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           Volusia County Council

For the umpteenth time in the last decade or two, on Tuesday, this iteration of elected dullards who comprise the Volusia County Council once again gathered in chambers and allowed Growth and Resource Director Clay Ervin to paint another masterpiece describing the extraordinary job Volusia County government has done in planning for the onslaught of malignant growth that continues to spread like wildfire across the width and breadth of east Central Florida.    

Five of the seven Volusia County Council members attended this latest do-nothing “summit of procrastination” with Councilwoman Heather Post apparently sidelined following a nasty slip-and-fall on a slick staircase at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center.

(Hey, Ms. Post – Morgan & Morgan, “For the People.”) 

Apparently, His Eminence, The Very Reverend “Dr.” Fred Lowry was dealing with a personal issue which prevented him from sitting apathetically in his wingback chair, staring into space, and idly manipulating a lozenge around in his mouth. . .   

In the end, it didn’t matter who attended and who did not.

As planned, nothing of substance was accomplished.

According to an article by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

“At Tuesday’s meeting, Council members didn’t attempt to brainstorm specific strategies to deal with the growth explosion. Most of the six-hour meeting was spent listening to county staff members who explained the history of the county’s growth, what’s been done so far to manage it and preparation for future development.”

Whatever.

As this latest diversionary theater got rolling – essentially a slow parade of highly paid bureaucrats droning on, ad nauseum, narrating another godawful PowerPoint presentation – lulling the elected officials into a hypnotic trance using acronyms, percentages, “visioning processes,” and soporific administrative procedures to buy time while the bulldozers continue to roar across Volusia County as speculative developers make hay while the sun shines – and those who facilitate it generate more hot air.  

Classic. 

According to Chairman Jeff Brower, prior to the confab, councilmembers were given a sheaf of papers some ninety-pages thick to accompany the PowerPoint mumbo-jumbo – because all good bureaucrats know the equation: More Pages = Less Questions – a proven strategy which, when accompanied by the right amount of ego massage, obsequious toadyism, and “happy talk” limits pesky inquiries from our horribly confused policymakers. . .

In typical fashion, Director Ervin – as he has done repeatedly during his tenure – distilled his carefully crafted Dog and Pony Show into one rosy note: NOTHING TO SEE HERE, FOLKS, KEEP MOVING, “We’ve anticipated and planned for the increasing population. . .blah, blah, blah.”

Bullshit. 

How about you? 

Does anyone living out here in the “Real World” (read: anywhere outside gilded council and commission chambers throughout Volusia County) think that those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest have planned and prepared for the tsunami of growth and sprawl what is being foisted on us?

I didn’t think so.

Of course, for a time, things dissolved into a bureaucratic pity party as Director Ervin and his senior minions cried the blues about how overworked and understaffed they are – always “pushing the pea up the mountain” (whatever that means) – slaving under state imposed time constraints to get permits approved so more, more, more sticks-and-glue zero lot line cracker boxes can come out of ground, woe is me, WOE is me. . .

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc. . . 

We then heard from another expensive suit from the County Attorney’s Office who provided some political insulation by explaining that, outside the density and intensity provisions of the comprehensive plan, our elected officials have little discretion when it comes to controlling growth.

‘Welp, there you have it!  Hands are tied – nothing we can do about it, y’all.’  (And thanks for that sizeable campaign contribution, Mr. Fatback Developer.  Much obliged. . .)

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc. . .

Look, I could go on, but I got physically nauseated and had to step away when Chief Building Official Kerry Leuzinger took the microphone and asked the deep and thought-provoking question, “Why do we have building codes?”

I knew exactly where he was going with that time consuming ruse.

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc. . .  

With the ever-present PowerPoint anesthetizing everyone in the room, Mr. Leuzinger chuntered on with a tedious review of the inspection failures that resulted in a deadly Rhode Island nightclub fire and the collapse of a condominium in Surfside, Florida – compelling stuff that helped run the clock – but I’m not sure an exhaustive explanation of the role of the Permitting Department is what Volusia County residents were praying would come from this “growth management” workshop.  (And our ‘powers that be’ knew it.)  

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc. . .

