Hi, kids!

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

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Angel               God’s Faithful Servant Donnie Brock

This week my friend and legendary former law enforcement colleague, the great Donnie Brock, was promoted to glory following a lifetime of service to others. 

The consummate public servant – Donnie was one of the finest law enforcement officers I have ever known, with an incredible depth of skill and experience that ranged from serving as the youngest Chief of Police in the United States to his outstanding post-retirement return to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

In 1974, at the age of 19, Donnie was appointed Chief of Police for the City of Bunnell and formally recognized as the “Youngest Police Chief in America.” 

Before his retirement in 2018, Donnie served honorably with the Bunnell Police Department, Flagler Beach Police Department, and Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.  But it was his 26-years of remarkable service with the Ormond Beach Police Department that cemented his legacy – a talented professional who dedicated his life in service to others and a true gentleman whose good-nature and inherent kindness endeared Donnie to everyone he met.

Anyone who had the honor of serving with Donnie will agree, few law enforcement officers have so purely embodied the best virtues of our beloved profession.    

Earlier this month, Donnie recounted his extraordinary 45-year career in a magazine article with Police1. 

Please find it here: http://tinyurl.com/3rnyfhw4

What I admired most was Donnie’s great faith in God and deep devotion to his family and wife Melissa – who stood firmly at his side, lovingly supporting and encouraging him throughout the family’s courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.  

As he was called to do at an early age, Donnie’s extraordinary life of service exemplified dedication to a cause greater than one’s self-interests, commitment to the finest traditions of the police service, bravery in the face of danger and mortality, and, ultimately, the promise of resurrection to life everlasting for one of God’s most devoted servants.      

Calling hours will be this evening at the First Baptist Church of Bunnell, 2301 Commerce Parkway, from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. 

Funeral services will be held Saturday, February 3, at the First Baptist Church of Bunnell beginning at 11:00am, with interment to follow at Espanola Cemetery.

Godspeed, my friend…  Well done. 

Asshole           Volusia County Attorney Michael “Rip Van Winkle” Dyer

This week saw a pair of minor victories on both sides of the fight in the battle between Belvedere Terminals and Volusia County, when Circuit Judge Dennis Craig refused to force Volusia County to process a site plan application for Belvedere’s proposed bulk fuel distribution facility near Ormond Beach.

Belvedere Terminals filed the request ahead of next week’s vote by the Volusia County Council for a moratorium on heavy industrial development.   

In turn, Judge Craig also denied Volusia County’s motion to disqualify the mega-firm GrayRobinson from representing Belvedere in their ongoing lawsuit against Volusia County.  The county attorney’s office had claimed a possible conflict of interest as the firm also represents the Volusia County Growth Management Commission…

Of course, County Attorney Mike Dyer was beating his chest in the News-Journal the next day in an article by Sheldon Gardner:

“We believe the county’s position was vindicated,” said County Attorney Michael Dyer outside of the courtroom following the ruling. “Essentially what Belvedere was asking for was for us to process the site plan, which is the very thing they sued us for. And we believe we should have the opportunity to have a trial on that issue.”

Unfortunately, Mr. Dyer knows better than most this was merely an early salvo in a what will be a long (and expensive) legal battle… 

In my view, the true heroes were the throngs of concerned citizens who packed the courtroom, a crowd that required overflow seating – along with those intrepid environmentalists and civic activists who took the fight to Tallahassee this week.     

It’s how we arrived at Tuesday’s hearing that concerns me. 

In my view, if the on-going saga that is the Belvedere debacle has done anything, it has exposed the abject ignorance of senior Volusia County officials who, once again, were caught asleep at the switch. 

In August 2023, residents were shocked to learn of the plan to place a bulk fuel terminal as part of a hub-and-spur distribution network that will see dangerous petroleum products delivered by rail, stored in massive above ground tanks, and distributed by a steady 24/7 stream of tanker trucks on two-lane Hull Road near the city’s airport, a children’s dance studio, and a sports complex.

Except, they didn’t hear about it from their elected representatives.  They read about it in a bombshell report by The Daytona Beach News-Journal (which is where many of our elected officials claim to have first heard about the plan as well…). 

Then, disbelief turned to seething anger when frightened citizens learned that county officials were unable to appeal a Florida Department of Environmental Protection air construction permit issued to Belvedere Terminals because the county lacked legal standing.

It seems Volusia County’s highly compensated legal and planning apparatus failed to notice the required “Public Notice of Intent to Issue Air Permit” as published in the Hometown News.  In fact, an Assistant County Attorney sheepishly confessed the oversight during a public meeting, admitting that “Volusia County does not monitor the notices of other government agencies…”

Say what?

During subsequent public comment, a parade of angry residents approached their elected “representatives” to let them know:

“As leaders, you should know what’s happening, when it’s happening!”

“We’re sick of excuses!  You need to listen to your constituents!”

“Shame on you for not doing your job!”

Anyone paying attention knows how this horrific situation has crumbled from there…

That’s why my phone lit up like a Christmas tree last week when sharp civic activists learned that Belvedere Terminals is represented by the mega-firm GrayRobinson in their pending lawsuit against Volusia County.  The firm, who bill themselves as “Attorneys. Advisors. Consultants.” – with offices and various divisions throughout Florida (and a lobbying arm in Washington D.C.) – deftly straddles both the public and private sectors.

The rub came when alert citizens discovered that, for decades, GrayRobinson has also represented the oxymoronic Volusia Growth Management Commission – a group required by County Charter whose purpose is to “…provide an effective means for coordinating the (comprehensive) plans of municipalities and the county, in order to provide a forum for the several local governments in the county to cooperate with each other in coordinating the provision of public services to and improvements for the citizens of the county…” 

(Sorry.  As a claustrophobic Halifax area resident, I just upchucked in my mouth a little.)

Look, I’m certainly not a lawyer – but suing the same government that funds an entity you receive legal fees from seems like a textbook example of a conflict of interest. 

Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower thought so too…

In turn, Chairman Brower demanded an explanation from County Attorney Mike “Rip Van Winkle” Dyer – asking if the Growth Management Commission’s relationship with GrayRobinson constitutes a conflict considering the firm’s simultaneous representation of Belvedere Terminals?  

According to an informative piece in the News-Journal by reporter Sheldon Gardner, we learned:

“The Florida Bar allows a lawyer to represent opposing clients if the lawyer believes that he or she will “provide competent and diligent representation,” and that the issue won’t limit service to either client. The attorney also needs to let both parties know and get consent.

GrayRobinson attorney Heather Ramos, who represents the Growth Management Commission, said recently that it is a separate legal entity and there is no conflict of interest.

The commission “has a board of representatives appointed by each municipality in the county, and other representatives appointed by the county,” she said via email. “It reviews and certifies comprehensive plan amendments.”

So, late last week, our lethargic county attorney filed a motion to “disqualify GrayRobinson from representing Belvedere Terminals in a dispute over a proposed fuel distribution facility, alleging a possible conflict of interest.”

According to the report, although Volusia County is not represented by GrayRobinson – should the county submit Comprehensive Plan changes to the VCGMC during its review of the heavy industrial zoning classification – a conflict could occur. 

“The County is entitled to unbiased consideration of its submissions to the VGMC. But GrayRobinson now represents a private client ― Belvedere ― that seeks to aggressively undermine the county’s authority to review and amend its land development regulations, thereby preventing the very changes the county may seek,” according to the motion.”

Unfortunately, that motion didn’t hold much sway with Judge Craig earlier this week – but that’s not the point: 

How is it possible Mr. Dyer and County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald – the two most monstrously overpaid hacks in all the realm, who command a combined fortune in salary and benefits worth over a half-million-dollars a year – did not know that GrayRobinson represents the Volusia County Growth Management Commission? 

Why did it take concerned citizens to ferret out the common link between Belvedere Terminals and the VCGMC?

And what would have happened to Volusia County’s interest in preventing the terminal had residents not brought the matter to the attention of Chairman Brower? 

Per usual, there are more questions than answers when one ventures down the dark rabbit warren that is Volusia County’s cloistered and shadowy Halls of Power, where the operative ethic is to keep our sluggardly elected officials in effective darkness and ensure that the right hand never knows what the left hand is doing – or why…    

Socrates was right.  “The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.”

Now, it is incumbent for all Volusia County residents to remain vigilant – to ask questions, research the issues, sound the klaxon on matters of civic concern, and become your own advocate in the absence of effective leadership and representation.

Unfortunately, this culture of mediocrity and lockstep conformity to the status quo will continue as long as the voters of Volusia County permit it. 

Vote your conscience. 

Angel               Citizens of Holly Hill, Florida  

It seems 2024 has started with a pox on the Old Barker Place. 

After spending December battling a run-of-the-mill pulmonary infection, this month began with Patti and I fighting a nasty bout of pneumonia.  It ended this week with an unwelcome visit from Covid – rounding out the “Tripledemic Trifecta” – an acute respiratory grand slam!

Yay, us…

Out of sheer boredom, I read this week in some obscure medical journal that the culprit is likely the JN-1 subvariant – a lineage of the Omicron type – described as a highly mutated form of coronavirus that can more easily evade immunity and results in mild to moderate sore throat, nasal congestion, cough, fever, chills, and an odd “brain fog” that has left me more addlepated than normal…          

Fortunately, Patti and I are both on the mend and feeling much better now. 

Even in the depths of my upper-respiratory misery last week, one bright spot emerged during a cordial exchange I had with a Barker’s View reader and Holly Hill resident – a civically active citizen who clearly cares about her community and regularly takes me to task for going easy on the City of Holly Hill for one perceived transgression or another. 

Made me smile. 

As most of you know, I spent the best years of my life serving the wonderful citizens of The City with a Heart. 

That beautiful community on the banks of the Halifax took a chance on me when I was a wet behind the ears kid, gifting me the opportunity to do work worth doing in service to an eclectic – often eccentric – group of residents who were sincerely appreciative of the effort, overlooked my myriad faults, and allowed me a career I could have never dreamed possible. 

I’ve often described the three-plus decades I spent in Holly Hill as an extended Northern Exposure episode – a tightknit community where the endearingly cantankerous “Movers & Shakers” had names like Crazy Eddie, Snake, Yogi, and Big John. 

I loved them all like family – and received the same unconditional acceptance and friendship in return.

So, yeah.  I’m horribly biased.  Guilty as charged…

Last week the community became embroiled in a Tempest in a Teapot when Pictona at Holly Hill – the incredibly successful internationally acclaimed pickleball and wellness complex – asked city officials to reconsider allowing the Holly Hill Historic Preservation Society – a very active group dedicated to the study and conservation of the areas rich history – to take over the former Holly Hill Chamber of Commerce space near the Historic Society’s wonderful museum just across Ridgewood Avenue from City Hall. 

It seems Pictona wants to use the offices as a “welcome center” – a place to help “brand” the city as a “pickleball paradise.”  That idea didn’t sit well with those who believe the Historical Society already serves as a wonderful ambassador for the City of Holly Hill and deserve to stretch out in their current space. 

There was something of a dustup on social media – the elected officials were taken to task – and I became peripherally involved when my regular critic reached out with a demand that I “stand up for the residents” in this fuss and feathers contretemps. 

At the end of the day, I disappointed my reader by refusing to upbraid city officials in this space last week. 

You see, I can’t think of anything more wonderfully “Holly Hill” than this feisty brouhaha between two factions – each passionate about the future of the community they love – and I find it incredibly refreshing to see that level of grassroots civic pride in action. 

I suspect when both sides come to the realization that they each want the chance to present the community they love to visitors and potential entrepreneurs – one from the perspective of its wonderful history and heritage, the other by highlighting its current amenities and future potential – they will find a way to work collegially in everyone’s best interests.  

In my view, that’s a good problem to have. 

At the end of the day, I thought Holly Hill Mayor Chris Via showed leadership when he assured anxious residents on both sides of the issue that the city would work to find common ground – and promised to consider everyone’s input – as the city works to identify the best use for the public space. 

The matter will be brought before the Holly Hill City Commission for discussion in the future. 

While many communities are working (and spending) to create a unique sense of place, it is a positive sign when Holly Hill residents and businesses are committed to ensuring a bright future by putting the city’s best attributes – past and present – front and center as a shining example of the immense pride that sets this unique small town apart. 

In my view, the City of Holly Hill exemplifies what Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Michael Musmanno once said about that all-important civic spirit:

“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. That personality must be one to which the population contributes by mass participation in activities identified with that city.” 

Like any established municipality, Holly Hill faces challenges. I’m not blind to that. 

But as this wonderful community approaches its 123rd birthday this year – let’s not forget that my beloved old gal gets a lot right as well.  

Angel               Deltona City Commission

You read that right.

In an extraordinary turn of events, this week saw both the appointment of Troy Shimkus, a proven civic asset and dedicated servant of Deltona, to fill the vacant District 2 commission seat – and the abrupt departure of District 1 Commissioner Tom Burbank – in my view, an unhinged lout who has tried his level best, both on and off the dais, to destroy what remains of the Lost City of Deltona.    

Trust me.  That puts Mr. Burbank on a long and illustrious list of troublemakers and political shit-slingers who have successfully brought this horribly challenged community to its knees…

On Tuesday, in a remarkable (and apparently unchoreographed) 5-1 vote the Deltona City Commission appointed Mr. Shimkus – a 2018 mayoral candidate described as an analytical, fact-based problem solver – to the post vacated by former Commissioner Anita Bradford who resigned earlier this month citing health issues. 

The appointment of Mr. Shimkus was widely hailed by residents as a much-needed departure from the lunacy and dysfunction that has long plagued the largest community by population in Volusia County. 

Of course, Shimkus wasn’t the first choice of Commissioner Burbank – who spent his final frantic days in office firing off weird missives on city letterhead, challenging the limits of Florida’s public records law by telegraphing how he intended to vote on an issue in an internal email to his fellow commissioners, and further undermining the public’s trust in their government.

Why?  Your guess is as good as mine – but scenes from The Caine Mutiny keep coming to mind…

When reporter Mark Harper of The Daytona Beach News-Journal contacted Burbank this week, “He responded to a text message seeking comment with a single line: “The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.”

See what I mean?

The good news is that long-suffering Deltona residents now have the opportunity for true stability – a clear path forward – as sitting commissioners have until March 1 to select Burbank’s replacement. 

In a social media post earlier this week, dedicated civic activist Brandy Lee White was among the first to put her name up for consideration. 

Qualified residents of District 1 who are interested in serving are being asked to forward “a resume or letter of interest” to the City Clerk’s Office, 2345 Providence Boulevard, 2nd Floor, Deltona, Florida 32725, or via email to jraftery@deltonafl.gov no later than 12:00pm, Monday, February 19. 

My sincere hope is that the usual “behind the scenes” meddlers and power-players with a chip in the game will sit this one out and allow things to develop in an open and transparent way why they still have the last shreds of a viable municipal government to worry about.

Good luck, Deltona.  Here’s to brighter days ahead!   

Quote of the Week

“The Florida Department of Transportation last year unveiled plans to replace the 30-year-old I-95/LPGA Boulevard interchange with a new one that would include widening the Tomoka River Bridge and the rest of LPGA Boulevard from two to four lanes. However, funding to construct the half-billion-dollar project has yet to be secured.

When that might occur is anybody’s guess, said local transportation planning consultant Maryam Ghyabi on Thursday.

“It might not happen until the 2030s or maybe later,” said Ghyabi who chairs the LPGA Coalition seeking improvements to the traffic corridor. “The leadership at the state and local levels needs to make LPGA a priority. FDOT has done its job. They allocated $11 million to make it shovel-ready. TPO (Transportation Planning Organization) has also done its job to prioritize the project, but when it will actually get built? I have no idea.”

–LPGA Coalition Chair Maryam Ghyabi, as quoted by business editor Clayton Park, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Iconic new restaurants to open across from Daytona’s Margaritaville. Here’s what’s coming,” Monday, January 29, 2024

Read it and weep my fellow rubes…  

For years, Ms. Ghyabi has been imploring our state and local elected officials to give precedence to the LPGA Boulevard traffic corridor – to include the now inadequate I-95 interchange – and that two-lane pinch point at the Tomoka River bridge that I call the “Monument to Mediocrity” (because that’s what it is). 

Now we learn that after our ‘powers that be’ have allowed massive development along Boomtown Boulevard both east and west of I-95, a solution to the growing traffic safety concerns may be a decade off.

Or more…

What’s the consolation prize for us weary existing residents? 

Oh, we get another Starbucks, McDonalds, a glorified strip center, and the umpteenth sticks-and-glue “luxury” apartment complex adding to the congestion and gridlock on Boomtown Boulevard…   

As expected, Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower seized the opportunity to preach to the choir:

“People complain about the traffic, but they keep moving in,” said Brower. “The good news is that the TPO has moved the LPGA project up in priority. But it still takes time to secure funding. A solution could still be years off in the future.

“I think we need to pause the massive development going on all over the county until we have infrastructure in place for the increased traffic and need for greater storm water management as well as to alleviate flooding.” he said. “Otherwise, we’re just making a bad problem worse.”

Look, there are a lot of issues Chairman Brower and I agree on – but complaining about our gross lack of transportation infrastructure is my job… 

Mr. Brower’s responsibility – and that of his can-kicking “colleagues” – is to get off their sizeable backsides and do something about it.  Dammit.

In my view, an influx is to be expected when local governments rubber stamp untold thousands of new home sites in a cart-before-the-horse strategy with no planning or oversight to ensure adequate public infrastructure, utilities, and essential services are in place. 

This debacle is not the fault of new residents moving here – and it isn’t a problem that can be foisted on someone else – another passing quandary that will solve itself with the right application of procrastination and political finger pointing.  

It will require leadership and an astronomical amount of money – paid by us, and future generations – long after greedy developers have hauled untold profits out of the former pine scrub in dump trucks… 

My sincere hope is that when the cries of suffocating voters become loud enough to cause political discomfort, our elected officials in DeLand and elsewhere will come to the realization that what passes for “Growth and resource management” and “intergovernmental coordination” (especially between the City of Daytona Beach and its claustrophobic neighbors) in Volusia County has been an abject failure and a criminal waste of public funds.

Perhaps then someone who accepts public funds to serve in the public interest will finally be held to account? 

Residents concerned about unchecked growth and our threatened environment felt a sense of vindication this week when an administrative law judge ruled that the St. Johns River Water Management District should not have issued the Florida Department of Transportation a permit to drain stormwater from a proposed interchange at I-95 and Pioneer Trail into Spruce Creek.

According to a report in the News-Journal:

“The state appeared to be fast-tracking the project by funding it with $92 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds last year. The project is projected to cost $120 million overall.

The design phase was scheduled to begin with the granting of a contract estimated at $5.7 million on March 27.

FDOT has previously made the case that the interchange is needed to “support the economic viability and job creation associated with planned and approved future development in the vicinity of the study area, to reduce congestion at the adjacent I-95 interchanges, and to better serve regional trips originating in and destined to the study area.”

Bullshit. 

In my view, it is time for state and federal environmental regulators to tell our High Panjandrum of Political Power and ICI Homes/Woodhaven developer Mori Hosseini that Spruce Creek is not a stormwater slit-trench – a foul dumping ground to facilitate more, more, more development.

Then, after a commonsense triage of local transportation needs, those funds should rightfully be reallocated to addressing the ongoing public insult at LPGA Boulevard and beyond.

(Don’t hold your breath…) 

And Another Thing!

One of my favorite quotes is by anthropologist Margaret Mead who said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

The fight against Belvedere Terminals’ plan to bring a bulk fuel terminal to Ormond Beach has exposed some universal truths – good and bad. 

Perhaps most important of these is that We, The Little People will put our political and philosophic differences aside and rise up as one whenever our common interests are in peril – such as the safety of our children, our homes, and our quality of life – a concept best exemplified by the many concerned residents who continue to show up (and speak out) in opposition to a 13-million-gallon bulk fuel facility planned for their backyards (and mine).    

It has also shined a very bright light on the ineptitude of Volusia County’s lethargic bureaucracy – a group of non-elected, incredibly powerful officials, so-called “professionals” who were caught off-guard by one of the most imposing threats of our time – who continue to clumsily scramble and claw at great public expense to recover from this incomprehensible lack of situational awareness at the highest levels of county government.   

Now, that inattention to detail is posing a very expensive proposition for Ormond Beach taxpayers…

Earlier this week, we learned that the City of Ormond Beach has strategically partnered with the venerated beverage distributor S. R. Perrott to share legal costs in the company’s ongoing challenge to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s air emissions permit allowing Belvedere to build the fuel storage facility on Hull Road.    

Under the agreement, Ormond Beach will use public funds from its risk management and insurance mitigation fund to share costs for “legal services related to the FDEP air quality permit and any land use proceedings before Volusia County regarding the proposed fuel farm project.”

According to reports, Ormond Beach and S. R. Perrott will equally share the costs of litigation up to $100,000 – with the city responsible for anything over that amount…

Yeah.  I know.

While I agree with City Attorney Randy Hayes’ decision, in my view, given the gravity of the potential outcome – and the open-ended nature of the agreement – the Ormond Beach City Commission should have had the courage to take the matter up during an open public meeting, allowing input from taxpayers who will ultimately be responsible for paying the bill(s) associated with this monumental fight. 

In my view, that level of transparency would help to allay fears – and rally residents of Ormond Beach and beyond against this common threat – allowing us to feel like an important part of the battle – as though our significant contribution to protecting our quality of life is more than a blank check to a law firm – instead of being treated as an afterthought in what some see as yet another example of political cowardice during an election year. 

Keep the faith, folks.  This one’s worth fighting for.

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 newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Angel               Local Small Businesses Owners

I’ve never been a fan of “Big Box” stores. 

Those cavernous gray warehouses where one can buy a five-gallon bucket of peanut butter, a hot dog, pallet of toilet paper, groceries, tires, hardware, clothes, electronics, book a Caribbean cruise, or shop for household appliances – all as a steady stream of tractor-trailer trucks resupply shelves at the rear while the faceless masses haul goods out the front – “wholesale clubs” devoid of character, connection, and charm, a place where nobody knows your name. 

I prefer to patronize small, family-owned businesses that form the backbone of our economy – those establishments owned and operated by friends and neighbors – places like Babe’s Blue Room (the best damn cocktail lounge from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine) and Mario’s, a superb Italian restaurant where family ties run deep), and Madden’s Ace Hardware (if they don’t have it, you don’t need it…) 

Last week, The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s business editor Clayton Park interviewed me for an informative article on the forced “enhanced amenity fee” – in my view, a damnable tax by another name – charged to unwitting customers at the One Daytona shopping and entertainment complex, another private entity that was publicly subsidized to the tune of $40 million by Daytona Beach and Volusia County taxpayers.   

In addition, similar cash grabs are in place at Tanger Outlets and The Pavilion in Port Orange – where they are referred to as a “Public Utilities Fee” and “Public Infrastructure Fee” respectively – which sounds eerily like what our state and local sales taxes should already be paying for…   

Please read the News-Journal’s informative article here: http://tinyurl.com/ekxfurt3

Six years ago this month, I wrote a popular blogpost entitled “One Daytona: Does it ever end?” after a savvy friend sent me a disturbing photograph of a placard near the point-of-sale at a One Daytona establishment announcing something called an “Enhanced Amenity Fee.”

“Notice of EAF – All retail purchases at One Daytona are subject to an Enhanced Amenity Fee (EAF).”

“The EAF is an additional one percent added to the total amount due before sales tax.”

“The EAF will not exceed $350 for any applicable purchase.”

The EAF will be reinvested to continually enhance the center, including its public space, mobile technology, entertainment options and public art program.”

“Thank you for your patronage of One Daytona.”

Bullshit.

Since these arbitrary add-ons are collected for the benefit of a private, for-profit business, no state or local agency maintains a public accounting.

So, John and Jane Q, how are things at your small business? 

Does the marketplace afford you the opportunity to tap your customers for an unlimited revenue stream to reduce risk and overhead while increasing profits?  Is your local government champing at the bit to underwrite your operation and expansion with public funds? 

I didn’t think so…

My problem with these “Public/Private Partnerships” (P3’s) remains the issue of local government’s meddling in what should be a free, open and fair marketplace – time-after-time providing millions in tax dollars to underwrite the private endeavors of those uber-wealthy members of the Donor Class seeking a return on investment for their massive campaign contributions to the avaricious politicians who ultimately approve these lucrative subsidies.

I was proud to contribute my thoughts to the News-Journal as they continue to expose this scheme – often without the knowledge of shoppers who patronize these venues.

In my view, for-profit developments that are underwritten with massive infusions of public funds, tax breaks, and infrastructure subsidies create a lopsided playing field in a very tight market – providing an unfair advantage that most small businesses and entrepreneurs do not have equal access to.

That’s wrong.

As the Canadian comic and politician Greg Malone once put it, P3’s should be called “P12’s” – “Public-Private Partnerships to Plunder the Public Purse to Pursue Policies of Peril to People and the Planet for all Posterity.”

Hear! Hear!

The positive is that payment of this sales-related “fee” is purely voluntary.

You can simply choose not to shop where these levies are forced on patrons – and given the turnover at One Daytona – it appears many in our community are choosing that option…

Recently we learned that the new Costco Wholesale Club set to open next month at One Daytona will not charge customers the “enhanced amenity fee.”  Instead, Costco has opted to perform maintenance and upkeep on their standalone “warehouse” – which will allow their members to shop free of the greedy fee grab demanded of other merchants in the complex.

Good on ‘em, I say. 

What impact the “Costco effect” will have on existing retailers at One Daytona remains to be seen – but people much smarter than me seem to think placing a massive discount club literally in the parking lot of an upscale shopping complex – then forcing some outlets to collect the additional fee from their customers while allowing others to opt out is a fair and equitable business practice.  

Time will tell… 

Angel               City of DeBary

In 2016, Barker’s View cut its teeth as an opinion blog on what would become known as “The Debacle in DeBary” – a squalid tale of treachery, abject greed, and the base arrogance of political power run amok in a tiny Florida town on the banks of the St. Johns River. 

At that time, the City of DeBary devolved into an ugly example of what can happen when a small town becomes hopelessly enmeshed in the intrigues of property developers and those who – for a healthy fee – can navigate the fast and loose Turkish Bazaar that passes for environmental permitting here in the Sunshine State.

The city’s surreptitious scheme for a “Transit Oriented Development” on some 102-acres of environmentally sensitive land adjacent to the DeBary SunRail station was first exposed by the Pulitzer-worthy investigative journalism of The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Dinah Voyles Pulver.

Her outstanding reportage peeled the rotten onion on the St. John’s River Water Management District governing board’s permitting process – to include the fact public officials transferred public funds to the District’s Chairman (and his Orlando-based “environmental consultancy”) for his personal assistance in securing SJRWMD permissions for the development.

You read that right: 

The Chairman of the SJRWMD Governing Board received money from public and private clients to lobby for their interests in front of the very state regulatory board he oversaw.  

Perhaps more disturbing, in Florida – arguably the biggest whorehouse in the world – that level of quid pro quo sleaze was deemed perfectly acceptable.

It got worse before it got better…

For a while, it was fascinating to watch.  The civic unraveling had all the elements of a good Carl Hiaasen novel.

Then, most decent people averted their eyes from the catastrophe. 

It was like being transfixed on the hapless victim of a strongarm robbery being pummeled into submission, while thugs in expensive suits rummaged through the wounded dupe’s pockets. 

Everyone who was anyone in the politically entrenched ivy-covered law firms in tony Winter Park got a piece of the public pie – served up a la mode by the bumbling and horribly compromised City Council.   

