annual budget now set at $142 million.  According to a September report in the Ormond Beach Observer, “From the 2020-2021 fiscal year to 2025-2026, the budget has increased by about 48%.”

In just five-years?

As a result, Ormond Beach residents are now asking the obvious: If city staff is just beginning to focus on spending reductions and streamlining operations, what have they been doing for the past five years?

Considering we are now being told there are “budget duplications,” frivolous memberships, throwing good money after bad for the asinine annual “State of the City” pep rally, redundant positions, ignored suggestions, etc., etc. – questionable expenditures that may represent unnecessary spending – why did our elected officials convince us any further budget reductions would result in financial Armageddon? 

In a recent editorial in the Observer this week, former Budget Advisory Board member Joe Hannoush, added to the concerns of chary taxpayers when he divulged:

“I am reminded that as a member of the Ormond Beach Budget Advisory Board for four budget cycles, I advised to reduce spending on several line items. The city’s budget has gone up significantly since then with none of my suggestions being implemented in any meaningful way I am aware of.”

What gives? 

Why were we blatantly lied to by those we have elected and appointed to represent our interests?

In my view, after the dumpster fire that was the 2025-26 Ormond Beach budget process – a turbulent time when Mayor Jason Leslie was publicly eviscerated for caving to the prevailing wisdom and ultimately supporting the tax increase – I think someone at City Hall has some explaining to do…

Although I have serious reservations about the motivations (and potential outcomes) of Gov. DeSantis’ proposal to eliminate property taxes, perhaps the difficult discussion – and the resultant self-audits and belt-tightening – is exactly what we need to curb overspending, reign in exorbitant executive salaries, limit Taj Mahal public facilities, and stop the clockwork annual tax increases that pay for it all.    

Quote of the Week

“Daytona Beach needs to quickly whittle its excess permits and license fees to $4.4 million or less to come into compliance with state law.

A $9.4 million proposal to build an addition to City Hall would drop the tally back into legal territory, but that project still doesn’t have a contractor, solid timeline or final City Commission approval. In March, three of the seven city commissioners voted against putting out a request for proposals to expand the 60,000-square-foot City Hall.

(Daytona Beach Mayor) Henry told the seven state representatives and seven senators on the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee that Daytona Beach “is fully committed” to coming into compliance with state law.

The mayor said Daytona Beach experienced a surge in new development over the past five years, so building permit fee revenue spiked and led to the accumulated money.

(State Sen. Jason) Brodeur asked the Daytona contingent what was being done with the roughly $500,000 in interest income that was being earned off the $10 million of unspent permitting fees. Morris said neither he nor anyone else in the group could immediately answer that question.

“You don’t know where $500,000 is?” Brodeur asked. “I hope on your four-hour drive home you realize this is getting serious.”

–Investigative Reporter Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Florida legislators unleash frustration on Daytona city government leaders,” Tuesday, November 4, 2025

One fixed rule for public officials, especially at the local level, is either the elected body sets sound policy based on strategic planning, maintains oversight, and provides responsible stewardship of public funds – or someone else will make those decisions for them…

As Sen. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, put it during last month’s meeting of Volusia’s legislative delegation in DeLand, “…when local governments do things that are “so out of whack,” then the “state’s going to step in.”

Last week, high-ranking officials from the City of Daytona Beach – to include Mayor Derrick Henry, City Manager Deric Feacher, Deputy City Manager Jim Morris, and Chief Building Official Glen Urquhart – were summoned to the lion’s den in Tallahassee for a thorough thrashing before the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee.

The board, comprised of surly senators and representatives, demanded answers to why the municipal government has failed to follow statutory guidelines governing the accrual and expenditure of permits and licensing fees.

It was ugly.

And the legislators were right… 

There are legally established rules for how permit and licensing fees can be used – including set limits on how much of the unexpended balance can be carried forward.  According to reports, over the past four years, the City of Daytona Beach has maintained some $11 million in unspent fees collected during a period of explosive growth – far exceeding the statutory mandate. 

During the hearing, committee members openly questioned the delegation’s veracity, and panned the city’s spending plan, which appears (on its face) to be a hodge-podge of expensive nice-to-haves that Daytona Beach officials hope will comply with the state’s rules. 

According to the News-Journal, “The proposed projects included 17 pickup trucks that would cost close to $1 million, drones tallying $210,000, a $250,000 City Commission chambers upgrade and $250,000 for virtual desktop infrastructure.

Under budgeted items was about $4 million for land and facility acquisition; $3.1 million to renovate, furnish and equip a facility; $1.2 million for a mobile permitting center; $993,100 for a permits and licensing boat and boathouse; $660,000 for vehicles and equipment; and $400,000 for new permits and licensing staff.

Some of those projects came to fruition, but several did not. The mobile permitting center idea was dropped, as was the purchase of a Beach Street building that was to be used for permits and licensing staff.” 

The original plan included the ill-fated purchase of an antiquated building at 230 North Beach Street where officials planned to house the permits and licensing division.  However, that plan was abandoned when an investigation by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (spurred by City Commissioner Stacy Cantu’s concerns) found deadly asbestos in the building.  

Now, it appears as if the City of Daytona Beach is unable to develop of viable plan for properly spending the permit and licensing fee balance, and the state is prepared to step in and ensure that the funds are returned to the developers who paid them… 

The political mauling at the Capitol didn’t sit well at home. 

At the November 5 City Commission meeting, Commissioner Ken Strickland punched back, saying “Tallahassee needs to mind their own business.  They should be representing us, not ridiculing us. I’m disgusted with our representation up there.”

In my view, the meeting took on the appearance of a passel of thieves squabbling over the loot when a representative of the Volusia Business and Industry Association – who would obviously prefer the excess fees be returned to developers – appeared at the hearing to gloat and tattle on the City of Deltona’s use of impact fees (?). 

The VBIA’s peripheral involvement in the state’s vicious gibbeting of Daytona Beach officials was obvious, excessive, and extremely telling – and, in my view, it stained the state’s haughty attempt to publicly correct (denigrate?) their local “colleagues.”

Unfortunately, city officials have no one to blame but themselves.   

During the scathing hearing, Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson rightfully admonished “A city with a vision would have created a plan…” 

In my view, that lack of vision – and a viable plan – isn’t limited to Daytona Beach, and continues to plague local governments across the width and breadth of Volusia County. 

During this period of unprecedented growth when strategic financial forecasting is imperative, it appears the City of Daytona Beach is about to become an expensive example of what happens to local governments who fail to establish a civic vision… 

And Another Thing!

Few things stimulate more interest on this blog than discussions regarding Volusia County District Schools. 

Perhaps it’s because we all have a personal stake in the success of our children’s education – or the importance of high performing schools to the social, civic, and economic development of our communities – or maybe it’s because we all pay for it, whether we have kids in school or not.

In my experience, a natural curiosity emerges when the disturbing things we see with our own eyes doesn’t comport with the pap and fluff that oozes from spinmeisters in public information offices, or the gloating of senior officials intent on creating a flattering picture, regardless of evidence to the contrary.

Last month, at the bitter end of the Volusia legislative delegation’s meeting in DeLand – that stilted annual spectacle when “We, The Little People” and our local representatives, have an opportunity to grovel before those we have sent to Tallahassee – saw another embarrassing example of how things work (or don’t) in the District’s Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand.

In an odd and unexpected turn, Dr. Gilbert Evans, who serves a conflicting role as both the District’s General Counsel and the School Board’s attorney, surprised the legislative delegation with an eleventh hour, half-baked, and incredibly expensive list of requests – some of which clearly had not been vetted or approved by our elected representatives on the Volusia County School Board…

Among other requests, Dr. Evans reminded our legislators that the state currently pays for 50% of costs associated with student transportation in Florida.   

Inexplicably, during his bizarre presentation, Dr. Evans – apparently serving as a lobbyist for all 67 school districts in the state (?), asked legislators to consider covering all school transportation costs – including funds required to “attract, hire, and maintain bus attendants” – as a means of relieving school districts from the burden of “diverting resources from instructional needs.” 

Say what?

In addition, Dr. Evans asked that, due to a shortage of licensed mental health counselors in schools, the state take action to allow unlicensed supervised interns to provide critical psychological services to Florida students and permitting that “on-the-job” training to count toward the requirements of licensure.

Really?

He also asked for “some kind of bill” that would permit cameras in classrooms “for non-verbal students for safety and accountability.” 

Whatever that means… 

To his credit, Sen. Tom Leek asked Evan’s the clear and unvarnished question everyone else in the room was thinking: “How much money do you need?” 

“How much money do you need today, if we give it to you, you say, “Okay we’re good?”

The mortifying silence that ensued (broken only by raucous guffaws from the audience) made it clear that, once again, Volusia County District Schools had failed to do their homework…

Eventually, Dr. Evans explained to a perplexed Sen. Leek that he “wasn’t expecting that question.” 

Making a point, Sen. Leek explained that the honest answer to his rhetorical question was – “There is no answer,” because enough is never enough…

In taking Dr. Evans to the woodshed, Sen. Leek directed that when Volusia County District Schools comes before the state legislative delegation asking for money, they should breakdown the request into a reasonable and logical explanation of need – especially one that represents a “monumental shift in policy and cost,” like funding all transportation costs for Florida students everywhere.

In turn, Sen. Leek asked Dr. Evans if Volusia County Schools is still requiring public employees to sign nondisclosure agreements regarding public business, and Evans responded they were “asking” – not “requiring” – some employees to sign NDA’s who serve in “sensitive areas.”

A testy exchange ensued with Sen. Leek asking Dr. Evans if he felt the practice of telling public employees to sign NDA’s to prevent them from discussing public business was wrong? 

Given Florida’s venerated commitment to government in the sunshine, it remains a serious public policy question that School Board member Donna Brosemer has been demanding answers to for months…

In holding the district’s party line, Evans replied, “No sir.”

Embarrassing.

The ugly scene was reminiscent of a similar debacle two-years ago this week when District Superintendent Carmen Balgobin sent the “B-Team” – consisting of a brand-new Interim Chief Operating Officer and a clueless Deputy Superintendent – to appear before the Volusia County Council seeking $350,000 to fund additional School Resource Deputies.

Like Dr. Evans’ half-assed “presentation,” the ask to the County Council was devoid of financial and operational specifics, and Balgobin’s conspicuous absence, coupled with the ham-handed way the district’s request was brought forth, left veteran elected officials shaking their heads in a fit of fremdschämen…

At the time, Volusia County Councilman Troy Kent, a school administrator himself, remarked, “It’s borderline disrespectful, in my opinion, to come hat in hand asking for money and not having your ducks in a row, with basic statistics ready to go.”

Obviously, the repetitive nature of these public gaffes proves our “Superintendent of the Year” Balgobin hasn’t yet learned the valuable lesson that preparedness, presentation, and professionalism are the keys to securing alternative funding…

Anything less is amateurish – and humiliating.

If the benefit of experience is hindsight, what do we call those who refuse to learn from their mistakes? 

In my view, that’s the textbook definition of a fool…

That said, what do we call the majority of our elected representatives on the School Board who continue to permit these embarrassing blunders from highly compensated senior administrators time, and time again?

That’s a disturbing point to ponder come election time…

That’s all for me.  Enjoy a great final weekend of the Volusia County Fair, 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:

Sen. “Terrible Tommy” Wright Has Heard Enough From You Pissants…

While I was taking a break in the hinterlands of Northern Virginia last week, getting a different perspective, refueling the soul in the deeply healing environment of nature at the autumnal peak of fall colors, a wonderfully rejuvenating time enjoyed with lifelong friends; here on the “Fun Coast” our state legislative delegation was granting their annual audience to local elected peons who grovel for crumbs of the tax dollars we send to Tallahassee.

A sick kabuki where the legislators sit ensconced on a dais, literally and figuratively above our local representatives, civic activists, and concerned citizens who approach, hat-in-hand, to plead with those we have sent to Tallahassee for our rightful share of state funds, all while being admonished as compulsive wastrels by the pompous intelligentsia.      