The permitting department’s dance number was followed by a question from At-Large Councilmember Ben Johnson, who asked whether Mr. Leuzinger could limit inspections to “spot checks” for roofing contractors with a history of following the rules (the answer was, thankfully, a hard “No”) – followed by a riveting discussion on the possibility of eliminating permits for yard sheds. . .

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc. . . 

Then, they broke for lunch.  

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc. . .

What I found most disturbing (I mean, other than the fact the windy “workshop” represented six-hours of my life I’ll never get back) was the number of already approved projects sitting dormant on the books – some considered “Developments of Regional Impact” – a significant backlog of pending projects that will have serious ramifications for our already diminished natural places.

During her act, Director Ginger Adair who oversees the county’s environmental management division, spoke of the overtalked and underutilized idea of requiring (rather than asking nicely?) that developers incorporate low-impact development practices, a strategy which mimics natural processes and minimizes impervious surfaces to limit stormwater runoff and protect the biological and physical condition of receiving waters. 

The “workshop” also included a presentation by Jane West, policy and planning director for 1000 Friends of Florida – a Tallahassee-based “smart growth advocacy organization” that promotes sound public policy on development issues – who lectured on the “cumulative effect” of incremental land use changes made by Volusia County and municipal governments that, over time, have a big impact on our quality of life.

According to an excellent report by Associate Editor Jarleene Almenas in the Ormond Beach Observer:

“Brower said he felt the county needed to move from just encouraging low impact development practices to requiring them, but that first they need to decide which low impact development practices the county wants to implement.

(No, shit!  When?)

“I hope that we will move in that direction,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t think we have any choice. Stormwater is a big problem and every bit of pavement that goes down prevents water from being absorbed into the ground.”

Now, as always, we wait. 

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc. . .

In the weeks/months to come, Director Ervin has vowed to bring back some ideas for our elected officials to chew over – you know, when he gets ‘around tuit’ – no rush. 

I suspect another list of neutered talking points to come back before our elected dullards about the same time that mythical impact fee study we’ve been promised finally materializes, or the Comet Kohoutek returns. . .

Screw it.  You get the picture.   

Unfortunately, at the end of an awfully long day, absolutely nothing of substance was accomplished.

In other words, everything went according to plan. 

If past practice holds, Volusia County’s bloated bureaucracy should be able to squeeze at least three more meaningless “workshops,” a timewasting “summit” or two, and at least one more “Green Ribbon” political insulation committee out of the illusive concepts of “smart growth” and “low-impact development” – buying even more time – as our natural places continue to burn. . . 

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc. . .

Angel               Palm Coast’s Mike Martin

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

– Robert Kennedy

I recently read the inspirational story of Mike Martin, a civically involved resident of Palm Coast, who is taking a bold stand against the fleecing of his fellow citizens.  Since 2020, Mr. Martin has served as an elected member of the East Flagler Mosquito Control Commission and has bravely spoken out against several controversial issues in Palm Coast and Flagler County. 

For instance, according to an excellent report by Chris Gollon writing in AskFlagler.com, last year, Mr. Martin mounted an effort to stop development on the poisoned grounds of the former Matanzas Woods Golf Course after levels of arsenic were found in shallow test pits at the site.   

Most recently, Mr. Martin has been an outspoken opponent of Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin’s asinine idea to gift himself and his greedy “colleagues” on the dais of power a pay increase of over 300%.

You read that right.

This shameless money grab was recently approved on first reading by a vote of 4-1 – with members Ed Danko, Nick Klufas, and John Fanelli joining Mayor Alfin to enrich themselves – while Eddie Branquinho cast the lone “No” vote.

Honestly, you cannot make this shit up. . . 

In a recent interview with Mr. Gollon, the intrepid Mike Martin reminded his fellow citizens of one thing:

“…Win or lose this fight, I know one result will happen: the people of Palm Coast will now understand that they can fight back, and they have the tools.”

I don’t know Mr. Martin, but I like his style. . .

Quote of the Week

“Knowing that, if there’s going to be one takeaway that we have today for you, it would be that the small cumulative land use decisions that you make every month here in these chambers really add to affect the quality of life for Volusia residents,” West said. “It is a cumulative impact of land use changes, because there’s a domino effect: If you’re adjacent to a high-density development, even though you can’t use that as a basis legally to justify expansion of that high density into more rural lands, the fact of the matter is that is what happens all the time.”