The legal fees foisted on DeBary taxpayers piled up so fast and furious that even seasoned local attorneys – real sharks accustomed to fleecing the lame and the stupid – became outright queasy…

Ultimately, the SJRWMD finally settled the sordid matter by transferring the Gemini Springs Annex to Volusia County with the understanding it would forever be held in conservation and protected from development “in perpetuity.”

All’s well that ends well, I suppose… 

Earlier this week, officials launched the “DeBary Main Street” project, touted as a “built from scratch” multiuse development on approximately fifty acres near the DeBary SunRail station. 

According to a report by News-Journal reporter Sheldon Gardner, “Our Main Street will be a place where residents can gather, dine, shop and socialize,” DeBary Mayor Karen Chasez said. “The project will be a vibrant gathering location incorporating history, art nature and entertainment.”

Under the leadership of City Manager Carman Rosamonda, the community is committed to doing it right – hiring two Florida developers with experience in upscale mixed-use projects and urban revitalization using a smart blend of residential, retail, hospitality, and commercial space. 

In a report by Molly Reed of WKMG, Rosamonda explained, “You have a ton of ecotourism right here in downtown. That’s what makes it unique and I think that’s why we’ll be able to compete with other downtowns,” said Rosamonda.

The city said it will be built in two phases. Phase one will be over 270 townhomes and retail space. The second phase, which they hope to break ground later this year, will be about 450 apartments units and more retail space.

There will also be a space for concerts and a park.”

In my view, the good citizens of DeBary deserve the opportunity for prosperity and a renewed civic pride, something infinitely possible, now that they have a municipal government with a clear vision – and clean hands. 

Asshole           Flagler School Board Chair Will Furry

On Monday, what we all knew was going to happen came to be when Flagler School Board Chair Will Furry giddily handed former board attorney Kristy Gavin her walking papers – and a very lucrative ticket to file an astronomical lawsuit for breach of contract and wrongful termination against the taxpayers of Flagler County…

For the record, Ms. Gavin had served the School Board since 2009 – and previously announced her plans to retire next year when her current contract was set to expire.   

Trust me.  If you pay taxes in Flagler County, hold onto your hoop skirts – because Gavin’s legal action is going to be a doozy.

In a generic termination letter devoid of substance or articulable “just cause” as required by Ms. Gavin’s employment agreement – a notice apparently cobbled together by an contract law firm – Furry essentially says,  “We regret to inform you that your employment with The School Board of Flagler County, Florida (the “School Board) will be terminated effective as of January 22, 2024, the date upon which you were provided a copy of this letter…”

Although the correspondence makes a passing reference to “cause,” two members of the board felt it failed to meet the legal requirements of Ms. Gavin’s employment agreement, which limits her termination to “dereliction of duty, failure to report to work, misconduct in office or violation of criminal law.”

But why let little things like “legal sufficiency” and “contractual obligations” stand in the way? 

Wow.  Ms. Gavin must feel like she just grabbed the brass ring.   

Because she did…

According to an excellent piece in FlaglerLive!, we learned:

“But again: no causes are provided. There is no attachment to the letter. The letter’s remainder is boilerplate: all payments and benefits end, the final paycheck would be issued on the net scheduled payroll date, and Gavin is to return all School Board property, “including all documents, any district-issued computers or other electronic equipment, and any other School Board property and information in your possession.” It’s not exactly clear how Gavin is to return 18 years of accumulated institutional information about the district and this and previous school boards, or how the board intends to seize it, if she does not return it.”

In the aftermath, FlaglerLive! reports that Chairman Furry (predictably) retreated under a cloak of secrecy – refusing to publicly discuss the contrived reasons for Gavin’s termination – as the disembodied voice of their outside attorney admonished, “On this particular topic, just given the issues surrounding it,” a voice said from a speaker phone in the middle of the board table, “I would certainly proceed with caution on discussing all the records, any statements that could potentially be problematic down the road.”

Look, I’m not an employment law attorney, but I think we’re well past “problematic” here… 

To their credit, board members Cheryl Massaro and Colleen Conklin expressed the obvious in noting Furry’s termination letter did not include the required just cause.

According to the report, Ms. Massaro stuck to her guns when Furry attempted to silence her:

“Massaro asked Furry: “Did you not request cause be delivered at the last school board meeting before December 31?”

“I did request that that happen and sent directly to the attorneys. I’m not – I’m not privy to any of that information that was provided,” Furry said – again indicating to what extent the document trail, if there is one, has been either intentionally or benignly obfuscated, even at the cost of board members’ own knowledge of what has gone on.

“So technically, we have terminated without cause,” Massaro said.

Furry lost patience. “That not–I’m going to ask you to please govern yourself accordingly,” Furry snapped, “but we’ve been advised by two counsels to not make statements like that.

Okay? So I would highly recommend that we follow the advice of counsel and not make statements like that either here or in the media or in the public.”

“I will say what I’m going to say,” Massaro said.

Good for her.

In my view, this is another sad example of how unbridled hubris in the pursuit of Machiavellian agendas often results in playing fast and loose with the public treasure by irresponsible elected officials who believe the end always justify the means… 

Good luck, Flagler County taxpayers.  You’re going to need it…

Asshole           Florida Legislature

“One way the Florida Legislature works against the public good is its persistence in carving out special favors to special interests.”

— The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, “Insurance agents want to sell license plates. It’s a bad idea,” Friday, January 19, 2024

The difference between a grandiloquent blowhard like me and a professional editorialist can be summed up in this sentence. 

In one succinct phrase, The Orlando Sentinel’s editorial board has taken a complex thought that would have taken me a thousand words to explain and distilled it to its purest form. 

It’s true, Florida’s government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” has slowly evolved from a representative democracy to a weird form of “corpocracy” – a political and economic system controlled by corporate interests – where elected officials do little more than facilitate “economic incentives,” unfair advantages, and other giveaways for influential insiders – an arrangement fueled by massive campaign contributions from individuals and the industries they control. 

In fact, in 2022, Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke of this disturbing transformation during a speech to the National Conservatism Conference:

“Corporatism is not the same as free enterprise, and I think too many Republicans have viewed limited government to basically mean whatever is best for corporate America is how we want to do the economy.”

“And my view is — obviously free enterprise is the best economic system — but that is a means to an end. It’s a means to having a good fulfilling life and a prosperous society. It’s not an end in and of itself.”

When Gov. DeSantis suspended his ill-fated presidential bid earlier this week, he took a parting swipe at his former opponent Nikki Haley by warning of the dangers of the outside influence of special interests, saying we can’t go back to “…the old Republican guard of yesteryear – a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism.”  

So, why the disconnect between what Gov. DeSantis preached on the campaign trail and the way our state legislators conduct business in Tallahassee each session? 

The short answer is – money and power.   

It’s no secret that large corporate entities – such as real estate developers and the insurance industry – spend millions of dollars to influence policymaking thanks to wide-open campaign finance laws that, in my view, facilitate legalized quid pro quo corruption.    

The result of this lopsided largesse is often an erosion of local government’s ability to effectively regulate growth and control the destiny of the community it serves by the action of malleable elected officials wholly beholden to extremely wealthy corporate overseers who hold the paper on their political souls.  

This phenomenon isn’t limited to our shadowy state government. 

As things heat up this election year, I encourage you to periodically peruse local candidates campaign finance reports on the Volusia County Supervisor of Elections website (available here: http://tinyurl.com/2kbbnh92 ). 

Trust me.  It’s an eyeopener…

Quote of the Week

“The developers of the long-delayed Avalon Park Daytona Beach project have scaled back their ambitious plans to create a city within a city.

Instead of 10,000 homes and a “downtown” with 1 million square feet of commercial space, the Orlando developers are now looking to develop 7,878 residential units in addition to the planned commercial district, confirmed Jeff Fuqua, a partner in the Avalon Park Daytona project.

“With Avalon Park Daytona, we are focusing on what we can accomplish with our existing PD (planned development) and our existing comp (comprehensive) plan entitlements,” said Fuqua. “The million square feet (of commercial space) and the 7,878 (housing) units is what we feel confident we can accomplish within those parameters.”

–Avalon Park Daytona investor and former chairman of the Orlando Aviation Authority (?) Jeff Fuqua, as quote by Clayton Park, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Developers scale back plans for Avalon Park Daytona. Here’s what they are now proposing,” Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Reducing the size of what will ultimately be the largest master-planned community in the region by 2,122 cracker boxes and calling it “scaled back” is like throwing a deckchair off the Queen Mary…

Seriously.  Does anyone think that shoehorning an additional 7,878 homes and a million square feet of commercial space between congested S.R. 40 and LPGA Boulevard represents “smart growth” at this point in our overstuffed history?    

For those who have been living on the dark side of the moon for the past, oh, decade or so, malleable politicians at all levels of government have rubber stamped massive residential and commercial development on every square inch of available greenspace with little, if any, planning or apparent concern for adequate transportation infrastructure, water quality and quantity, wastewater utilities, flood control, schools, emergency services, intergovernmental coordination, etc., etc.   

Now that disastrous “growth at all costs” strategy is coming home to roost and existing residents are left holding the bag – while current elected and appointed officials are beginning to panic – bickering and filing expensive lawsuits over who will pay for what… 

(The short answer is “you, me, and our grandchildren” will…)

In addition to Avalon Park, in recent years, area residents have seen the advent of Latitude Margaritaville (which, according to the News-Journal, is set to sell its 3,900^th and final new home this year), ICI Home’s Mosaic community, and other gargantuan subdivisions currently under development or in the pipeline that will result in an untold number of residential units in the LPGA corridor east and west of that two-lane “Monument to Mediocrity” that is the Tomoka River bridge pinch point…      

Inconceivably, earlier this month, we learned that the dormant monster known as Ormond Crossings, another ‘development of regional impact’ located south of the Interstate 95/U.S. 1 interchange – that received its approvals and entitlements over a decade ago – has been purchased by an out-of-town real estate developer with plans to fast track construction.

I don’t make this shit up, folks…

In the view of many weary Ormond Beach residents – now trapped in the vicelike grip of voracious development to their north and south – the last thing this once quaint community needs right now are thousands of new homes and more half-empty “retail, office, light industrial and warehouse space” – especially with the specter of a 13-million-gallon bulk fuel facility threatening to bring 24/7 tanker traffic to nearby Hull Road.  

I’ve asked this question before, but what happened to all that “growth and resource management” horseshit we hear so much about?

According to the report, like Dr. Frankenstein before him, the hapless Mayor Bill Partington – who has been in office in the City of Ormond Beach for the past 22-years – seems to be awakening to the realities of his monstrous creation:   

“Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington said he is concerned about the increased traffic that Avalon Park Daytona Beach will create, especially on the already chronically congested Granada Boulevard, his city’s main east-west corridor.

Avalon Park Group officials want to provide their own water service. Ormond Beach strongly opposes that move.

“To best protect the rights of our residents, we definitely want to protect our water service rights,” said Partington, who added that his city is more than capable of providing water service.

Relinquishing its legal obligation to provide water service to Avalon Park Daytona would take away Ormond Beach’s only leverage in having a say over how many homes get developed there, Partington said.

“The unbridled growth around Tanger (Outlets) and the LPGA area (in Daytona Beach) gives us cause for concern,” he said.”

Welcome to the party, Mr. Mayor.  Glad you could finally join the rest of us…

Now, Mayor Partington is seeking to serve his masters in the real estate development community on a larger stage as he campaigns for the District 28 Florida House of Representatives seat this year. 

If you live in Volusia County, I suggest you take a hard look around the next time you’re stuck in traffic – or suffer additional tax increases to pay for explosive growth and resultant litigation between shortsighted government entities – then vote your conscience. 

This one’s important.

And Another Thing!

“Volusia County is keeping an eye on a recently filed Florida Senate Bill that would require “local governments to seek to minimize or eliminate the potential negative impacts of a local government action” regarding specific sectors of the economy: farming, energy, fuel production and supply chain points of connection, such as ports, railways and rail stations.

“Obviously, the intent of this bill is to limit local government authority,” Volusia County Attorney Mike Dyer said at the Jan. 16 County Council meeting. “I know oftentimes, we use the phrase ‘preemption.’ It’s a form of preemption because it’s regulating a subject that is currently not regulated in this way.”

–Volusia County Attorney Michael Dyer, as quoted by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “Volusia: New bill seeks to limit local government authority regarding fuel production, supply chain sector,” Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Speaking of the Florida legislature’s perpetual power grab…   

It seems Belvedere Terminals, the subsidiary of the transportation, infrastructure, and mining conglomerate Grupo Mexico that also happens to own the Florida East Coast Railroad – a company that is moving full-speed-ahead with plans to put a massive bulk fuel farm in Ormond Beach – has friends in high places and didn’t even know it! 

Can you believe that? 

Me neither…

According to a report by Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week, Mike Benedetto, chief operating officer of Belvedere Terminals said, “It is very important to know that Belvedere in no way had anything to do with crafting this legislation − nor had any prior knowledge about them…”  

Weird.

How advantageous is it that grossly impactful industries like fuel suppliers and real estate developers have legislators working overtime to ensure the entities get everything they want and more with absolutely no input or influence from them? 

So, who is looking out for us?   

This week, Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower took a bold stand for his constituents and demanded answers from County Attorney Mike Dyer, who, once again, was caught asleep at the switch when alert citizen-activists discovered that GrayRobinson – the mammoth Florida law firm that is currently suing Volusia County taxpayers on behalf of Belvedere Terminals – is simultaneously representing the grossly ineffective Volusia County Growth Management Commission. 

Say what? 

In an open letter to Mr. Dyer on Wednesday evening, Chairman Brower said, in part:

“As you know from our conversations, I am deeply troubled by what may constitute a serious conflict of interest created by Gray Robinson’s representation of Belvedere Terminals Company, LLC in connection with their proposed fuel storage and distribution facility in a residential neighborhood. 

In order to determine whether this is indeed a conflict of interest necessitating action by Volusia County, I seek your immediate review and report regarding the contractual relationship between Gray Robinson and Volusia County, particularly with respect to Gray Robinson’s work on the Volusia Growth Management Commission, how they are funded and how this interplays with Gray Robinson’s representation of Belvedere Terminals Company, LLC.

I would also like to know what their current, if any, and historical representation of Volusia County is, or has been, in any other capacity.

I have not seen any communications or documents relating to any conflicts of interest created by Gray Robinson’s and any simultaneous contract with Volusia County or the Volusia Growth Management Commission, and its new client Belvedere Terminals Company, LLC, to advance the Belvedere Fuel Farm.”

Interesting…

On Wednesday, the VCGMC glanced over a dramatic increase in fees for GrayRobinson for the 2024-25 budget cycle – going from $25,000 to a whopping $90,000 – ostensibly for legal representation in recent litigation brought by the City of Ormond Beach over water and sewer utilities in their “western service area” (read: Avalon Park).   

Yeah. I know… (Go throw-up and get back here, I’m not done.)

So much for all that “Intergovernmental Coordination” horseshit, eh? 

I’m confident that if decisions related to petroleum distribution and growth management were left to We, The Little People – those who live in fear of a major hazardous materials disaster, deal with the around-the-clock nuisance of heavy tanker traffic, and suffer the claustrophobic effects of malignant sprawl – we would ensure that fuel terminals were limited to the safety and security of industrial ports, and guarantee that development be managed with an eye to concurrency, appropriateness, and adequate infrastructure.

While county government is working/spending to prevent the Belvedere project by any means necessary – our state legislators are scheming to remove local authority to control the character of our community and protect the lives and livelihoods of residents.

Why is that?

At the same time, egocentric state legislators are ramrodding a wholly unconstitutional measure that will crush dissent by allowing thin-skinned politicians – those omnipotent elite who create the very laws and regulations that govern our lives and livelihoods – by weaponizing the courts against free speech by permitting public officials to file frivolous lawsuits against anyone who dares question their motivations and cockamamie policies, including professional journalists, opinion bloggers, or anyone who posts their thoughts on Facebook…

In my view, should this legislation become law, our self-important poohbahs will put the thoughts and opinions of anyone who calls out the civic stagnation, secret backroom deals, and the incestuous political relationships that perpetuate the problem, on trial – and any public challenge to the status quo will be viewed as a violation of the law of lèse-majesté and subject citizens who refuse to remain quiet to financial ruin simply for expressing their views.

I can’t think of anything more chilling, un-American, or harmful to the notion of free expression. 

As a result, citizens are increasingly seeking answers to the enigmatic questions – demanding to know who is controlling the rods and strings of government and why – as taxpayers no longer assume the decisions of local and state policymakers are crafted to serve the public good. 

Now, we instinctively ask ourselves the darker question, “Who benefits?”

When the Florida legislature has finally preempted the concept of home rule – subverted the foundational principle of government “of the people” by enacting laws obstructing the right of a community to self-determination – then silence our voices, suppress criticism, and remove citizen oversight – what remains? 

Certainly not a democracy. 

In my view, We, The Little People are awakening to the ugly realization that laws and regulations enacted for the convenience and expediency of our self-serving elected elite inexorably result in tyranny, cronyism, and rule by special interests with a profit motive.  

Gideon Tucker was right: “No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session…”

That’s all for me, y’all. 

Have a great weekend at the 48th Annual IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts in beautiful Downtown New Smyrna Beach, Orange City’s Blue Spring Manatee Festival, Rolex 24 at Daytona, and the incomparable Gladys Knight’s concert at Peabody tonight! 

Hi, kids!

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

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Angel               Ormond Beach Planning Board

Earlier this month, an attorney representing developers of the controversial Tomoka Reserve project – a proposed residential development that would shoehorn hundreds of homes onto the former Tomoka Oaks golf course creating a “subdivision within a subdivision” resulting in thousands of additional vehicle trips on area roads, overcrowding, and a diminished quality of life for existing residents – asked Ormond Beach officials to ignore the suitability of the project and stick to the cold hard facts.

“The quasi-decision of both the Planning Board and the City Commission to either approve or deny the pending application must be based on legally competent evidence, which is limited solely to those facts that are actually relevant to the pending application. Mere opinions as to ‘appropriateness’ of any new proposal are just that, and they are completely irrelevant to the city’s lawful consideration of this (rezone) application.”

When land use attorneys seek the most beneficial (read: lucrative) use of a parcel for their clients, depending upon the desired outcome, they rely on the flexibility that permits zoning changes under certain conditions – or demand lock-step conformity to the “law” as crafted by those handmaidens of the real estate development industry in Tallahassee – edicts that are slowly eroding the ability of communities to regulate where and how they grow.     

There is a reason why we have residents – sentient beings with a personal stake in the future of our community – as an integral part of the planning and growth management process.  Rather than merely entering the pat details of ordinances and zoning regulations into a rigid template, we allow certain exceptions, changes, and amendments that consider a variety of factors that are advantageous for both developers and those who will be impacted by their product for generations to come.

Normally, “growth at all costs” is a foregone conclusion…

But sometimes, those we elect and appoint to make those complex decisions get it right.

Last week, the Ormond Beach Planning Board voted unanimously to recommend denial of a request by the developers of Tomoka Reserve, d/b/a Triumph Oaks of Ormond Beach, to rezone the former golf course to R-2 “single family low density” after the parcel’s previous Planned Residential Development designation expired. 

Under the R-2 zoning – which has been wielded like a cudgel by the developers and referred to as the “Nuclear Option” by concerned residents – Triumph Oaks would be permitted to cram some 300 homes in the Tomoka Oaks “doughnut hole” with substantially reduced buffers.  In addition, under the R-2 designation, the developers would no longer pursue a stop light at the busy intersection of Tomoka Oaks Boulevard and Nova Road or an improved diamond intersection at St. Andrews Drive…  

Throughout this process, the residents of Tomoka Oaks and surrounding neighborhoods have sought reasonable concessions that would reduce density, increase environmental buffers, and alleviate traffic concerns – or see the golf course returned to its intended use or converted to greenspace.

Those negotiations have long since ground to a stalemate, with Triumph Oaks now exercising the scorched earth option of pursuing the R-2 zoning, then stuffing the former golf course full of cracker boxes… 

To that end, the developers have hired Ponte Vedra Beach attorney Karl Sanders, who, on the eve of the Planning Board meeting, sent a letter to Ormond Beach attorney Randy Hayes which some planning board members considered an act of “intimidation.”    

After explaining his client’s legal posture in detail, Mr. Sanders warned:

“Accordingly, please be advised that Triumph Oaks is fully prepared to take any and all legal action deemed necessary to preserve its constitutional and statutory right to develop its property, per the express directives and authority of clearly established law. That being said, I am confident that you will continue to provide your client with the appropriate legal counsel as to these matters (including the financial consequences for failing to follow the clearly established law), and I trust that the City will timely render a final order on our pending action no later than the scheduled meeting of the City Commission on February 20, 2024.”

Find Mr. Sanders’ correspondence here: http://tinyurl.com/37pwxmch

I’ve said this before, but in my view, when one considers the adverse impacts to not only Tomoka Oaks residents but those in surrounding neighborhoods – including anyone who traverses already congested Nova Road – this is a case where that which may be legally permissible does not coincide with what is ethically responsible or appropriate. 

Where do the rights of long-established Tomoka Oaks homeowners and taxpayers end, and those of Triumph Oaks begin – especially when they knew what they were up against when they purchased the property? 

In a report by the Ormond Beach Observer, Planning Board member Mike Scudiero “…said that when he buys something, he likes to know what he’s buying.

“It sure seems to me like the applicant bought a piece of property with no entitlements, as was said here tonight,” Scudiero said. “It’s like buying a car without an engine — seems like a bad idea to me.”

In addition, Board Chair Doug Thomas observed, “…when the developers bought the property in 2021, it was zoned PRD (Planned Residential Development). In his opinion, it should remain zoned as such.

“Three times we have told them what we want, and three times they have just walked away and said, ‘The heck with that, we’re not doing that,'” Thomas said. “So here we are, and it’s going to be … a unanimous decision.”

Now, the matter will be taken up (or not) by the Ormond Beach City Commission at a public meeting next month.

Stay tuned.  This one bears watching…

Angel               Palm Coast City Councilwoman Theresa Pontieri

If you think your government – at any level – has your best interests at heart.  Think again.

In the City of Palm Coast, over 163 homeowners have now reported flooding concerns after construction on “in-fill lots” placed new homes at an elevation higher than neighboring properties. 

The physical force of gravity being what it is, you don’t have to be a hydrologic engineer to cypher where the stormwater on those raised lots ends up…

In turn, concerned residents have sought help from their elected officials on the Palm Coast City Council to save their homes from the destructive effects of runoff and flooding.   

Earlier this month, in a bold move to protect the growing number of inundated residents, Councilwoman Theresa Pontieri suggested a short moratorium pausing construction on vacant in-fill lots until the city’s technical manual is updated and building regulations are enacted.

Naturally, the mere mention of a building freeze went through Mayor David Alfin – a realtor and shameless shill for the development industry – his “colleagues,” and the Flagler Homebuilders Association, like an ice water enema…

In short order, Councilwoman Pontieri felt the wrath of the powerful real estate development lobby who mounted an aggressive email campaign spreading hysteria about potential layoffs, millions in lost wages, and thousands of jobs being eliminated – accusing council members of helping residents in one area, while putting others out of work.

Bullshit. 

In an area literally awash in new home development – with thousands of acres currently being clearcut to make way for more, more, more subdivisions?

I don’t think so.

But, as expected, on Tuesday, following a protracted discussion the Palm Coast City Council rejected Councilwoman Pontieri’s suggestion for a pause on in-fill construction, and instead enacted a do-nothing “citizen’s advisory board” – an apparent political insulation committee designed to buy time until building regulations they hope will address the flooding issue can be cobbled together and approved. 

According to an excellent article in FlaglerLive!, Pontieri said:

“I did not want to declare war on the builder and development community. That is not my goal,” Pontieri said. “But I am not a lobbyist for the building community. I’m an elected official. And it’s not my job to well, yes, we have to protect our industries here. We have to protect our businesses here. I get all of that and I appreciate that. But I have to protect my residents, too.” She called for strengthening the city’s Land Development Code and the technical manual regulating construction.

“How is it that we can possibly say we’re protecting our residents by saying nope, moratorium off the table and we can just move forward,” she said, citing nine Florida cities that did moratoriums or temporary pauses “because of this very reason.” As Council member Nick Klufas verified, those moratoriums were not related to Palm Coast’s specific issue: none had issues similar to Palm Coast’s. Pontieri didn’t dispute the fact. But she said the Palm Coast approach is far more narrowly tailored, the point being that moratoriums are not in and of themselves heretical. She urged “a 90-day pause while we finish looking at these last final issues.”

That didn’t happen…

Now, staff will fritter over how to best formulate the “citizens advisory council” – who will ultimately bandy the issue about, ad nauseum, all while the furious pace of construction continues unabated, creating more flooding issues for current and future residents. 

In my view, the inaction of the Palm Coast City Council in dismissing Ms. Pontieri’s call for a moratorium is eerily like an old Three Stooges episode in which the boys took a rented boat to the middle of a lake. 

When they reached open water Moe noticed that the vessel was leaking.  Bad. 

Thinking fast, Curly Joe took out an auger drill – something he called a “water letter outer” – and began boring holes in the bottom of the boat to allow the water to run out. 

As the water continued to flood the boat, the more holes they drilled, and the usual hysterics ensued.  I loved those guys – probably why I like watching local government in action…

The moral of the story remains – when your ship is sinking – stop drilling holes.

Unfortunately, in Palm Coast and elsewhere, reason goes out the window when arrogant politicians – beholden to special interests – put the needs of greed-crazed developers over those of their constituents…   

Angel               Jeff “Yogi” Martin

My friend and longtime Barker’s View reader Jeff “Yogi” Martin passed away Monday evening at Advent Health.

He was 61 years old.   

Over our 40-year friendship, I knew Yogi as a shade tree mechanic who could repair anything on four-wheels, a gifted custom knifemaker, an accomplished amateur stockcar racer, trader in Native American crafts, and a master in the art of barter – always wearing his trademark slouch hat with intricate beadwork and adornments.   

One of my most cherished possessions is a classic Bowie knife Yogi handcrafted from a rasp and fitted with a beautiful staghorn handle. 

Exceptional work, and like the maker, one of a kind.     

A longtime resident of Holly Hill, Yogi possessed an incredibly bright mind and cared deeply about the civic life of his community; remaining active and involved in city happenings and attending public meetings to keep abreast of the issues when his health and mobility allowed. 

But most knew Yogi for his amazing musical talent.    

As a gifted guitar player, vocalist, and devoted follower of Karaoke, Yogi made many friends and admirers through his gift of song.  A big man with an even bigger heart – who’s physically imposing figure belied a truly kind and gentle soul. 

I will miss our frequent correspondence on matters of mutual importance – his suggestions, criticisms, and fervent hopes for the future of this beautiful place we call home.

Godspeed dear friend.      

Angel               Deltona’s Brandy Lee White

The late great author and political humorist P. J. O’Rourke said, “Satire is humor used for a moral purpose.”

In my view, there are few things more patently immoral or worthy of public ridicule than the on-going affront that is the Lost City of Deltona’s governing body. 

On Tuesday evening, civic activist Brandy Lee White shined a very bright light on that tragicomic dysfunction when she wore a brightly colored clown suit – a costume she aptly described as a mirrorlike “reflection” of the commission itself – and an appropriate visual reminder of the utter frustration Deltona residents feel with this interminable Circus of Chaos. 

Unfortunately, Ms. White’s attempt to offer a practical reminder to Deltona’s elected officials of how their clown alley antics are perceived by residents was muted when the audio/visual operator for Deltona TV refused to broadcast her image from the front – keeping the camera focused on her back – with the clear intent of dulling her important message. 