It reminds me just how far from a government “…of the people, by the people, and for the people” we’ve strayed…

Rightfully, the most pressing issue of our time – malignant overdevelopment and its devastating effect on widespread flooding – was at the forefront. 

One-after-another, various community council members and commissioners dutifully approached, reverently genuflected, and explained how Senate Bill 180 (which each legislator on the dais voted to approve) has eliminated local control of planning and development while granting developer’s carte blanche to build when, where, and what they want.

That is before Senator “Terrible Tommy” Wright issued an arrogant edict – “Enough!”

According to The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Before the end of the more than four-hour hearing, state Sen. Tom Wright said he had heard enough, asking one speaker if she planned to speak against Senate Bill 180.” 

“We’ve heard it enough times. We know that there’s issues with 180 and we’re working hard to try to correct them,” Wright said. “To save everyone’s time, if there’s anything else you’d like to talk about, we’re well aware of 180 being a problem.”

Save everyone’s time? 

What in the hell else does Senator Wright have to do on a Wednesday other than listen to the fervent concerns of his anxious constituents – including many of the same local elected officials who have run interference for the delegation’s kowtowing to their political benefactors – by refusing to join a lawsuit challenging SB 180? 

Where is the gratitude for those obsequious elected local yokels who bowed down and knuckled to their threats and legislative bullying – hoping for “amendments” to the horribly flawed law during the next legislative session?   

Look, I get it.  Sen. Wright has a history of intimidation and harassing behavior toward those who cannot fight back – like the ugly incident two-years ago when Wright angrily put his hands on a female employee of a domestic violence shelter when she rightfully ordered him off a bus full of residents, then charged at her screaming “‘Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!’”   

Sound familiar?

In my view, given “Terrible Tommy’s” reported history of “flirty and grooming” behavior toward vulnerable young women, the shelter employee had damn good reasons to protect the victims under her care.

According to a 2023 report in the News-Journal, another domestic violence survivor recounted “…an experience she had in 2017 with Wright during a bus evacuation ahead of Hurricane Irma.”

The victim said “…Wright rode on the bus with shelter residents, adding that she believes he paid for the trip. At one point, she told the News-Journal, he talked about prostitutes in Cuba, topless women on a boat and offered to fly her to Las Vegas.

Nothing else untoward happened, she said, but she found the situation “kind of embarrassing,” and “now I realize, you know, he was a creep.”

The young victim was reportedly “…around 20 years old at the time. Wright was in his mid-60s.”

A “creep” indeed…

It appears when things get politically uncomfortable for Sen. Wright – he simply demands that members of the servile class who pay the bills and suffer in silence “‘Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!’”  

Fortunately, “Terrible Tommy” won’t have to listen to us much longer as he is termed out in November 2026. 

Let’s hope whoever is elected to the seat understands the importance of listening to “We, The Little People,” rather than focusing solely on the mercenary wants and whims of their political benefactors in the development industry. 

Vote like your lives and livelihoods depend on it…

NSB Mayor Fred “Captain Queeg” Cleveland is Watching You

While New Smyrna Beach Mayor Fred Cleveland may tremble in his boots at the mere thought of what those bullies on the Volusia County legislative delegation may do to any community who stands their ground, defends the right to home rule, and challenges the overreach of SB 180 – it appears he has no problem using the iron boot of government to police your right to free expression of your views and opinions on the ‘everyman’s soapbox’ of social media.

Like the mad Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny, somewhere along the way Fred Cleveland has cracked under the pressure, obsessing over carping social media posts and mean memes, while the much more serious flooding problems aboard the good ship New Smyrna go haywire…

During a public meeting last month, Mayor Cleveland’s cheese publicly slipped off his cracker on the dais as he fumed over social media posts he found offensive, which resulted in City Attorney Carrie Avallone dutifully (if not unconstitutionally) sending a letter on official letterhead to Volusia County Council District 3 candidate Bryon White – an outspoken opponent of overdevelopment and its effects on our natural places – demanding that he “correct or remove” statements critical of NSB officials from social media.

You read that right…

In my view it was an abject abuse of power, a heavy-handed attempt to silence a political critic, and it does not appear the New Smyrna Beach City Commission is stopping its crusade to champion the “Truth According to City Hall” with Mr. White. 

In addition, during his rambling diatribe against anyone who expresses a viewpoint different from those espoused by the NSB spinmeisters – Mayor Cleveland ominously asked if one of the city’s two Public Information Officers (they have two?) could “monitor” the social media posts of residents and “set the record straight” with anyone who “berates” city officials or tries to “further an agenda.”

Wow.

I suspect Mayor Cleveland’s rampant paranoia and willingness to silence critics with the full force of government is just one reason New Smyrna Beach residents approved just two of the seven city charter amendments during Tuesday’s election.  That included righteously rejecting extending the mayor’s term from two to four years and increasing the salaries of the mayor and city commissioners.

No wonder the elected officials don’t like what their constituents have to say, eh?

In turn, the residents voted to prioritize cultural arts and mandate city charter reviews every ten years.

Interesting.

In my view, social media surveillance by the City of New Smyrna Beach or any other government entity raises serious concerns for the civil rights and liberties of citizens – and has a chilling effect on our right to free and unfettered expression. 

Our right to speak our minds on matters of public concern is not subject to the filter of Attorney Avallone, some highly compensated public mouthpiece, or anyone else – and Mayor Cleveland should know that.

If Mayor Cleveland and his Milquetoast “colleagues” can’t stand the heat of public opinion, then they should get out of the kitchen.

Quote of the Week

“Now, with reelection on the horizon, Councilman David Santiago is attempting to rebrand himself as compassionate. His latest proposal would divert those same arts funds to food banks, citing the federal shutdown and temporary suspension of SNAP benefits.

At first glance, this sounds benevolent. Don’t be fooled, this is not compassion, it’s political grandstanding.  By framing this as a moral choice, Santiago is playing a cynical game: pitting the arts against hunger.

Feeding people matters, no one disputes that. Only, this is calculated optics, the devils bargain disguised as virtue.  With a 1.4 billion county budget, Volusia can feed struggling families and fund the arts.

If the Council truly cared about priorities, or core government responsibilities it could start by cutting Councilman Don Dempsey’s 10.2 million motocross facility.”

–Intrepid Civic/Environmental Activist Cathrine Pante, as excerpted from her Facebook Post on Slow the Growth Volusia, Tuesday, November 4, 2025

You can tell election season is nigh when you hear sitting politicians – and those vying to be – puff and preen, “I will put my constituents first and serve all people of (insert local, state, federal jurisdiction here).”   

Squawking about inclusiveness and feigning interest the kitchen table concerns of struggling residents.

Horseshit…

The fact is, as anyone paying attention knows, the Volusia County Council – in toto – don’t give a tinker’s dam about the myriad issues facing “Fun Coast” families, and even less about finding effective long-term solutions to the multifaceted problem of hunger, poverty, homelessness, and basic household survival. 

On Tuesday, during what should have been a routine approval of the recommendations of the Children and Families Advisory Board, which helps fund things like Boys and Girls Clubs, Easter Seals, Council on Aging, swim lessons for children, and basic needs services, Chairman Jeff Brower took a cue from Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins and used it as an inappropriate opportunity to showboat.

According to an article in the West Volusia Beacon this week:  

“Although the storm over the Volusia County Council’s defunding of several arts and cultural organizations has not subsided, the governing body Nov. 4 waded into another budget controversy: appropriations for programs aiding the elderly and people with special needs.

“We spend far beyond our core government responsibilities,” County Chair Jeff Brower said, reading from a prepared statement. “Today we are being asked to spend the money we have taken from one family to help with the needs another family faces. We are a generous people, and our constituents are always willing to help those in need. But it should be their decision, not ours.”

This time, the “core responsibilities” argument didn’t go over well.

Per usual, Chairman Brower was alone and adrift – as none of his hard-shelled “colleagues” would consider voting against children’s programs and elderly assistance…

Later in the meeting, in a contrived twist Councilman David “No Show” Santiago, an unconvincing liar with the political morals of a broke back snake, tried to convince us he has conjured up a compassionate means of feeding the hungry (while further humiliating Volusia’s arts community).

In another of Santigo’s clearly choreographed sideshows, “No Show” all but held a cartoon lightbulb over his head when he announced he had suddenly found a way to use the $611,000 budgeted for arts funding – that just two-weeks ago was reallocated for an in-name-only “road and sidewalk maintenance program” – to underwrite the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as the US Government shutdown stretches into its sixth week.

In doing so, Councilman Santiago (who feeds greedily at the public trough) telegraphed to anyone watching that he doesn’t have a clue how many families in Volusia County (or his district) suffer from food insecurity – or even the number of food banks and pantries Volusia County “partners” with. 

Which makes it convenient for me to say – I’ll just bet Mr. Santiago has never met a hungry person (unless he was laughing at them on the sidewalk).  In my view, that makes his whopper “Feeding people is important to me” seem that much more cruel, calculated, and disingenuous.

In doing so, the demonstrably meanspirited Santiago exposed that he has no qualms using the anxiety and suffering of others to paint arts organizations as taking food from the mouths of hungry children should they continue to complain about the council’s bait-and-switch deception.  

That is Santiago’s brand of petty politics – quick on self-serving solutions – while dragging his tiny little feet, demanding more time and information, and throwing up inane roadblocks on issues of critical concern for Volusia County residents. 

Meanwhile, as Ms. Pante so eloquently points out, $10.2 million in taxpayer funds wait to pay for Councilman Don Dempsey’s family folly – a publicly funded motorcross facility…

Make no mistake, “No Show” Santiago and his “colleagues” on the dais are hoping against hope the shutdown resolves before they are forced to make good on their chaotic virtue signaling and reallocate funds from transportation infrastructure (originally earmarked for culture and arts funding) and provide $611K in unbudgeted and nonrefundable public assistance to area food banks – something that sticks in their collective craw like a fishbone.

Volusia County residents deserve better.

And Another Thing!

“The Florida Department of Transportation will host an open house next week to discuss a project that will resurface almost 4 miles of Nova Road, from Flomich Street in Holly Hill north to U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach.

The open house will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at The Casements, 25 Riverside Drive. According to a city notice, the project will include a raised median that will replace portions of the center two-way left-turn lane on Nova Road between Granada Boulevard and Willmette Avenue.

The project will also add a new traffic signal at Old Kings Road and a directional median at Arroyo Parkway, which FDOT states will allow left turns onto Arroyo Parkway from Nova Road; traffic turning from Arroyo Parkway to Nova Road, however, will only be able to turn right.

Other improvements include upgraded traffic and pedestrian signals, enhanced lighting at signalized intersections and the reconstruction of pedestrian curb ramps to comply with ADA standards.

The design phase of the project is estimated to cost $2.6 million. The total construction cost is $16.8 million and construction is slated to start in summer 2026.”

–The Ormond Beach Observer, “FDOT to host open house for Nova Road improvements,” Tuesday, October 28, 2025

FDOT: “You rube’s like the “improvements” we gave you on Granada Boulevard and A-1-A?  You ain’t seen nothing like what we got planned for Nova Road!  

Please.  Say it isn’t so… 

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:

Cowardice and Avarice Reign in the Lost City of Deltona

With the grotesque Commissioner “Farting” Chris Nabicht now ensconced on the dais, this week the compromised majority of the Deltona City Commission ignored the will of residents, spinelessly reversed course, and abruptly pulled out of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Senate Bill 180.   

After Deltona earned widespread admiration for being among the first municipalities in the state to push back on the preemptions of SB-180 – a wide-ranging tool that completely undermines local growth management regulations and allows real estate developer’s carte blanche to build what, when, and where they want – on Monday, the “new” majority on Deltona’s dais tucked tail in fear of state sponsored “retribution” and voted for vassalage over independent governance and self-determination.  