–Jane West, policy and planning director for 1000 Friends of Florida, as quoted by Associate Editor Jarleene Almenas in the Ormond Beach Observer, “Growth spurt: Volusia County growth management workshop spotlights how to mitigate development impacts,” Tuesday, April 12, 2022

And Another Thing! 

As most regular readers of these screeds know, I do not have a formal education. 

That is why I put so much value on it, and hold those who pursue learning, teaching, and imparting experiential wisdom to others in such high regard. 

The events of Tuesday’s Volusia County School Board meeting leading to the termination of Superintendent Dr. Scott Fritz were disturbing, and have exposed a depth of dysfunction that has been described by shell-shocked insiders and sitting School Board members as a “toxic culture” – a deleterious situation frequently cited as the primary reason people leave an organization. 

Look, I don’t know a damn thing about the cloistered world of academia or the myriad challenges of administrating a district with a lot of moving parts, a ballooning $1 billion budget, internal warnings of a looming financial catastrophe, a flood of state mandates, and the “culture wars” that are dividing communities across the nation.    

However, based upon my own experience, I recognize sound leadership practices when I see them – the ability of the chief executive to lead and inspire a well-informed and cohesive team to organize complex activities (like educating children) from the bottom up, with unity of effort, and clearly articulated intent – supported by a transparent internal and external information-sharing strategy that keeps all stakeholders on the same page. 

The personal attributes and principles of leadership that most people respect are often defined as justice, judgement, dependability, initiative, decisiveness, tact, integrity, enthusiasm, bearing, unselfishness, courage, knowledge, loyalty, and endurance. 

Leadership also requires the strength of character to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, cronyism, and favoritism in the decision-making process – especially in matters involving the perceived personal enrichment of a superior – with an emotional stability that instills confidence. 

Did anyone see any of those traits on display Tuesday evening? 

Me neither. 

In my view, it is time for the housecleaning to begin.

During that contentious meeting, I watched as School Board Attorney Ted Doran seized the reigns and clearly orchestrated a motion to approve a severance package exceeding $186,000 in the immediate aftermath of a serious confrontation that left Chairman Ruben Colon clearly stunned. 

If any of this is going to have public buy-in going forward, what happened between Fritz and Colon Tuesday evening demands an outside investigation.

To many, it appeared that Mr. Doran was the best lawyer Dr. Fritz never paid for – and I believe he owes those who pay his salary – the taxpayers of Volusia County – a clear explanation for why he ramrodded Fritz’ severance through without allowing time and distance for a closer examination of the circumstances and factors that led to the Superintendent’s termination. 

What about the duty of our elected officials and legal representatives to uncover and examine the facts and circumstances, allow cooler heads to prevail, and ensure every fiduciary responsibility has been met?

Why the rush?    

I’m asking. And I am not alone.

If Mr. Doran is not prepared to explain the intrigue surrounding his unusual role in steering the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting, then he should submit his resignation for the School Board’s consideration.

Because that is the right thing to do.    

In my view, what has been allowed to fester in Volusia County District Schools is the antithesis of effective leadership – culminating in a rebellious confrontation between the Superintendent and one of his direct superiors, the sitting Chairman of the Volusia County School Board – the senior member of the very political body that was elected by the citizens to provide effective oversight and stewardship. 

The preamble of the district’s “Standards of Conduct” begins:

“The School Board recognizes that the education of children is a process that involves a partnership between students, parents, teachers, school administrators and other school based and district personnel. For this educational process and partnership to be successful, it is necessary for all individuals to conduct themselves in an appropriate and orderly manner, demonstrating mutual respect for others. . .”

In my view, our elected representatives and senior administrators have lost their moral compass and strayed far from the lofty standards memorialized above.

Now, it is time for School Board members to either regain some semblance of organizational bearing and establish a stable learning environment for the thousands of Volusia County students who rely on them for a quality education – and support and protect the devoted teachers and staff who have committed their professional lives here – or have the courage to step aside and make way for someone who will. 

That’s all for me.  Have a Happy Easter, y’all! 

I like to joke that the Volusia County School Board put the “fun” in “dysfunction” – except it’s not funny anymore. . .