In my view, this abject censorship – the intentional suppression of free speech, peaceful dissent, and public communication – represents a direct violation of the protections afforded by the Constitution of the United States, something that was not lost of Ms. White, or angry Deltona residents in attendance who demanded the situation be addressed.   

In fact, after public outcry, Vice Mayor “JodyLee” Storozuk and Interim City Manager Glenn Whitcomb both offered to give Ms. White a second chance at the podium.

To her credit – even in her auguste getup – Brandy White maintained more dignity than anyone on the dais of power, kept her seat, and refused to be patronized by that farcical troupe of buffoons sitting before her…  

In my view, this is another example of the alienation engaged citizens feel when local elective bodies normalize the practice of limiting when, where, why, and how taxpayers can ask questions, voice an opinion, or weigh-in on public policy by employing procedural constraints to limit the ‘citizen input’ that forms the very cornerstone of a representative democracy.   

Kudos to Brandy Lee White – and those other resolute civic activists in the Lost City of Deltona – who strive valiantly to shine a spotlight on the three-ring circus that is their municipal government. 

Quote of the Week

“NLC’s (National League of Cities) federal advocacy committees play an important role in helping policymakers in Washington understand the issues and challenges facing America’s cities, towns and villages at the local level,” Sander said in the press release “I’m thrilled to have Commissioner Persis serve on NLC’s Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee this year and look forward to working with her to strengthen the federal-local partnership and grow our common knowledge of the issues and opportunities facing our communities.”

–NLC President Mayor David Sander, of Rancho Cordova, California, as quoted by the Ormond Beach Observer, “Ormond Beach City Commissioner Susan Persis appointed to National League of Cities environmental committee,” Saturday, January 13, 2024

Really?

When I opened the Ormond Beach Observer last weekend and saw the smiling visage of Ormond Beach City Commissioner and Shameless Self-Promoter Susan Persis, a lot of monikers came to mind – “ambitious political parvenu,” “well-connected insider,” “ineffective three term hack” – but not the term “environmentalist” … 

In fact, when I consider those intrepid souls in Volusia County who have devoted themselves to protecting and preserving our natural places from the voracious churn of malignant overdevelopment – generously giving their time, money, and talents, speaking to anyone who will listen, and spending themselves in a cause greater than their own self-interests – the last person who comes to mind is Commissioner Susan Persis. 

Now the National League of Cities has appointed her to a federal environmental advocacy committee? 

WTF?

Look, I can’t fault Commissioner Persis – she’s just following her base instinct – trying desperately to gain the appearance of competence without any background in the environmental sciences – or apparent concern about the impact of malignant development on soils, plants, wildlife habitat, or Florida’s threatened aquifer – beyond a toothless, self-aggrandizing, and long forgotten “educational” plastic straw ban in 2019…   

Remember?  I do.  

In my experience, egocentric politicians have a pathological need to become everything to everyone – frequently painting themselves as something they are demonstrably not – using political insulation committees and civic fraternities like the National League of Cities to wrap their carefully crafted image in a thin veneer of legitimacy.    

Yet, no matter how hard our ‘elected elite’ try to camouflage the fact they are merely useful cogs in a large wheel – wholly controlled by wealthy insiders with a profit motive – the stench of lies always seeps through their cheap façade. 

Sound familiar?

In my view, Commissioner Persis knows nothing about Energy, Environment and Natural Resources – as evidenced by the continuing transmogrification of her own once quaint and livable jewel that is becoming just another mediocre patch in an increasingly overstuffed mosaic – a place where frightened residents are caught in the pinchers of surrounding sprawl and inappropriate infill, while natural buffers, old growth forests, and urban wildlife habitat are churned into a foul black muck and paved over in the name of “progress.”

What exactly will Commissioner Persis contribute to the committee’s discussion?  How to politically survive the wholesale destruction of 2,061 specimen hardwoods that were clear-cut and ground into splinters to accommodate another convenience store, strip center, and drive-thru car wash by accepting campaign donations from the same developer?

And what happens when citizens realize the emperor has no clothes?  That our legislators are being advised by clueless poseurs with no knowledge or expertise – and our federal policymaking apparatus has become a ruse to imbue a veil of validity on petty elected officials climbing the political ladder? 

I’m asking.  Because appointing someone like Commissioner Persis to a national environmental policymaking committee is ludicrous. 

Worse than that – it is a damnable farce.

One that further erodes the public trust and denigrates the arduous work of true environmentalists who are striving desperately to preserve our quality of life from the voracious appetite of greed-crazed developers and those craven politicians who benefit from their campaign largesse. 

Disgusting.  

And Another Thing!

“Democracies die behind closed doors.”

— Judge Damon J. Keith

Over the years, Volusia County residents have seen millions of our tax dollars gifted to influential insiders and industries couched as “economic development incentives,” discovered that publicly funded studies were intentionally hidden from public view, watched our heritage of beach driving and access limited to appease the overweening greed of speculative developers, listened to patent falsehoods about the pressing need for new government facilities while other public assets were allowed to rot into the ground.

In many cases, these controversial actions first came to our attention in an off-the-agenda surprise – a strategy I like to call public policy by ambush – where the results of backroom deals are suddenly foisted on unsuspecting citizens without proper notice, then sealed with a vote.   

For instance, in November 2023, we learned that Volusia County was pursuing a $4.5 million appropriation to incentivize an “alternative site” for Belvedere Terminal’s proposed 13-million-gallon fuel farm near Ormond Beach when Deputy County Manager Susan Konchon “threw a curveball” at blindsided residents.

Last October, Councilman Don Dempsey sprung his half-baked idea of using tax dollars to establish a state-of-the-art motocross training/restaurant/alternative education facility in Volusia County. 

In fact, Mr. Dempsey believes the demand for a publicly funded motocross track is so critical he wanted a resolution declaring the need right then – public input be damned.  

I could go on…

Last month, during his closing comments at one of the final meetings of the year, Councilman Danny Robins announced that he wanted to pursue opening a section of the Tiger Bay State Forest to all-terrain vehicles. 

Per usual, the controversial topic was not on the published agenda. 

I wonder why?

According to a report by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “The council voted 6-1 to send a letter to Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson in support of exploring the possibility of opening a portion of the state forest up to off-highway vehicles. Council Chairman Jeff Brower opposed the decision.”

At present, Tiger Bay accommodates bicyclists, horseback riders, hikers, and other passive activities.  Should there be a portion of the forest set aside for off-roading, overlanding, and motorcycles on existing roads and access trails as Councilman Robins suggests? 

There are strong opinions on both sides of the issue – but no one on the dais of power in DeLand seems to give two-shits what you think.   

Why is that?

In the past, a number of residents have made it known they would like a section of Tiger Bay’s 27,000 acres set aside for off-highway vehicle use. 

The Florida Forest Service is opposed to opening Tiger Bay to off-road vehicles, citing a previous prohibition due to the potential for pollution, adverse impacts on the ecosystem, and noise.

Now, I’m going to venture a guess and say that there are a sizeable number of you who agree with the Forest Service and believe ATV’s have no place in a pristine forest – one of the last remaining large tract wildlife habitats in Volusia County – and see a distinct difference between a quiet ride through the woods on a bicycle and the resonating braaap-braaap of a two-stroke engine…

That distinct difference of opinion is why I find the complete lack of public notice before the council voted to send a letter seeking ATV access to Tiger Bay abhorrent – an arrogant slap in the face to Volusia County taxpayers who are far too often shut out of the discussion.   

As evidenced by his obtuse comment in the News-Journal, Mr. Robins and his “colleagues” are clearly tone-deaf to those venerated concepts which form the foundation of a participatory democracy – things like transparency, inclusion, the competition of ideas, and permitting citizens a voice in the civic life of their community:

“Robins said the council had the freedom to decide to send the letter and it’s not clear whether public input would have changed the decision, though he said “it probably would have strengthened it.”

“We vote on things that aren’t on the agenda possibly all the time,” he said.”

Unfortunately, we’ll never know what the influence of public opinion and input may have been.

Look, no politician campaigns on the promise of dropping off-the-agenda bombshells on their unsuspecting constituents and turning the process of developing public policy into a guessing game. 

That is a learned trait.

One that speaks to the insular culture established by County Manager George “The Wreck” Rectenwald and his coterie of incompetents in Volusia County government – a dull and cloistered place where secrecy, playing things close to the vest, and a strict adherence to the stagnant status quo is the operative ethic. 

Perhaps it is time Volusia County taxpayers awaken to the sobering fact that our haughty elected and appointed officials are actively plotting our future and allocating public funds behind closed doors – with the help of those influential insiders and career bureaucrats with a chip in the game – and the thoughts, suggestions, and input of We, The Little People are now openly ignored in a “We do what we want” echo chamber.     

You might jot that last paragraph down and take it into the voting booth with you later this year…

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 newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Asshole           Sen. “Terrible Tommy” Wright

A strip club? 

Really? 

In a disturbing follow-up by reporter Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week, the other shoe dropped in the State of Florida’s investigation into “very serious allegations” filed in 2021 by powerful District 14 Sen. Tom Wright formally accusing former director Angie Pye and her employees at The Beacon Center of everything from human trafficking and drug use, to arranging “sexual favors” for taxi drivers, including a spurious accusation that Pye “carried a .357 revolver “to show who is in charge.”

In addition, it was reported that Sen. Wright once referred to Volusia’s only domestic violence shelter as “a trap house filled with prostitutes” during a child welfare summit…

According to the report, “The matter became a “preliminary” inquiry by the DCF’s Office of Inspector General, which found little to corroborate Wright’s assertions and fizzled out five months after the complaint was filed and following interviews with Pye, some members of her staff and those who had stayed at the Beacon Center.”

“I did not think additional interviews would be a good use of our resources, since Senator Wright did not want to pursue the matter,” wrote Amie Young, chief of investigations for the office. “And I felt that a report would be detrimental all around (use of our resources, how it may look to the public, and that this was not ever converted to a case).”

Don’t take my word for it, read the sordid details for yourself here: http://tinyurl.com/aaaebwvv

As everyone will recall, this summer, Sen. Wright was captured on video physically accosting the acting director of The Beacon Center when she attempted to uphold the law and protect the identity of domestic violence survivors by blocking the Senator’s access to a bus where residents were held while Wright and Department of Children and Families “toured” the struggling facility.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the half of it…

Just days later, the News-Journal published a shocking piece describing Wright’s creepy come-on to a 20-year-old domestic violence survivor, in the presence of her baby, while she was evacuating the shelter ahead of a hurricane:

“Six years ago this month, Shelby Dunlap and her baby were aboard a short bus fleeing Hurricane Irma from the domestic violence shelter where they had sought refuge.

A local philanthropist was also on board, amid a small group of women from the Beacon Center, Volusia County’s only shelter for survivors of domestic violence, she recalled.

“I think he paid for the trip,” Dunlap said.

And he was flirtatious, she added, talking about prostitutes in Cuba, topless women on a boat, and offering to fly her to Las Vegas.

Nothing happened. She didn’t go to Las Vegas, but the conversation still causes her discomfort.

“It’s kind of embarrassing to say, but whenever you’re going through that, especially I was only, like, 20 years old, but you feel like, OK, there’s this rich guy, like, that could help me out of my problems,” she said. “But now I realize, you know, he was a creep.”

The philanthropist, she said, was Tom Wright. A year later, he became Florida State Sen. Tom Wright.”

In another outrageous revelation this week, the News-Journal reported that during the DCF investigation, former Beacon CEO Pye “…told investigators Wright also offered to hold a fundraiser for the shelter at a strip club, an offer she refused, telling him it was “inappropriate given the population Beacon Center serves.” A second staff member, Jessica Moore, corroborated Pye’s assertion about the strip club fundraiser.”

Say what?

Apparently, Sen. Wright refused to respond to the News-Journal’s questions, instead substituting a prepared statement which included his own timeline and “questions and considerations” – along with a cockamamie explanation that he dropped the matter to protect his “sources.” 

Yeah…

In my view, using his considerable political influence to bring false accusations to a state agency is one thing; however, putting his hand on a female employee of a domestic violence center, screaming in her face, and belligerently backing her down – in the presence of already traumatized women and children seeking shelter from physical and emotional abuse – was unconscionable.

The lascivious suggestion to a vulnerable young girl in the presence of her infant child speaks for itself…

In my view, “Terrible Tommy” is a grooming narcissistic creep – a lecherous scumbag with a pathological inability to control his temper or base impulses – a licentious powermonger given to the abuse of females – and an exploitative low-life who epitomizes the term “asshole.”

So, now that the names, reputations, and careers of these dedicated social service providers have been destroyed by the meanspirited vengeance of a belligerent lech cloaked in the costume of a state senator, who will finally take a stand to protect the sanctity of his high office and the public trust?   

In my view, with Sen. Wright’s allegations now disproven and the legislature in session, it is time for Senate President Kathleen Passidomo to do her sworn duty and commission a formal investigation into these scandalous assertions to determine if Sen. Wright abused the power of his high office, acted inappropriately with vulnerable domestic violence survivors and Beacon employees, used the imprimatur of his office to file demonstrably false allegations against administrators of The Beacon Center who challenged him, and physically menaced a female employee who attempted to protect the confidentiality of survivors.

In the view of many, the integrity of the Florida Senate is now in question – and it is time for President Passidomo and Governor Ron DeSantis to act decisively to enforce the rules of the senate and give concerned residents answers as these shocking allegations continue to emerge.

If laws do not apply to those powerful few who enact them, to whom do they apply?   

Angel               Artist Perego

I have a delightfully eclectic family – a clan of interesting characters with a variety of interests, talents, and personalities.  This troupe of wonderful weirdos is led by my 88-year-old mom, a world-class raconteur with an enormous sense of humor who can find the lighter side of any situation. 

She is one of the most inherently funny people I have ever known – a gift she has given to each of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. 

The talented Artist Perego happens to be the father of my beautiful niece, Phoenix – a true work-of-art he created with my sister Nina some 22-years ago now…

If you live in the Halifax area, chances are you encounter Perego’s exceptional art every day in local restaurants, clubs, cafes, public buildings, and on expansive murals throughout Volusia County.  In addition, many are familiar with Perego’s unique performance art at area shows and festivals which blend music, light, paint, and canvas to create extraordinary murals and portraits that literally come to life before the viewer. 

In 1996, Perego founded the Art Army, now a global movement dedicated to the proposition that “We are the art” – that individual creativity is the “common denominator that brings about our oneness, unity but without uniformity” – and founded on the belief that we all possess a divine creative spark that can positively transform lives across cultures and boundaries. 

An incredible soul with an infectious enthusiasm for cultivating the power of imagination, with the exceptional ability to see the intrinsic beauty in all things.  In everything he does, Perego generously devotes his time and extraordinary talents to the cause of changing our world through art.   

Now, the most apolitical and spiritually informed being I know is being recognized for his lifetime of service to the arts with the prestigious “Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award” – which is among the highest honors our nation bestows on those who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to community service with an emphasis on contributing to the betterment of society. 

In addition, Perego will be presented with the “Presidential Volunteer Service Medal” for his dedication to positively impacting communities around the world through art and creativity.

This special recognition will be presented by Dr. Khalilah Camacho-Ali, the former wife of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, at an event on Tuesday, January 16, beginning at 6:00pm.  The reception will span venues at 31 Supper Club, Kona Tiki Bar, and Rose Villa on West Granada Boulevard in Ormond Beach, establishments which host a variety of Perego’s work.    

According to an excellent article by business editor Clayton Park writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week, the festive celebration “…will include live music, the creation of a community mural in which attendees will be encouraged to participate, and a book signing by Comacho-Ali for her autobiography “Undefeated.”

The event is free and open to the public with the formal presentation beginning at 9:00pm on the stage at The Grind Gastro Pub & Kona Tiki Bar.   

Everyone is welcome and I hope to see you there.  

Congratulations, my dear brother, on this well-deserved honor!   

Asshole           Volusia County Council

It’s one thing when politicians have the wool pulled over their eyes.

It is quite another when they willingly put their head in a bag and allow themselves to be led around like a poleaxed ungulate with a ring in its nose.  But in either scenario – it is you and I who ultimately pay the price for their lack of situational awareness.

It’s what happens when those we elect to represent our interests abdicate their responsibility and rely solely on the highly controlled “information” doled out (or not) by senior staff as the tail continues to wag the dog in the inner sanctum of the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Complex.

Last week, we were forced to relearn that painful lesson.

During an emotionally charged Volusia County Council meeting, frightened residents supported a proposed moratorium that everyone believed was designed to temporarily stop progress on Belvedere Terminal’s plans to develop a 13-million-gallon bulk fuel facility on property zoned for heavy-industrial bordering the City of Ormond Beach.  

Then eyebrows raised when county staff reverted to the skeevy tactic of couching the moratorium as a “countywide” review of the I-2 zoning designation – as Councilman David Santiago warned concerned residents seeking to publicly voice their opposition to avoid giving the impression that the Belvedere project was the sole reason for the legislative pause (wink-wink-nudge-nudge) …

It felt conspiratorial – as though these engaged citizens were being asked to participate in a political ruse – rather than provide input as an integral part of what they hoped was a comprehensive and well-thought plan by our highly compensated legal staff to keep this 24/7 bulk fuel operation out of their community.   

Instead, they got cheap smoke-and-mirrors – a clumsy, ill-timed response not lost on Belvedere Terminals – or their legal team at the megafirm GrayRobinson. 

Add to that the Volusia County Council’s shocking inability to work cooperatively – as evidenced by Councilman Danny Robins’ open attack on Chairman Jeff Brower’s outspoken opposition to the terminal – which has resulted in Brower’s “colleagues” repeatedly painting him as a clueless crusader who lacks the capacity for strategic thought, restraint, or the basic leadership skills to unite the council and craft effective policy, even in a crisis.

Unfortunately, after collectively playing the role of the fourth stooge – heaping glowing accolades on County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald, County Attorney Michael Dyer, and their senior staff during last month’s perfunctory “performance evaluations” (read: “saccharine lovefest”) – these dullards have only themselves to blame…

Now it appears Belvedere has seized the legal high ground – articulating in a lawsuit filed last week how they followed all existing rules and zoning regulations as confirmed by Volusia County’s planning staff – and many taxpayers are beginning to ask how the provisions of the I-2 zoning allowing fuel terminals could have sat on the books like a dry turd for nearly 18-years, waiting to be reconstituted into this monumental mess?

According to Belvedere’s case in chief:

“On June 9, 2022, Belvedere consultants met with Volusia County permitting staff for a pre-application meeting to discuss the plans for the site.

During the County pre-application meeting, Belvedere presented County officials with the Project’s concept plan and asked the officials whether the Property would need to be rezoned to allow such development.

County officials informed Belvedere no re-zoning was necessary, because the existing I-2 zoning permitted Belvedere’s proposed uses.”

Perhaps more damning, Belvedere noted that in August 2023, Clay Ervin, Volusia’s “Director of Growth and Resource Management” advised council members that the intended heavy-industrial use “…as such, appears to be allowed by right.”

Is it possible our planning and permitting staff simply rubber stamped the project behind closed doors – wrapped it up for Belvedere in a festive bow – then kept things quiet from senior administrators, elected officials, and the public for over a year?   

Bullshit.

Thanks to the ineptitude and inaction of those who accept public funds to serve the public interest, it appears the time for legal maneuvers and legislative sleight-of-hand is over.

Now, the taxpayers of Volusia County are left with two horribly expensive options – either fight a protracted property rights lawsuit from well behind the eight ball – or purchase the property from the FEC Railway and make Belvedere Terminals whole.

Which do you prefer?  

In my view, it is time for the Volusia County Council to end this bumbling kakistocracy and show County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald and his cabal of incompetents the door… 

Quote of the Week

“We now have an opportunity to keep them here and grow them in our community, and again, continuing to provide opportunities for job growth, and creating opportunities for people to, even within Ormond Beach, to live, work and play in our city versus having to leave the city to go to work,” Rademacher said.

The intersection at I-95 and U.S. 1 — for which the state allocated $340 million last year to redesign — is the gateway into Volusia County too, Rademacher said.

“It’s perfectly situated to accommodate the growth that we’re seeing along that corridor,” Rademacher said.

It goes back to the “rising tide lifts all boats” mentality, Partington said.

“The improvements in the economy will create a stronger city,” he said. “It will help to keep our taxes stable and relatively low for the value that our residents get, because there’ll be new dollars coming in and there’ll be a balance of both business and residential, which you need as a city.”

–Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington and City Economic Development Director Brian Rademacher crowing about the reanimation of the massive development known as Ormond Crossings, Ormond Beach Observer, “Sold for $62 million: What’s next for Ormond Crossings?,” January 9, 2024

In my experience, sometimes a tide that rises too rapidly doesn’t just lift boats – it inundates and overwhelms everything in its path… 

This week we learned that the dormant monster known as Ormond Crossings, another ‘development of regional impact’ located south of the Interstate 95/U.S. 1 interchange – that received its approvals and entitlements over a decade ago – has been purchased by an out-of-town real estate developer for $62 million. 

In the view of many weary Ormond Beach residents, the last thing this once quaint community needs right now is another 2,500 homes and 2.5 million square feet of half-empty “retail, office, light industrial and warehouse” space – especially with the specter of a 13-million-gallon bulk fuel facility threatening to bring 24/7 tanker traffic to nearby Hull Road.   

So much for all that “growth and resource management” horseshit we hear so much about, eh?

If it’s any consolation, in an article by Clayton Park writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Mr. Rademacher assured anxious residents that the new owner, Brad Kline, of the Washington D.C. development firm Bradford Kline & Associates, is a “very nice man” who knows what he’s doing.

Good.  I’ll take comfort in that.

A ‘nice guy’ screwing us over will be a break from having my quality of life destroyed – and my grandchildren saddled with insurmountable infrastructure debt – by complete assholes and greed-crazed jacklegs with no regard for the character, livability, or future of the community I grew up in…

According to reports, Klein already has an agreement in place with Arizona-based home builder Meritage Homes – who wasted no time submitting “…a conceptual plan to the City to build 2,950 homes on 631 acres at Ormond Crossings, confirmed Ormond Beach Planning Director Steven Spraker. The conceptual plan includes a future elementary school, several parks and a 13-mile “multi-modal trail system.”

Great…

With the exhilarating thought of more, more, more humming through City Hall like a tuning fork, I have no doubt that those plans will be processed and approved with conveyor belt efficiency – well before any thought is given to the massive transportation, utilities, and other infrastructure that will be needed to accommodate thousands of new neighbors in Ormond Crossings and beyond.   

According to Maryam Ghyabi – an incredibly smart Ormond Beach traffic engineer who was quoted by the News-Journal – Ormond Crossings will require infrastructure improvements totaling an estimated $40 million, not including the $340 million already earmarked for a redesign of the dilapidated gateway interchange at I-95/US-1. 

“You cannot put a development of this magnitude without multi-millions (of dollars) in infrastructure improvements,” she said.”

Moving at the speed of government, work on the interchange is scheduled to begin in 2027 with an estimated completion sometime in 2030… 

But none of this seems to concern Mayor Bill Partington – who has now been ensconced on the dais of power in Ormond Beach for over 20-years. 

As his community is caught in the pinchers of massive development (anyone remember Avalon?), our Hapless Hizzoner is focused on a run for the District 28 state house seat where he can take his “growth at all costs” strategy to a larger stage…

Hell, to hear Good ol’ Bill tell it, better late than never when it comes to shoving ten-pounds of shit into a five-pound bag here in River City. 

Speaking in the Ormond Beach Observer, Mayor Partington said:

“If the development is phased properly, with the needed infrastructure in place, Ormond Crossings will be a nice complement to Ormond Beach, Partington said.

“When we approved it 15 or 20 years ago, our expectation was that it would be five or 10 years until it started,” he said. “We kind of expected to be built out by now and yet here we are just barely getting started with the sale. I think it will take longer than people realize, but ultimately, because there’s been so much planning and preparation for it, I think it’ll be a positive project and positive addition for the city.”

Maybe on his way to a bigger, better, more powerful political office, Mayor Partington can find time to explain to my grandchildren and yours why he allowed his friends in the real estate development community to haul untold profits out of Ormond Beach while knowingly stiffing them with the astronomical infrastructure bills to come? 

In other developments (literally), we learned this week that a neighborhood meeting will be held on Thursday, January 18, beginning at 6:00pm at the Hampton Inn, 155 Interchange Boulevard in Ormond Beach to discuss a preliminary plat for “Tattersall at Tymber Creek.” 

As you may recall, in October 2022, the Ormond Beach City Commission voted 3-2 to permit the subdivision which will see another 129 single-family homes built near Tymber Creek and Airport Road. 

You’re right – that’s right down the gridlocked road from the 270-unit apartment complex the City Commission “reluctantly” approved last year near the already choked intersection of State Road 40…

Maybe next week we can chew over the “new” plan to shoehorn hundreds of new homes into the established Tomoka Oaks subdivision, or the 137-lot subdivision and 180-unit townhouse development planned near the Plantation Oaks community, or – oh, screw it.

And the hits just keep on comin’…  

Folks, the next time you’re stuck in traffic at Granada Boulevard and (insert intersection here), wait five to six hours to be seen at an area emergency room, have your kids shuffled from school-to-school due to under planning and overcrowding, or become increasingly claustrophobic as more pine scrub is sacrificed for another sticks-and-glue apartment complex or cookie cutter subdivision, look around at what this irresponsible ‘rising tide’ of explosive growth Partington and his cronies have championed has done to your quality of life.

Then vote your conscience in November… 

And Another Thing!

“Every time these folks get together they fuck the people over for the benefit of a few powerful interests,” Morgan said. “Don’t believe me? Name one law that has ever benefited you.”

–Attorney John Morgan’s thoughts on the Florida legislature, as quoted from his post on X teasing a potential independent run for governor in 2026, January 4, 2024

Gird your loins, my fellow Floridians – the legislature is now in session… 

Regardless of what you think about John Morgan – the gazillionaire personal injury attorney, staunch advocate for legalized marijuana, and brash critic of the current state-of-affairs in Tallahassee – his message makes sense for thousands of marginalized Floridians who feel like an afterthought. 

From Florida’s raging insurance crisis to malignant overdevelopment, environmental threats, coastal erosion, “pay-to-play” transactional politics, outsized influence of a few uber-wealthy insiders, and a state legislative apparatus totally controlled by real estate developers and insurance interests, John Morgan speaks to the very real concerns of those who are tired of the Florida legislature’s focus on the nonsensical, as the significant issues that affect our lives and livelihoods are ignored.  

As perhaps the most recognizable personal injury attorney in the known universe (and there’s a ton of them), Mr. Morgan has been a driving force behind several high-profile ballot initiatives in recent years, including the successful push for medical marijuana in 2016, an incremental increase in Florida’s minimum wage, and his current campaign for recreational cannabis.    

In addition, Mr. Morgan took the opportunity to cut into State Representative Tom Leek on X:

“And what better final act before the close of the show than give Floridians a government that works for them and not FPL or Tom Leeks (sic) insurance company employer. His net worth was zero when he got in office … look it up now,” Morgan wrote.  

In a subsequent article by Mark Harper in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, we learned:

“Leek’s financial disclosure form dated June 28, 2017, just after he first got into office, showed a net worth of $852,000. His form dated July 3, 2023, states his net worth is more than $14 million, with his annual income having nearly tripled, to $615,000 at Foundation Risk Partners, a Daytona Beach insurance agency.

“The people of Florida got (expletive) for that to happen,” Morgan tweeted. “He is a disgrace.”