To her immense credit, rather than kowtow to the petty intimidation of Volusia County’s legislative delegation, Commissioner Dori Howington courageously stood firm in her commitment to represent the rights of her constituents, fighting tooth-and-nail to stay the course and continue the city’s noble legal challenge to the state’s greed-crazed attack on Home Rule authority. 

In a bold act of leadership, Commissioner Howington spoke truth in the face of her “colleague’s” handwringing – standing up to the meanspirited Volusia legislative delegation, who have punished the city for its participation in the lawsuit by childishly refusing to present those giant cartoon checks for projects to deny elected officials a campaign photo op – fighting to protect her residents from malignant overdevelopment.

For her forthright stand against the pernicious influence of special interests, Ms. Howington was browbeaten from the dais by that insolvent sad sack, Mayor Santiago Avila Jr., and the strategically appointed (and forever flatulent gasbag) Commissioner Nabicht…

Kudos to Commissioners Maria Avila-Vasquez and Stephen Colwell for having the courage of their convictions and joining Ms. Howington in voting to stay in the fight.

It is no secret that the gross maladministration of the Lost City of Deltona has been a growing embarrassment for residents (and greater Central Florida) for years – a flaming shit-show of epic proportion – marked by an abysmal lack of leadership, slimy personal agendas, and a parade of ill-equipped elected marionettes whose personal irresponsibility, and ethical ambiguity, would preclude them from holding office in any third-world banana republic in the world.

But not here.

In Deltona – just like in the rest of Florida – manipulative external forces cultivate those they can control, while whoever is responsible for enforcing public integrity laws here in the Biggest Whorehouse in the World continues to turn a blind eye…  

Tragic.

In my view, if – as the majority of the Deltona City Commission now suggest – our state government is engaging in a strongarm campaign, using threats of retribution against any political subdivision that disagrees with handing the future of their communities over to the wants of mercenary developers, then the solution to that disturbing thuggery begins by changing our bought-and-paid-for state representatives at the ballot box.

Rarely in modern times has the pernicious effects of special interest money and influence become so blatant and divisive at the local level.

As the Lost City of Deltona hits an appalling new low, here’s hoping the longsuffering residents of this irreparably damaged community can encourage candidates who have their best interests at heart – servant-leaders committed to something beyond the for-profit whims of their political overseers – then vote their conscience.

The “Culture of Deceit” Continues in Volusia County

“If a well governed city were to confine its governmental functions merely to the task of assuring survival, if it were to do nothing but provide “basic services” for an animal survival, it would be a city without parks, swimming pools, zoo, baseball diamonds, football gridirons and playgrounds for children. Such a city would be a dreary city indeed. As man cannot live by bread alone, a city cannot endure on cement, asphalt and pipes alone. A city must have a municipal spirit beyond its physical properties, it must be alive with an esprit de corps, its personality must be such that visitors both business and tourist are attracted to the city, pleased by it and wish to return to it.”

–Justice Michael A. Musmanno, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Conrad v. Pittsburgh

What do you call someone who reneges on a promise?

Unreliable?  A liar?  An untrustworthy turncoat?  A four-flushing welsher?   

All of the above?

For the second time this month, in a nasty display of bait-and-switch deception, on Tuesday the Volusia County Council once again put not-for-profit cultural organizations across our region through the emotional grinder, voting to deny previously budgeted funding after another round of pompous political grandstanding.

In June 2023, the Volusia County Council listened to two-hours of public input then voted 6-0 (with Councilman David “No Show” Santiago typically absent) to continue the Volusia Cultural Council and the Community Cultural Grant program which has provided assistance to area arts, cultural, and heritage organizations through a competitive process for the past 36-years.

After approving the allocation of cultural arts grant funding during budget negotiations earlier this year, on October 7, Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins callously pulled the rug out from under 33 long-established local arts organizations at the eleventh-hour.

It seems Mr. Robins took offense to the fact the Shoestring Theater, a Lake Helen playhouse that has served Volusia County for 75-years, allowed a privately funded “Volusia Pride Pageant,” while the iconic 103-year-old Athens Theater in DeLand permitted an outside group to rent the venue to screen an adult only production of the “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which included a “drag show” before the movie.

In turn, after Robins clutched his pearls, and a ham-handed process of confusing motions and counterproposals – the council voted 6-0 (you guessed it, Santiago was absent…) to return the traditional $611,758 allocation back to the general fund.

Oddly, Chairman Jeff Brower mumbled something about the money going to a non-existent “road” program…   

As a result, those cultural organizations who dutifully completed grant applications, attended workshops, provided requested financial data, and jumped through the myriad hoops required to have their funding request ranked and vetted by the Cultural Council, were publicly humiliated for no other reason than it suited Councilman Robins’ shameless self-promotion.

After fervent public pushback – including lobbying by 19 former Volusia County Council members, emails, social media posts, a petition containing 2,300 signatures, and impassioned pleas from the podium – this week, the off-the-agenda discussion continued with a longwinded push by Councilman Don Dempsey to wheedle a way to use Volusia ECHO funds for the cultural grant program by manipulating the millage (?).

In what must have been a pique of guilt, Mr. Dempsey mewled, “I’m not opposed to the ECHO portion of our tax dollar being used to maybe help them out, because that seems like that was the will of the voters with ECHO.  But I would never want to take anything out of the general fund for the arts, because I don’t think that’s a government purpose, but as long as that goes in place, I think it’s fair that maybe these people should have a shot of putting in for some of that money.”

You remember Councilman Dempsey? 

He’s the one who hates investing public funds in arts and cultural pursuits that draw thousands of visitors to our area annually, yet he has proposed shoehorning a multi-million-dollar publicly funded motorcross track to accommodate his family hobby using a mishmash of Volusia Forever and ECHO programmatic funding…    

(Maybe Mr. Dempsey should sit this one out?)

This time around, the council’s self-aggrandizing kabuki focused on pretentiously preaching how “fiscally conservative” our elected dullards are (after unanimously approving the cultural grants program in the 2025-26 budget?)

After taking a few cheap shots at arts organizations who spoke of hiring grant writers, cutting children’s programs, and restructuring budgets after the promised funds were abruptly denied, a motion to approve funding for the current list of grant recipients failed 4-3, with Councilmen Matt Reinhart, Jake Johansson and “No Show” Santiago voting to fund the program, at least for this year.

Given the promise made in 2023, it was a gross betrayal of those organizations who acted in good faith.

In my view, this protracted pageant of pomposity was a sickening display of the abject cruelty self-serving politicians are capable of – to include their suggested manipulation of established voter approved and tax supported programs like ECHO – when it serves their posturing, regardless of the corrosive effects on the public trust.   

These chiselers went back on their word – repeatedly – and Volusia County voters should not forget that.

Richard Francis “Dick” Kane – Requiescat in Pace

Several years ago, I ambled into a riverfront bar in Wilber by the Sea, perched on a barstool, and ordered a cold beer.  As luck would have it, sitting next to me was the great Dick Kane and his lovely wife Marylin. 

At the time, Dick was well into his 80’s and we rekindled our acquaintance, having previously met during a Sons of the Beach fundraiser. 

In remarkable fashion, Dick plumbed the depths of his incredible knowledge of local politics spanning decades as we spoke of the absurdities, blessings, and importance of a lifelong calling to public service. 

Having spent the bulk of my life serving the citizens of Holly Hill, I was amazed that Dick knew as much about the unique history and political timeline of that small community as he did about Daytona Beach and Volusia County – recalling names, dates, the context, and backstory on some of the most famous (and infamous) periods of Halifax area history. 

It was like learning at the foot of a master storyteller with an encyclopedic recollection. 

According to a reflection on Mr. Kane’s amazing life and times published in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week:

“Born on Long Island, New York, Kane served four years in the U.S. Navy, then earned a law degree from Duke University in 1963. He was admitted to the Florida Bar later that year.

He became the first Daytona Beach city attorney, and in 1965, as a member of the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, he helped move Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to Daytona Beach.

At age 34, in 1969, Kane was elected to the first of three terms as Daytona Beach mayor.”

During his long legal and often tumultuous political career, Mr. Kane held various posts, to include service as municipal judge for the City of Port Orange, decades as the city attorney of Hallandale Beach, Florida, past president of Sons of the Beach, and a longtime member of the Volusia County Republican Executive Committee. 

In the News-Journal’s summation of Mayor Kane’s life of service, former President of Sons of the Beach, and longtime friend of the Kanes, Paul Zimmerman, spoke of Dick’s dedication to preserving public access to our most precious natural amenity:

“…Kane’s legal acumen served the Sons of the Beach well, advising the group as it engaged in lawsuits against Volusia County seeking to overturn decisions that removed beach driving in certain designated areas.

“One of the reasons he was so stringent about his belief that driving should be sanctified, it’s written in our County Charter,” Zimmerman said. “He felt as though driving on the beach was a tremendous economic engine for Daytona Beach, and he was always looking at ways to improve Daytona Beach.”

Mayor Dick Kane passed away last week. He was 90 years old.

A wonderful life of service to others.  

Well done, Mayor Kane.  We’re glad you passed our way…  

City of Bunnell – Crossing the Goal Line Pays Dividends…

“To mark the completion of his seventh year with the city, last Monday commissioners gave him a 10 percent raise, or $14,600, increasing his salary from $143,395 to $158,000, not including a $2,400 a year car allowance and his health and retirement benefits.

It would have been a 12.5 percent raise had Commissioner Pete Young’s motion carried. Commissioner John Rogers pushed it back to 10. “I did the best I could to cut it back,” Rogers said.

The 10 percent includes a 2.5 percent inflation raise that all employees got. Employees also got up to 3 percent in merit raises. But no one got anything more than 5.5 percent.

Jackson’s salary is now nearly double the $82,000 salary he started with in August 2019. “My work speaks for itself,” Jackson said.”

–As excerpted from FlaglerLive.com, “It’s a Great Day for Bunnell Manager Alvin Jackson, Who Gets $14,500 Raise Despite Checkered Record,” Friday, October 17, 2025

When I read the Bunnell City Commission gifted City Manager Alvin Jackson a $14,600 salary increase following their almost supernatural evaluation of his performance, I immediately thought of that old adage “Persistence pays off.”

Make no mistake, when it came to ramrodding some of the most impactful (and controversial) development agreements and rezonings in the history of this once quaint community – a herculean behind-the-scenes effort that overcame almost universal public opposition and blindsided outraged residents – Mr. Jackson simply ignored civic resistance and made it happen.

Now, Alvin Jackson gets his due.  Because that’s how it works.

In my view, Mr. Jackson’s lucrative payday comes after his ‘damn the torpedoes’ push to resuscitate the 6,100-home monstrosity perversely named the Reserve at Haw Creek just weeks after the commission quashed the project to the applause (and relief) of worried residents.

Using a viciously underhanded tactic known as public policy by ambush, Bunnell Mayor Cathrine Robinson waited until the end of a June meeting to revive the development that will ultimately blanket over 2,800 acres between SR-100 and SR-11.

After strategically waiting for interested residents to leave the chamber that evening – Mayor Robinson sprang her off-the-agenda surprise – moving to reconsider the previous denial of the rezoning application and move forward with the development agreement. 

It was widely seen as wrong, duplicitous, and horribly deceitful – something orchestrated well in advance…

The mayor’s deceptive action stunned Bunnell residents who are rightfully concerned that the “city within a city” development will fundamentally change the character of their community.  Now, many believe that while Mayor Robinson was the face of the project, City Manager Jackson was its architect.

After greenlighting the Haw Creek development, the City Commission moved to rezone some 1,260 acres to light and heavy industrial use despite public opposition.   

According to a report in FlaglerLive.com, the approvals represented “…one of the largest such single-rezoning in the state, while never disclosing to what uses the land would be put. The development and the rezoning drew near-unanimous and intense public opposition. It made little difference to Jackson and the bare majority of the commission that pushed both through.”