There was more high drama on Tuesday when things took a theatrical turn in the ongoing saga of beleaguered Superintendent Dr. Ronald “Scott” Fritz when he was unceremoniously fired on a 3-2 vote following an offstage altercation with Chairman Ruben Colon.

Good.  In the view of many, Fritz should have been shown the door months ago.  

Don’t worry, everyone involved landed on their feet – except those who rely on Volusia County District Schools for their education or livelihood – because that’s how this pernicious “system” is geared to work. . .     

In the aftermath of the vote, Dr. Fritz quickly skedaddled with a sack full of severance worth a whopping $186,843.42 pursuant to the terms of his lucrative contract which guaranteed him the proverbial golden parachute for termination “without cause.”

In the aftermath, many are wondering if that was the right call – and why the rush?

Look, in my view, the Volusia County School Board had ample reason(s) to send Fritz packing long before the announcement he would not be renewing his contract – not the least of which was the laundry list of pseudo accomplishments he sent to stakeholders – something many found self-indulgent given the well-publicized internal opposition and organizational dysfunction that belied the results of a recent external accreditation audit which praised the districts much-heralded “strategic plan.”

Except, last year we learned that the strategic plan (for which Dr. Fritz received a $10,000 spiff) was actually facilitated by an outside company who apparently received some $49,000 in public funds – an amount just under the Superintendent’s spending threshold – which meant the consulting fee did not have to come before the School Board for approval.

That wasn’t the only issue that came outside the public’s view during Dr. Fritz’ tenure.

For instance, during public participation prior to the vote, a speaker asked that Dr. Fritz consider reimbursing the district after he continued to receive an automobile allowance during his seven-month leave of absence at the same time his interim replacement, Dr. Carmen Balgobin, was also being paid a vehicle stipend.

Recently, many were concerned by Dr. Fritz’ controversial decision to enter a contracted services agreement with Ormond Beach City Commissioner Susan Persis, a retired district employee and wife of current School Board member (and Fritz cheerleader) Carl Persis, which pays her $82.00 an hour (not to exceed $23,616.00 over the life of the contract) to provide “coaching services” to principals at select schools – another dubious expense that did not come before the School Board for approval.   

In the view of many, it was this all-too-convenient arrangement that removed Mr. Persis’ moral authority to contribute to the discussion of Dr. Fritz’ fate.

But that didn’t stop him.   

Interestingly, Mr. Persis joined Linda Cuthbert in voting against terminating Dr. Fritz. . . 

Yeah.  That. . . 

Of course, between all the gnashing of teeth and political posturing, there was much gushing from the dais about the importance of “putting the children first” and prioritizing those professionals who teach and support children in the classroom – which seemed to drive the point home that it has never been “about the children” with this bunch of over-the-top buffoons and their attorney, Ted “Sleepy Potato” Doran – who guides the decisions of his wayward charges with admonishments like, “You’re gonna make me rich!”

Which would be funny if it weren’t true. . . 

In typical fashion, the School Board meeting had all the earmarks of another noxious shitshow – and the handwriting was on the wall following a spirited “workshop” earlier that afternoon – during which board member Linda Cuthbert publicly unraveled and cemented her standing as a hyper-dramatic soup sandwich who clearly lacks the emotional strength for elective service.  

Don’t take my word for it, watch the shenanigans for yourself here: https://tinyurl.com/2p8a6a5v  

When talk turned to “succession planning” (which looked nothing remotely like actual succession planning, a process that typically takes place before the Head Honcho departs) board member Jamie Haynes courageously made the much-anticipated motion to terminate Fritz, which was seconded by Anita Burnette, and followed by pious tut-tutting from the tag team of Cuthbert and Persis.

Then, during a clumsy recess before the vote to allow Mr. Doran to discuss potential victims – sorry, make that “interim superintendents” – with two board members, Dr. Fritz could be seen gesturing for Chairman Ruben Colon to follow him into an anteroom off the dais. 

When the meeting reconvened, an obviously frazzled Colon made the cryptic statement:

“During the break, Dr. Fritz made it clear he does not want to be here by his actions.  So, I’m going to support the motion tonight. It’s not what I came here to do. But I do not believe our employees deserve what I was just subject to a few minutes ago.”

Whoa. 