In his defense, Mr. Leek explained in the News-Journal that he was hired by Foundation Risk Partners as chief legal counsel in 2018 – an agency that Leek said “…acts on behalf of customers seeking the best possible rates and advocating for claims to be paid” – one year after the firm’s founding.  He attributed his success to the company’s entrepreneurial spirit: 

“We took a chance on ourselves, worked hard, and in August 2022 our efforts were rewarded when the company recapitalized with a new private equity partner,” Leek wrote. “We are most grateful that our entrepreneurial efforts were successful.”

Look, two incredibly wealthy attorney’s bickering over their personal wealth is, well, you know…

I happen to like Tom Leek personally, so I’m keeping an open mind…

In the view of many, Mr. Morgan’s observations are intriguing – and speak to a growing segment of the population seeking a sensible voice on the concerns of average Floridian’s who struggle to understand why their elected “representatives” in Tallahassee seem intent on overthrowing the fundamental concept of “home rule,” limiting our ability to determine local growth, and allowing those powerful industries and individuals who finance their campaigns carte blanche to destroy all we hold dear in the name of greed. 

Because political oscillations always cause the pendulum to swing, eventually, the current single-minded focus on the divisive (and strategically distracting) “culture wars” being fought on both sides of the political spectrum will wear thin with disillusioned Floridians, who will begin looking for leadership with the wherewithal and independence to remain above the bullshit and begin the monumental task of addressing the serious issues we face here in what remains of the Sunshine State.   

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

There is a mysterious hex which says, “May you live in interesting times.” 

The provenance of this grave malediction remains the subject of great philological debate – with some modern scholars employing powerful search engines that can simultaneously pour over and cross-reference the world’s recorded history – in their hunt for the origin of what Garson O’Toole described as a most “piquant and controversial expression.”

Regardless, even dullards like me agree that the expression does not extend best wishes to the unfortunate recipient – rather an imprecation for evil, chaos, and tumult.  

I think it safe to say that residents of Florida’s fabled “Fun Coast” are now living through that accursed and star-crossed age, leaving many to question how in the hell did we get here?

Last week, many of my frightened neighbors in the Halifax area descended on the Volusia County Council chambers to support a proposed moratorium on heavy-industrial (I-2) development in unincorporated areas – a clumsy eleventh-hour response by flummoxed officials to pending applications from Belvedere Terminals, LLC – a company plowing ahead with plans to build a controversial 13-million-gallon bulk fuel storage facility on property currently zoned I-2 along the Florida East Coast Railroad abutting the City of Ormond Beach. 

Both Belvedere Terminals and the FEC Railway are subsidiaries of Grupo Mexico, a Mexican transportation, mining, and infrastructure conglomerate with a grim history of environmental contamination in the United States and Mexico. 

For many, the thought of allowing a bulk fuel terminal adjacent to the busy Ormond Beach Municipal Airport, the city’s sports complex, and rapidly expanding residential areas, is inconceivable – and has residents wondering how our ‘powers that be’ in Volusia County’s dubious “growth and resource management” apparatus could have been so horribly negligent – completely ignorant of strategic planning concepts and future land use considerations? 

That’s dangerous – and leads one to ponder what other revelations are ominously looming on the horizon?  

In my view, this bureaucratic ineptitude is tantamount to so-called “professional planners” facilitating explosive development and sprawl without first ensuring adequate transportation infrastructure, flood control, wastewater treatment capacity, the quality and quantity of potable water supplies, schools, hospitals, and other critical infrastructure.

Oh, wait… 

What I found most disturbing is that while angry residents watched some of the same hacks who got us into this mess describe their scheme for temporarily thwarting the fuel terminal under the flimsy guise of a “countywide” moratorium – accompanied by much hue and cry from the dais about how resident’s should craft comments due to the potential of a lawsuit – our elected and appointed officials were well aware that just two-days earlier Belvedere Terminals had already filed a lawsuit against Volusia County.

Yeah, I know…

In an informative article by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, we learned the reasoning behind Belvedere’s legal action filed Tuesday in Circuit Court:

“The County has made clear it opposes the Project and is attempting ‘at all costs’ to prevent Plaintiff from developing its property in direct contradiction to the existing I-2 Zoning Ordinance,” the lawsuit reads, using part of a quote from District 4 Councilman Troy Kent.

Though the moratorium hasn’t been approved, the county is using the “pending ordinance doctrine” to stop development progress at the fuel terminal site. The county rejected the conceptual site plan in December.

Belvedere Terminals filed the lawsuit, which is 39 pages long, not including attachments, on Tuesday in Volusia County Circuit Court through their attorneys with GrayRobinson law firm. The business is asking the court to find that the development pause doesn’t comply with Volusia County Code and how the county is using the pending ordinance doctrine isn’t valid.

“This lawsuit results from a deliberate and concerted effort by the County Council to rob Belvedere of its Property and constitutionally protected rights,” according to the lawsuit. “The Property is in an enclave surrounded by heavy industrial uses to the north (railroad and alcohol warehouses), south (concrete production and waste disposal), and east (heavy recycling).”

In addition, according to a shocking excerpt from the lawsuit by WKMG-6:

“Volusia County Council members stated they first ‘became aware’ of the Project at some time in August 2023, despite Belvedere’s direct coordination with County staff in June 2022,” the lawsuit reads. “Upon finally ‘learning of the Project,’ the County Council began a crusade to stop Belvedere’s Project, as one Councilmember put it, ‘by any means necessary.’”

In addition, the lawsuit says that the councilmembers knew there was no rezoning or land-use change necessary for Belvedere to go ahead with the project, so they “panicked and began devising cloak-and-dagger schemes to stop this project.”

Wow.  Damning…  

Why wasn’t this critical information made available to residents during Thursday’s public hearing on the moratorium? 

Playing devil’s advocate (and thinking strategically) it is hard to deny the factual basis for Belvedere’s lawsuit. 

(Read Belvedere’s complaint for yourself here: http://tinyurl.com/y56fp42u )

This is setting up to be a terribly expensive and time-consuming fight – one that could have been avoided with a modicum of prior planning and diligence – and I suspect John & Jane Q’s risk tolerance will now depend upon their home’s propinquity to the potential explosive impacts of 13-million-gallons of flammable material…

I hope Volusia County residents realize this isn’t a NIMBY issue.

With the pending expansion of the massive Ormond Crossings development – and the proposed facilities proximity to established neighborhoods and the airport – I believe it represents a grave public safety concern. 

In my view, despite the fact council members have vowed not to make the Belvedere debacle a political focus during this year’s election season (it already is, because they are all equally culpable) – perhaps it is time for taxpayers to demand across-the-board accountability – and begin the process of changing the culture of Volusia County government? 

Look, I reason under the assumption that most people believe government should work in the interests of those who struggle under the yoke of excessive taxes and fees, participate in what remains of our democratic processes, and elect representatives who promise that a modicum of our tax dollars will return to the community, assure that essential services will be provided efficiently, and pledge that the administration will be accessible and responsive to our needs.

That quaint notion becomes blurred when struggling taxpayers see local elected officials serve the mercenary wants of a few influential string pullers and the industries they represent – who have purchased a very lucrative chip in the game through massive campaign contributions – while our role is relegated to paying the exorbitant bills, executive salaries, and corporate “incentives” in silence (or within our allotted three-minute audience before the aloof elite…) 

But this is different.

Perhaps most corrosive to the public trust is that those ensconced in the “inner sanctum” at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Complex in DeLand have diminished and ignored the professional ethic of accountability.

That time-honored concept has been replaced with strict adherence to the stagnant status quo, crafting public policy in a way that no one inside government can ever be held accountable for the consequences, coupled with a pernicious scheme where senior appointed officials “befriend” those we elect, welcome them inside the tent, control information, and convince them that they alone hold the answers. 

A highly effective strategy that ensures job security for senior executives – until the very moment those with political vulnerability on the dais of power are caught with their pants down and a confused look on their faces – as the behind-closed-doors machinations of the bureaucracy are exposed to public view…  

As a result, the once sacrosanct concept of answerability is becoming a quaint artifact of what was once a government of the people.

In my view, now is the time to start terminating the tax-supported employment of anyone and everyone in county government responsible for this ongoing outrage. 

That should begin with the Volusia County Council removing County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald and his coterie of not-so-useful idiots – and replacing them with competent and accountable leadership during this deplorable period in our history. 

It not now, when?

If this insult isn’t the final straw of the Recktenwald administration’s dismal history of mismanagement, what is?

How long are Volusia County taxpayers expected to accept this incompetence as “business as usual”?

Hi, kids!

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

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Angel               Volusia Supervisor of Elections Lisa Lewis

One of the benefits of Amendment 10 – a 2018 measure adopted by 63% of voters that established the constitutional offices of Tax Collector, Sheriff, Property Appraiser, Clerk of Court, and Supervisor of Elections – is it took these politically accountable officers from under the yoke of an appointed County Manager and gave them the independence to serve their constituents in a responsible way.     

Of course, Volusia’s Old Guard appealed the measure and fought like rabid badgers to preserve the status quo…

Fortunately, the will of voters prevailed. 

In my view, the result has been an extraordinary transformation of those essential services overseen by constitutional officers who now enjoy the autonomy to innovate, find efficiencies, increase public access and transparency, and live up to their campaign promises. 

I am a huge fan of Volusia’s Supervisor of Elections Lisa Lewis – a proven servant/leader who does a difficult job very well.  Despite what must be a hectic schedule spinning the myriad plates of preparing for and managing local, county, state, and federal elections, Ms. Lewis remains accessible to her constituents – with a longtime open-door policy that welcomes citizens to observe the electoral process firsthand. 

Recently, Ms. Lewis announced that her office will be hosting a “Candidate Bootcamp” for aspiring elected officials, a means of helping neophyte politicians navigate the requirements for public office, such as candidate registration, qualifying periods, the responsibilities of the candidate and their campaign treasurer, required disclaimers on campaign material, and financial reporting requirements.

In a News-Journal report announcing the training, Ms. Lewis said:

“Candidates need to know the dos and don’ts of what you’re supposed to do, how to fill out the campaign finance forms, what they need to do to qualify and the changes within municipal government,” Lewis said.

According to reports, the one-day training starts at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, January 20, at the Supervisor of Elections Office, 1750 S. Woodland Boulevard in DeLand.

Because I’m full of “good suggestions,” perhaps Ms. Lewis should consider adding a plenary session covering the all-important personal attributes of public service – individual qualities such as honesty, speaking the unvarnished truth, candidness, holding firm to one’s word and promises, keeping your public and private life unsullied as an example to all, preserving the public trust, the art of compromise, focusing on the needs of those you ultimately serve (regardless of who funded your campaign), listening to the concerns of constituents, etc.

That could involve a breakout forum to discuss the importance of refraining from three-way sexcapades while holding high office (perhaps Christian and Bridget Ziegler could serve as guest lecturers?), how to avoid “sexting” pictures of your genitals to others, reinventing yourself after being photographed in the fetal position in a hotel room with a sex worker and suspected methamphetamine, and why it’s never a good idea to grope staffers in government offices or engage in tawdry dalliances while in Tallahassee for “the people’s business…”  

That should include a symposium headed “Lowering the Bar 101” presented by Sen. “Terrible Tommy” Wright – explaining his Houdini routine of how to avoid sanction after being caught on video physically accosting the interim director of a struggling domestic violence shelter as she tries to protect the identity of survivors after having been banned from that same shelter for making lewd come-ons to a frightened young mother and her infant… 

Hey, just my two cents. 

Kudos to Lisa Lewis and her outstanding staff for serving the citizens of Volusia County with such grace and commitment to open, fair, and transparent elections!   

Angel               Flagler County Tax Collector Suzanne Johnston

In most places, a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles is like a slow descent into bureaucratic hell – a four to six-hour disorganized trudge that pushes the limits of human endurance and frustration – where disinterested office drones wear inefficiency like a badge of honor and move at a snail’s pace while the ever-expanding line wraps around the building…

No thanks.   

Whenever I need to renew my Florida driver’s license, without hesitation I travel to the Flagler County Tax Collector’s Office on Moody Boulevard in Flagler Beach – a place where the attentive staff always make me feel welcome and valued – like a “customer” should. 

That extraordinary experience is thanks to Suzanne Johnston, a 54-year veteran of Flagler County government, who has held the constitutional office of Tax Collector since 2004. 

Last week, Ms. Johnston announced that she will not seek reelection as she retires from an extraordinary life of public service later this year.   

In a fitting tribute to Ms. Johnston in FlaglerLive!, we learned of Ms. Johnston’s dedication to “Swiss watch precision and Magic Kingdom customer service”:

“Suzanne Johnston attended the University of Florida, got married, then went to work and raised her two children, deepening her local roots as she went. She’d made three promises when she first ran in 2004: to put all tax records online, which she did. To open a satellite office in palm Coast in her first year, which she accomplished. (The Flagler Beach satellite office opened in 2017.) And to open a walk-up window for after-hours, which she also did once the new Government Services Building opened in 2007. “And I promised my mother that as long as I was tax collector, the phones would be answered by a real live person,” she said. That’s remained true, at least to the extent that, once a caller now navigates past a recording, a live person will pick up.

Though she’d known for a while that she’d not run again, she made her decision with a lump in her throat, “because when you’ve worked somewhere basically 54 years is what I’d been here in county government, you feel responsible for the future years,” she said.”

In my view, Ms. Johnston’s commitment to those she was elected to serve is a shining example of true public service – a transformational leader whose legacy will live on in her protégée, Shelly Edmonson, a seven-year veteran of the Tax Collectors office who will announce her candidacy to succeed Ms. Johnston soon.   

Thank you, Ms. Johnston.  We’re glad you passed our way.

Your commitment and dedication to government efficiency set the gold standard for customer service. 

Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement!

Asshole           Deltona City Commission

Rumors and disinformation are corrosive to the public trust.  

The buzz of gossip and unsubstantiated “reports” cause people to speculate and form conclusions with limited information, and when those rumors involve government, those responsible for the dissemination of public information understand that the continued influence effect can result in people recalling discredited or demonstrably false information—even when the original message has been proven wrong by competent authority. 

After hearing a spate of rumors and speculation from confused Deltona residents, earlier this week I reached out to a trusted contact at the City of Deltona and confirmed that veteran District 2 Commissioner Anita Bradford resigned last week citing health concerns that have kept her off the dais for several meetings. 

That’s unfortunate. 

While I did not always agree with Ms. Bradford’s policy decisions – I always felt her heart was with the long-suffering citizens of Deltona – and she continued to show up, even when it became difficult for her to communicate. 

I respect her commitment and courage. 

Unfortunately, both Ms. Bradford and her constituents deserved better from the senior staff at the City of Deltona last week.

During my three-decades in municipal government, serving a small community where things, both good and bad, can be blown out of proportion – had a sitting elected official resigned unexpectedly – the City Manager would have ensured that information was immediately pushed to residents before rumor and conjecture took hold, especially over a long Holiday weekend.

That didn’t happen in Deltona.

As a result, the community was abuzz with inference and hearsay as wild assumptions swept social media, with some suggesting Ms. Bradford resigned to avoid the new financial reporting requirements for municipal officials.  On Tuesday, I went as close to the horse’s mouth as I could get without risking one of Deltona’s abusive fees that accompanies any reasonable public records request…

In the Lost City of Deltona, important community information often comes at constituents from all directions – usually in bits, pieces, speculation, half-baked allegations, manifestos, and politically motivated diatribes issued at all hours on social media – leaving constituents horribly confused and increasingly frightened.

Then, during Tuesday evening’s City Commission meeting, things took a typically accusatory turn when residents found a stack of handouts in the chamber which alleged Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr. had rented a home (purportedly purchased by unidentified Deltona developers for that purpose) at a rate below current market value. 

These allegations became known just weeks after Mayor Avila announced his family was struggling to find affordable housing in the community he serves. 

During his comments, Vice Mayor Jody Lee Storozuk gave further detail in a disjointed “special report” explaining that he received a call from an unidentified “developer’s attorney” who asked him to “look into” an allegation that individuals described as “developers and friends” got together and “supposedly” purchased a rental home to be used exclusively as a rental for Mayor Avila. 

In turn, Vice Mayor Storozuk explained that he turned the information over to the State Attorney’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and independently contacted the Florida Ethics Commission.    

In addition, Mr. Storozuk also alleged that Mayor Avila directed Interim City Manager Glenn Whitcomb to have the water utility turned on at the home – something Storozuk described as “malfeasance,” claiming the mayor’s actions constitute a violation of Deltona’s charter.

When it was his turn to speak, Mayor Avila gave an overview of how he and his wife located the house they ultimately rented and moved into on December 1 – citing a weird incident in which his wife and young daughter were photographed outside their former home by an unnamed “friend” of Mr. Storozuk in an incident that was apparently reported to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office (?) – before asking Interim City Manager Whitcomb to confirm that he did not direct him to turn on the water or waive the utility deposit. 

In my view, if Vice Mayor Storozuk had information regarding possible criminal conduct by Mayor Avila and others – he had an ethical obligation to safeguard that information and protect the integrity of the evidence until the allegations have been investigated by law enforcement – then let the chips fall where they may.

Tuesday evening’s performance of Deltona’s detective series gives the unmistakable appearance of political vengeance – a payback for Mayor Avila’s May 2023 report to the Office of the State Attorney regarding a possible violation of Florida’s Sunshine Law by Storozuk, two other sitting commissioners, and a candidate for the open City Manager position.

A subsequent investigation by the State Attorney’s Office failed to develop evidence of a criminal violation.   

Unfortunately, this week’s melodramatic shit-show didn’t end there.

During her comments, Commissioner Dana McCool apologized to resident and current District 6 Commission candidate Nick Lulli after another wanton social media attack was foisted on him by Commissioner Tom Burbank – who, you may recall, cost the City of Deltona a financial settlement with Mr. Lulli last year after Burbank besmirched his character and reputation with an unprovoked and homophobic attack on Facebook…

My God. 

Look, I’m not sure how investigators proceed from here – now that what amounts to their case file has been printed, collated, bound, and left for public consumption on a table in the City Commission Chambers – then discussed in detail by both the accuser and accused from the dais – but I think it is time for the State Attorney’s Office to get someone’s attention…

Unfortunately, it appears the Lost City of Deltona is now beyond redemption – and whenever Governor Ron DeSantis is finished slogging around Iowa – his first order of business should be an immediate intervention to rescue beleaguered Deltona taxpayers from what smacks of systemic misfeasance by elected policymakers. 

Now, many fear that without outside intercession, longsuffering residents are doomed to repeat history like trapped passengers on some weird hypersonic carousel…

Asshole           Volusia County Council

The Moonwalk

“The moonwalk, or backslide, is a popping dance move in which the performer glides backwards but their body actions suggest forward motion…”

–Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Sound familiar? 

I really wanted to begin the new year differently… 

During Thursdays Volusia County Council meeting, it was interesting to watch our elected officials doing their best interpretation of the popular dance step – going backward while giving the illusion of moving forward…

During a heated agenda item, our elected dullards took up the thorny matter of what amounts to a 12-month moratorium on development applications for all properties in the Heavy Industrial (I-2) zoning classification throughout Volusia County.   

Ostensibly, the moratorium will allow a “pause” so that what passes for Volusia County’s “planning staff” can “…review the list of permitted uses and special exception uses for I-2 and to develop amendments to those uses.  Dimensional standards and buffering requirements will be reviewed to ensure that there is minimal impact on surrounding properties.”

Laughably, during the public participation portion of the item, Councilman David Santiago cautioned frightened residents of Ormond Beach not to refer to Belvedere Terminal’s plan to place a 13-million-gallon bulk fuel storage farm on perhaps the most inappropriate I-2 zoning on the Eastern Seaboard – even though everyone within 50-miles of the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building understands this “pause” is designed to stop forward progress on the fuel facility. 

The people came to speak about the greatest threat to their property values and general safety anyone could imagine – not become unwilling participants in another Volusia County political charade…

In my view, Santiago’s ridiculous ploy to conceal the 800-pound gorilla in the chamber in the thin drapery of an across the board “planning review” is indicative of the ham-handed fumbling and deflection that has beset this crisis from the onset. 

During public participation, an attorney from the mega-firm Gray-Robinson representing Belvedere Terminals (who, like everyone else looking on, saw through the “wink-wink-nudge-nudge” ploy) exposed the obvious in stating that the Council’s avoidance of a “quasi-judicial” hearing – one that would have allowed them to give mitigating testimony – was, in fact, a tactic designed to “stand in the way” of the company’s property rights and nothing more, before raising the specter of the Bert J. Harris, Jr. Private Property Rights Protection Act…

Make no mistake, like so many of my anxious neighbors here in Ormond Beach, I wholeheartedly support the moratorium.  In my view, it is something that should have happened years ago when the property was improperly zoned – or when Volusia County still had standing to oppose the FDEP air construction permit.

In my view, this latest attempt at an after-the-fact remedy further exposes the horrific lack of planning and preparation by Director Clay Ervin, County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald, and the perpetual farce that is Volusia County’s “Growth and Resource Management” apparatus. 

The building frustration of Volusia County residents became clear when Councilman Danny Robins attempted to explain his weird position on the controversial matter by taking a clear swipe at Chairman Jeff Brower’s open opposition to the terminal, resulted in angry shouts and profane invective from the emotionally charged gallery. 

Ultimately, the Council voted 5-2 to move the second reading of the development moratorium to February 6 – a daytime meeting – when you have to work…

In my view, now that the horse of explosive growth and intrusive heavy industry has bolted from the gaping barndoor – our elected officials finally come to the realization that they and their enabling “growth management” staff have allowed massive sprawl and potential public safety hazards without an ongoing process to reevaluate zoning classifications.

How is that possible?

It is increasingly clear that the county’s brewing legal fight with Belvedere Terminals (and perhaps other heavy industrial operators effected by the moratorium) will be a long and terribly expensive proposition for Volusia County taxpayers – and that’s okay – because the alternative is grim. 

Some things are worth fighting for.   

Now, the question becomes:  How much longer will our elected representatives allow the same inept assholes who got us into this mess to keep their hand on the switch? 

Quote of the Week

“Lindauer, one of two Shores commissioners who resigned, contends the new law is driving good people away from public service.

He said the previous disclosure, Form 1, required of city elected officials shows the public the sources of income, which is purposeful, as it might point to possible conflicts of interest.

“Form 6 is totally invasive. The first question is what is your total net worth,” he said, adding that every account he holds, every piece of jewelry over $1,000 and more invites more than public scrutiny. He sees it as an invitation for criminals looking for a score.

“What difference does it make if one elected official is worth $100,000 and the other is worth $10 million?” he asked. “That’s totally irrelevant.”

Lindauer said he lives a modest lifestyle after a successful 30-year career and building an investment portfolio, while also finding a niche as an author of articles and books on investment. If forced to reveal his net worth and holdings, he feared it would change the way people viewed him.

“People like me, who live a middleclass life and don’t flaunt wealth at all, now people see you in a different light and treat you different,” he said. “All I want to know is: Am I doing a good job or not?”

–Former Daytona Beach Shores City Commissioner Mel Lindauer, as quoted by reporter Mark Harper of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Daytona Beach Shores officials quit – 2 resign over stringent financial disclosures,” Friday, December 29, 2023

“When a feller says: “It hain’t th’ money, but th’ principle o’ th’ thing,” it’s th’ money.”

–Abe Martin, 1916

I guess when it comes to political vanity vs. transparent public service – egotism wins every time, eh? 

According to Mark Harper’s coverage of the Daytona Beach Shores exodus, we learned that former Commissioner Richard Bryan – who left City Hall hand-in-hand with Mr. Lindauer last week – announced in his resignation letter he was leaving anyway, citing a change in priorities now that he is “…working on another project examining public health” (?). 

Bullshit.

In addition, “Bryan wrote in his resignation letter that he doesn’t feel his voice is needed, as many of the Shores City Commission votes are 5-0, and that he is also working on another project examining public health.

He said the Form 6 issue affected the timing of his resignation and also complained about Florida’s Sunshine Law requiring elected city officials to discuss city business only during an open meeting.

“The Sunshine Law prevents effective oversight on issues that are complex and/or involve wrongdoing,” he wrote.”

Wow.  I don’t make this stuff up, folks…

Makes one wonder why former Commissioner Bryan holds government in the sunshine in such low regard? 

In Orange City, two council members resigned rather than submit to the enhanced financial reporting requirement. 

According to an article in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week, “William O’Connor and Casandra Jones of Orange City say Form 6, which has been used by state and county elected officials in the past, asks questions too invasive to disclose publicly for them to continue to serve.”

Further, Ms. Jones called the legislation “abhorrent” and went so far as to suggest the requirements of Form 6 placed her at increased risk of victimization (?), “It would also require me to have family heirlooms and antiques to be appraised and announced to the world,” O’Connor wrote. “Making my personal assets public record puts me and my family at immediate risk from scammers and potential robbers.”

Okay… 

Mr. Bryan’s thoughts aside, in my view, the Sunshine Law is the only thing we have left that provides a modicum of transparency in the cloistered halls of power – that dank place where taxpayers are forced to peer through the greasy pane in the closed portcullis of government – while appointed administrators provide differing information and access to elected officials based upon their willingness to go along and get along…

Look, I’m not suggesting this factor is at play here, but no one likes to be exposed as a poseur – least of all those elected megalomaniacs who present a carefully crafted façade of financial and material “success” to their peers and constituents – only to have their personal situation laid bare as a condition of elected service.    

That’s embarrassing… 

However, given the ‘anything goes’ climate here in Florida – the Biggest Whorehouse in the World – it’s not unfair or intrusive for constituents to expect at least translucence from those they put their trust in. 

Perhaps in this new era of enhanced financial transparency for municipal elected officials, we should begin placing increased emphasis on the individual’s service – their demonstrated commitment to the highest ideals of elective service, duty, honor, loyalty, putting the needs of others over their own self-interests – as the true metric of a servant/leader’s success.

In my view, regardless of whether an elected official lives in the largest mansion on the tallest hill in town – or is poor as a church mouse – their core values and the nature of their service to others, willingness to defend our inalienable rights, and ability to put public interest above their own are the ideals that We, The Little People should admire (and demand) from those who hold high office. 

And Another Thing!

I once spoke to a fellow rube (i.e., “Volusia County Taxpayer”) who recounted a conversation with a high-powered local elected official.  As often happens during “Fun Coast” political chit-chat, the constituent asked their aloof politico if they read Barker’s View?

With a wave of the hand, the monarchical stuffed shirt scoffed at the very notion, “I never read that crap!” 

Of course he doesn’t. 

Because considering any point of view that doesn’t comport with the stagnant status quo – the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” stratagem that keeps our decisionmakers legislating public policy in effective darkness (and ensures senior appointed administrators remain the highly paid gatekeepers to the inner sanctum) is anathema in the cloistered Halls of Power. 

The fact these screeds make our “movers and shakers” uncomfortable is also why I don’t get invited to cocktail parties… 

Eight years ago, this alternative opinion blogsite was founded on the democratic principle that in the United States citizens are free to speak out, to voice dissent, and express their thoughts on the issues of the day.

In fact, it is a primary duty of citizenship.

The First Amendment to the Constitution protects our inalienable right to say exactly what we think – regardless of how embarrassing that may be to those in power.  In fact, the United States Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld our fundamental right to criticize our government and those we elect and appoint to administrate it. 

Unfortunately, over the past several years, craven politicians and those influential insiders who control the legislative rods and strings behind the scenes, have changed tack. 