Most recently, Mr. Jackson kept a mysterious project known only by the cryptogram “Another Great Day,” hidden from public review as the Bunnell City Commission took action to “execute documents” on the October 13 consent agenda. 

Using an “economic development” public record exemption to keep the project a secret, the citizens of Bunnell could be getting anything from an ice cream parlor to a hazardous waste incinerator…

None of that matters. 

Now is the time for those in “public service” who are willing to go along and get along to feather their nests – and the needs and demands of those they took an oath to serve are of no concern.

When historians reflect on this period of explosive growth in what remains of the Sunshine State – a greed-crazed era that traded our environment and quality of life for more pavement, development-induced flooding, loss of natural ecosystems, and growing threats to the quality and quantity of our finite water supply – they will note that loyalty paid dividends for those willing to sell their soul for a developer’s sense of “progress.”

Quote of the Week

“For most of the 13 years the City Island Recreation Center has been shuttered, city managers have repeatedly suggested that the World War II-era building be torn down.

The once-beautiful heart of pine floors have been buckling, and in recent years the wood frame structure has been saddled with water damage, mold, cracked walls, broken windows and holes in the roof, floor and walls.

Now, for the first time, a majority of city commissioners have agreed it’s time for the beat-up riverfront structure to come down.

At their next meeting on Nov. 5, city commissioners will vote on a proposal to tear down the 8,000-square-foot building perched on Orange Avenue just east of Beach Street.”

–Investigative Journalist Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Daytona Beach World War II building appears doomed to the wrecking ball,” Thursday, October 23, 2025

She was a tough old bird.  Good bones. 

It took decades, but the forces of “progress” finally got their way.  Our culture and history be damned.  Waterfront lots don’t grow on trees – and who needs trees anyway?

Sad.

Under this pernicious scheme, “progress” and “economic development” often require the sacrifice of public properties which link our present to our past – and the idea of preserving and enriching our unique cultural heritage by incorporating the past into the modern landscape is dismissed as “too expensive” by arrogant politicians and short-sighted administrators who naturally know what’s best for the rest of us.

So, they simply breach their fiduciary duty and fail to act or use due care – strategic negligence committed in plain sight – that allows publicly owned assets to fall into dangerous disrepair.  

And no one who should seems to care.  

The ruse usually begins with scary stories about physical threats to the building – a nasty “mold” problem, rodent infestation, or compromised structural elements round out the tale – all while officials purposely withhold funding for maintenance of the facility then allow time and the elements to do the rest.

When the public asset has deteriorated to the point it is no longer salvageable – outrageously inflated estimates for repairs are published – and the complicit elected officials tut-tut in faux astonishment about “priorities” and a “lack of funding” – with razing and replacing the building as the only prudent solution.

Now, the fate of the City Island Recreation Center is sealed after decades of strategic neglect.

I am always taken by the fact that our ‘powers that be’ have no qualms about gifting tens-of-millions in public funds to all the right last names – with various city and county officials rolling over and pissing on themselves like incontinent lapdogs whenever our “Rich & Powerful” demand tax incentives and corporate welfare packages to underwrite their for-profit ventures – yet an expenditure to save arts organizations or preserve a threatened piece of our local history is never a “wise investment.”

“Not a core responsibility of government…”

My ass.

This staggering level of incompetence, deliberate waste, and resource mismanagement at all levels of government is not limited to one historic building in Daytona Beach.  In my view, it represents a continuing, almost institutionalized, lack of substantive oversight by our elected officials that allows this calculated course of conduct to continue.

We deserve better.

“Tu vis ta culture ou tu tues ta culture, il n’y a pas de milieu.” “You live your culture, or you kill your culture, there is no in between.”

— Les Rôdailleurs, La Prière

And Another Thing!

Last week, Volusia United Educators held a rally outside the School Board meeting in DeLand to bring attention to the district’s insulting offer of a 1.5% cost-of-living increase for educators.

The teacher’s union had asked for 4%. 

According to reports, negotiations between VUE and Volusia County Schools stopped in September when the district declared an impasse after five bargaining sessions…

In a disturbing article by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer last week, “As a union steward for Volusia United Educators, Mainland High School teacher Susan Holbrook asked her colleagues: If you could say one thing to the School Board and the superintendent, what would you say?

Their responses? One teacher sells plasma to pay her bills. Another said she wished she could sell plasma to buy her groceries, but can’t due to the cancer treatments. Then there was a statement by a teacher who lives with three roommates to make rent, and another by a teacher who has to work five jobs to make ends meet.”

Unfortunately, it appears those grim realities – along with physical assaults, threats, statistical manipulation by district administrators, and dystopian classroom conditions – are the terrible cost of teaching our children in Volusia County Schools in 2025.

The district claims that under their current offer, all instructional staff will receive a minimum 2.5% increase this year, with most instructional staff seeing a 3+% raise.  In my view, given the trifling offer, the teacher’s union is right to stand firm in opposition to an insulting 1.5% cost-of-living increase.  

According to VUE, Florida ranks an embarrassing 50th in the nation for teacher salaries – with Volusia County Schools base pay for instructional staff falling below what surrounding counties in Central Florida offer by $5,000 to $6,000.

In a statement to the board, VUE President Elizabeth Albert said, “Your employees are working harder than ever, yet they are struggling to make ends meet.  Wages are low. Respect feels conditional and the people that make VCS an A-rated district are reaching their breaking point.”

In a horribly lop-sided insult to their dedicated instructional staff, last December, the Volusia County School Board – with little opportunity for newly elected representatives to review the lucrative terms of the agreement – fast-tracked an obscene four-year contract with Superintendent Carmen Balgobin on a 4-1 vote – increasing her base salary by 8.7% bringing her annual haul to $280,000 before perquisites.  

In addition, Balgobin’s contract includes life insurance, a medical stipend of $500 a month, district-owned cellular phone and computer, 20 calendar days of vacation, 12 days of sick leave per year, six “personal leave days,“ and a take-home car owned and maintained by Volusia County taxpayers.

A virtual cornucopia of salary and bennies has been lavished on Balgobin while questions of altering enrollment records and manipulating testing to increase school scores, ongoing communication issues, nondisclosure agreements to silence administrators, program cuts, and allegations of gross mismanagement in the Ivory Tower of Power continue to swirl…  

After that slap in the face to Volusia County educators, you begin to see why the district’s measly 1.5% cost-of-living offer is a sick joke…

According to the Observer’s report, to her credit, during last week’s School Board meeting, the resolute District 4 member Donna Brosemer – who cast the lone “No” vote to deny Balgobin’s horribly disproportionate contract – explained:

“District leadership knows what I thought of 1.5 (percent) from the beginning,” she said, adding that the board had been celebrating Homes Bring Hope — a nonprofit that recently helped six VCS employees become homeowners — while “completely ignoring the fact that there’s no number of plaques and certificates or photo ops or challenge coins that we can give to any teacher that helps them pay their bills.”

“What I heard tonight was horrifying,” Brosemer said. “So I hope that we all take this to heart and do more than just be dignified in ignoring it.”

That’s what leadership looks like, folks…

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

______________________________________________________

Note to the Barker’s View Tribe:

Barker’s View will be on hiatus – a short ‘pause for the cause’ – until November 13, 2025. 

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

All the Best, 

MDB

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:

Another Unfortunate ‘Misunderstanding’ in Ormond Beach

I served in municipal government for over three-decades.  During a long and necessarily tumultuous career, I learned that in politics the fumble doesn’t matter, it’s the recovery that counts…   

In my experience, disagreements surrounding essential services, budget allowances, and operational focus are inevitable.  Not everyone in the community is going to agree on how funds are allocated or concur with policy decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods.  That’s why elected officials need to be open to citizen input, welcome the competition of ideas, and grow some hard bark.   

Because contentious debate comes with the territory – and honest mistakes are inevitable in a bureaucracy with a lot of moving parts.     

Then there are the flagrant foul-ups.  Governmental gaffes that are purely self-inflicted – and worthy of widespread criticism.   

Purely unforced blunders – like the mystery of the Ormond Beach City Commission’s strategic foot-dragging in selecting an employee benefits provider – something many residents now suspect may involve undue lobbying and internal influence that has postponed (undermined?) the selection process (is there another reason?)

Add to that the withering backbiting and confusion on the dais that dominated recent budget negotiations – coupled with the incessant squabbles, political torpedoes, and petty power plays that continue to hamper progress on pressing issues – and you see why many are convinced Ormond Beach City Hall has descended into a factious and dysfunctional dumpster fire.

In my view, none of that explains why five reasonably intelligent elected officials (and their ample “staff”) once again snatched defeat from the jaws of victory when they missed a golden opportunity to do the right thing.   

Last week, Ormond Beach mom Anni Suadi appeared before the Ormond Beach City Commission to ask that her son, Lance Avery, 25, a resident living with Down syndrome, be returned to his two hour a day/two day a week volunteer role at the Nova Community Center, a position he enthusiastically held from October 2023 to November 2024, under a job training program sponsored by the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. 

For reasons still not clear, Lance was terminated from his role in November 2024 when the “temporary” program ended. 

According to a report by Brenno Carillo writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “To this day, he does not understand why his dream job got taken from him and has an emotional breakdown whenever at Nova Rec or even gets near it,” Suadi told the City Commission.

Suadi told The News-Journal last year that former Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington, who now serves as the district’s state representative, helped Avery secure his job at the center to serve “as an example” for other special needs young adults to do the same as part of a future pilot program idea.

More than 10 people spoke in support of Avery, calling on the board to rehire the former Seabreeze High School student to his previous post at the center.

Jennifer Bright, a candidate for City Commission, said the program gave special needs residents “an opportunity to learn job skills so they can build self-confidence and be more productive members of society.”

According to the city’s flummoxed Leisure Services and Parks and Recreation Director Robert Carolin, all the City of Ormond Beach did was provide space for the training course, stating that the vocational program “…possibly could have been construed as (was) an opportunity for employment within the city of Ormond Beach, but traditionally that’s not the case, and it hasn’t been.”

Seriously? 

After Lance served in a volunteer role for the City of Ormond Beach for over a year performing functions normally assigned to paid employees – sweeping floors, moving nets, shredding papers, preparing rooms for programs and special events, cleaning windows, and putting away gym equipment – Director Carlin disingenuously questions how he could have interpreted that his contributions might translate to a job opportunity with Parks & Rec? 

Bullshit.

By any measure, Lance had the right to believe he was proving himself and working towards a goal.

According to the News-Journal, “…Suadi said Avery kept volunteering at Rec Center until November, when she was told by city officials her son required some supervision.

“He can work independently, without supervision,” Saudi said.

When Partington left as mayor, the idea for the program did not continue, which prompted Suadi to ask the commission to vote to adopt it.

“It is not the primary role of government to directly employ individuals with special needs,” Deputy Mayor Lori Tolland said, indicating the board would not hold a vote. “It’s hard on our hearts, there is no doubt about it … but it’s not the role of government to provide jobs and training for individuals.”

Excuse me?  What in the discriminatory hell is Lori Tolland blathering about?

In my experience, smart government organizations at every level routinely recruit qualified individuals with disabilities to ensure essential services and equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of personal challenges.   

That’s the law.  It’s also the right thing to do…

During the public meeting, individuals who spoke to the City Commission on Lance’s behalf touted his value to the rec center, and our community.  In a report by Jarleene Almenas in the Ormond Beach Observer, Lance’s job training coach Chris Bond touted his potential:

“Lance is a very capable young man,” Bond said. “He thrives on a strong routine in any place that can offer him that strong routine. He is a very hard worker. He is very capable and I know that we’re going to find success, whether in the future with the city, if that’s something that is in the cards, or elsewhere in the competitive job market. Lance makes his own success.”

What a terrible shame for the tone-deaf City of Ormond Beach.