That should have signaled an “All Stop” from Mr. Doran so an investigation could be commissioned to determine exactly what happened outside the public view that influenced (or intimidated?) the Chair to support the Superintendent’s immediate termination. 

But he didn’t. 

In retrospect, it seemed infinitely more important to Mr. Doran that Dr. Fritz’ exorbitant severance package be set in stone without delay. 

But why?

Many of us looking on were shocked when Mr. Doran stepped out of his advisory role, seized the reigns from Chairman Colon, and clearly orchestrated a motion to approve the severance package in the immediate aftermath of a confrontation that left the Chair of his board clearly stunned.

From what little we know – Chairman Colon was apparently on the receiving end of one of Dr. Fritz’ infamous “temper tantrums” – angry outbursts that have had many staff members “walking on eggshells” as fear and intimidation permeated the Ivory Tower of Power in Deland.   

A toxic culture, indeed.  

Look, it has been a while since I was on the public dole – and I have no idea what Mr. Colon was “subjected to” behind Oz’s curtain – but if memory serves, I distinctly recall a prohibition on insubordinate and disrespectful behavior by senior appointed officials toward those We, The Little People elect to represent our interests in the municipality that employed me. . . 

Yep.  I am certain that if a senior executive saw fit to verbally abuse a sitting elected official where I worked, it would have resulted in a formal outside inquiry; and, if proven true, the conduct would have resulted in termination with cause – which would negate any claim to a massive severance package – in this case, worth over six times the median per capita income of Volusia County residents.

We deserve an explanation from Mr. Doran. But don’t hold your breath.

Unfortunately, the rules are different at Volusia County District Schools – depending upon who you are (or who you’re married to), that is. 

In the opinion of many residents, in his final act of defiance, Dr. Fritz violated the “Termination with Cause” provisions of his contract which expressly lists “gross insubordination” as a terminable offense resulting in forfeiture of severance.    

While many view insubordination as an intentional failure to carry out the lawful order of a superior, the term is also accepted to include insolence – acts, conduct, and language which demonstrate a lack of respect or contempt of lawful authority – like when the Superintendent of Schools sends the Chairman of the School Board into a panic with his boorish behavior. . .  

In Volusia County, the tail often wags the dog, and elected officials are admonished to view things from the “30,000-foot level” rather than get mired in the minutia of their fiduciary responsibilities to protect taxpayers from the burden of an undeserved $186,000 payout to a failed superintendent with a penchant for making his bosses cry. 

Whatever.

Before fleeing the dais, Dr. Fritz continued to toot his own horn:

“It will still remain one of the high points in the 30-plus years in public education.  Nobody wants change, but sometimes it’s necessary, and I will tell you that when I was hired here, I was asked for a change. And I think we’ve done that. I stand ready to help the next permanent superintendent of Volusia County Schools because we want what’s best for our kids.”

No thanks, Dr. Fritz.  You’ve done quite enough. . .

For the immediate future, Human Resources Director Rachel Hazel was tapped by unanimous vote to temporarily steer the ship – at least until Chairman Colon has an opportunity to beg former Deputy Superintendent Dr. Carmen Balgobin to uproot from her new post in Broward County and return to the muck and mire of the Fun Coast.    

You read that right. 

They are banking on “Dr. B” – who just jumped ship for greener pastures – to pull our collective fat out of the fire. . .   

It is called “Panic Mode” – a complete lack of any continuity of operations plan or identifiable chain-of-command in the face of a growing crisis. 

Adding to the chaos and confusion – Tuesday’s contentious meeting ended with no firm design for how (or even if) the School Board will search for a replacement, the level of stakeholder participation (if any), or a strategy for calming the tumult and rampant speculation going forward. 

With a budget now exceeding $1 Billion and the busiest time of the school year approaching – this one deserves your undivided attention.

I fear the fun is just beginning. . .  

“A favorite theory of mine [is] that no occurrence is sole and solitary but is merely a repetition of a thing which has happened before, and perhaps often.”

–Mark Twain

I am an observer – and a student of history.   

Rather than participate officially, I watch the action and analyze things from the sidelines – with a hard-earned ability to discern both the minute and significant – gaining insight into all aspects of a situation, determining patterns, and comparing modern issues with historical outcomes. 