Instead of a transparent airing of the facts with sufficient time for public input, they revert to secrecy – cloaking controversial issues from public view, passing subjective “civility ordinances” by imperial edict that regulate the ability of We, The Little People from speaking out – while refusing to answer constituent questions from the dais. 

In a recent collaboration between CNHI Newspapers and The Associated Press as published in The Daytona Beach News-Journal entitled, “Locked out of local government,” we learned of disturbing trends nationwide of local governments refusing to adhere to public records requests, using the full might of government to silence critics and reporters, officials refusing to speak with the press, negotiating public policy in private, and intentionally making it difficult for constituents to attend or actively participate in meetings.

According to the disturbing report, “From school districts to townships and county boards, public access to records and meetings in many states is worsening over time, open government advocates and experts say.

“It’s been going on for decades, really, but it’s accelerated the past 10 years,” said David Cuillier, director of the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida.”

In local bureaucracies throughout Volusia County, concerned residents often get the impression that things happen despite their elected representatives – not because of them – as public policy is crafted by staff, homogenized, repackaged, presented in a canned PowerPoint, and approved with little, if any, substantive input from those whose lives and livelihoods will be directly impacted.

Don’t take my word for it.

Take a strong antiemetic and read the execrable history of the Belvedere Terminals debacle – a shocking revelation that was sprung on an unsuspecting public in a bombshell article in the News-Journal article that alerted hapless Ormond Beach residents (and, apparently, our elected city/county officials who are now clumsily playing catch up?) of a proposed 13-million-gallon bulk fuel storage facility in the most inappropriate location on the Eastern Seaboard…

Or peruse the abominable events at Volusia County jail facilities – conditions that have repeatedly been brought forth by beleaguered corrections officers forced to serve in incredibly dangerous circumstances – replete with horrific stories of inmates being tacked out nude in four-point restraints for extended periods of time in some Medieval behavior modification experiment.

(All of which occurred on the watch of County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald and County Attorney Michael Dyer – both of whom received glowing performance reviews and obscene pay increases last month…)

Yeah.  I know… 

As we start 2024 – an election year – my sincere hope is that you will question candidates on their dedication to transparency, inclusiveness, and public input (we already know where incumbents stand) then vote your conscience.   

Trust me.  With the Florida legislature set to begin their 2024 session next week – anything is possible as they continue to undermine Home Rule, limit local government’s ability to control its own destiny, and seek to silence critics. 

In an era of extreme divisiveness and diminishing expectations, let’s hold those we elect and appoint to the lofty standards of clarity and openness we have a right to expect in a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. 

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

Hi, kids!

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

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

As a Barker’s View reader, you are obviously someone who thinks deeply about the issues that touch our lives and livelihoods here on Florida’s “Fun Coast” – an informed participant concerned about the direction of local government and those who practice it.     

Responsible citizens, who reason critically and view the world around them with an analytical eye, tend to read and evaluate differing points-of-view – including alternative opinions that are counter to the posturing of our elected elite – then form their own take on the motives of policymakers and string-pullers.  

In my view, it is this independent thought that separates the sheep – and those partisan navel-gazers who never look beyond the confines of their close-minded camps – from active, informed, and involved citizens from which all political power originates.

It is a fundamental duty of citizenship to remain vigilant – even fiercely skeptical – of outsized political power, government overreach, and those murky insider forces that seem intent on shaping our future based on some mysterious plan which does not need or want our input – only our money and apathetic acquiescence. 

Thank you for reading and contemplating my opinions on our shared experience.

As we close out this strange year, I want to take this opportunity to send my sincere appreciation to the loyal Barker’s View tribe – those who follow this alternative opinion forum and perpetuate a larger discussion of the issues in the community.

Thank you for indulging my views and rants.  Your curiosity about the news and newsmakers lets our “powers that be” know someone is watching – and oversight is a fundamental element of accountability.

But that pie in the sky notion is for another day…

Now is the time to hoist our glass and celebrate new possibilities!

From the catbird seat of caustic criticism at Barker’s View HQ, here’s wishing all of you a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2024!

Angel               West Volusia Chamber of Commerce

Earlier this year, the United States Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General reported that of the approximately $1.2 trillion that was rushed through Congress in 2020 and 2021 in COVID bailout cash for businesses in the form of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program and the Paycheck Protection Program, some $200 Billion was ultimately lost to theft.

You read that right.

Tens of thousands of grifters across the nation used PPP funds to splurge on exotic cars, vacation homes, jewelry, and luxury vacations by private jet – representing what government watchdogs are calling the worst public fraud in history…   

I don’t think the West Volusia Regional Chamber of Commerce – comprised of community business owners who worked hard to build a symbiotic network of area civic leaders and commercial interests – is one of those thieving scumbags who so blatantly abused the system.

Yet, the venerated organization has fallen victim to the same ill-conceived bailout…     

According to a disturbing article by Noah Hertz writing in the West Volusia Beacon last week, the regional business network announced it was shutting down on December 19 after determining it was “…unable to move forward after covering the cost of an unforgiven COVID-19 business loan.”

Fortunately, members of the now defunct West Volusia Regional Chamber of Commerce are being welcomed by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, who have promised to continue many of the former organization’s popular programs and networking opportunities. 

According to the report, “The decision to dissolve the WVRCC came suddenly when the chamber received news that their $17,000 Paycheck Protection Program loan would not be forgiven, DeCrenza said. The chamber filed for the loan in 2020 to cover the payroll of staffers as the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in business as usual.

DeCrenza said the money was all spent correctly, but the paperwork that was initially filed had many discrepancies.

The chamber, she explained, was filed as a corporation, and the then-president of the board of directors was indicated to be its sole owner. The Small Business Administration was never able to come to terms with those errors.

“I tried so many avenues,” DeCrenza said. “It’s very disheartening this is happening.”

Wow…

Look, don’t get me started on all those “movers & shakers” (including elected officials) here and elsewhere who have had dubious PPP loans forgiven like clockwork.  I doubt the names and amounts would surprise you any more than they did me… 

In my view, the loss of this regional grassroots economic development organization is a blow for all Volusia County – and a grim testament to the pitfalls of showering astronomical amounts of public funds on private entities with little, if any, direct oversight, or accountability.   

Damnable shame…

Asshole           Flagler County School Board

“Anthony Zaksewicz, a 45-year-old resident of Lema Lane in Palm Coast and a veteran history teacher at Matanzas High School honored last year with a state award, was arrested on felony charges in connection with an alleged thieving scheme at Walmart that stretched over six months and aggregated thefts of nearly $3,200. Zaksewicz has taught in Flagler schools for 17 years.

According to his arrest report, Walmart reported the alleged thefts to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in mid-October, by which time the store’s asset protection investigator had concluded that Zaksewicz had chronically used ticket-switching and skip-scanning methods in innumerable transactions involving hundreds of items from May 13 through Oct. 1.”

–FlaglerLive!, “Tony Zaksewicz, Honored Matanzas High Teacher, Arrested over Walmart Theft Scheme Stretching Over 6 Months,” Wednesday, December 6, 2023

That shocking headline greeted Flagler County students, parents, and faculty in early December when FlaglerLive! reported the disappointing story of a veteran teacher charged with his involvement in an organized theft scheme. 

Perhaps more shocking was what followed in a FlaglerLive! article a couple of weeks later:

“Anthony Zaksewicz, the Matanzas High School teacher arrested in early December on charges resulting from a long-running shoplifting scheme at Walmart, has been reinstated at Matanzas High School following a plea deal and pre-trial intervention program that, if abided by, may lead to the dropping of all charges in a year. Zaksewicz pleaded before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins on Wednesday.

Zaksewicz over half a year had used different methods to steal merchandise from Walmart, totaling over $3,000. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office initially charged him with three third-degree felony charges and 10 misdemeanors. When the State Attorney’s Office filed its charging information, it dropped all charges, replacing them with one count of grand theft, a third-degree felony.”

(Please read the rest here: http://tinyurl.com/wafh38th )

According to the report, under the terms of the agreement, “…12 months from now, if Zaksewicz has abided by all the PTI’s conditions, the state will be required to drop the charge, essentially scrubbing Zaksewicz’s record in most ways. Meanwhile, the case is removed from the court’s active docket.”

Whatever.

After thirty-years in law enforcement, Mr. Zaksewicz is certainly not the first person I’ve seen who acted out of character or engaged in abhorrent conduct that destroyed their personal reputation and tarnished their professional credibility.    

That goes with the territory when one holds a position of public trust. 

And it should.  

Regardless, he is entitled to the same considerations under the law as anyone else.

The fact is, I could give two-shits about the trials, tribulations, and plea agreements of Anthony Zaksewicz or his highly publicized fall from grace…   

Unlike the Flagler County School Board, my thoughts are with those impressionable students who will be expected to sit attentively before an individual who, at best, exhibited notoriously poor judgement by engaging in an ongoing pattern of criminal conduct.

I also question what message senior administrators are sending to students about personal accountability, the limits of trust, and the importance of character and self-worth to the development of core values, trustworthiness, honor, and personal responsibility. 

The fact is classroom teachers are invaluable.

They leave an indelible impression on their students that goes far beyond the ‘Three R’s’ as evidenced by the fact that, at 63, I still vividly remember the important lessons imparted by my wonderful first-grade teacher, Ms. Vaughn – a beloved mentor and educator – and the horrible browbeating I received at the hand of my fourth-grade teacher – an ill-tempered crone whose cruelty and callousness left a lifelong imprint on the way I learn. 

In my view, with powerful influence comes an important responsibility to conduct oneself in a manner that comports with the Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida – behavior that sets a good example, both inside and outside the classroom, of ethical conduct and personal integrity.

That’s something the Flagler County School Board should have considered before sending mixed messages to students who trust senior district officials have their best interests at heart…

Angel               Sons of the Beach

Strike another win for the “forces of progress” – that cabal of greed-crazed assholes whose pursuit of more, more, more – has left established residents wondering why our ‘powers that be’ are so quick to sell our dwindling quality of life for a few dollars more?

Recently, the Daytona Beach City Commission voted 5-2 (with Commissioners Ken Strickland and Monica Paris dissenting) to approve a rezoning that will allow another out-of-town developer to build a monstrous “luxury high-rise condo-hotel” on the crumbling shoreline at State Road A1A and Silver Beach Avenue.    

To their credit, those intrepid civic activists at Sons of the Beach, Florida’s premiere beach driving and access advocacy, stood strong in the long fight to oppose this wholly inappropriate atrocity – which will stand taller than surrounding properties on a 2.66-acre site – leaving neighbors subject to a daily total eclipse of the sun, as the concrete behemoth obliterates the sunlight and casts nearby residential homes in its shade. 

In fact, Sons of the Beach and the group’s intrepid attorney Dennis Bayer, joined with nervous area residents to point out the glaring consequences of building another high-rise on the dune line during this period of historic beach erosion and instability – to include a complete lack of adequate traffic infrastructure while cramming all 265 vertical feet, 270 rooms, and two swimming pools on a site that the SOB’s claim requires at least 27.5 feet of additional buffer both north and south of the building – something Mr. Bayer aptly described to the City Commission as “…trying to put 20-pounds of potatoes in a 10-pound sack.”

The response to these very real concerns from Daytona Beach City Commissioner Paula Reed was frightening, “We have to stop being afraid of change…”

Of course, those who stand to benefit financially from the project (before scurrying back to South Florida) claim the $120 million project will be the Halifax areas latest panacea – the providential answer to our fervent prayers – another glass-and-steel monolith with the supernatural power to transform our horribly neglected beachside into an effervescent hub of tony retail, dining, and upscale tourist entertainment. 

Except, that never happens… 

Now, civic activist and former Sons of the Beach president Paul Zimmerman is calling bullshit in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, as quoted by reporter Eileen Zaffiro-Kean:

“Longtime beachside resident Paul Zimmerman said he’s heard too many promises for the oceanfront that weren’t kept.

One too many times, he’s heard the refrain, “If we build this monstrosity our lives will be improved,” he said.”

Unfortunately, no one (who should) seems to give a tinker’s damn about the obvious consequences of continuing to populate our fragile shoreline with more high-rise construction, and many are lamenting that the power dynamic is so skewed in favor of deep-pocketed donors in the real estate development industry – who have received carte blanche from their malleable marionettes in state and local government – that their incredible influence is now impossible to reverse. 

Well, the one thing I’ve learned is:  Nothing is impossible in government…

I still believe there remains one fundamental mechanism which will allow us to prevail over the self-serving insiders and well-heeled influencers that seem intent on shitting in our overcrowded nest and substituting grift and greed for comprehensive planning and strategic vision:

The ultimate power of the ballot box.

To that end, I like to humor myself into believing that We, The Little People still have some fragments of our traditional democratic process remaining amongst the ruins of bitter partisan infighting and our wholly skewed farce of a campaign finance system – like the sacred tradition that permits one person, one vote.

If enough like-minded citizens hold firm to the basic belief that we can control our destiny by electing strong, ethical, and visionary members of our community to high office – true servant/leaders who will tell powerful self-interests that there is some shit we won’t eat, and stand firm in defense of the rights, responsibilities and privileges of taxpaying residents who work hard to carve out a life here – we can once again balance political power and restore transparency, fairness, and the spirit of democracy on Florida’s “Fun Coast.”

Trust me.  You won’t find those candidates on partisan “Voter Guides” – or swimming in cash donated from all the right last names with the wherewithal to purchase a very lucrative chip in the game. 

This election year, do your homework.  Become an informed voter.  Become a member of Son’s of the Beach at www.sonsofthebeach.org

Now, more than ever, our livelihoods, environment, and coastal quality of life depend upon it…

Asshole           Deltona City Commission

“In a season when peace and goodwill are supposed to be evident, Deltona’s government remains divided and troubled amid harsh words from critics.

Just in time for Christmas and just minutes before its last meeting of 2023 ended, City Attorney Marsha Segal-George survived an attempt to oust her. The City Commission Dec. 11 voted down a call to terminate her as the city’s chief legal officer, according to the motion offered by Mayor Santiago Avila Jr. Avila cited as his reason for wanting Segal-George out “the lack of a contract.”

“We’ve been waiting 12 months,” the mayor said, referring to the lack of an agreement — which she was supposed to draft and submit to the commission for approval.

Avila’s motion set a 60-day transition for Segal-George to wind down her work at City Hall and for the city administration to solicit and receive proposals from other lawyers or law firms interested in handling Deltona’s legal needs.

Avila also said Segal-George was not giving adequate legal advice, often resorting to, “I don’t know.”

–Reporter Al Everson, writing in the West Volusia Beacon, “Deltona city attorney safe for now,” Sunday, December 24, 2023

With all due respect to Mr. Everson’s outstanding reportage, in my jaded view, “divided and troubled” does not adequately describe the raging dumpster fire that is the Lost City of Deltona’s governing body – a shambolic shitshow that continues to defy any measure of logic – a clusterfuck of epic proportion, something often defined as the “…debacles and disasters caused by a heady brew of illusion, impatience, and incompetence that afflicts too many decision-makers, especially those in powerful, confident, and prestigious groups.”

Earlier this month, Deltona Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr. – supported by Commissioner Jody Lee Storozuk – attempted to jettison City Attorney Marsha Segal-George, who, in the view of many, has been the architect of much of the tumult and turmoil that continues to hamper substantive progress in the largest city by population in Volusia County. 

That instability – marked by a virtual parade of acting and interim city managers since the horrific five-year regime of Jane Shang nearly destroyed the community from within – has resulted in many of those abrupt exits ending in lawsuits and payouts, all while flummoxed commissioners blundered on without benefit of competent and timely legal advice. 

During many City Commission meetings, Deltona residents – who Segal-George billed a whopping $319,164 between April and December 2023 – were stunned as their City Attorney gazed absently into space, frequently mumbling “I don’t know,” seemingly lost in her own world, absently fiddling with her hair, utterly confused by events transpiring around her while the elected officials ran amok on the dais of power.

According to the Beacon, in opposing Segal-George’s rightful termination, Commissioner Dana McCool lamented:

“I did not vote for it because I don’t think that’s the way to go out,” McCool said. “I have asked Marsha to examine herself. It’s no secret that she is dealing with some issues.”

“Segal-George ought “not to be terminated unceremoniously,” McCool said, because of her legacy and knowledge of Deltona’s history and its current state of affairs. McCool added she has asked Segal-George for “an alternative plan” for catching up on mounting legal work for the city.”

My ass.

Look, we’re not talking about cashiering a valued servant/leader here.  The fact is, Ms. Segal-George is an unfortunate holdover from the very law firm the dissatisfied City Commission fired in March – an “independent contractor,” only without the “contract” …

Normally, Commissioner McCool exhibits excellent instincts in defending the best interests of those who elected her, and frequently has moments of careful introspection during deliberations on the dais.       

This wasn’t one of them…

Frankly, I could care less what unfortunate personal or professional “issues” Ms. Segal-George is dealing with – her foul “legacy” is written on the checks to plaintiffs and the ongoing clamor and confusion that marks what passes for City Commission meetings…    

The cold fact is Commissioner McCool’s first responsibility is to protect her constituents (and the imperiled City of Deltona) from further harm at the hands of an absentminded city attorney. 

Like a trusted airline pilot, train engineer, or surgeon – as a professional, Ms. Segal-George does not have the luxury of losing focus and mentally disconnecting during the performance of her important services.   

In my view, those who pay the bills deserve their attorney’s undivided attention and legal expertise – pursued with a sense of confidence and enthusiasm – because the implications of her disengagement (as history has proven) can result in grim consequences for the community.

This sham has gone on too long – and the good citizens of Deltona deserve stability. 

The Deltona City Commission should begin the new year with a clean slate as they begin the important process of selecting a permanent City Manager and establishing a civic vision for the future of their troubled community. 

Quote of the Week

“Brown & Brown

300 N. Beach St., Daytona Beach

Dec. 12

Follow-up required: Warning issued.

Twelve total violations, with five high-priority violations:

High Priority – Fish not held frozen before, during and after being packaged onsite using a reduced oxygen packaging method. See stop sale.

–Per manager mahi is frozen after sealing bag **Warning**

High Priority – Fish packaged in the establishment using a reduced oxygen method not bearing a label indicating that it is to be kept frozen until time of use. **Warning**

High Priority – Raw animal food stored in same container as ready-to-eat food.  Bag of liquid eggs stored on shell eggs. **Warning**

High Priority – Stop Sale issued due to adulteration of food product. ROP (reduced oxygen packaging) of mahi not frozen prior to sealing in bags. Does not appear to be in 10k bags. **Warning**

High Priority – Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit.  Liquid egg whites 52f less than 4 hours. **Warning**”

(Disclaimer: The Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation describes an inspection report as “a ‘snapshot’ of conditions present at the time of the inspection.” On any given day, an establishment may have fewer or more violations than noted in its most recent inspection. An inspection conducted on any given day may not represent the establishment’s overall, long-term conditions.)

–The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Volusia County Restaurant Inspections with High-Priority Violations,” Tuesday, December 19, 2023

As the Swedish Chef likes to say, “Vurt dur Furk?” 

The week between Christmas and the New Year is always a time of reflection for me. 

So, I thought we would take a leisurely stroll down the Barker’s View Promenade, back to those heady days of December 2017, when it was announced that the much-heralded Brown & Brown Headquarters – billed as the ultimate panacea project that would cure the myriad ills of Downtrodden Downtown Daytona – and bring untold prosperity to Beach Street merchants. 

Remember?  It was all the rage…

There was gushing adulation from all the right last names as then City Manager Jim “The Chisler” Chisholm said, “It’s a game changer for the downtown area,” and Dr. Kent Sharples of that mysterious camera stellata over at the CEO Business Alliance swooned, “It’s the biggest and best thing that’s happened since General Electric in terms of the number of jobs created, salary and impact on our community.”

As the News-Journal reported at the time, the lucrative public spiffs and incentives demanded by Brown & Brown (called “government help” at the time) were championed by “some of the city’s heaviest hitters,” to include the formidable former Mayor Glenn Ritchey, past County Chair Frank Bruno, and representatives from Halifax Health, the Regional Chamber of Commerce, Cobb Cole, ad infinitum. . .

“I am just absolutely delighted,” said Mori Hosseini, chairman and CEO of ICI Homes.”

“John Albright, president and CEO of Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co., said the new headquarters would be “an important spark to the redevelopment of downtown.”

After sopping up millions of state and local dollars in “economic incentives” – in my view, good, old fashioned corporate welfare that everyone agreed to ignore on the promise of prosperity – HRH J. Hyatt Brown shocked everyone when he announced a French food service group would open a full-service restaurant and 24-hour food kiosk inside the headquarters building, all but ensuring that employees did not need to leave the campus.

At the time, it was reported that “The Sanctuary” would also provide “fully prepared meals that people can bring home for dinner.”

Yeah.  I know. 

What about the jampacked local establishments as young, upwardly mobile executives noshed at posh restaurants and bistros? 

What about the “bustling downtown experience”?

In my view, that bait-and-switch deal stunk like poorly handled Mahi… 

Perhaps this latest news will result in that boon for Beach Street eateries we were promised as the smart crowd at Brown & Brown avoid “The Sanctuary” and venture outside the confines of HQ for something more, ah, appetizing than “…adulterated food product”?

Urrrrrp.  Excuse me. 

Gross.  

And Another Thing!

On Sunday – New Year’s Eve – some communities in Florida could see a threatened exodus from city councils and commissions ahead of the state’s requirement that municipal elected officials fully disclose their financial interests on Form 6 beginning January 1.

Locally, as of Wednesday, Daytona Beach Shores city commissioners Mel Lindauer and Richard Bryan have resigned citing the updated reporting requirements. 

In in the interest of complete financial transparency – the little money I have is tied up in what chartered accountants call “crippling liabilities” – and the few shekels that remain go to keeping this cracker box out of receivership and, of course, a few drams of whiskey at my favorite watering hole (not always in that order…)

So, in my cynical view, a mass resignation of those who place personal privacy over public service is not necessarily a terrible thing… 

For many years, county and state officials have been required to periodically submit Form 6 – which provides a full and public disclosure of financial interests for both candidates and sitting officials.  Prior to the Form 6 mandate, most municipal officials were only obligated to file Form 1 – which provides a simple overview of fiscal interests without a net worth requirement.

Now, some municipal officials are claiming the new requirement goes beyond transparency to invasive overreach, an onerous state edict that forces certain professionals to disclose confidential client information making them ineligible for public service, while others claim the information will be weaponized by their political detractors.   

Bullshit. 

The fact is you can’t swing a dead cat in most state legislative chambers without hitting a passel of lawyers – all equally governed by attorney/client confidentiality doctrine – each of whom are required to file Form 6.     

Of course, the stated purpose of the disclosure is to allow “…the public to evaluate potential conflicts of interest, deters corruption, and increases public confidence in government,” while helping expose prior relationships of candidates that may create the appearance of impropriety.   

That public accounting is only effective if an elected official is receiving direct and recorded financial benefit from a person or entity regulated by, or coming before, the elected body with an expectation of a favorable treatment.

But that’s not the way most acts of public corruption occur, and politicians at all levels of government – and those insiders who manipulate them like malleable sock puppets – understand that.

They also understand the gigantic legal loopholes that allow them to get around the – wink-wink – “rules.”   

In my view, the real problem is the pernicious effect of a campaign finance system that allows the “Rich & Powerful” (and the industries they control) a direct means of influencing politics and governance by showering hand-picked candidates with massive campaign donations, then anticipating a return on investment from those who are politically dependent on their largesse.

All perfectly legal and publicly available to anyone who cares to review a candidate’s campaign contributions on the Supervisor of Elections website.

A smart friend of mine who participates in local politics calls it “corruption in plain sight” – because it is. 

While much stomach acid is expended debating the non-issue of Form 6 and its privacy impacts on a few techy municipal officials, the appearance of quid pro quo corruption – defined as giving something of value in return for a specific action – continues to raise eyebrows.

Although politicians vehemently deny a “this for that” relationship with their largest donors, We, The Little People can’t help but notice that those same contributors (and the commercial interests they represent) invariably enjoy favorable outcomes, direct access to the public tit, and maintain their suckling position by funneling obscene amounts of cash into the campaigns of “likeminded” candidates each election cycle.

Typically, those politicians who receive the nod from Volusia’s “Big Money” donors have remarkably similar personal characteristics:  They are extremely loyal to the hand that feeds them and maintain lock-step fealty to our entrenched power structure and the bureaucratic status quo it demands.   

Perhaps by design, those selected to “serve” seem physically incapable of independent thought…

In exchange, their powerful puppet masters allow them the trappings of social and political standing commensurate with their high office – all the ego massage and sense of superiority our egomaniacal elected literati require – while they serve as figureheads of a “system” that uses them like dull tools.  

In the end, this Faustian bargain extracts a heavy toll on the public’s trust – and the resultant corporate welfare giveaways, “incentives,” and uncontrolled development which permits massive sprawl to outpace infrastructure – leaves the unmistakable impression that this cliquish arrangement benefits a well-heeled few at the expense of many. 

I’ve said this repeatedly, but if politics truly is the art of controlling one’s environment – then it appears those who possess the financial wherewithal and an unquenchable thirst for more, more, more – have perfected the cycle of crony capitalism here on this salty piece of dwindling pine scrub we call home.

In my view, it’s called ‘ROI’ – Return on Investment – and our wide-open campaign finance system is tailormade to ensure that the nexus of public funds and private interests remains accessible to those who can pay-to-play.

That’s all for me.  Happy New Year, y’all! 

Hi, kids!

“There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

–C.S. Lewis

Gosh.  I hope so…

As we prepare for the excitement and uncertainty of an election year, I still believe our democratic processes work best when vigorous political discussion produces a variety of views and opinions. This is why the United States Constitution places such emphasis on protecting our inalienable right to free speech, allowing the competition of ideas to elevate the best solutions, resulting in informed and inclusive public policy.

That begins with an informed and involved electorate.  If you are reading this, I naturally assume you are an educated voter who cares about the future of our area – something politicians fear the most… 

Each year, I like to recognize those intrepid souls who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life – or detracted from it – in some significant way as we proudly unveil the 2023 Barker’s View Honor Roll!

In coming weeks, the annual Halifax area rubber chicken banquet season will be in full swing.

That time of the year when various chambers of commerce, political organizations, non-profits, and exclusive civic clubs dress up in their finery and bestow honors and accolades on all the right last names – while We, The Little People sit in gridlocked traffic wondering how in the hell anyone would want to take credit for…this. 

However dubious, the Barker’s View Honor Roll remains the only prize in Volusia County that our “Rich & Powerful” cannot buy!

This honor is reserved for you – all of you – from the Gilded Halls of Power to the thousands of strapped families trying desperately to find safe and affordable housing on a warehouse workers wage.  

From our social, civic, and economic elite – the ‘movers and shakers’ with outsized influence – to us lowly rubes who struggle desperately to eke out a living and raise families in this weird artificial economy – we all have a personal stake in improving our quality of life here on Florida’s fabled “Fun Coast.”

That proposition has become increasingly difficult in an era when elected bodies have become little more than an elaborate rubber stamp – malleable marionettes who enact rules to prevent substantive citizen engagement and interaction.

A time when addressing The Monarchy for redress of grievances is a frustrating exercise in futility as the important decisions are predetermined by influential insiders then laundered through political insulation committees long before the choreographed theater of a public meeting.  

Don’t take my word for it.

Take time out of your busy day to attend a meeting of the Volusia County Council – or approach your elected officials on the dais of power in the community where you live – and see if they so much as acknowledge your physical presence, let alone answer your questions…

As a result, the prevailing ‘Us vs. Them’ mentality has many rightly convinced that we deserve better from those who control our fate and are increasingly willing to speak truth to power.  