When they had the chance to demonstrate a firm commitment to their constituents with special needs – going beyond faux sympathy and a few leisure programs – rather than invest in gainful opportunities for disabled residents who aspire to public service, they cruelly claim helping people isn’t a “role of government.”    

(Where have I heard that before?)

I find it difficult to believe that a city government currently employing two redundant Assistant City Managers – each commanding $173,000 annually, plus perquisites – cannot find 4-hours of entry-level compensation to retain an inspirational and demonstrably loyal asset? 

I’ll just bet if State Rep. Bill Partington wanted to, he could look under the couch cushions in Tallahassee and find a modicum of funding to support occupational training for Ormond Beach’s special needs population to help them succeed personally and professionally.

In his “State of the City” address on Tuesday, Mayor Jason Leslie themed his speech “It all starts here!” 

That is, unless you happen to be disabled… 

Then, you can find your start elsewhere.  Because while your plight is “hard on the hearts” of our callous elected officials – it’s not their “role” to provide a hand up to “individuals” like you…

In my view, qualified individuals living with special needs like Lance Avery who have proven their worth through volunteerism, job training, solid personal and professional references, and demonstrated proficiency, should have the right to expect a chance for gainful and personally rewarding employment through the competitive process, just like everyone else.   

Anything less is morally wrong, systemically exclusionary, and patently discriminatory. 

Deputy Mayor Tolland should know that – and understand she has now an opportunity to recover with grace and do the right thing to the benefit of all Ormond Beach residents.  

Bold Leadership Brings Hope for Volusia County Arts & Culture Funding   

The unfortunate fallout from Volusia County Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins’ political showboating – a self-promoting eleventh-hour parlor trick that cut all previously appropriated grant funding for 33 nonprofit organizations and impacted numerous art shows, festivals, community theaters, educational opportunities, and musical productions – continued this week with an inspiring community effort and extraordinary leadership from an impressive alliance of former County Council members.

More on that important development later. 

Shockingly, all public funding for arts and cultural programs in Volusia County was eliminated and returned to the general fund last week after Councilman Robins discovered that – in an effort to become self-sustaining – the iconic Athens Theater in DeLand, and the tiny Shoestring Theater in Lake Helen, rented their venues to third-party producers who held an adult only “drag show” ahead of a screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” and a Volusia Pride event, respectively.   

In an effort to make up for the $611,758 denied by the Volusia County Council and maintain critical funding for area arts programs, Grace Boynton, development director at the 103-year-old Athens Theater, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $700,000 to support “…the theatres, museums, galleries, and cultural spaces that give our community its soul…”

Please find the Volusia Arts Lifeline here: https://gofund.me/6f4178b21

In an unprecedented show of bold leadership and solidarity with community cultural organizations, this week nineteen former Volusia County Council members – from both sides of the aisle and all political persuasions – stood strong and signed an open letter to Chairman Brower and current council members calling their action “a shock to the system,” and reminding them of the estimated $50 million in annual economic impact artistic programming brings to our region.

As previously stated, I believe that arts programs should be self-sufficient to the extent possible – supported by fundraisers, philanthropy, volunteerism, and productions that help offset costs. 

However, given the sheer number of visitors festivals like the DeLand Fall Festival of the Arts, the Pioneer Settlement for the Creative Arts, Daytona Beach Arts Fest, and the IMAGES festival bring to Volusia County each year – promoting tourism, stimulating the local economy, and highlighting area communities – you begin to understand that the paltry budget allocated to arts funding for the past 36 years has resulted in a handsome return on investment countywide.

Not anymore.

In an article that appeared in the West Volusia Beacon this week, reporter Robin Mimna exposed some disturbing facts about how our elected representatives cloister themselves and refuse to explain their petty machinations to either the working press or their constituents.   

According to the report, only County Chair Jeff Brower and Councilman Matt Reinhart responded to the reporter’s request for comment:

“I do not believe government should be in charge of defining or funding art,” Brower wrote. “Government should not take our residents’ income with the threat of seizing their homes and property to use it for charitable donations.”

Brower said he wants the grant funding redirected to sidewalk construction, which he described as a “core government responsibility.”

Reinhart, who supported the grants, told The Beacon he made a motion to approve all the applicants but it died without a second. Because he was on the losing side, he said, he cannot bring the matter back; only one of the four opposing council members can.”

According to the report, Robins did not respond to The Beacon’s request for additional comment following the meeting, and the remainder – Jake Johansson, Don Dempsey, Troy Kent, and David “No Show” Santiago – couldn’t be bothered…

Cowards.

While Chairman Brower’s rationale sounds noble, when you consider this council has done essentially nothing when it comes to funding desperately needed transportation infrastructure, while blatantly misusing ECHO and Forever dollars to bankroll Councilman Don Dempsey’s multi-million-dollar publicly funded motorcross facility, his “core government responsibility” argument rings hollow.

Why didn’t Mr. Brower and his “colleagues” allocate the funds to sidewalks during the normal budget process?

Instead, they waited for Volusia County nonprofits to complete applications, jump through hoops, have their requests vetted and ranked by the now unnecessary Cultural Council, only to have the rug publicly pulled out from under them so Councilman Robins could preen and peacock with his pompous puritan act…

The Volusia Arts Lifeline request for donations reads, in part, “For generations, the arts have shaped Volusia County into a place where imagination is nurtured, where children discover their voices, and where neighbors come together to feel inspired, connected, and part of something beautiful.

Now, those same organizations are fighting to keep their doors open, their lights on, and their programs alive.”

Please join me in supporting the arts in Volusia County this fall – attend a festival, take in a live performance, or enjoy a concert – your patronage fuels creativity in our community and enhances the quality of life for everyone.  

Quote of the Week

“In 1989 the County Council established the Cultural Council as the official arts agency and tasked them with establishing a program for review of annual funding requests. This action followed a recommendation from Leadership Daytona together with an economic study which showed significant economic impact to Volusia County by cultural and arts programming.

For more than three decades, the economic rate of return for cultural and arts programming has been extraordinary. Every dollar invested in the arts produces two dollars in return.  A recent study by United Arts of Central Florida demonstrated that local arts programming had a nearly $50 million annual impact. Culture and the arts support nearly 1000 local jobs, and hosted events which attracted over 800,000 people.

A recent exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Sciences attracted over 30,000 people from around the state. Images Art Festival annually draws a crowd of over 50,000. Atlantic Center for the Arts has earned a national reputation.  While the economic gain is tangible, the benefits to our quality-of-life is even more significant.

Volusia voters have long demonstrated their support for funding culture, arts, and history.  In both 2000 and 2020, voters overwhelmingly supported taxing themselves through the ECHO program, but these funds are restricted to capital improvements.  Annual programmatic funding is essential to the vitality of these museums and venues.   

The recent action of the county council to reject the annual award of community cultural grants was a shock to the system…”

–As excerpted from correspondence signed by nineteen former Volusia County Council members and chairs to Chairman Jeff Brower and Councilmen Johansson, Robins, Reinhart, Kent, Santiago, and Dempsey, asking they reconsider their recent action and approve the recommended cultural and arts funding for 2025-2026.

“Bravo!” Many thanks for your courage and thoughtful leadership when we need it most:

Pat Northey

Clay Henderson

Deanie Lowe

Ed Kelley

Frank Bruno

Joyce Cusack

Judy Conte

Pat Patterson

Deb Denys

Roy Schleicher

Joe Janynes

Jim Ward

Doug Daniels

Carl Persis

Billie Wheeler

Barbara Girtman

Phil Giorno

Ben Johnson

Josh Wagner

And Another Thing!

“Over the years, the county has seen debate over where and how to spend (ECHO) money and the process itself.

(Clay) Henderson said he’d like to see changes to the direct expenditure program, which enables the county to spend Volusia ECHO money for its own purposes.

“It’s a concern to many that the county can just say, ‘Well, (we) want to appropriate some of this money for our own projects,” Henderson said.

Some have criticized the County Council for setting aside $3.5 million from Volusia ECHO funds toward a motocross facility. The Volusia County Council hasn’t voted yet on whether to build the facility, but the Council approved buying land for the site with part of those funds. The idea is being spearheaded by District 1 Councilman Don Dempsey.”

–Reporter Sheldon Gardner, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “ECHO at 25: Volusia grant program has spent $117 million so far, has it been worth it?” Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Kudos to former Volusia County Council Chair Clay Henderson for saying the quiet part out loud.

In a timely report on the health of Volusia County’s ECHO program, voter-approved revenue earmarked for ecological, cultural, historical, and what has traditionally been passive outdoor recreation; this week The Daytona Beach News-Journal gave the good, the bad, and the ugly of the program over the past quarter-century.

Although Volusia ECHO was sold to voters as a means of partnering with nonprofits and municipal governments who compete for funding with innovative quality-of-life projects – a process that normally requires a vetted plan demonstrating countywide interest, matching funds, and clear performance requirements – what we got was a cheap backdoor slush fund. 

Inexcusably, two years ago, the Volusia County Council approved a “Direct County Expenditure” bundled as a “5-year plan,” which placed costs for the repair and replacement of existing infrastructure on the back of the Volusia ECHO grant program.

According to a March 2023 report in the Ormond Beach Observer, “Over the next five years, Volusia County plans to fund 43 projects at 32 facilities — a request totaling over $15 million — through its voter-approved Volusia ECHO program.”

In addition, since the program’s inception in 2007, “…the council approved 22 projects to be funded by direct county expenditure, at $16.1 million.”

At the time, the county’s facilitator, Community Services Director Brad Burbaugh, hid behind an obscure 2020 resolution passed by the Volusia County Council that both authorized the referendum to renew the ECHO program while permitting the council to route programmatic funds for “direct county expenditure for County government projects or by grants-in-aid awards.”

In my view, wrapping the ballot initiative in some bureaucratese then misappropriating what was billed as competitive grant funds to supplant recurring repair and replacement expenditures is not an accepted use of ECHO grant dollars – it’s bait-and-switch sneak thievery.

In my view, when 72% of Volusia County voters opted to extend the ECHO and Forever programs for 20-years, they had no idea that funds earmarked for new and innovative amenities would ultimately be used for “ecological, cultural, and historic” features like repairing long neglected beach ramps, walkovers, and docks, refinishing ceilings, renovating public restrooms and parking lots at county facilities, and building a multi-million-dollar motocross facility…

Unlike Volusia County, most responsible government entities without a tax supported piggybank at their disposal are required to budget for infrastructure repair and replacement obligations each year in an honest and transparent way.

They don’t exacerbate a growing “trust issue” by stretching a voter-approved program’s intent to shoehorn anything and everything – including the pet projects of sitting politicians – into a slimy slush fund where our tax dollars are regularly looted to cover the ongoing mismanagement of preventive maintenance, repair, and replacement of existing public assets. 

That’s all for me.  Have a safe and fun Biketoberfest 2025, 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:

This one’s a doozy, y’all. Settle in…

The Case of the Slippery Sidewalks – A Mystery at Mosaic

Last month, The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s investigative journalist Eileen Zaffiro-Kean broke the story of how 40 residents of ICI Homes’ Mosaic community have suffered slip-and-fall incidents on neighborhood sidewalks – some resulting in serious injuries. 

The culprit is standing water due to inadequate drainage that results in a slippery coating of mold, algae, and mud forming across the surface. 

A dirty and dangerous condition that has persisted for years.

For reasons that are yet to be determined, construction performance bonds on the sidewalks – which would have ensured the infrastructure met applicable codes – were reduced or released apparently with little (if any) inspections. 

As a result, the taxpayers of Daytona Beach are on the hook for at least $1 million in repair and replacement costs to correct the problem for Mosaic residents.

Now, the internal intrigue at City Hall is becoming a Nancy Drew Mystery… 

When last we left River Heights, it was reported that assistant city manager for infrastructure Andy Holmes was claiming “Former Daytona Beach City Manager Jim Chisholm, who served from 2004 until 2021, decided unilaterally whether a bond would be reduced or released, Holmes said. Chisholm also decided whether a newly constructed street or sidewalk would be accepted, he said.