Because motivations become apparent once you learn that leopards are incapable of changing their spots. . .

With practice, one can see through the cosmetics, drapes, and disguises used by politicians (and those who control them) to craft an image of themselves relative to the perennial problems we face – especially true during an election year – hoping those they “govern” won’t peek behind the well-crafted façade and connect the dots (and the dollars).     

In time, we find that the issues we face bear striking similarities to other events in our history and ignoring this convergence often results in that painful sense of “déjà vu” that comes from touching a hot stove twice.

These recurrences are often called “history repeating itself” – and, as Winston Churchill warned, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

This week, I took notice as a giddy sense of excitement built ahead of Tuesday’s Volusia County Council “growth management and development permitting workshop” – which will be held in Council Chambers between the intentionally inconvenient hours of 9:30am and 2:30pm – putting it off the table for most concerned citizens who work for a living. . . 

Incredibly, some smart people are pinning their hopes to yet another hot air generator – one more mind-numbing PowerPoint presentation hosted by the same do-nothing “growth management” drones who remain comfortably mired in the same incestuous relationships with real estate developers and insiders – another time-wasting diversion for the masses while the bulldozers continue to roar. 

No thanks.  I have seen it all before. 

Look, I hate to be the proverbial turd in the punchbowl – but I remember the sense of excitement I felt in the leadup to the “Smart Growth summits” of 2003 and 2004.

And who can forget the Great Smart Growth PowerPoint of November 2008?  With its ominous conclusion, “Where do we go next?”

(Unfortunately, hindsight tells us the answer to that question was a “cram ten-pounds of shit in a five-pound bag” growth management strategy that continues to allow our elected dullards to maintain their paralytic grip on the stagnant status quo while ensuring their political benefactors can squeeze every dollar they can out of our decimated natural places. . .)

Remember that heady horseshit, “The concept of Smart Growth emerged as communities have been increasingly impacted by “sprawling” development patterns and related infrastructure and service delivery costs. Locally, this pattern cannot be sustained without permanent destruction of vast ecosystems and wildlife corridors”?

I do. 

Or how about that collective feeling of keen anticipation ahead of the exalted “Smart Growth Policy Review Committee of 2013-2014” – the council commissioned Blue-Ribbon political insulation committee charged with recommending a host of planning and zoning policy initiatives? 

No?

Oh, I know!  How about the “Smart Growth Policy Review Committee of 2015-2016”?

Just me?  Okay.

Wait, I’m certain you will recall the impressive presentation by Clay Ervin, our long-serving director of Growth and Resource Management, at a Volusia County Council meeting in January 2019.

Or Director Ervin’s subsequent ‘Dog and Pony Show’ at the Knights of the Roundtable conclave in June of that year, to “…explore the idea of “smart growth” within the county, with the input from municipalities and other community stakeholders.”

If it sounds like “déjà vu all over again,” that’s because it is. 

Have you seen evidence of “smart growth” initiatives or “low-impact” development rules resulting from these decades-old shim-shams?

Me neither.

So why are we so eager to expect a different outcome?

This weekend, a very smart friend of mine sent a front-page clipping from the Tallahassee Democrat – published 50-years ago this week – with the glaring headline, “Halt Florida’s Chaotic Growth, Experts Plead.” 

The lede, written in April 1972 by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Mike Toner of the Democrat-Miami Herald News Service, explained, “Florida’s growth is outstripping the efforts to plan properly for it, and, in some parts of the state, growth should stop until planning can catch up. . .”

In the report, Mr. Toner quoted the recommendation of two groups with seemingly competing interests – the American Institute of Architects and Florida Defenders of the Environment – who promoted a list of “temporary solutions,” which included “A halt to all major transportation programs, especially I-95 and I-75 in south Florida and I-10 in north Florida, while a comprehensive study of their environmental impact is made,” and “…a moratorium be placed on areas “of new and potential growth” where the growth is certain to affect natural resources…”

Wow.

The more things change, the more they stay the same, eh?

The one common denominator is a long stain of compromised politicians – and the developers and special interests who own the paper on their political souls – who continue to approve malignant sprawl (with a building tsunami of approved projects already on the books) that look us in the eye and tell us there’s “nothing we can do/hands are tied” while approving zoning changes, increasing density, and always ensuring a malleable “planning process” that is quickly destroying our environment and quality of life.    