Thank you.

You are my heroes.

I honor all who fight the good fight – those who stand for elective office for the right reasons and endure the slings and arrows of harsh criticism, the administrators and career civil servants who have devoted their lives to public service – and the watchers, the critics, the informed voters, and dedicated gadflies who so courageously let their voice be heard.

Thank you.

To those hardworking civic activists who struggle valiantly to protect our natural places, improve amenities, preserve our unique traditions, keep our history alive, and enhance our quality of life – from committed environmentalists and those who fight for animal rights to beach driving and access supporters, smart growth advocates and beyond – your dedication and perseverance is inspiring.  

Thank you.

Look, I never lose sight of the fact that the opinions of cynical blowhards like me do not matter.

As Theodore Roosevelt said, the real credit belongs to those “who are actually in the arena” – who spend themselves in a worthy cause – the elected policymakers and staff, the grassroots efforts of neighborhood organizations, the philanthropists who give so generously, and the volunteers who form the very backbone of our community.

Thank you.

Eight years ago, I launched Barker’s View as one man’s soapbox, a place to vent my jaundiced spleen and provide an alternative opinion on the news and newsmakers of the day – neither always right, nor always wrong.

I could never have imagined how many of you would take the time to read, welcome a unique perspective, and consider these diatribes for what they are – and what they are not.

Thanks to your engagement, this blog continues to open doors, shine a light, and influence opinion – and I appreciate the opportunity to meet and correspond with so many wonderful people – including a few of those “power brokers” and politicians I often take to the woodshed – some of whom still have the humility and sense of humor to laugh at themselves and our collective situation.

While I cannot know the many hundreds-of-thousands of you who have visited this site – including readers from over 80 countries around the globe this year alone – I appreciate each of you who took the time to connect with Barker’s View.  

Thank you.

Invariably, whenever I meet Barker’s View readers – you are incredibly kind to me – and take the time to offer your own unique perspective on the issues, point out where we agree or differ, provide constructive criticism, and give suggestions for future content.  

Thank you.

To everyone who reached out this year, stopped to chat in the grocery aisle, wrote a note, or sat down next to me on a barstool to discuss the world’s problems, pass along gossip, commiserate, share a joke, argue a fine point, buy me a drink, or just lend a word of encouragement.

Thank you.

I appreciate that more than you know. 

The problem with making lists is you will invariably (and inadvertently) omit someone most deserving, and if I have overlooked your contributions, please forgive me – it was not intentional.

Please let me know where I fell short.  The mistake is mine alone.

While this Honor Roll is not all inclusive, it begins and ends with YOU.

Those who read, contribute, opine, comment, argue, offer solutions, moderate a social media site, participate in politics, educate our children, speak out, campaign for public office, serve on an advisory board, run a business, seek justice, plan for our future, offer criticism, demand accountability, serve their community, care for the sick, risk their lives in service to others, raise the bar, give generously, provide encouragement, and anyone who can still be my friend when the heated debate is over.

Thank you.

Most of all, to the faithful readers of Barker’s View – the independent thinkers who contemplate my warped thoughts on the issues of the day – and those who further a larger discussion in the community, an important exercise that can lead to innovative ideas and solutions to the problems we face.

Thank you.

You are making a difference!

In the coming new year, I will be here, spectating from the Peanut Gallery – cocktail in hand – a rheumy-eyed witness to the machinations of our local players, power brokers, and politicians – providing you, the devoted members of the Barker’s View Tribe, with one man’s jaded opinion on the important issues that affect our lives and livelihoods.

Thank you all. 

May God bless each of you and this beautiful place we call home.

That’s all for me in 2023, y’all! 

Here’s wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year!

The Honor Roll 2023

Aaron Delgado

Aaron Van Kleeck

Abraxas Books

Adam Bucher

AdventHealth

Aja West

Al Everson

Al Jorczak 

Al Moore

Al Smith

Alan Blythe

Alan Burton

Alan Lowe

Alan Rosen

Alex J. Kennedy

Alex Zelenski

Alexander Haff

Alexey Lysich

Alice Popour

Alicia Page

Allan Brewer

Allan Gochall

Allen E. Harrell

Allen Espy

Alvin B. Jackson

Alvin Mortimer

Alycia Severson

Amanda Brower

Amanda Gang

Amazon

Amy Pyle

Andre Vidrine

Andrea Miller 

Andrea Totten

Andrei Ludu

Andrew Barrett 

Andrew Baumgartner

Andrew Ethridge

Andrew Gant

Andrew Grosso

Andrew Hall

Andrew Sandall

Androse Bell

Andy & Debbie Cotton

Andy Dance

Andy Esterhay

Andy Grosso

Andy Kelly

Angela Dempsey

Angelique Nelson

Angelo Figueroa 

Angie Pye 

Angry Mom

Anita Bradford

Anita Burnette

Ann Johnson

Ann Marie Sikorski

Ann McFall (RIP)

Ann Russell Hylton

Ann Ryder

Anna Hannon

Anna Wright

Anne B. Evans

Anne Ruby

AnnMarie Groarke

Anonymous Teacher

Anthony DeFeo

Anthony Recascino

Argentina Tavarez

Arlene AL

Arthur J. Byrnes

Astrid Deparry

Austin Spivey

Avalon Park Daytona

Avanu

Avelo Airlines 

B&B Cheetah

Babe’s Blue Room

Barb Girtman

Barb Shepherd

Barbara Bonariggo

Barbara Deering

Barbara Kincade

Barbara Whitehouse

Barbara Zimmerman Phillips

Barry Allen

Barry Chantler

Barry du Moulin

Barry Gear

Bear Creek Residents

Beat Kahli

Beck Crush

Belinda A.

Bellaire Community Group

Belle Schumann

Ben Butera

Ben Johnson

Benjamin Bartlett

Benji Shiflette

Benjiman Jerkins

Benny Barker

Beth Branton

Beth Legary

Beth Rogan

Beth Sutherland

Bethune-Cookman University

Betty Goodman

Betty Landrum

Betty Ledyard

Big John (RIP)

Biggins Gentlemens Club

Bill Albert

Bill Barber

Bill Bernardo

Bill Boots Bouthillette

Bill Chaffin

Bill Fletcher

Bill Fraser

Bill Hall

Bill Hyde

Bill Koster

Bill Lindlau

Bill Milano

Bill Navara

Bill Offill

Bill Orpinuk

Bill Partington

Bill Partington II

Bill Posey

Bill Wastrel

Bill Willis

Billie Barker

Billie Wheeler

Billy Flash

Billy Rose

Blaine Lansberry

Blanca A. Maldonado

Blowing Off Steam in Deltona

Bo Brewer

Bob Apgar

Bob Bennett

Bob Davis

Bob Finch

Bob Fitzsimmons

Bob Jagger

Bob Kates

Bob LaRue

Bob Lloyd

Bob Manley

Bob O’Connor

Bob Renforth

Bob Walker

Bobbi Glass Cline

Bobbie Stricklen

Bobby & Tracy Parks

Bobby Block 

Bobby Thigpen

Bobby Wise

Bobby Woell

Body Exchange

Bonnie Ness Whaley

Brad Burbaugh

Brad Carter

Brad Hoisington

Brad Lackey

Brad Nordin

Bradford Gonzalez

Brandon Young

Brandy Lee White

Brandy Peterson 

Brass Against

Brenda Hahn

Brendan Frey Brenno

Carillo Brent Brown

Bret Douglas

Brian Hazen

Brian Holt

Brian Lapointe

Brian Nave

Brian Smith

Brian Soukup

Britney Miller

Brodie Hughes

Brown & Brown

Bruce Heugel

Bruce Robb

Bruce Williams

Bryan Feigenbaum

Bryan Glaze

Bryan Jaquish

Bryan Soukop

Bryn Rawlins

Bryon White

Bub Robson

Buc-ee’s

Bud Baldwin (RIP)

Bud Ritchey

Bunnell Police Department

Buz McKim

Buz Nesbit

Buzzy Windle 

Byron Cogdell

Byway Chairperson

C. Bear

Caitlyn Casey-Parker

Cameron Lane

Candace Chelf

Griffey  Carl Cote

Carl Cusumano

Carl Persis

Carmen Balgobin

Carmen Rosamonda

Carol McFarlane

Carrie Baird

Carson Kapp

Casmira Harrison

Cassidy Alexander

Catherine Craig Fisler

Catherine Pante

Catherine Robinson

Cathleen “Kat” Atwood

Catholic Charities

Cathy Heighter

Cathy Wharton

Celeste Morgan

Celia List

CEO Business Alliance

Chad Lingenfelter

Charleen Smith

Charlene Bishop

Charlene Greer

Charles “Chuck” Duva

Charles Barkley

Charles Cino

Charles Guarria 

Charles Lichtigman

Charles Moskowitz

Charles Paiva

Charles Puckett

Charles Sintes

Charlie Lydecker

Charlotte Hope Gillis

Charlotte Price Carr

Chase Herbig

Chase Tramont

Cheryl Bagshaw Frederick

Cheryl Espy-Dalton

Cheryl Reed

Chez Paul

Chief Tomokie

Chip Olden

Chip Wile

Chobee Ebbetts

Chris & Christine Daly

Chris Belflower

Chris Bonner

Chris Bowler

Chris Challis

Chris Cloudman

Chris Conomos

Chris Gollon

Chris Graham

Chris Jarnagin

Chris Long

Chris Nabicht

Chris Pruner

Chris Quarles

Chris Sanders

Chris Via

Chris Yates

Christian Miller

Christina Gerson

Christine Power

Christine Ratti-Sprowl

Christopher Alcantara

Christopher Cloudman

Christopher France

Christopher Jenkins

Christopher Kelly

Christopher Marlow

Christos Mavronas

Chuck Collins

Chuck Gittner

Chuck Marcus

Chuck Siple

Chuck Tindall

CiCi Brown

Cindy Gambrell Fleishmann

Cindy Hale

Cindy Nour

Cindy Rivera

City of Daytona Beach

City of Daytona Beach Shores

City of DeBary

City of Deland

City of Deltona

City of Flagler Beach

City of Holly Hill

City of New Smyrna Beach

City of Ormond Beach

City of Palm Coast

Claire Metz

Claudia Archer

Claudia Vanderhorst

Clay Carpenter

Clay Ervin

Clay Henderson

Clayton Park

Clement Nadeau

Cliff Colby

Clifford Windle

Clinton F. Smith

Coach Morris Small, Jr.

Coastal Cloud

Cobb Cole

Colleen & Rob Corrozza

Colleen McDevitt

Conklin Center

Connie Colby

Connie McNamara

Connie Rutter

Corunna Stevens Goris

Cory Cavanaugh 

Cory Mills

Costa Magoulas

County of Volusia

Craig Albright

Craig Capri

Craig Hickcox

Craig Lee

CTO Realty Growth, Inc.

Cumiskey Consultants

Curtis Colee

Curtis Wayne

Cyd Lichter-Khayter

Cyndi Ritchey

Cyndi Stevenson

Cyrus Callum 

D. Gray Leonhard

D. J. Lebo

D. W. Smith

Dale Anderson (RIP)

Dale Martin 

Dallas Seibert

Dan Apker

Dan Eckert

Dan Lowe

Dan Luby

Dan Merrithew

Dan Ravan

Dan Ryan

Dana C. Dougherty

Dana McCool

Dana Paige-Pender

Dana White

Daniel Apker

Daniel Escalera

Daniel Perez 

Dannette Henry

Danny Erwin

Danny Fuqua

Danny Oakes

Danny Robins 

Danny Rodriquez

Danny Ron 

Danny Yanesh

Darcy Lynn

Darius M.

Darla Widnall 

Darlene Kochendoerfer

Darlene Weincouff

Darren Zoeckler

Dave Jeffries

Dave Seyse

Dave Stokes

David Alfin

David Allen Potter

David Brannon

David Butlien

David Carroll

David Cromartie

David Fisher

David Foxman

David Giles

David Hague 

David Higgs

David Hudson

David Isenberg

David Jarvis

David Jones

David LaMotte

David Loh

David Lowe

David Mims

David Romeo

David Santiago 

David Simmons 

David Sosa

David Sullivan

David Swanson

David Vukelja

David W. Acuff

David Wilkerson

Dawn Fields

Dawn Glaczenski Petrella

Dawn Larson

Dawn Nichols

Dawn Smith Tharpe

Dawn Starr

Dayle Whitman

Daytona Aquarium & Rainforest 

Daytona Beach Black Clergy Alliance

Daytona Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau

Daytona Beach News-Journal

Daytona Beach Police Department

Daytona Beach Regional Chamber

Daytona Crab

Daytona Dog Beach, Inc.

Daytona International Airport

Daytona International Speedway

Daytona State College

Daytona Times

Daytona Tortugas

Deana Sallee

Deanie Lowe

Deanna Newkirk

Deb Denys

Deb Lord Lafreniere

Debbie Darino & Justice for Ponce

Debbie Dolbow

Debbie Kruck-Forrester

Debbie Phillips

Deborah Joy Williams

Deborah Phillips

Debra Berner

Debra McCall 

Dede Siebenaler

Dee Dee Stahl

Defend the Loop

Deltona – A City on the Move?

Deltona City Commission

Deltona Strong

Deneen Mangan

Denise Bennett

Denise Brewer

Dennis Bayer

Dennis Breo

Dennis Craig

Dennis Creamer

Dennis Futch

Dennis Norman

Dennis Simpson

Dennis Thomas

Denny Hockenberry

Derek Catron

Derek Lamontagne

Derek West

Deric Feacher

Derrick Henry

Derrick Orberg

Developing Daytona Beach

Diana Malik

Diana Webster

Diane Carney

Diane Choquette

Diane Clow

Diane Crisp

Diane Garrity

Diane Howley

Diane Kirvan

Diane Reynolds

Diane Severini Smith

Diane Vandervoort

Diane Whitby

Diezel Depew

Dinah Voyles-Pulver

Don Bennington

Don Bok

Don Burnette

Don Dempsey

Don Lepore

Don Quixote

Don Shinnamon

Dona Butler

Dona McIntire

Donald Freeman

Donald Moore

Donald Needham

Donald O’Brien

Donald Parks

Donald Williamson

Donelle Evensen

Donna Craig

Donna Dea

Donna Fitzpatrick

Donna Maxwell

Dontpooponputnum.org

Doris Catauro

Dorothy A. Fogg

Dorothy Prasek

Dot Brown 

Doug Daniels

Doug Fisher

Doug Kinney

Doug Pettit

Doug Quartier

Doug Rumery

Douglas Bell

Douglas Denison

Douglas Gibson

Dream Green Volusia

Drew Bastian

Dru Driscoll

Duane De Freese

Duffy Dyer

Duncan Demarsh

Durenda West Durrance

Dustin Wyatt

Dwight Selby

E. LaBrent Chrite

Earl

Earl Sullivan

Earnest Murphy, Jr.

East ISB Dead Zone

East/West Volusia Forum

Ed Connor

Ed Danko

Ed Gist

Ed Kelley

Ed Noseworthy

Eddie Branquinho

Eddie Hennessey

Edgewater Environmental Alliance

Edith Shelley

Edward Gist

Edward Somers

Edwin Ferrari

Eileen Zaffiro-Kean

Elaine Barnicle

Elaine D’Amore Tillard

Elaine Gibilisco

Elaine Stewart

Elbert Bryan

Elena Jarvis

Elena Krafft 

Elizabeth Albert

Elizabeth Blackburn

Elizabeth Caswell

Elizabeth Fetterhoff

Elizabeth Lendian

Elizabeth Wade

Ellen Hayden Needham

Ellen Wintermuth

Elliott Hagood

Emily English

Emily Nice

Enis Qosja

Enrique Zahn

ERAU

Eric & Vanessa

Lewis Eric Breitenbach

Eric Cooley 

Eric Lewis

Eric Raimundo

Eric Sander

Erick Piskator

Erika Barry Webb

Escondido Residents

EVAC

Evans Smith

Eveline Kraljic

Evelyn Fine

FAITH

FDOT

First Christian Church 

First Step Shelter Board of Directors

Flagler County Sheriff’s Office

Flaglerlive.com

Fletcher’s Pub

Florida Department of Health

Florida Legislature

Food Brings Hope

Forough Hosseini

Foundation Risk Partners

Framework Group

France Family

Francis Snipes Himes

Frank Bruno

Frank Castle

Frank Costa 

Frank Fabrizio

Frank Fernandez

Frank Garaitonandia

Frank Molnar

Frank Sawyer

Frank Thomas Graham

Frank Van Pelt

Fred Cleveland

Fred Costello

Fred Lowry

Frederik Coulter

Fredrik Coulter

FREE Daytona Beach

G. G. Galloway

G. L. Crews

Gail Gianfelice

Gannett

Gary Blair 

Gary Crews

Gary Libby

Gary Mostert

Gary Owens

Gary Smith

Gary Wandelt

Gaulden Reed 

Gayle Giaccobbe

Gene Crouch

Georgann Carnicella

George Anderson

George Butts

George Cameron

Lane George Colby

George F. Ritchie

George Miller

George Mirabal (RIP)

George Pappas

George Recktenwald

George Smith

Gerald Fieser

Geraldine Morgan Clinton

Gerard Pendergast

Gerard Witman

Ghyabi Consulting

Gigi Bennington

Gil Adams

Gina Baker

Gina Joseph

Gina Marie Legler

Ginger Adair

Ginny Maccio

Glen Urquhart

Glenn & Connie Ritchey

Glenn Irby

Glenn Ring

Glenn Storch

Gloria Max (RIP)

Gloria Nitz Crescenzo

Godwin Kelly

Gordon Brown

Gordon Meyer

GovStuff.org

Green Lion Café 

Greg “F-ing” Smith

Greg Akin

Greg Burns

Greg Fretwell

Greg Gimbert

Greg Hansen

Greg Knapp

Greg Vernam

Gregory Trent

Greg’s Local Politics Page

Grit, Grace & Inspiration Podcast

Gus Colarusso 

Gus Massfeller

Gwen & Rev. Larry Edwards

H.V. Grantham

HAAA

Halifax Health

Halifax Urban Ministries 

Hard Rock Daytona

Hardy Smith

Harold Briley

Harry Black

Harry Jennings

Harry L. Burney, III (RIP)

Harry Newkirk

Harvey Morse

Harvey Sutton 

Heather Post

Heather Rutledge

Heidi Herzberg

Heidi Petito

Helene Wetherington

Helga van Eckert

Helping Hands Through Arts

Henry Springer

Henry Wolfond

Heraclitus

Hero’d Out…

High Paying Space Jobs

Highland Park Fish Camp

Holly Hill Historic Preservation Society

Holly Hill Police Department

Holly Rose

Holly Smith

Homeless2Home

Hometown News

Hope Place

Hornitos Tequila

Howard Bailey

Hubert Grimes

Hugh Watkins

Hunter S. Thompson

ICI Homes

Ida Wright

Indigo Lakes Residents

IRL Council

Iron Head

Itsaboutgreen

Itz Princess P’earl

IUPA

J. D. Bushdid

J. D. McGurk

J. Hyatt Brown

J. Mark Barfield

J. Scott Green

J. Suzy Peterson

Jack D. Howell

Jack Driskell

Jack Gonzalez

Jack Jarrell

Jack Surrette

Jack White

Jack Williams

Jaclyn Carrell

Jacob Johnson

Jacqueline P. Kelly

Jakari Young

Jake Beren

Jake Johansson

Jake Sachs

James & Ashley Brodick

James Alford

James Bland

James Clayton

James Connell

James D. Sass

James Fulcher

James Gillis

James Manfre

James Newman

James Pendleton

James Pericola

James Powers

James S. Purdy

James Shuler

James Smith

Jameson Distillery

Jamie Gill

Jamie Gogarty

Jamie Haynes

Jamie Overfield

Jamie Seaman

Jamison Jessup

Jan Shinnamon

Jane Bloom

Jane Glover

Jane Mealy

Jane West

Janet Kersey

Janet Nutt

Janet Schmutz

Janet Tomlinson

Janice Smith

Janie Gagne

Jared Adams

Jared Crawford

Jared Thompson 

Jarleene Almenas

Jason Brodeur

Jason Davis

Jason Greene

Jason Kilker

Jason McGuirk

Jason Raynor (RIP)

Jason Umberger

Jason Wheeler

Jay Barton

Jay Maher

Jay Young

Jayson Meyer

Jean Lord

Jean Lowe

Jeaneen Witt

Jeanne Hertan Savoie

Jed Smith

Jeep Beach, Inc. 

Jeff Boyle

Jeff Brower

Jeff Feasel

Jeff Martin

Jeff Miller

Jeff Phillips

Jeff Terzini

Jeff Thorla

Jeff White

Jeff-A-Rooski

Jeffery P. Terzini

Jeffrey Ault

Jeffrey Bender

Jeffrey C. Seib 

Jeffrey Dees

Jelly Bean

Jennifer Dean Shaffer

Jennifer Finno Ellis

Jennifer Leigh

Jen Lowe

Jennifer Whittet

Jenny Nazak

Jerry Cameron

Jerry Chow

Jerry Ficco

Jessa Monroe

Jesse Godfrey

Jessica Davis

Jessica Fentress

Jessica Gow

Jessica Matthews

Jessica Melton

Jessica Rivers 

Jessie Thompson

Jewel Dickson

Jewish Federation

Jim Abbott

Jim Annett

Jim Arthur

Jim Bayer

Jim Berkley

Jim Cameron

Jim Chisholm

Jim Connell

Jim Evans (RIP)

Jim Fogg

Jim France

Jim Goempel

Jim Judge

Jim Kotas

Jim Landon

Jim Legary

Jim McCammon

Jim Melady

Jim Meyers

Jim Morris

Jim Neviaser

Jim Pappalardo

Jim Patton (RIP)

Jim Purdy

Jim Rose

Jim Stewart

Jim Weite

Jim Whittet

Jimmy Buffett (RIP)

Jimmy Paul

Jo Glennie

Jo J. Reeves

Joan Anthony

Joan Campanaro

JoAnn Mancuso

Jodi Beard

Jodie Samman

Jody Lee Storozuk

Joe Bungart

Joe DeAngelo

Joe Don Lewis

Joe Forte

Joe Hannoush

Joe Martincic

Joe Mullins

Joe Petrock

Joe Pozzo

Joe Roebuck

Joe Stitch

Joe Washburn 

Joe Will

Joe Wolfing

Joe Woody

Joel Paige

Joey Gallagher

John & Karen Bulman

John A. Peacock

John A. Peters

John Albright

John B. Henderson

John Boyer

John Bozzo (RIP)

John Cavanaugh

John Clukey

John Danio

John Difiore

John Dunbar

John Garrett

John Gibson

John Guthrie

John Hawkins

John Hill

John Holton

John Kirvan

John McCormick

John Miranda 

John Nicholson

John Penny

John Peters

John Power

John R. Rogers

John Reid

John Reynolds

John Rossi

John Szaroleta

John T. Anthony 

John Thomas 

John Warsinske

Johnny Frisbie

Johnson Bros.

Jon Cheney

Jon Wong

Jonah Powers

Jonathan Abraham Eid

Jonathan Brokaw

Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Foley

Jonathan L. Squires

Jordan Tyler Hobson

Joseph DeMore 

Joseph Hopkins

Joseph Prince

Joseph Valerio

Josh Fogarty

Josh Vedder

Josh Wagner

Joy R. Myers

Joyce Cusack

Joyce Shanahan

Juanita Garza

Judith Campbell

Judy Gillingham

Judy Rock Bergevine

Julian Fojon-Losada

Julie Bowers

Julie Cafiso Sanderson

Julie Sipes

Julio David Sosa

Jungle Den Villas 

Juno Wright 

Kadie Hayward Mullins

Kandi Schromm

Karen Chasez

Karen Foxman

Karen Jans

Karen Robey

Karen Stokes Stone

Karen Townsend Diedo 

Karen Waters

Kat Brown

Kat O’connor Atwood

Kate Brady

Kate Perez

Katherine Hurst Miller

Katherine Wanamaker

Kathleen Arny

Kathleen DeVaney

Kathleen Dulco

Kathleen McNeilly

Kathleen Passidomo 

Kathryn Disbrow

Kathryn Voltoline

Kathryn Weston

Kathy Jean

Kathy Josenhans

Kathy Tew-Ricky

Kathy Yingling Weaver

KathyAnn Zimmerer

Katie Kustura

Kayleen Garcia

Keith Chester

Keith Norden

Keith Prewitt

Kelli McGee

Kellie Whitton

Kelly Dillman

Kelly Frasca

Kelly Kwiatek

Kelly Pancratz Nixon

Kelly Schulz

Kelly White

Kelvin Miller

Ken & Deborah Strickland

Ken Bradley

Ken Bryan

Ken Doremus

Ken Edwards

Ken Fustin

Ken Sipes

Ken Smith

Kendall Acques

Kenneth Parker

Kenneth Wintermuth

Kenny Franks

Kent Sharples

Kerry Orpinuk

Kevin Bowler

Kevin Callahan

Kevin Captain

Kevin Duffy

Kevin Gelnaw

Kevin Kilian

Kevin Lowe

Kevin Para & Ashley’s Ride 

Kevin Parkinson

Kevin Reid

Kevin Smith

Kevin Wallace

Kevin Walsh

Khalid Resheidat

Kiki Bobo

Kim Harty

Kim Morris

Kim Olden

Kim Vukelja

Kimberly Hennessey

Kimberly Sheeter

Kimberly Taylor-Bandorf

Kimberly Yaney

Krista Goodrich

Kristen Gregor

Kristine Cunningham

Kristine Tollefsen-Cunningham

Krys Fluker

Kurt Ardaman

Kurt Sniffin

Kurt Swartzlander

Kyauta Ezekiel Kadala

Kyei Anchor Solomons

Kyle Bainbridge

Kyle Bryer

Kyle Capsaicin

Kyle Daly

Kyle Powell

Kyle Totten

L. Gale Lemerand

L. Ronald Durham

Langford Every

Larry Arrington (RIP)

Larry Bartlett

Larry Denham

Larry Edwards

Larry French

Larry Newsom

Larry Steele

LaShakia Moore 

Laura Berglund Weast

Laura Devlin

Laura Martincic 

Laura Roth

Laurel and Mike Foley

Laurel Lynne

Laurel Webster

Lauren Olsen

Laurie Cromie

Laurie Elaine

Laurie Massfeller

Lawrence Drake 

Lea Bartos

Leah Case

Leann Pennington 

Lee Ann Luedeke

Lee Evett

Lee Strong

Leo J. Vidal

Leonard Marinaccio III

Les Abend

Les Cantrell

Lesa France Kennedy

Lesley Blackner

Leslie Burnett

Let Volusia Vote

Libby Ann Higbee

Libby Lavette 

Linda Ann Brownlee

Linda Cuthbert

Linda Gatewood

Linda Gaustad

Linda Leary

Linda Morse Dixon

Linda Norris

Linda Parkin

Linda Scheibener-Boardman

Linda Smiley

Linda Smith

Linda White

Linda Williams

Linnie Richardson

Lisa Lewis

Lisa Martin

Lisa O’Neal

Lisa Rinaman

Lisa Scartelli

Liz Murdoch

Liz Wade

Lloyd Bowers

Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia

Lois Paritsky

Lonnie Groot

Loren King

Lorenzo Bizzio

Loretta Arthur

Lori Bennett

Lori Campbell Baker

Lori Graf

Lori Koontz

Lori Richards

Lori Tolland

Lori Weakly Galvis

Lou Bonnell

Louana Cordaro

Lowell Lohman

Lu Witton

Luke Delaney

Luke Zona

Lynda Fitzgibbons Tarus 

Lynda Kessler

Lynn Caniglia

Lynn Curley Ney

Lynn Dehlinger 

Lynn Swenson

Lynn W. Thompson

Lynne Newell

Lynne Weremay

Lyonia Preserve 

Mad Mom

Maggie Thompson

Main Street Station

Mainland High School Mainstreet Merchants 

Manny Chevrolet

Marc Antonie-Cooper

Marc Bernier (RIP)

Margaret Hudson

Margaret Macduffie

Margaret Peggie Hart

Margie Padgett

Maria Summerlin

Maria Trent

Marianne Burley

Marie Condon Smith

Marie Dites Falkowski 

Marilyn Ford

Marilyn Mack 

Marilyn Stumpf

Marine Science Center

Mario Bertolami

Mario’s

Maritza Avila-Vazquez

Mark Adkinson

Mark Annitto

Mark Ballard

Mark Billings

Mark Bryson 

Mark Dunn 

Mark Flowers

Mark Gardner

Mark Geallis

Mark Harper

Mark Huling

Mark Lane

Mark Madden 

Mark Matovina 

Mark Mchugh

Mark Nealon

Mark Soskin

Mark Swanson

Mark Watts

Mark Wolcott

Mark9000

Marko Galbreath

Marla A.