Chisholm oversaw Mosaic sidewalk construction from 2017 until 2021, and there are no city inspection records of that work during that period, Holmes said.”

After the diligent investigative efforts of Daytona Beach Commissioner Stacy Cantu, things took an even stranger turn…

At the October 1 commission meeting, Commissioner Cantu revealed internal documents that shed light on who reduced performance bonds covering Mosaic sidewalks, and when.  

Although it was initially made to appear that former City Manager Jim “The Chisler” Chisholm individually released the bonds without adequate inspection, the records Ms. Cantu produced prove that wasn’t the case:

“Chisholm oversaw Mosaic sidewalk construction from 2017 until 2021, and there are no city inspection records of that work during that period, Holmes said at the July meeting.

But one document Cantu obtained shows there was staff oversight, and Chisholm only slightly reduced two performance bonds on newly built sidewalks in the first phase of the neighborhood.

The 2019 document shows Chisholm reduced one bond from $342,736 to $322,844. The other bond was reduced from $320,860 to $304,427. That means the contractor was still on the hook at that point to build the sidewalks correctly.

The Oct. 9, 2019, memo from Holmes to Chisholm requested the city manager reduce the bonds, and noted that “substantial work has been completed and accepted by the city” in the phase one area of the neighborhood.

The memo also notes that “the city engineer has verified that the work in question has been complete, and the amounts of bond reduction correspond to the value of the completed work.” Holmes was the city’s public works director when he wrote the memo six years ago.”

Whoa. 

In response to a public records request, Ms. Cantu obtained documents indicating that current City Manager Deric Feacher significantly reduced the same two bonds, one “from $304,427 to $6,089 in July of 2022,” the other “from $322,844 to $6,457 in July 2022 as well.”

According to the News-Journal, correspondence from Mr. Feacher to ICI Homes at the time claims the sidewalks had been completed to a degree that warranted the performance bond reductions but apparently makes no reference to city inspectors approving the final construction or bond reductions.  

It is not clear whether Mr. Feacher relied on the recommendation of City Engineer Jim Nelson or others, but the report indicates Nelson was copied on the letter to ICI Homes.  

Perhaps more disturbing, the News-Journal is reporting that other communications between ICI Homes and Daytona Beach officials suggest that the issue of sidewalks holding water may not be limited to the Mosaic community…

Look, I’ve never been a fan of “The Chisler,” but if he (or Mr. Feacher) acted upon the best advice of city engineers and inspectors when reducing the performance bonds, then someone has some explaining to do at City Hall.   

As Ms. Cantu was quoted, “I’m not Chisholm’s protector, but what’s right is right,” she said. “You don’t blame someone.”

She’s right.  But it shouldn’t end there.

Now, the residents of Mosaic – and the taxpayers of Daytona Beach – deserve a full investigation into the who, what, when, where, why, and how these substandard sidewalks were approved without adequate inspection to restore the public’s trust in the process. 

Given the pace and scope of development over the past decade, the citizens of Daytona Beach and beyond deserve assurance that conscientious professionals are ensuring safety, compliance, and construction quality – a process city managers should be able to trust when making decisions about specific projects.

In my view, the City of Daytona Beach has done the right thing in working with ICI Homes and others to make the residents of Mosaic safe and whole – and the credit goes to Commissioner Stacy Cantu for her efforts to expose the good, the bad, and the ugly, tackle difficult problems, and demand solutions for her constituents.

Volusia County Schools – Defending the “Cult of Silence”

One thing outsiders quickly understand about the administration of Volusia County School’s is that no expense will be spared when the District defends its dubious operational policies from external scrutiny. 

In fact, controlling the narrative and silencing contrary opinions has become the overriding focus of Superintendent Carmen Balgobin and her “cabinet” of obsequious drones – a well-crafted and intensely protected storyline that has mesmerized the majority of our so-called “elected oversight” on the Volusia County School Board. 

Last year, School Board member Donna Brosemer defeated an entrenched insider – the malleable Carl Persis – who spent as much time staring at his shoes and apologizing for the District’s latest scandal or blunder as he did rubber stamping the administration’s policies… 

To her credit, Ms. Brosemer made it immediately clear who she works for – and it isn’t Superintendent Balgobin. 

That independence hasn’t set well with Volusia’s stagnant ‘Old Guard,’ lead-assed insiders who prefer a “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” approach when propping up a flimsy façade of competence (while cementing a culture of mediocrity) that is turning Volusia County students into victims and running off quality educators who are sick of the hypocrisy. 

For instance, earlier this year, Ms. Brosemer was shocked to learn that over one-hundred non-instructional staff had been directed to sign a non-disclosure agreement by the Balgobin administration – an overbroad gag order that included information specifically covered by Florida’s open records law – something many saw as a means of bureaucratically silencing those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest.

To her credit, Ms. Brosemer had the courage to seek answers – and spent her own money to fight for her constituents – going in her own pocket to obtain independent counsel while being charged by the administration she was elected to oversee to fulfill her public records requests.

Read that again.    

Last week, during a School Board workshop, we learned that the District hired Aaron Wolfe, an attorney with Doran, Foxman, Sims, Wolfe & Yoon of Daytona Beach, to defend Volusia County Schools Attorney Gilbert Evans’ opinion that the Balgobin NDA is somehow both legal and constitutional in a tax funded entity subject to Florida’s open records law.

In turn, at personal expense, Ms. Brosemer engaged Irine Korte, of Apfelbaum Martinez Law in Port St. Lucie, who determined the document was most likely “void, illegal and unenforceable under Florida law.”

In a purely obstructionist move, the District failed to make Ms. Korte’s determinations available until the agenda item was called at the workshop.  Then a short 15-minute recess allowed board members time to skim Korte’s well-formed dissenting opinion…

Bullshit.

Of course, Mr. Wolfe attended the meeting and explained in monotonous detail all the reasons why Dr. Balgobin was right and Ms. Brosemer was wrong – claiming that the NDA itself explains that “confidential information” does not include information that is “required to be disclosed by law, regulation or court order” – even though the extremely broad language governs public records, such as “the district’s financial operations, including budgets, funding sources and allocation of resources.”

In attorney Korte’s opinion, “Strategic planning documents and information − this is a very broad statement and likely could not be construed to fall under any statute which permits confidentiality.  Therefore, protection of this information likely violates the Florida Constitution and applicable Florida law.”

With little discussion, other board members essentially told Ms. Brosemer to mind her own business (?) – explaining their groupthink has concluded the controversial (and potentially unconstitutional) nondisclosure agreements are the sole authority of the politically unaccountable Superintendent Balgobin.

“I think there’s lanes,” said School Board member (and admitted liar) Jessie “Whackadoodle” Thompson. “… There are things that come before us, policy being a major one, but that kind of stuff (NDAs) falls under organization. That’s why we pick the superintendent.”

In my experience, whenever an elected watchdog gets too close to the truth, the instinctive organizational defense is to isolate the inquirer, accuse them of crossing the line, then berate them for meddling in the affairs of sacrosanct administrators.   

In the aftermath of the District’s expensive dog-and-pony show, this week Ms. Brosemer spoke of the acquiescence of our elected “representatives,” and the frightening effects of internal censorship and information manipulation on our right to know:

“The board has surrendered its ability to challenge, question, or research any action by the district, and the district makes it as difficult as possible to get answers or information in any form.

How will we know whether information provided by any staff member in any form is all there is to know, and not just what the district wants us to know?”

Disturbing.

In my view, NDA’s are clearly a public policy decision for our elected representatives – not the manipulative whims of a self-aggrandizing superintendent with a superiority complex…  

Kudos to Donna Brosemer for standing firm for the rights of Volusia County taxpayers – and shining a very bright light on how things have been done in Balgobin’s “Ivory Tower of Power” in DeLand for far too long.  

Please find Ms. Brosemer’s thoughts on the NDA’s – and the School Board’s gross inaction – here: https://tinyurl.com/2c7tcc8p

Volusia County Council of Cowards – The Day the Arts Died on Florida’s “Fun Coast”

After approving the allocation of cultural arts grant funding earlier this year, on Tuesday, the Volusia County Council staged one of its overacted melodramas as Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins effectively killed the arts in Volusia County by callously pulling the rug out from under thirty-two local nonprofit organizations at the eleventh-hour.

Per usual, District 5 Councilman David “No Show” Santiago had something better to do… 

Why would the Volusia County Council appropriate arts funding, allow their Cultural Council to waste time and effort vetting, ranking, and approving detailed applications submitted by nonprofits, then ignore the recommendations of their appointees – and the fervent pleas of residents involved in Volusia’s struggling arts scene – by terminating funding across the board? 

The answer is preposterous, even by the Volusia County Council’s subjective standards…

It appears the tiny Shoestring Theater, a Lake Helen playhouse that has served Volusia County for 75-years – allowed a privately funded “Volusia Pride Pageant” – while the iconic 103-year-old Athens Theater in DeLand permitted an outside group to rent the venue to screen an adult only production of the “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which included a “drag show” before the movie.

What stunned many is that two-years ago, the Volusia County Council discussed the issue and voted 6-0 to preserve funding for the Community Cultural Grant program, which provides a vital shot-in-the-arm for countywide nonprofits who produce art festivals, museums, theaters, stage concerts, curate historical collections, promote public art, and hold associated educational programs for “Fun Coast” residents and visitors. 

For the record, “No Show” Santiago was absent from that meeting as well…  

On Tuesday, after staring down like catatonic gargoyles from the dais as residents spoke passionately about how the arts enhance their quality of life – from a program called “Guitars4Vets” at the Hub on Canal in New Smyrna Beach (which the speaker said is saving lives among struggling military veterans), to healing music for cancer patients, the Halifax Historical Society, and MOAS – it took three ham-handed motions and a final 6-0 vote to return the $611,758 allocation back to the general fund.

Only Councilman Matt Reinhart championed public support for the cultural arts, but his pleas were equally ignored. 

Hell, even Councilman Jake Johansson tried his patented “elder statesman” routine, suggesting that funding for the Athens and Shoestring theaters be culled for later discussion, which would allow the other organizations to receive funds.  

So, where will the $611,758 be spent?   

According to a report by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “I think we need to take this $611 (thousand) and move it to the $5 million that we have for roads, sidewalks, for support — because we have very limited funds to maintain our roads,” Brower said. “For me, that’s more of a core responsibility.”

That’s a great political soundbite for Chairman Jeff Brower, but why didn’t they do that when budget allocations were being discussed, rather than publicly humiliating organizations who took the time to submit grant applications to accommodate Councilman Robins’ political grandstanding?

Whatever. 

At the end of the day, Councilman “Gaslight” Robins got his way – along with a chance to preen and peacock with one of his patented political parlor tricks while dashing the hopes of Volusia’s struggling arts community.

This isn’t institutional wokeness, it is two long-established nonprofit organizations who tried to live up to their obligation for self-sustainability by renting space to third-party entities, then got publicly flogged because the productions didn’t appeal to Mr. Robins.   

Look, I believe cultural arts should be self-sustaining – and gaps in limited public funding not covered by Volusia’s voter approved ECHO program should be met by philanthropic patrons – and the proceeds of fundraisers and successful productions that fill seats in theaters and concert halls. 

That said, I’ve watched that shitshow in DeLand long enough to have seen millions in taxpayer dollars pissed away to fund everything from the pet projects of individual elected officials to myriad corporate welfare schemes for their political benefactors.

Like a publicly funded motorcross facility deemed essential by Councilman Don Dempsey to marketing budgets for start-up airlines, infrastructure, tax breaks for massive corporations, and spiffs for all the right last names who fund their political campaigns and expect a return on investment.

Yet, Councilman Robins now has a “moral obligation” to be the gatekeeper and allow only his version of a “healthy family-oriented arts and culture learning and education experience” for the rest of us?