In my view, tomorrows “growth management workshop” represents more bureaucratic gaslighting, more nonsensical rehashing of “low-impact” development concepts that have been intentionally suppressed for years – yet another diversionary tactic – a means of putting time and distance between now and any substantive action to reduce the malignant sprawl that has already outpaced our transportation and utilities infrastructure and is now rapidly threatening our water supply. 

They do it because we allow it, and in this election year, it is time to determine who has our back and who is content with ‘more of the same.’

I often sound like some demented Henny Penny, but as I have previously said, please take a moment from your busy lives and truly reflect on what the basic principles at the heart of these matters mean – not for us – but for our children and grandchildren. 

As we have seen in recent elections, there remains one fundamental mechanism which, if exercised broadly, will allow us to prevail over the political insiders and well-heeled donor class that seem intent on promoting this “growth at all costs” insanity for personal enrichment:

In this election year, it is the ultimate power of the ballot box.

In truth, it is the only thing that strikes concern in the heart of these self-serving bastards who are actively selling their political soul – and our unique quality of life – all while wasting precious time with these insulting diversions.

Don’t be fooled again.

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           Volusia County School Board

“Am I the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules?”

–Walter Sobchak, The Big Lebowski

Along our personal and professional journey, we stand or fall by the decisions we make.    

Those who hold senior public leadership positions know (at least they should) that perception becomes reality for outsiders peering at the innerworkings of a cloistered bureaucracy through that greasy pane in the fortified portcullis, especially when what they are told does not comport with what they see with their own eyes, and answers come in the form of carefully crafted soundbites and punched up social media posts.   

This uncertainty results in suspicion and speculation – which is why, in places where accountability is still important – many senior executives are never more than two bad decisions from the door.  In consideration of this volatility, they often command outlandishly high salaries, benefits, and severance packages unheard of in the private sector. 

Last week, the tumult surrounding early discussions of extending Volusia County School Superintendent Dr. Ronald “Scott” Fritz’ employment agreement – which included an intense lobbying effort by some very important people and organizations seeking to keep him at the helm – ended when Fritz announced he would not be extending his contract when it expires in November. 

Within days of his announcement, Dr. Fritz published a laundry list of his accomplishments in an open letter to staff and taxpayers – something many found self-indulgent given the well-publicized internal opposition and organizational dysfunction that belied the results of a recent external accreditation audit which praised the districts much-heralded “strategic plan.”

For instance, in one key finding (which many onlookers found incongruous with what we have heard and read) the accreditation team described Volusia County Schools as, “A large district structure that was very organized, well-focused, strategic, all headed in the same direction and unified.”

Another glowing accolade depicted, “A strong sense of family, despite the large size and geographical areas.”

More on that sense of family thing in a minute. . .

Look, by any metric, the outgoing Volusia County School Superintendent has not had an easy time of it. 

During the bulk of his first year at the helm, Dr. Fritz was sidelined by an unfortunate health diagnosis and subsequent seven-month leave of absence that saw his second-in-command, Dr. Carmen Balgobin, (who mysteriously jumped ship and is now the Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning in Broward County), taking the tiller during the tumult of the pandemic.

It was during this uncertain time when many parents, teachers, students, and staff lost confidence in their leadership amid a clumsy communications strategy that seemed to rely on rumor and social media posts to convey essential information to stakeholders. 

Unfortunately, in the view of many, the confusion did not end when Dr. Fritz returned. 

During incredibly contentious School Board meetings, Fritz offered divisive opinions, fueled raucous protests by calling it “bad parenting” not to have your child wear a mask (while acknowledging a parent’s right to choose), and implementing policies that contravened the direction of state education officials in the face of growing criticism from parents – and his own staff – that ultimately required a police presence at meetings to include the use metal detectors to screen participants. 

It quickly appeared as if a siege mentality had gripped the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand. 

Insiders in district offices have told me that Superintendent Fritz was prone to “temper tantrums” – raising his voice to subordinates – something I equate to the “Captain Queeg” syndrome that can invade the executive suite when self-absorbed “leaders” feel betrayed and abandoned. 