Marla Abell

Marlene O’neill

Marshallann Marti Weeks Camp

Martha Fraser

Marti Jolley Winn

Marti Smolinski

Martin J. Favis

Marty Grimshaw

Marvin Miller

Mary Anne Connors

Mary Bruno

Mary Connor

Mary Feeley

Mary Forester

Mary Helen Moore

Mary Jolley

Mary Lou Dean

Mary Martin

Mary Mcleod Bethune 

Mary Reid Morelly

Mary Synk

Maryam Ghyabi-White

Matt Doughney

Matt Gable

Matt Ihnken

Matt McDuff 

Matt Metz

Matt Morton

Matt Reinhart

Matthew Foxman

Matthew Hopson

Matthew Monroe

Matthew Reider

Maureen France

Maureen McConnell

Megan O’Keefe

Meganne Sarau

Mel Lindauer

Mel Quinton

Mel Stack 

Melanie Bingle Marsh

Melissa Holland

Melissa Lammers

Messod Bendayan

Michael Arin Ciftci 

Michael Bakaysa (RIP)

Michael Booker

Michael Chitwood

Michael Chiumento III

Michael Dorsett

Michael Dye

Michael Dyer 

Michael Ihrig

Michael J. Arminio

Michael Kolody

Michael L. Young

Michael Lee Young

Michael Mc Bride

Michael McDowall

Michael Orfinger

Michael Pleus

Michael Politis

Michael Ray

Michael Redbourn

Michael Rogers

Michael Ryan 

Michael Schottey

Michael Sznapstajler

Michael Ulrich

Michael Von Kreuzfaufsteiger

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Michelle Carter

Michelle Newman

Michelle Zirkelbach

Miguel Capellan

Mike Agostinis

Mike Bregg

Mike Chuven

Mike Dean

Mike Denis

Mike Fincher

Mike Ignasiak

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Mike Lambert

Mike Martin

Mike Orfinger

Mike Panaggio

Mike Philbrick

Mike Poniatowski

Mike Read

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Neil Kapp

New Smyrna Board of Realtors

News Daytona Beach

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Nick Klufus

Nick Koutsoulis 

Nick Lulli 

Niki Yanakou

Nikki Fried 

Nikki Ross

Noah Hertz

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Noel Bickford

Nola Barker

Noreen Morris

Norma Bland

Norma Guida

North Turn Bar & Grille

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Oliver Du Bois

One Daytona

Oren Miller 

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Ormond Beach Observer

Ormond Brewing Company

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Protect Volusia

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Rand Bennett

Randall Rowe, III

Randy Ast

Randy Bennett

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Ray Hill

Ray Marcov

Ray Max

Raymond Johnson

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Rebecca Lynn Doremus

Rebecca Wade

REC of Volusia County

Reed Berger

Regina Santilli

Reginald C. Williams

Rell Black

Rene Coman

Renee Richardson

Reuben “Lounge Lizard” Morgan

Rhonda and Walter Glasnak

Rhonda Kanan

Ric Urquhart

Rich Brown

Rich Felisko

Rich Malkus

Rich Tracey

Rich Waters (RIP)

Rich Yost 

Richard Bellach

Richard Bryan

Richard Feller

Richard Frizalone

Richard Kane

Richard Klein

Richard Little

Richard Martinez

Richard Myers

Richard Nisbett

Richard Slaughter (RIP)

Richard Thripp

Richard Tracey 

Rick Basso

Rick Belhumeur

Rick Dwyer

Rick Goodsite

Rick Karl

Rick Nedescu

Rick Rawlins (RIP)

Rick Rivers

Rick Robertson

Rick Rollins

Rick Staly

Rick Steffen

Risa Newman

Ross Rita Ware

River to Sea TPO

Riverside Conservancy

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Rob Bridger

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Rob Corrozza

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Rob Hougham

Rob Jackson

Rob Kuhn

Rob Littleton

Rob Merrell

Rob O’Connell

Rob Sabatino

Robert Augusto

Robert Augusto

Robert Baker 

Robert Barnes

Robert Barrett

Robert Burnetti

Robert Burns

Robert D. McFall

Robert Giebel

Robert Gilliland

Robert Greenlund

Robert Hawes

Robert Jagger

Robert Joseph Sorenson

Robert Maccio

Robert Mullins

Robert Riggio

Robert Sanders, Jr.

Robert Sprouse

Robert Stolpmann

Robert Taylor

Robert W. Krause

Robert Watson

Roberta Richardson

Robin Hanger

Robin Magleora

Robin Newton

Robyn Heath Walker

Robyn Hurd

Rocky Lawrence

Rocky Norris

Rodney Cruise

Roger Accardi

Roger Duvernoy

Roger Eckert Roger

Jones Roger Sonnenfeld

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Roland Via

Rommel Scalf

Ron Andersen

Ron DeSantis

Ron Kendrick

Ron Martin

Ron Nowviskie

Ron Rice (RIP)

Ron Wright

Ronald Donovan

Ronald Jungk

Ronnie Mills

Root Family

Rose Ann Tornatore

Rose Schuhmacher

Rosemary Calhoun 

Ross Blissett

Ross Janke

Roundtable of Elected Officials

Roxanne Hallahan

Roy Johnson

Roy Mohr

Roy Piper

Roy Sieger

Ruben Colon

Russ Cormican

Russ Moulton

Russ Owen

Rusty Ford

Ruth Norman

Ruth Trager

Ryan Dealy

Ryan Ossowski 

Ryan Ridder

S. R. Perrott

Sally Gillies

Sam Bell

Samantha J. West

Samuel G. S. Bennett

Sanctuary Café

Sandford Kinne

Sandi Snodgrass

Sandra Bass Van Cleef

Sandra Chavous

Sandra Kay Watts Battiste

Sandra Upchurch

Sandra Walters

Sandy Kauffman

Sandy Krieter

Sandy Murphy

Sandy Walters

Santiago Avila, Jr.

Sara Collins

Sara Crane

Sara Murphy

Sara Ragsdale Petroski

Sarah Bruce

Sarah Johnson

Saralee Morrissey

Savage Craft Ale Works 

Scott Caldwell

Scott Cleary

Scott Fritz

Scott Gutauckis

Scott Harkins

Scott in Daytona Beach

Scott Lee

Scott Markham

Scott O’Connell

Scott Owen

Scott Simpson

Scott Stiltner

Scott W. Spradley

Sea Dunes

Sean Kelly

Sean Moylan

Sebastian

Security First Insurance

Seminole Curmudgeon

Sen. Rick Scott

Senor Frog 

Sergia Cardenas

Seth Green

Seventh Day Baptist Church 

Sharon Adams

Sharon Raffel

Shawn Collins

Shawn FL

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Shawnerie Langford

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Sheldon Gardner 

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Shelley Szafraniec

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Sheron Weatherholtz

Sherrise Boyd

Sherry Gilreath

Sherry Huskey-Hopson

Sherry Purdy

Sheryl A. Cook

Sierra Williams

Simon J. Peabody 

SJRWMD

Skip Andress

Skip Armstrong

Skylar Swisher

Smoking Truth Podcast

Snake Andress

Soles4Souls

Sonja Tyrus

Sons of the Beach

Sonya Wiles

Sophia Urista

Sophie’s Circle Dog Rescue

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Spencer Stratton Hathaway

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Stacey Kifolo 

Stacey Simmons

Stacy Cantu

Stacy Wager Day

Stan Kapp

Stan Schmidt

Stanley Escudero

Stasia Warren

Stephan Dembinsky

Stephanie Bidlack Cox

Stephen Bacon

Stephen Colwell 

Stephen Matthews

Stephen McGee

Stephen Spraker 

Stephen Terence Williams

Step-Up Volusia

Stetson University

Steve Aldrich

Steve Burdette

Steve Crump

Steve Koenig

Steve Miller

Steve Puckett

Steve Ridder

Steve Stinson

Steve Thomas

Steve Thorp

Steve Weaver

Steven Burk

Steven Henderson (RIP)

Steven Miller

Steven Narvaez

Stirling Gosa

Stony Sixma

Sue Barnes

Sue Krainik

Sue Lyle Reynolds

Sun Flowers

Sunrail Cash Sponge 

Susan Ball

Susan Barrie

Susan Brehme Park

Susan Bussinger

Susan Cerbone

Susan Driscoll

Susan Falkenstein Reilly

Susan Guzman

Susan Konchon 

Susan Lear

Susan Lutz

Susan M. Murphy

Susan Persis

Susan Scofield

Susan Skow

Susanne I. Odena

Suzanne Johnston

Suzanne Kridner

Suzanne Scheiber

Suzie Johnston

Sweetie (RIP)

Synergy Billing

T. R. Brown

Tadd Kasbeer

Tami Lake

Tangela Hardy

Tanger Outlets

Tanner Andrews

Tariq Hamid

Taxpayers of Volusia County

Team Volusia

Ted Doran

Ted Erwin

Ted Hordecky

Ted Noftall

Ted Teschner

Tennessee Hills Distillery

Tere Arce

Terence Perkins

Teresa Hunt

Teresa Martin Lawson

Teresa Morford Rice-Peck

Teresa Pope

Terica Charles

Terri Miller

Terri Roberson Tippins

Terrie Stevens 

Terry Brock

Terry Cady

Terry Heisler

Terry Mercer

The Avion

The Beacon Center 

The Bridge

The Civitas Project

The Corklickers 

The Frye’s

The Lowe Down

The Nines Parlor

The Nowinski’s

The Pallet Pub

The Sheltering Tree

Theresa Doan

Theresa Pontieri

Thom Morris

Thomas Akin, Sr.

Thomas R. Larrivee

Tiger Roberts

Tim Baylie

Tim Curtis

Tim Egnor

Tim Grigsby

Tim Harbuck (RIP)

Tim Phillips

Timmy & Annemarie Groarke

Tina Guzman

Tina Louise

Tina Monteiro Blount

Tina Peppeh

Tina-Marie Schultz

Tishian Pearson

Tito’s Vodka

Todd Hammond

Todd Phillips (RIP)

Todd Seis

Tom and Kayti Caffrey

Tom Bertolami

Tom Clapsaddle

Tom Coriale 

Tom French 

Tom Goreau

Tom Laputka

Tom Leek

Tom LoBasso

Tom Maccio

Tom Morgan

Tom Rebman

Tom Russell

Tom Ryan

Tom Sejnowski

Tom Symenski

Tommy Jee

Tomoka Oaks Residents

Toni Adkins Hiller

Tony Cassata

Tony Goudie

Tony Ledbetter (RIP)

Tony Servance

Tony Walsh

Tonya Gordon

Travis Hutson

Travis Roland 

Travis Sargent

Tripp Parham

Troubled Men Podcast

Troy Crawford

Troy Kent

Troy Olson

Troy Shimkus

TrumpPutin2024 

Tulapuppy

Tullamore Dew 

Turner Hymes

US Coast Guard – NSB

Valencia Gallon-Stubbs

Valerie Brooks 

Valerie Duhl

Valerie Joiner

Valerie Manning

Valli Perrine

Valoree Mclean

Vanessa Blair-Lewis

Vernon Burton

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WELE “The CAT”

Wendall Ray DallaRosa

Wendy Alvarez

Wendy B. Anderson

Wendy Wilson  

Wesley Heidt

West Volusia Beacon

West Volusia Hospital Authority

Westplan Investors

Will Furry 

Will Roberts

William Berry 

William Freebern

William Jones, Jr.

William Reischmann 

William Sell

William Tillard 

William Whitson

Willie Kimmons

WNDB

World’s Most Famous Brewery

Wray Gillette

Xiangjun Li

Yaupon Brothers Tea

Yetay Smith

Zetta Baker

Zev Cohen & Associates

And, well, you know who you are…

Hi, kids!

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

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Angel               The Irrepressible Big John

It has been over a year now since the passing of Big John, a true icon who served us well as the political conscience of Volusia County.

In his own inimitable way, Big served as the preeminent commentator on regional civic issues.  A man with an incredibly bright mind, irrepressible personality, cantankerous façade, and an encyclopedic knowledge of Volusia County politics and policymaking, who devoted himself to furthering our collective understanding of local government.

In fact, after his impressive career in elective office, Big spent the bulk of his interesting life educating the public on the bureaucratic machinations and legislative legerdemain that affect our lives and livelihoods, always lamenting the fact that when it comes to local government, “Nobody knows nothing.”  

He was right. 

Unfortunately, Big took his leave just when we needed him most.  

Like many of you, I miss his incredible wisdom and friendship terribly… 

This week, we learned that Big’s dedication to bettering our community continues with a recent philanthropic donation of $140,000 that his estate bequeathed to Our Lady of Lourdes Academy to support scholarships and expenses for students in need.

In a release ahead of the check presentation, Big’s longtime friend and attorney Mel Stack said:

“Big John’s heart was as big as his personality.  His dedication to justice and compassion was unwavering. His gift to the academy reflects his belief in the transformative power of education.”

Wow. 

Thank you, Big. 

Your extraordinary legacy of service will live on in the young lives touched by your generous gift of education.   

Angel               Attorney and Animal Advocate Mel Stack

For many years, the venerated elder law attorney Melvin Stack was a trusted contributor to GovStuffLive! with Big John – generously educating the public on the importance of wills, trusts, estate planning, and other legal protections – providing an incredibly beneficial community service.   

However, Mel’s generosity of heart is best exemplified by his three-decades of stewardship with the Halifax Humane Society, which has served the needs of area pets and protected them from cruelty and neglect since 1937, and now serves some 30,000 homeless animals annually. 

Last week, Mel’s outstanding community service was recognized with the 2023 Halifax Humane Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at the society’s annual Fur Ball held at the Ocean Center.

According to a report in the Ormond Beach Observer:

“The gala, which brought together over 450 animal welfare enthusiasts, served as a platform to raise funds for Halifax Humane Society as well as an opportunity to “honor those individuals whose unwavering commitment has significantly impacted the welfare of animals in our community,” a press release stated.

“Mel has been a consummate leader for the Halifax Humane Society,” said Nancy Lohman, board member of the Halifax Humane Society. “His calm and professional demeanor, his dedication, and his compassion have provided the steadfast leadership resulting in excellent operational effectiveness and programming that have ultimately saved the lives and provided forever homes for thousands of animals over his 30 year tenure.”

Fortunately, there are those among us who find great purpose and personal fulfillment in supporting causes greater than their own self-interests – giving of their intellect, skills, and influence to better the lives of their less fortunate neighbors, fund humanitarian initiatives, improve our quality of life, seek answers to community problems, and shape a better world.

None more important that providing comfort and shelter to helpless animals.

The Halifax area is blessed to have a few extraordinary souls who see our community’s myriad needs and compassionately contribute their time, talent, and financial resources in a way that reflects their personal and civic values. 

Few more generous or impactful than Melvin Stack.

Angel               Mainland High School and Coach Travis Roland

A hearty congratulations to the Mainland High School Buccaneers and Coach Travis Roland on successfully claiming the FHSAA Class 3S Football State Championship on December 7!    

The Buc’s broke a 20-year streak to claim the title following an impressive 14-1 season with their impressive win over the St. Augustine Yellow Jackets in Tallahassee.  Interestingly, third-year head coach Travis Roland was a student athlete in the Buc’s lineup during the ’03 championship season.   

Since bringing home the trophy last week, the team has received well-deserved accolades across our incredibly proud community – including serving as Grand Marshal’s of last Saturday’s City of Daytona Beach Christmas Parade!

According to a recent report by Chris Boyle writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Coach Roland reflected on his team’s extraordinary season:

“It’s great to know that you had a piece to do with your city having a super positive vibe,” Roland said. “I think anybody that’s out here that was around us when we were walking can feel the excitement and pride that people have about this program right now. I’ve been hearing people talk about putting (Daytona Beach) back on the map, hearing people say, ‘Great job, we’re so proud of you,’ and seeing people with tears in their eyes.”

Kudos to Coach Roland, his incredibly talented players, and the athletic staff at Mainland High School for an outstanding season! 

Asshole           Florida Rep. Alex Andrade

“No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session.”

–Gideon J. Tucker

Here we go again…

Ahead of the 2024 state legislative session, Pensacola lawmaker Rep. Alex Andrade announced last week he is preparing to reintroduce a “paired down” version of last year’s anti-American assault on 60-years of Supreme Court protections that allow citizens to speak their mind on the machinations of those elected officials who control our lives and livelihoods here in the “Sunshine State.” 

During the 2023 session, following pushback from First Amendment advocates, journalists, talk radio pundits from both sides of the political spectrum, and freedom loving taxpayers everywhere, Andrade’s bill – which would have made it easier for politicians to sue citizens and media outlets for “defamation,” prevented defendants in these lawsuits from recovering legal fees, and established a legal presumption that “anonymous sources” in media reports are false – died a natural death. 

According to a recent article by Jim Little writing in the Pensacola News-Journal:

“Bobby Block, executive director of the First Amendment Foundation, said the bill creates a threat to free speech in Florida and the entire country.

“It’s bad legal precedent, and like the law that was proposed last year, it’s un-American,” Block said.”

He’s right.

If Rep. Andrade’s frightening legislation becomes law – it won’t just apply to the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC. 

Rather, it will have a chilling effect on every reporter, blogger, community group, Facebooker, or citizen who wants their voice heard by subjecting them to the financial and emotional devastation of a vengeful lawsuit brought by some thin-skinned politician with a God complex.

I’ve said this repeatedly – I’m not a “journalist.”  At best, a dilettante “editorialist.”

More accurately – a blowhard with internet access…

Because of the nature of these screeds, I regularly receive requests from loyal members of the Barker’s View tribe asking that I “investigate” some governmental excess or inefficiency – or “look into” an instance of political intrigue, perceived corruption, or right a glaring civic wrong that media outlets have seemingly ignored.   

On occasion, these tips pique my interest and I’ll make a call, do a public records request, or ask around just to satisfy my own curiosity.

Most of the time, those who put their faith in me to ferret out wrongdoing go away pissed because I do not share their moral outrage over an outsized water bill, the fact their trash wasn’t collected on time, or pound-my-fists and demand to know why Volusia County won’t maintain John Q’s private driveway, etc., etc.

However, sometimes a trusted insider with accurate information and no place to turn will provide me with details of internal issues inside local governments – harrowing stories of maladministration, waste, and excess – and I feel obligated to point that person to those professionals who can best shine a journalistic light on the issue. 

Sadly, in nearly every case the reporting party demands anonymity – a request I always honor – because they fear retribution from their own local elected and appointed officials if it were known they were seeking answers (often to relatively benign questions).

Does that sound like “good governance” to you?

Most of the time I refer the concerned reader to their elected representative (a name they rarely know) and a resource that had not crossed their minds, because so many politicians stop acknowledging the concerns of their constituents about 12-minutes after the last balloon drops at their election victory celebration…

Look, having spent the bulk of my adult life in municipal government – I’ve grown some hard bark through the years – and I can give as good as I get.  On occasion, I’ll receive word that someone who stood for election to high office or holds a lucrative senior appointment in the cloistered halls of power, was personally offended by my thoughts on an issue. 

Good. 

That means they still have the human emotion of shame – something that is quickly erased from the psyche of most politicians as hubris, megalomania, and an overwhelming sense of infallibility replace healthy feelings of doubt.    

Those powerful policymakers who “get it” understand the importance of using criticism to their advantage – accepting the slings-and-arrows of their constituents as a barometer of community sentiment – while remaining open to crucial public input, discourse, and dissent.

Unfortunately, rather than open lines of communication and improve transparency – some hypersensitive Florida legislators continue to propose asinine laws weakening our right to free expression by prohibiting citizens from ‘Speaking ill of the King’ – suppressing public dialog and encouraging petty politicians to silence critics and activists by suing them whenever someone calls out their autocratic assholery for what it is.

How patently un-American.

How terribly frightening… 

Asshole           Volusia County School Board

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

–Benjamin Franklin

The safety and security of students, teachers, and staff in a modern learning environment is paramount. 

Given the grim lessons of Columbine, Robb Elementary, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and Sandy Hook, the need for physical security professionals on school campuses is omnipotent. 

Common sense and best practices demand that highly equipped and tactically proficient men and women who can respond instantly and neutralize a threat should be standard and accepted staffing in every public and private school in the nation.   

With violent crime on the rise in many Volusia County schools, most astute administrators would include on-campus law enforcement resources into a comprehensive strategic plan as part of the annual budget process. 

That’s just one reason Volusia County taxpayers were taken aback in October when Superintendent Carmen Balgobin sent her redundant deputy and an Interim Chief Operating Officer (with just five-days on the job) to lobby the Volusia County Council for $342,905.11 to help fund school resource deputies at Creekside Middle School, Deltona Middle School, Galaxy Middle School, Heritage Middle School, Holly Hill School, Silver Sands Middle School, and Southwestern Middle School.

The request – which came after the 2023-24 budgets for both bureaucracies had been settled – was couched as part of the district’s ongoing agreement with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office which requires that the district shoulder 55% of the total costs for school resource deputies with the Sheriff’s Office responsible for the remaining 45%.

Unfortunately, the Superintendent’s horribly ill-prepared emissaries showed up in council chambers with a half-assed slideshow and a weird form of dissociative amnesia that precluded them from presenting even a basic statement of need, supporting statistical data, or an explanation for why seven Volusia County Middle Schools have been operating without a sworn law enforcement officer on campus?

To their credit, the Volusia County Council stood on principle and refused the odd request citing the district’s ample reserves which should be used to fund any exigencies outside the normal budget process. 

Frankly, many believed Superintendent Balgobin and her irritable Chief Financial Officer Todd Seis, should have done the honorable thing and resigned when their horrible lack of forecasting became evident…   

This week, taxpayers were yet again surprised by an agenda item for the Volusia County School Board seeking an amendment to the district’s agreement with VCSO which would have Volusia County Schools paying one hundred percent of the cost of services for seven School Resource Deputies totaling $507,136.00.

In turn, Sheriff Mike Chitwood agreed to provide a Sergeant to supervise the resource deputies for the remainder of the current school year.

The measure was approved on a vote of 4-1 with School Board member Ruben Colón casting the dissenting vote.

Many onlookers both inside and outside Volusia County District Schools were left shaking their heads – considering that in September, the district declared impasse with Volusia United Educators over a relatively paltry $332,000 to support paraprofessionals and office specialists – at a time when administrators find it necessary to import foreign teachers to make up for the mass exodus which has resulted in a critical staffing shortage. 

More recently, parents began raising concerns over announced plans to move students to other schools around Volusia County in the face of rapid population growth due to unchecked overdevelopment and a critical lack of planning by our seemingly clueless ‘powers that be’…   

(Anyone remember in October when parents, teachers, and staff learned of a weird proposal to shutter Read-Patillo Elementary in New Smyrna when what Superintendent Balgobin described as a “sad mishap” occurred ahead of a School Board meeting when a staffer “mistakenly” uploaded a PowerPoint slide announcing, “Closure of Read-Pattillo Elementary”?  Me neither…)

Perhaps most disturbing is what passes for the district’s time-wasting – and wholly ineffective – “strategic planning” process which was rolled out in draft form on Tuesday.

Like always, the district cobbled together some esoteric “goals” such as “Ensure ALL students are provided a high-quality learning experience through differentiated instruction every day, in all content areas,” (as opposed to what?), “Ensure students’ learning outcomes are achieved through consistent, ongoing progress monitoring in all content areas,” (like an objective grading system?), or “Volusia County Schools’ leadership development programs will produce instructional leaders who are prepared to implement the district’s vision and will support development of a strong talent pipeline for future generations of leaders,” (what “vision”?)  

Folks, I hate to break the news, but – as recent events have proven – that’s not “planning.”

And it damn sure isn’t progress…

Just another steaming crock o’ shit that accomplishes nothing of substance – and more disturbing – lacks objective performance metrics so no one (who should) can ever be held accountable… 

Another hodge-podge of innocuous pap and fluff – a ridiculous and incredibly expensive “make-work” exercise to justify the top-heavy bureaucracy in the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand – and a terrible disservice to students, teachers, and staff who are increasingly victimized by the gross ineptitude of Superintendent Carmen Balgobin and her bumbling staff.

This dreadful incompetence should not be countenanced by those we have elected to represent our interests – politically accountable elected officials who should see this continuing pattern for what it is.    

I hope you will remember that fact at the ballot box next year. 

Quote of the Week

“There are all sorts of reasons many of Palm Coast’s front and back yards are flooding the more new homes go up, up and up. But builders and new construction are not the reason. That’s the first conclusion from an analysis presented to the Palm Coast City Council this morning.

The second is that the city is on it: staffers are working with the more than 80 property owners who have lodged complaints to date–not as fast as the city wishes it could, with just a quarter of those complaints answered so far, but steadily, and intently. The third is that the city is rewriting its technical building manual directly to address new-home elevations and drainage issues in hopes of blunting further problems of the sort, or at least diminishing them.

Less clear is how the city intends to help residents already affected by yard flooding beyond providing them with survey analyses and engineering suggestions. In other words, while the city is prepared to rewrite its building rules and explain to residents why their front or back yards are flooding, and what they could do about it, the city is not ready to go beyond that–and it’s not clear whether it should, or legally can–though at least one council member wants to head that way.”

—FlaglerLive!, “All Those Yards Flooding from New Construction? Blame ITT, Nature or Changing Codes, Not Builders, City Finds,” Tuesday, December 12, 2023

When Victor Frankenstein creates his monster, he immediately recognizes the consequences of hubris and blind ambition.  In turn, the creature comes to hate its creator for abandoning and neglecting him – and you know how that little ditty ends… 

I’m certainly not the most intelligent person you know, but even a simp like me can see the direct correlation between the greed-crazed pursuit of unchecked sprawl – cramming more, more, more into increasingly limited space – exceeding the carrying capacity of the land and spoiling the natural processes and resources we rely on for our very existence, even as the monster begins destroying the quality of life of everyone around it.