Sure he does.

Hypocritical assholes…

In my view, as evidenced by his staunch resistance to addressing widespread development-induced flooding across the width and breadth of Volusia County – Danny “Gaslight” Robins doesn’t give two-shits about the health of your family or mine. 

What he cares about is getting reelected to political office so he can continue slavishly serving the wants of his wealthy benefactors in the real estate development industry. 

Sadly, if he has to crush your kids’ choral group, cut your mothers Plein Air class, pull funding for veterans’ museums, summer art camps, IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts, school field trips, the Ormond Memorial Art Museum, Pioneer Settlement Jamboree, DeLand’s Fall Festival of the Arts, etcetera – then so be it. 

All that matters is that he can play the role of the “posturing puritan” when it is politically convenient. 

Equally sad, the others present didn’t have the moral or political courage to think for themselves…  

Now that’s obscene.

Quote of the Week

“The jobs alone,” Volusia County Councilman Matt Reinhart said, “just providing those jobs and boosting the economy is, I mean, I can’t put words to it, that’s exciting.”

Amazon Fulfillment Center DAB2 is a 630,000-square-foot robotics facility that can hold up to 30 million items and is offering a starting salary of $19 per hour. Once fully operational, DAB2 will have the capability to ship more than 800,000 packages in a single day. As of this writing, the facility was running at 65% of capacity. Andrew Jaworski, the general manager of DAB2, expects the fulfillment center to be fully operational before the year is out.

Working at Amazon means receiving a comprehensive benefits package from day one, a 401(k) with 50% Amazon match, paid leave and free mental health resources. Some DAB2 warehouse employees can work in shorts and a T-shirt and all have access to a multi-faith room (AKA prayer room).

This is Amazon’s second facility in Daytona Beach, joining a “last mile” delivery station on Mason Avenue.

Daytona Beach City Manager Deric C. Feacher agreed Amazon’s interest in Daytona is creating business leads for the city. “There are other entities that are looking at us, not only from the Amazon type market, but from hospitality and accommodations that I think will be significant,” Mr. Feacher said.

Mayor Henry concurred, “It just sends a ripple effect. Hopefully, others will come and see us as a viable space.”

He pointed to a “great school system” and “great colleges and universities” that make Daytona, “a good resource for employers.”

–Journalist Charles Guarria, writing in Volusia Hometown News, “Amazon opens robotic fulfillment center at Daytona,” Thursday, October 2, 2025

I hate to be the proverbial turd in the punchbowl, but… 

While our local politicos are rolling over and urinating all over themselves like overexcited puppies – touting the “grand slam” that is the new Daytona Beach Amazon Robotics Fulfillment Center – I’m still hung-up on the word “Robotics.”

Just me?

After gifting some $4 million in corporate welfare incentives in the form of tax breaks for the largest e-commerce behemoth in the known universe (rather than demand concessions for allowing a 24/7/365 fulfillment center at the incredibly lucrative nexus of I-4 and I-95, adjacent to Daytona “International” Airport), last week the gargantuan Amazon logistics operation opened to great fanfare.

With the promise of 1,000 jobs paying at least $19 an hour, during the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony, Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry gushed, “Let me be clear: these aren’t just jobs. They are careers,” he said. “This means our neighbors and young people entering the workforce will not only have stable employment but also a future where they can build skills, raise a family and prosper.”

Maybe the flummoxed Councilman Matt Reinhart and the overexuberant Mayor Henry know something the burgeoning Generative AI industry doesn’t?   

In June, Forbes reported that Amazon eliminated 1,000 jobs from its workforce due to advances in Artificial Intelligence and robotics technology, something job market analyst Eli Amdur suggests might be a “harbinger of things to come at Amazon,” and potentially a “phenomenon we will see far and wide, not just at Amazon.”

According to Amdur, “It’s inescapable for a few reasons. First, according to data from layoffs.fyi, which monitors tech worker layoffs, already this year 141 companies have laid off 62,832 employees. In 2024, it was 152,922 employees from 551 companies and in 2023, it was 264,220 employees from 1,193 companies.

Layoffs, we see, are inevitable – especially in tech. At the onset of new technologies or the introduction of new products, hiring takes place with kid-in-a-candy-store concern for consequences. A year later, things look quite different – and that kid is now an obese diabetic.”

Interesting…

In my view, the word “Robotics” means just that – intelligent machines performing heavy lifting and repetitive tasks with the speed, reliability, and efficiency that human workers cannot match – resulting in fewer people doing jobs that have been technologically automated.

“Come on, Barker – you bloviating windbag!  This is a renaissance, dammit!  The future is bright, and you’re not.  For your information, Bubba, Amazon gave a whopping $20,000 grand to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics at Volusia County Schools to help local kids aspire to schlepping boxes around a warehouse floor, you cantankerous crank…”

Look, don’t take my cynical word for it, in a memo to employees earlier this year, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said it first:

“As we roll out more Generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done. We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs. It’s hard to know exactly where this nets out over time, but in the next few years, we expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce as we get efficiency gains from using AI extensively across the company.”

In my view, it’s nice for our elected and appointed officials to beat their chests and throw around exciting words like “synergy,” “bright future,” “shared vision,” and “grand slam” – so long as they understand the true “ripple effect” that the potential loss of hundreds of jobs/careers could have on our local economy as automation increases – then have the vision to plan for it. 

Ignoring the hard truth while fanning the frenetic excitement of the “next big thing” is what we’ve come to expect from those toxic optimists who continue to throw our money at the promise of “high paying jobs.” All while refusing to seek concessions and much needed infrastructure in exchange for the impacts, job insecurity, traffic, and civic nuisances inherent to largescale industrial warehouse operations.  

And Another Thing!

“To earn an A, Florida schools had to score a 64%.

But when the school grades came out this summer, Atlantic scored a 633 out of 1,000 possible points. That was two points shy of an A, as 635 rounds up to 64%.

“We were right there,” (Atlantic High School Principal) Watson said.

So district officials reviewed the data and found an aberration.

Volusia’s appeal letter to the Department of Education states that students assigned to the district’s Hospital Homebound service were erroneously attributed to Atlantic High.

Where the high school and the program once shared the same address, the district centralized all of its exceptional student education offices, including Hospital Homebound.

“Although these corrections are now reflected in the updated (Master School Identification) file, the change was made after school grades were calculated and reported,” states a letter from Superintendent Carmen Balgobin to the FDOE. “However, Hospital Homebound and Atlantic High School were never physically collocated at any point during the 2024-25 school year.”

–Reporter Mark Harper, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Volusia’s Atlantic High School earns 1st ‘A’ from Florida Department of Education,” Friday, September 24, 2025

Make it make sense…

Look, I’m no academic (the only thing that kept me out of college was high school…) but since when does 64% equate to an “A” grade? 

I’m asking.

Because student performance assessment in Florida classrooms is based on a standard grading scale – where 90-100% is considered an “A” grade (Excellent) – and 64% is considered a “D” (Below Average). 

That’s typically what people consider when they see achievement measured by a traditional grading system.  

Unfortunately, in the wild and wacky world of Florida academic administration – it appears senior officials with the Department of Education and the various taxpayer funded districts simply interpret “legislative mandates and educational policies” – then develop favorable (and easily massaged) metrics for measuring school performance as a means of influencing public perception.

Why are those responsible for administering the education of our children constantly lowering the bar?

In my view, it is because most people prefer to purchase homes and relocate businesses in areas that have high performing schools to educate their children. 

In March, the Florida Citizens Alliance pressed Governor Ron DeSantis and the state legislature to “implement sweeping reforms,” of Florida’s public school grading system.  According to the FCA:

“If the Florida DOE scored their schools the same way they graded students with the traditional grading scale used throughout the U.S., where scores below 60 percent are considered failing, 52 percent of Florida’s public schools would receive a failing grade.”

According to Keith Flaugh, co-founder of Florida Citizens Alliance, “Florida schools are actually in a major crisis academically, despite PR efforts by the Florida Department of Education to persuade taxpayers into believing the state has the very best schools in the nation. With 82 percent of schools effectively earning a ‘D’ grade or lower, and the state ranking near the bottom of the recent Nations Report Card (NAEP) and 43rd in SAT scores nationwide, it’s abundantly clear that urgent action is needed.”

While Volusia County School Superintendent Carmen Balgobin continues to manipulate scores by moving low performing students and programs around like chess pieces until positive results are obtained – flogging the “Everyone got an A!” ruse – then marginalizing anyone who questions the practice and wrapping herself in self-nominated awards to build credibility.

I question who Dr. Balgobin is serving? 

Is she furthering the mercenary interests of the real estate industry and our “economic development” shills fabricating a disguise to lure more warehouse jobs? 

Because she damn sure doesn’t have the interests of struggling Volusia County students who are unwitting victims of a school grading system that has been labeled a “politically manipulated scam” by those in the know.

What a tragic shame…

That’s all for me.  Enjoy Port Orange Family Days, y’all!

Hi, kids!

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the news and newsmakers of the day who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life or detracted from it in some significant way:

The Revitalization of the Iconic Main Street Arch – A Catalyst for Change?

When I was a kid, a trip to the Boardwalk with family and friends was the quintessence of growing up in the Halifax area.  We would play Skee Ball, swim by the pier, have epic “goofy golf” tournaments on the roof, eat footlong corndogs slathered in mustard, and watch the saltwater taffy being pulled at Zeno’s Sweet Shop. 

Remember strolling with your best girl along the promenade amidst a cacophony of sights, sounds, and smells?

Fond memories of riding the Sky Lift and Ferris wheel, then walking along with the ding-ding-ding of the pinball machines singing out, the aroma of hot pizza, and the crash of the bumper cars (remember the pop of sparks flying off the electrified ceiling as the carts whizzed around the greasy metal floor?)

There was a unique feel and a great salty smell to the air back then, a thrilling sense of something fun.  The scream of seagulls, sandpipers scurrying from an incoming tide, the healing qualities of clean saltwater, the satisfying warmth of hot sun on your shoulders; negative ions creating an invigorating energy at the water’s edge.

If you grew up here, you know.

There was a time when a day at the beach was an experience that we all shared.  Our greatest natural amenity and a draw that brought millions of visitors to our area when The World’s Most Famous Beach was recognized everywhere in the known universe.

Then everything changed. 

Now, thanks to greed, a lack of civic vision, stubborn squabbles, and the effects of time and tide, there’s not much left of Daytona’s legendary Boardwalk but our memories…   

Unfortunately, for decades, what passes for political leadership in Volusia County has suffered from a debilitating form of what psychiatrists call the “Pollyanna Syndrome” – a tendency for people in power to focus exclusively on the positive while ignoring unpleasant issues.

A collective monotropism pathologically fixating on the rosy, hopeful, and enthusiastic.

Rather than face reality (and do something about it), our “powers that be” euphemistically sit cross-legged in the floor, holding hands, and humming Kumbaya, refusing to acknowledge the serious concerns the rest of us keep pointing at. 

That strategic distraction reduces their civic anxiety and makes perennial problems seem softer and less intractable.  In doing so, politicians develop an unconscious bias toward toxic optimism – an unnatural positivity that sooths their fragile egos through constant self-reinforcement. 

Don’t take my word for it, just watch the next ostentatious “State of the County” address…

With repetition, the syndrome blunts their ability to recognize corrosive problems or implement creative solutions – something best exemplified by the ill-fated “blue-ribbon” Beachside Redevelopment Committee – or the disregarded wisdom of the 2013 study of Volusia County’s tourism marketing strategies.