All while rich little men revel in their creation – and resultant wealth – secretly knowing the adverse impacts more development (even those “infill” projects patronizing politicians now point to as examples of “smart growth”) will have on existing residents…

According to the extremely informative report in FlaglerLive!, we learned that the City of Palm Coast is content to quibble where the blame truly lies – suggesting that some of the flooding issues being experienced are the result of existing homesite retaining their own stormwater:

“ITT had decided to have very flat lots, with typically an inch and a quarter drop from one side of the lot to the other, on an 80-foot lot. It was intentional, to allow for a very slow percolation into the ground to recharge the aquifer. ITT also designed a lot of built-up lots to drain onto vacant lots. That, too, was either by design or by gravity. “A lot of natural ground compaction has occurred over time, you figure some of these houses are 20-30 years old,” Stevens (deputy director of stormwater and engineering) said. By compaction, she means that houses have settled, or sunk in. And like Palm Coast’s own subduction zones, older houses have gone down, newer houses, and newer regulations, have gone up. “There’s been a lot of changes in the residence elevations as well from what was originally built.”

“Some of the existing homes are now retaining their own stormwater that used to run off to the vacant lots,” Stevens said, repeating a contention city staffers have made a few times over the past few weeks: the water pooling in existing lots may not be coming from adjacent, newer, higher construction. The removal of trees and roots, it causes the ground to compact, and settle more. Conversely, as trees grow, their roots grow, their surroundings lift. Re-sodding can change the elevation. Road elevations can change from one block to another: one road could be a foot higher than another, parallel road, which changes the house elevation at one end as opposed to a house at the other end. In some places, the water table can be just a few inches below the surface, which dictates how water flows and how quickly it moves away from homes.” 

Find the rest of this important report here: http://tinyurl.com/2p8ya939

I wonder what the ramifications would be if it were ever scientifically proven by responsible government officials that builders and developers either knew, or should have known, that intentionally raising the elevation of a building lot would result in flooding damage to adjacent existing homes and commercial properties – yet did it anyway? 

Something tells me we will never know the answer to that question… 

To quote Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, “With how many things are we on the brink of becoming acquainted, if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our inquiries.”

Cowardice and carelessness, indeed… 

In my view, the flooding problems being experienced in Palm Coast are no different from the massive inundation seen across the region during even moderate rain events – the clear result of changes in topography and the resultant gravitational flow of water from high ground to lower areas in the absence of adequate stormwater retention and permeable surfaces. 

Trust me.  No one who created this monster gives two-shits about the recurrent damage and destruction on your property or mine – as the bulldozers continue to roar…

Vote like your quality of life depends upon it.

And Another Thing!

On Thursday, The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s ace investigative reporter Eileen Zaffiro-Kean broke the shocking story of a proposed $37 to $75 million administrative complex to replace Daytona Beach City Hall at a location to be determined, a plan apparently dreamed up by a mysterious group of senior bureaucrats known internally as the New City Hall Project Group.

What?  You hadn’t heard about extensive plans to fund, purchase property, and build a new municipal administrative complex? 

Don’t feel bad – neither had the elected officials… 

Yeah.  I know.

According to the informative report:

“It’s an idea City Manager Deric Feacher and his top city staff have been exploring, a venture that could ring up a $37 million bill just for construction of a new City Hall building.

Once other costs such as land acquisition, a new parking garage, streetscape improvements, utility upgrades, building design and permitting are added in, the total bill could climb as high as $65 million to $75 million, city records indicate.

One new City Hall proposal discussed among city staff members recently focused on acquiring property along Ridgewood Avenue north of International Speedway Boulevard. But multiple properties are being considered, Feacher told city commissioners in an email he sent them Wednesday afternoon.”

Unfortunately, the City Manager’s thin explanation to his bosses came after members of the City Commission first heard about it from the News-Journal.    

As you can imagine, considering the City Commission had not publicly directed Mr. Feacher or his staff to consider options for a new City Hall, the news didn’t sit well with those elected officials who were caught flatfooted…

“Why do we want to do this?” asked City Commissioner Ken Strickland, who stressed that he wasn’t happy to hear about it for the first time from a reporter and not city staff or Feacher. “It really creates some trust issues with the city manager. A lot of stuff goes on where only certain people learn about something, and I’m not good with that.”

To add insult, Mr. Feacher declined to comment for the News-Journal’s report… 

Humm, sounds eerily like someone else I used to know, eh? 

More disturbing, the report noted that Deputy City Manager Dru Driscoll (who is no stranger to controversy), suggested in an October email to Mr. Feacher “…putting a referendum on the November 2024 ballot asking voters to approve the multimillion-dollar construction cost. Driscoll’s email appears to be suggesting a temporary increase in property tax assessments to raise money for the building.”

Whoa. 

For the record, neither Mr. Driscoll – nor Mr. Feacher – are politically accountable to the citizens of Daytona Beach – and the mere suggestion of a property tax increase to fund a Taj Mahal project without the prior knowledge and approval of those who are is a disservice to elected representatives who must stand before the taxpayers and explain themselves every four-years. 

Unfortunately, it appears the Daytona Beach municipal government has begun using the pernicious practice of surreptitiously cloaking public projects in a blanket of secrecy – much like those in the private sector who come with mysterious projects hidden behind code names, then ask elected officials to approve massive corporate welfare spiffs by voting in the blind… 

This isn’t the first time the Daytona Beach City Commission has been strategically kept in the dark. 

Does anyone remember back in October 2020 when then City Manager Jim “The Chisler” Chisholm and his “senior staff” developed a secret plan to facilitate millions of dollars in public incentives for a Tampa-based developer seeking to build an apartment complex and parking garage on the site of the former Daytona Beach First Baptist Church?

I do.

At that time, commissioners were asked to act on a plan that would see the developer receive a $10.5 million tax break in exchange for a few public parking spaces and the potential of moving people into downtrodden downtown.

Interestingly, senior staff – to include Dru Driskoll – provided the elected officials with support materials just six-hours before the meeting…

Early on, that mishmash of dubious development plans – which Chisholm called “Daytona Emerging” – included an $18 to $24 million City Hall complex.

Not surprisingly, it appears the covert New City Hall Project Group has been in communications with senior staff at Volusia County – with Mr. Feacher admitting that “…there have been numerous discussions with the county administration, chief justice of the courts and potential governmental partners about consolidating and centralizing operations.”

(Ah, guess that’s another demerit for County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald when the subject of his “communication with council and constituents” comes up for review next December…)

The News-Journal led Tuesday’s print edition with an in-depth frontpage look at Mr. Feacher’s lucrative salary, now reported at $285,681 annually – which exceeds even that of Prince George Recktenwald and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer – which makes him among the highest paid city managers in the state. 

Oh, and he’s set to receive another raise in April, which will catapult Feacher’s salary to $291,395.

Trust me.  If I were in Mr. Feacher’s position – with a handsome benefits package that includes paid health insurance, a city-supplied vehicle, and $65,680 in pay raises since starting with the City of Daytona Beach in 2021 – my bosses on the City Commission would receive a personal call announcing every time I went to the latrine – to include a written summary of every aspect of the operation when I finished…

Look, I think Mr. Feacher is doing an excellent job.  He has the ability to think strategically – and that’s a rare commodity in a business where the stagnant status quo reigns supreme.   

Obviously, the majority of the Daytona Beach City Commission feel the same way. 

But keeping secrets from decision-makers does not engender trust.   

A senior executive of Mr. Feacher’s caliber and experience should understand the very real pitfalls of keeping the details of major projects and expenditures from those elected officials who will be expected to cast their vote to approve the appropriation of public funds – or place an additional tax burden on their already strapped constituents.   

In my view, Daytona Beach faces serious challenges that will require massive civic investment – especially in the face of unchecked sprawl. 

In the view of many, an extravagant $75 million governmental complex isn’t one of them…

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

________________________

Barker’s View will take a break next week as we celebrate Christmas with family and friends. 

As this alternative opinion site enters its eighth year, I want to thank all my loyal readers for your continued engagement and friendship. 

Thanks to the many concerned citizens and informed voters who access this site each month literally from around the globe, this blogsite continues to open doors, shine a bright light into the cloistered halls of power, influence public opinion, and stimulate discussion of the issues.    

As a result, I have had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people – including a few of our “Movers & Shakers” – some of whom still have the humility and sense of humor to laugh at themselves and the absurdity of our collective situation.

Invariably, whenever I meet Barker’s View readers, including those in powerful elected and appointed public positions – you are incredibly kind to me – always taking a moment to offer your own unique opinions on the issues, point out where we differ and agree, share constructive criticism, or just buy me beer… 

I sincerely appreciate that. 

May the joy of this Glorious Season fill your heart – and may God continue to bless this beautiful place we call home. 

From the Old Barker place to yours, here’s wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year! 

MDB

Hi, kids!

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

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Angel               Ormond Beach Police Officer Michael Bakaysa

Since my earliest memories, the brave men and women of law enforcement have been my personal heroes, none finer than Officer Michael Bakaysa, who courageously served the citizens of Ormond Beach for over 27 years.

Officer Bakaysa died December 1 following an on-duty medical emergency.  He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and son, Michael. 

Yesterday, I had the privilege of standing with my former colleagues in law enforcement as we honored Officer Bakaysa’s extraordinary service and sacrifice.  During the procession to his much deserved full-honors funeral, seeing so many lining the route with hands over hearts to pay tribute, and the impressive on-duty officers who stood proud at the position of attention holding a hand salute to their fallen comrade brought tears to my eyes. 

According to a statement posted by the Ormond Beach Police Department:

“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of not just a colleague, but a friend, a mentor, and a hero in our community.  Officer Bakaysa’s commitment to serving and protecting the people of Ormond Beach was unwavering, and his absence leaves a void that cannot be filled. We extend our deepest sympathies to Officer Bakaysa’s family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time. Your loss is immeasurable, and we stand with you in grief.”

All thoughts and prayers remain with Officer Bakaysa’s family, friends, and colleagues.   

Donations are being accepted in Officer Bakaysa’s name to the Ormond Beach Police Cadets. If you would like to memorialize Officer Bakaysa’s life and service, please mail a check made out to Ormond Beach Police Cadets to the Ormond Beach Police Department, attention Captain DW Smith, at 170 West Granada Boulevard, Ormond Beach, Florida, 32175.

Asshole           Volusia County Council

“An intentionally blank page or “vacat page” (from Latin: vacare for “being empty”) is a page that has no content and may be unexpected. Such pages may serve purposes ranging from place-holding to space-filling and content separation. Sometimes, these pages carry a notice such as “This page intentionally left blank.” Such notices typically appear in printed works, such as legal documents, manuals, and exam papers, in which the reader might otherwise suspect that the blank pages are due to a printing error and where missing pages might have serious consequences.”

—Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia  

Sometimes a blank page speaks volumes…

For the uninitiated, Barker’s View was born from the simple notion that someone should say what everyone is secretly thinking.

In fact, one of the first screeds I penned in this space grew from my frustration over the Volusia County Council’s lack of an objective performance evaluation for a previous County Manager – a ridiculous annual charade that invariably results in a generous year-end bonus for the manager and County Attorney – a lavish reward for skillfully protecting and preserving the stagnant status quo. 

In my view, this lack of a comprehensive review – or any reasonable cap on the astronomical salaries for the most senior executives in Volusia County government – exemplifies the lack of accountability commensurate with responsibility that has resulted in a fetid culture of mediocrity at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building in DeLand.

What’s changed? 

I mean, other than the fact you and I now compensate County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald and County Attorney Mike Dyer – the two most monstrously overpaid hacks in all the realm – a combined fortune in salary and benefits worth over a half-million-dollars a year… 

In September, Councilman Troy Kent of Ormond Beach took the extraordinary step of calling for structured evaluations of both Recktenwald and Dyer – a positive move that many viewed as a sharp break from the foregone conclusion of councilmember’s genuflecting while gifting this power duo massive pay increases each December.

At the time, Mr. Kent suggested an objective written assessment based upon established metrics such as competency, leadership, problem solving, communications, responsiveness, management style, ethics, interpersonal relationships, planning and organization, fiscal management, and team building skills.

We were told “something” would be cobbled together by “staff” and brought back to the council before December.

Then – Crickets…

Remember?  I do.

Last week, well before Tuesday’s meeting, I perused the published agenda and saw the line item announcing, “County Attorney and County Manager Annual Performance Evaluation.” 

The remainder of the form was ominously blank… 

No attachments, no forms, no established metrics, no written reviews, no performance-based criteria for a fair and impartial assessment of Recktenwald and Dyer’s impact on the mission, culture, and values of county government – and no explanation.    

In my mind, it exemplified how the bureaucracy works to protect itself from external threats.

Admittedly, I’m an incorrigible cynic, but staring at that blank page was the moment I knew the wagons had been circled in the inner sanctum…  

Look, I could run a laundry list of Recktenwald and Dyer’s fumbles, bumbles, mistakes, mismanagement, and good old-fashioned maladministration – from the abomination at Volusia County Jail facilities and the administrations continuing refusal to address the dangers facing our corrections staff, to the lack of a comprehensive beach management strategy, the Belvedere Terminals debacle, emergency medical services, personnel issues in the Planning and Zoning Department, embarrassing oversights and omissions, an expanding budget and bureaucracy, inadequate transportation infrastructure, lack of substantive communication, a failure to address countywide flooding, growing environmental and water quality concerns, etc., etc., etc.

But if you pay taxes here on the “Fun Coast” – or are considered asset limited/income constrained (and who isn’t these days?) – I suspect you get the picture…   

On Tuesday, despite the fervent calls from a growing number of residents to terminate the County Manager on a vote of no confidence, the annual Lovefest continued, with saccharine accolades leading to an obscene 5% pay increase for both Dyer and Recktenwald – retroactive to September 30, of course…   

Hey, I’m sure our elected representatives gave the council’s only two direct reports their what fors “behind closed doors,” right? 

Right…

For the record, Recktenwald’s salary is about $259,041 and Dyer’s salary is about $242,138 – not including their lucrative benefits package – and, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Tuesday’s bump equates to a collective $24,000 increase…  

You read that right.

During the meeting, it was insinuated that our horribly neutered Chairman Jeff Brower, along with freshman Councilman Troy Kent (and perhaps others), provided written evaluations that would be publicly available for review. 

So, where the hell are they?

The agenda item remains blank, a sterile reminder of how elected officials become enamored with the trappings of office, allowing themselves to be taken “into the system” – made to feel “important,” a part of the “inner-circle” – a highly effective strategy for controlling vainglorious politicians and perpetuating the bureaucracy.

Invariably, this overwhelming desire to stroke their massive egos with the perquisites and prizes of their high office results in the indulgence of lying to themselves – denial, minimalization, and projection – which results in alienating those they are sworn to serve by allowing their grandiose delusions to outweigh the truth.  

In my view, most nauseating was the rambling self-justification employed by our clearly compromised elected representatives – a subliminal need to suppress the dissonance and hypocrisy they feel – an all-encompassing desire to defend the indefensible while protecting the carefully crafted façade.

This need for external rationalization was most evident when, near the end of the meeting, they trotted out a highly paid senior administrator who explained to us rubes how gifting a quarter-million-dollars to Avelo – a failing start-up airline currently having a very expensive cup of coffee at Daytona “International” Airport on the promise of $1 million in public props and subsidies – is somehow a good thing…    

Aw, what the hell.  Tis’ the Season of Giving, right?   

With thousands of Volusia County families struggling to feed themselves, find affordable housing, and make ends meet this Holiday Season – like always – at the end of the day our elected officials ensured that Messrs. Recktenwald and Dyer will have a very Merry Christmas indeed.    

And the sanctified status quo stumbles onward…

Asshole           Deltona City Commission  

I couldn’t let 2023 end without shining a light on the abject dysfunction that is the Deltona City Commission – an abomination in local governance – that continues to lower the bar and baffle concerned residents and incredulous onlookers.

Last Monday, during the annual selection of the city’s Vice-Mayor – a position with the same duties as any other commissioner, except the designee serves in an “Acting” status during the absence or disability of the mayor – the appointment went to Commissioner “JodyLee” (a pseudonym for District 6 Commissioner Jody Lee Storozuk).

Initially, then Vice Mayor Anita Bradford nominated Commissioner Dana McCool – a senior elected official and political firebrand – someone who fights tooth-and-nail for that which she believes is right for the long-suffering citizens of Deltona as she enters her last year in office before standing for reelection. 

That measure died for lack of a second…

The silence was deafening. 

Then Deltona’s Good ol’ Boy cronyism raised its ugly head when Commissioner Stephen Colwell – an apparent surdomute who normally sits like a benign lump on the dais, someone Storozuk recently described as his “best friend and we go on vacations together” – moved to anoint his buddy “JodyLee.” 

The appointment passed on a 6-1 vote.

Commissioner McCool excused herself from the rest of the meeting after not feeling well. 

I’ll bet.  I didn’t feel so hot either…

Look, I don’t care who the Deltona City Commission selects as its vice-mayor – like many, I’ve become numb to the time-wasting chicanery that defines the open malfeasance in Volusia County’s largest community by population – however, late last month, now Vice-Mayor Storozuk’s ominous influence in a code enforcement hearing was too much to ignore. 

It is common knowledge that Commissioner Storozuk has interest in a bar on Howland Avenue in Deltona – a business located in the larger Save-a-Lot Plaza – a strip center which also houses several other small businesses. 

Since May, Deltona’s Code Compliance Division has been working to address serious violations at a former nail salon in the plaza, including unpermitted walls, plumbing, and ventilation.  The enforcement action resulted in accruing fines. 

During a November 29 hearing before Deltona’s Special Magistrate, Danny Ron, the city’s code compliance manager, gave testimony regarding the status of the case. 

Then, “JodyLee” approached the podium – claiming the role of “on-site property manager” for the plaza – before promptly identifying himself to the presiding official as a Deltona Commissioner – establishing the power dynamic from the beginning…

In turn, Commissioner Storozuk cut into Mr. Ron – openly accusing him of “dishonesty” and deception during the code enforcement process – indignantly pouring over the officer’s case file, blaming the violations on “misunderstandings,” claiming “misrepresentations” by code officials, and smugly maintaining that he had been assured by Mr. Ron that no fees or fines would be assessed, later describing the officer as “less than transparent and honest.”  

Commissioner Storozuk then threateningly announced that he was sure those matters with Mr. Ron would be “taken up at another time…”

Yeah.  I know.

Oddly, in her final directive, the Special Magistrate agreed to suspend the substantial fines and fees that have accumulated on the promise “JodyLee” agrees to have the compliance issues resolved no later than December 13 at 4:00pm… 

Disturbing. 

Surly the Save-a-Lot corporation must have a bevy of attorneys on staff to handle code compliance issues on its properties – so why is Commissioner Storozuk insinuating himself into a quasi-judicial process literally to his professional benefit (and that of whomever employs him as “property manager”) – flexing his legislative muscles with not-so-veiled threats against city officials and openly besmirching the character and reputation of Code Compliance Manager Danny Ron?  

In my view (and that of many Deltona residents) by his direct involvement in an active code enforcement issue – making serious accusations as an identified elected official to influence the outcome of an official proceeding – Commissioner Storozuk has crossed a very bright ethical line. 

By City Charter, elected officials are “…expressly prohibited from interfering with the performance of the duties of any City employee who is under the direct or indirect supervision of the City Manager,” and any violation of that provision is considered “malfeasance within the meaning of Florida Statutes.”

With a history of crude behavior and threatening rhetoric (such as an infamous November 2021 social media post wherein “JodyLee” brags about knocking a tooth from the mouth of an unruly bar patron, sending the person to the hospital by ambulance for “flipping his lip”) with a “tough guy” reputation for playing fast and loose with the rules – it appears Commissioner Storozuk has established himself as an influential force to be reckoned with in the Lost City of Deltona – and it is also apparent that the city’s Code Compliance Division (and Special Magistrate) are now well aware of their place.

Let’s hope Commissioner “JodyLee” recuses himself during the next vote to vacate code enforcement fines for hapless Deltona residents who don’t pack the same clout and influence over the process as Mr. Storozuk…

Good luck with your new Vice-Mayor, Deltona. 

You’re going to need it…  

Quote of the Week

“If the City Commission said 272 homes on the former Tomoka Oaks golf course were too many, why is the developer now asserting a right to build 317 homes?

Why are they calling any significant reduction of homes “an exercise in futility”? Was it a futile exercise when hundreds of residents turned out in historic numbers at five public hearings to oppose the overdevelopment plan?

Does Florida’s newly enacted Community Planning Act preempt local government power to approve or reject development applications? Will this eliminate public hearings?

While the new statute is designed to protect development property rights, does it equally protect adjacent property rights?

Can Ormond Beach land use codes and policies still protect the neighborhood character, safe traffic flow, and the inherent property rights of 550 homeowners in Tomoka Oaks, 990 homeowners in The Trails, and all the homeowners in neighboring Talaquah, Escondido Condos, and Tomoka Oakwood North Condos?

After less than three years of ownership, do corporate property rights take legal precedence over the rights of adjacent homeowners who have owned their properties for more than 60 years?

Would Tomoka Reserve developer property rights be satisfied if the city allowed, as it did in 2006, a 122-unit townhouse development in the center of the golf course property, with the surrounding golf course footprint preserved in perpetuity?

Did a 75-day study by the Planning Board and a 42-day review by the City Commission deny the Tomoka Reserve golf course developers, as they claim, opportunity for “meaningful” negotiations?

If the Tomoka Reserve golf course redevelopment plan legally meets all Ormond Beach standards, why did the applicants find it necessary to recently hire a Ponte Vedra attorney to claim the city’s land use decisions violate Florida property rights statutes?

Has this attorney considered case law precedent, established in the 2014 Heatherwood Holdings case by the U.S. 11th Judicial Court of Appeals, protecting communities from golf course conversions to residential housing even after the golf course has closed?”

–Civic Activist Jeff Boyle, Ormond Beach, Letters to the Editor, “More Tomoka Oaks Questions,” Ormond Beach Observer, Monday, December 4, 2023

And Another Thing!

When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried agree on something (anything) – it’s serious – especially during the preening and posturing ahead of an election year.   

Last week, we learned that Republican Party of Florida Chair Christian Ziegler is now the subject of an active criminal investigation into an alleged sexual battery earlier this year.

According to reports, the October 2023 incident was reported to the Sarasota Police Department who last week confirmed their investigation to various media outlets. 

For the record, no charges have been filed in the case and Ziegler’s attorney believes he will be exonerated. 

Last Friday, the salacious details of an apparent ménage à trois between Christian Ziegler, his wife – Sarasota County School Board Member, gubernatorial appointee to the Disney oversight board, and co-founder of Mom’s for Liberty Bridget Ziegler – and the alleged rape victim (something that supposedly occurred more than a year before the October incident) were released pursuant to media inquiries. 

Look, I could give two-shits about the consensual (if not horribly hypocritical) bedroom hijinks of Christian and Bridget Ziegler. In my view, what happens behind closed doors is no one’s business but the 6 to 8 consenting adults involved and no one else…

But this revelation should prove awkward for a “power couple” known for their staunch advocacy of “traditional family values” (which, in the waning days of this foul year 2023, may well include randy group-romps by middle-aged politicos, I don’t know).

However, I draw the line when the public’s trust in our democratic institutions is threatened…

In an explosive on-going exposé by the Florida Center for Government Accountability’s news outlet, “Florida Trident,” we learned:

“The alleged perpetrator is Ziegler, who has yet to publicly comment on the investigation first reported by the Trident on Thursday morning. His attorney, Derek Byrd, said in a written statement Ziegler would be fully exonerated in the investigation.

Sources close to the investigation told the Trident that Ziegler and his wife, Sarasota County School Board Member Bridget Ziegler, who is also an appointee of Gov. Ron DeSantis and cofounder of the right-wing group Moms For Liberty, had a three-way sexual relationship with the woman prior to the alleged October 2 sexual assault.

A copy of the search warrant involved in the case was released late Friday that substantiated much of the Trident’s earlier reporting and added a wealth of new information.   

Ziegler, according to the affidavit, had known the woman for 20 years and they had agreed to a tryst at the woman’s home on October 2 with Ziegler’s wife.  When Bridget Ziegler wasn’t able to make it, the woman canceled via text to Christian Ziegler, writing that she had been “more in for her,” meaning Bridget. She told police that Christian Ziegler came to her home anyway and entered uninvited as she opened the door to walk her dog. Inside, she said he raped her.”

According to the report, Ziegler claims the sexual encounter was consensual – and that he videotaped the incident “…which he said he initially deleted, but later uploaded to a Google Drive.”

Jesus.

Last week, Gov. DeSantis told reporters, “I don’t see how he can continue with that investigation ongoing, given the gravity of those situations.  And so, I think he should step aside. I think he should tend to that. He’s innocent until proven guilty, but we just can’t have a party chair that is under that type of scrutiny. And so, I hope that — I hope the charges aren’t true. I’ve known him, I’ve known Bridget; they’ve been friends. But the mission is more important.”

In addition, Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo told reporters she believes Christian Ziegler must resign.  “The Governor is the leader of our Party,” Passidomo said. “I agree with his position. The allegations are serious.”

Apparently, the Republican Party of Florida is seating a tribunal to oust Ziegler under the terms of party by-laws. 

I agree with Gov. DeSantis, President Passidomo, and Chairwoman Fried – credible allegations of criminal conduct should preclude Mr. Ziegler from holding a position of power and influence while he is the subject of an active investigation.

Here’s why:

Neither Republicans nor Democrats hold the high ground when it comes to abhorrent personal behavior and gross misconduct while “serving” in high office – and I believe in the basic concept of accountability for those who hold positions of power over others.

Make no mistake, this isn’t a partisan issue – another “red v. blue” skirmish.  Rather, it speaks to the corrosive effects of hubris, hypocrisy, and personal irresponsibility on our system of governance.

I certainly don’t want to paint all politicians with the same brush, but the historic institutional failure to censure and hold bad actors to account is corrosive to the very foundation of our democracy. 

Look, I’m no choirboy – more a cynical rogue than a priggish moralist – but I understand the fundamental concepts of right and wrong and the importance of honor and integrity to preserving the public trust in our most cherished civic principles.

The brutal lessons of history tell us that the decline of the Roman Empire began when the “rich and powerful” bought votes and ensured favors for their friends. Ultimately, corruption and debauchery ran rampant and led to the “commoners” distrusting the Senate.

Sound familiar?  

It should.

Here at home, earlier this year, Sen. “Terrible Tommy” Wright, in my view, a bullying narcissistic creep – a lecherous scumbag with a pathological inability to control his temper or base impulses – a licentious powermonger given to the open abuse of females and lewd come-ons to vulnerable domestic violence victims – was rightfully exposed following the release of a shocking video showing Sen. Wright’s belligerence toward a courageous employee of The Beacon Center.

In subsequent reports by The Daytona Beach News-Journal, his constituents where shocked by the creepy account of a then 20-year-old domestic violence survivor who described how Wright once crudely chatted her up about Cuban prostitutes and topless women in the presence of her baby while at the shelter – before offering to fly her to Las Vegas…

My God.

So, what do you think happened after Wright was caught on video violating the rules, honor, and integrity of the Florida Senate? 

Not a damned thing…

Inconceivably, Wright is still ensconced on the dais of power – wearing the costume of a state senator – haughtily accepting undeserved accolades while playing the only role that salves his enormous ego and “look at me” megalomania.

In my view, Sen. Tom Wright – and others who shit on their responsibility to the lofty position of trust they hold – represents all that is wrong with modern governance, a dark trench where powerful figures are elevated to a gilded pedestal – then, due to skewed partisan loyalties and a pervasive fear of political retaliation – violate the public trust without consequence.  

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but when I read accounts of powerful scumbags sitting on their lofty thrones on both sides of the aisle, smugly lording over our lives and livelihoods, it reminds me we live in a place where money, political power, and influence are now omnipotent – and the needs of We, The Little People be damned… 

What legacy are we leaving for our children and grandchildren?

Alexander Hamilton was right: “People get the government they deserve.”

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