Trust me.  Messengers who come bearing unwelcome news tend to have short life spans in most government organizations.  In fact, freethinkers are shunned like Dalits, and if ones views do not comport with the “everything is beautiful, in its own way” groupthink, you’d better keep those contrary opinions to yourself…

I think that’s why when longsuffering denizens of the “Fun Coast” see tangible evidence of positive change in our blighted core tourist area, we quickly take notice – a feeling of real enthusiasm – a bright spark that can stimulate entrepreneurial investment, restore a sense of place, enhance social cohesion and draw visitors, while enriching our civic identity and organically shaping the “brand.”

Over the past year, work has been underway to restore the iconic Main Street Arch – the beautiful coquina span, originally built as a WPA project in 1936, that bridges the boardwalk across the long closed beach approach – an impressive part of ‘Old Daytona’ and a key renovation many see as a precursor to what may await with a revitalized Main Street.

In addition, new access stairs have been added in the area, and we’re told another project will extend the traditional Boardwalk from Breakers Oceanfront Park to Harvey Avenue. 

There has also been some on-again-off-again prattle by the Volusia County Council about eventually coming to their senses and restoring the beachside’s life’s blood by opening the strand to beach driving from International Speedway Boulevard to Auditorium Boulevard.

That’s cause for real optimism.

Tomorrow morning, city leaders will join with members of the public at the base of the arch to celebrate the grand reopening of the Main Street Arch, beginning at 9:00am – something many hope will represent new beginnings – a much-needed period of rebirth and revitalization for Main Street, our Boardwalk, and beyond.

Giving Waterlogged Residents a Voice in Port Orange

In the past two elections, Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower defied the odds (and the money) to rout the hand-select opponents of our “Rich and Powerful” overseers.    

In fact, he bested candidates who were handsomely bankrolled by development interests and members of Volusia’s stagnant ‘Old Guard’ – even as Brower’s compromised “colleagues” on the dais of power did everything physically possible to marginalize, impede, and humiliate him.

In my view, there is a reason for Jeff Brower’s unlikely political success: He listens.

In addition, he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty when seeking answers, such as personally tracing floodwater from recent development to the flooded homes of neighboring residents, and demanding environmental accountability, despite withering push-back from those compromised developer-backed shills sitting next to him.  

Last week, Chairman Brower hosted a standing room only forum in Port Orange – treating his constituents like a concerned neighbor rather than a scheming politician – and gave those waterlogged residents a space to come together and be heard.  

According to a report by reporter Brenno Carillo writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

“Nearly 200 residents attended a town hall meeting at the city library to express concerns about the recurrent flooding issues across Volusia County while calling on representatives to take action.

Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower organized the event, which took place in a standing-room-only auditorium where Brower, county Public Works Director Ben Bartlett and Development Engineering Director Tadd Kasbeer answered residents’ questions.

After some introductory remarks, Brower began by addressing pre-submitted questions from residents, many of whom were from Port Orange and share the common experience of seeing their neighborhoods flood after heavy rain events.”

Some of the flood prone residents who packed the meeting are tired of hearing the same excuses from Volusia County’s highly paid bureaucratic “brain trust” – frustrated by the same “Nuttin’ we can do about it” excuses for their foot-dragging inaction on development-induced flooding.

Repeat victims, exasperated by the technical eyewash, ‘better late than never’ canal clearing and drainage remediation after years of neglect, the patronizing ridicule that meets those who speak out, while shunting the blame (and accountability) to “King tides,” “100-year atmospheric anomalies,” and now the overreaching preemptions of Senate Bill 180.  

During the meeting, longtime civic activist Greg Gimbert, the moderator of the influential social media platform Volusia Issues, galvanized the crowd when he placed blame where it rightfully belongs.   

“So far, all I’m hearing is: ‘we can’t do nothing about it.  The old rules don’t work, the water doesn’t follow the science, the ponds aren’t good enough. And then we hear we can’t change the rules because Senate Bill 180.” 

Perhaps most important, Mr. Gimbert said what many in the room were thinking, “Maybe the next time we have a meeting, we can start talking about actual solutions that aren’t part of the normal operating business parameters.  You can build all you want: high-density, low-density, whatever. Just don’t change the grade of the land. Build on stilts. Don’t raise.”

In addition, Chairman Brower gave those assembled a quick lesson in determining who has their best interests at heart come election time, urging residents to do their homework and ascertain which special interests are financing various candidates for public office.

“A lot of us vote for people because of their party affiliation, and we have to stop.  And if you see the people that are making a good living off of development, that probably tells you that their inclination is that — and I’m not saying for nefarious reasons — but their inclination is that we need to keep developing,” Brower said.

He’s right.

Unfortunately, for several Volusia County Council members who blankly stare down catatonically from the dais – campaign contributions and special interests speak louder than hundreds of citizens gathering to demand substantive answers to recurrent flooding – another disaster in the making that has now ranked the “Fun Coast” as the most flood-prone region in Florida (in the top ten nationwide…)

In my view, the strategic procrastination of the majority of the Volusia County Council to further the profit motives of their political benefactors is unconscionable – something I hope Volusia County voters remember at the ballot box next year.  

Kudos to Chairman Brower, the concerned citizens of Port Orange, and tireless civic activists like Greg Gimbert, for their inclusive and solution-oriented approach to the most pressing issue of our time.  

Quote of the Week

“FHBA (Flagler Home Builders Association) Executive Officer Annamaria Long, representing the group who filed the lawsuit, declined to comment on the city’s response.

On Sept. 24, an email was sent out to FHBA members from Long asking members to pay their impact fees separately from other city fees and write “under protest” on the memo section of a check payment. The email said this was on the recommendation of the FHBA’s attorney.

“Doing so will make it easier to recover funds when the suit is over and we prevail,” the email said.

The Observer is a member of the FHBA and received the email directly from the FHBA email blast.

Long wrote that the FHBA has already put in over $50,000 into the fight on behalf of its members. She wrote the case should be filed “early next week,” the week of Sept. 29.”

–Reporter Sierra Williams, writing in the Palm Coast Observer, “Palm Coast is ‘prepared to defend’ impact fee increases from developers’ lawsuit,” Tuesday, September 30, 2025

In an effort to keep pace with massive overdevelopment in the tumultuous City of Palm Coast, in March, Mayor Mike Norris suggested a moratorium on new construction.  

“The infrastructure is not in place to support residential growth at this time,” Norris said.

That commonsense statement marked the beginning of the end for Mayor Norris’ civic effectiveness and resulted in a cheap coup d’état, which included investigations, allegations, insinuation, censures, alienation, and marginalization, as the all-powerful real estate development community demanded Norris’ political head on a pike after he had the temerity to utter the “M” word.

To let everyone at City Hall know who is in charge, the militant Flagler Home Builders Association organized a chilling show of force.  FlaglerLive.com described the scene:   

“Mobilized like an army by the Flagler County Home Builders Association, the dump truck and trailers and semi cabs and pick-ups lined City Place and spilled onto Lake Avenue by City Hall this morning, their crews clustered in groups against the morning chill, a large “SAVE OUR CITY” banner stretched across the flank of a truck, with a red circle-backlash symbol painted over the head of Mayor Mike Norris.”

At the time, I naïvely wrote in this space, “Who, in good conscience, could demand more, more, more knowing that current demands far exceed the capacity, funding, and capabilities of the city’s utilities infrastructure?  How is that ethical, responsible, necessary, or sustainable?”

In June, the Palm Coast City Council courageously voted to significantly increase impact fees to help cover the rising cost of growth on transportation, fire protection, and parks and recreation, citing “extraordinary circumstances” that would permit the city to increase fees beyond 50% of the current rate as demanded by state statue, and lessen the massive financial burden on existing residents.  

According to the Palm Coast Observer, “Though the impact fees vary for type of development, for a single-family home, the impact fees increased by $5,881 across all three fees: impact, fire and transportation.”

In turn, the Flagler Home Builders Association claimed the studies Palm Coast relied upon to establish the extraordinary conditions necessary for the required increase were “full of holes,” comparing the analysis to “Swiss cheese,” and cried the Poor Mouth Blues over increased construction costs.

Now, the FHBA has filed suit against the City of Palm Coast, claiming the increases in impact fees were too steep and enacted too quickly – an action the City of Palm Coast has vowed to vigorously defend against with outside counsel. 

In my view, this “under protest” circus stunt is the latest thumb in the eye to claustrophobic Palm Coast residents from development interests who refuse to compensate for the massive impacts of growth on public infrastructure and the quality of life of existing residents.  

It is hard to overemphasize the enormous power developers have in local and state politics in Florida – or the depths to which these special interests will go to further their greed-crazed goals – even if it means exsanguinating their host…  

And Another Thing!

“Our children and grandchildren will live with the consequences of tonight’s decision for decades,” Lila Pontius said.”

“The proposal before you to rezone for a massive industrial park places heavy industry up against our neighborhoods, our wells, our schools, our churches and our businesses. This is not just a rezoning request, it’s a decision that will change the very character and livability of our community forever.” She added, “What troubles me most is we don’t know what this project will mean for our water, air health or our property values.”

–Bunnell resident Lila Pontius, speaking before the Bunnell City Commission last week, as quoted by FlaglerLive.com, “Snubbing Near-Unanimous Public Opposition, Bunnell Commission Approves Rezoning 1,259 Acres to Industrial,” Thursday, September 25, 2025

The benefit and curse of keeping this blog site is organizing a series of running threads in my head each week; an exercise that keeps my mind limber staying abreast of current events.  The bane is trying to explain the recurring theme of bureaucratic arrogance and political egotism – always born of a sense of organizational infallibility – with a pithy phrase I haven’t expressed before.

Sometimes those mental gymnastics tax what’s left of my Gin-addled brain – other times, these screeds seem to write themselves…

In my view, it is that haughty (and dangerous) sense of self-important overconfidence that is driving the Bunnell City Commission – a group of unsophisticated yokels who have become blinded by a developer’s shinny baubles – and are quickly selling out their helpless constituents for the promise every shortsighted small-town politician prays for:  To become a big city politician…  

Last Monday, on a 4-1 vote, with Vice Mayor John Rogers standing alone against forces the others cannot comprehend – the majority approved the rezoning of 1,259 acres south of town from agricultural to industrial – to include 639 acres of heavy industrial. 

The move came on the heels of the controversial resurrection and approval of a 6,100 home megadevelopment absurdly known as Reserve at Haw Creek.  A “city within a city” that will change the very character of the community forever.  

Ignoring concerns about increased congestion, density, schools, flooding, utilities infrastructure, environmental impacts, increased operational costs, public safety, and the wholesale destruction of rural areas, the Commission revived the once dead project before greenlighting the largest planned unit development since ITT’s Palm Coast.

Among the many other known adverse impacts, the Reserve at Haw Creek is expected to increase traffic from the current 8,817 daily trips to an obscene 81,943 trips per day on area roadways at build out…

Now, anxious residents of Bunnell are worried about what comes next as their elected officials adopt a growth-at-all-costs strategy, giving their undivided attention to real estate developers and their highly paid land use attorneys, while wholly ignoring their constituents (read: voters) as they tread even deeper into unknown territory with heavy industrial zoning.   

According to a report in FlaglerLive.com last week, “There are still no revelations about what the site will be used for, though Rogers has suspicions – and fears – that he made clear at the meeting when he said that a mortgage holder on the property is Lake Environmental Resources, a Lake County company that specializes in construction and demolition debris.

The owner of Lake Environmental Resources is Richard Bazinet of North Bay Road in Mount Dora, according to the Florida Division of Corporations.

On May 13, Lafferty, one of the landowners, incorporated a company called Chat-A-Who-Che LLC. On May 23, Chat-A-Who-Che signed a $2.85 million mortgage with Bazinet on the acreage in question.”

Wow.  That explains a lot.

I assume the landowner’s LLC is aptly named after the City of Chattahoochee – a community in the panhandle that since 1876 has been home to the Florida State Hospital for the Insane… 

Because, in my view, the idea of arrogantly ignoring the fervent pleas of their neighbors and existing business interests to accommodate a trash transfer facility is nuts.   

Yeah. 

Sometimes these things write themselves…

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