Recently, many were concerned by Dr. Fritz’ decision to enter a contracted services agreement with Ormond Beach City Commissioner Susan Persis, a retired district employee and wife of current School Board member Carl Persis – which pays her $82.00 an hour (not to exceed $23,616.00 over the life of the contract) to provide “coaching services” to principals at select schools.  

All perfectly legal and within Dr. Fritz’ discretionary spending authority.

However, in the view of many, quietly awarding a lucrative contract to the spouse of a sitting School Board member can be perceived as cronyism – and that is corrosive to the public trust – especially in a time of frightening budgetary shortfalls, unprecedented staff turnover, and flagging taxpayer trust in the system.

I recently received an anonymous note in the mail suggesting favoritism in the selection and hiring process.  According to the note, the same information was sent to School Board members, Volusia United Educators, and The Daytona Beach News-Journal.   

According to the note, in January, Mr. Thomas Soli – who previously served as an assistant principal in Orange County Public Schools – was appointed Principal of Riverview Learning Center in Daytona Beach. 

I looked high-and-low for any official announcement on the district website before finding the following blurb on Dr. Fritz’ Facebook page from January 2022:

“Congratulations to our two newest administrators! Thomas Soli will be the principal of Riverview Learning Center and Timothy Carignan will be an assistant principal of VCS River Springs Middle School of Technology and Innovation.”

Conversely, the detailed information I received in the mail last weekend painted a much broader picture – explaining that Mr. Soli is married to former Deputy Superintendent Carmen Balgobin – which, once again, raised questions about transparency and preference in the selection process – along with concerns about string-pulling as the appointment placed Mr. Soli as a direct report to Ms. Balgobin before her departure.      

You read that right. 

Talk about that sense of family, eh? 

A public records request to Volusia County District Schools seeking information on the selection and hiring has gone unanswered since Monday. . .

My God. 

Look, my only frame of reference is over thirty-years of service in small-town municipal government.

Trust me, I have seen some weird shit go down. . .

But at no time in my public service did I see this complete lack of self-awareness – or utter disregard for the appearance of impropriety – decisions that, regardless of intent, leave the unmistakable impression of favoritism. 

Look, I am not going to kick the man after he has tapped out – and I am sure Dr. Fritz will land on his feet in another district as that is the nature of his profession – but many believe that our elected officials on the Volusia County School Board either knew or should have known the potential perception issues surrounding these questionable decisions and taken action to prevent the further erosion of the public trust in this important institution. 

In this election year, it is the hope of many that our rudderless School Board can see through the hype and fluff, then take the time to explore all available options in selecting Dr. Fritz’ replacement. 

This should be accomplished with a transparent and inclusive process, soliciting the invested recommendations of parents, teachers, and staff – with fair consideration for qualified internal candidates with a demonstrated commitment to the education of our children – and a real connection with those dedicated educators who present the curriculum in the classroom. 

In my view, it is also time for our School Board to consider the ramification to the public trust of allowing lucrative backroom deals that invariably seem to favor those close to highly placed decisionmakers over the very real concerns of stakeholders.    

More of the same is no longer an option – and we deserve better. 

Asshole           Brevard County Commissioner Curt Smith

Florida politicians are sui generis.

They bare a passing resemblance to other office holders in Banana Republics around the world, but pound-for-pound Sunshine State politicos have lowered the bar to whale-shit levels – drawn by their worst instincts to all that is dumb and nonsensical – making decisions that affect the apathetic masses with the prudence of a deranged toddler loose with a loaded shotgun – always sinking to the lowest common denominator: Money.    

This base idiocy, made worse by a total disregard for any known philosophy of ethics and morality, knows no ideological or partisan boundaries. 

Our current predicament(s) did not occur overnight – proving that, regardless of which political party is in control, the greed-heads and pirates who have historically been granted carte blanche to slash-and-burn what remains of our wild places win every time.

To save face, our elected dullards string together a few “wildlife corridors,” a patchwork of conservation land, often purchased at hyper-inflated prices, to allow what remains of Florida’s natural fauna to thread their way through remaining slivers of wetlands and encircled pine scrub in a hurt here/help there strategy that allows politicians and real estate speculators to live with themselves. 

(Don’t worry, newcomers – we will kill any disoriented wildlife that strays from their “corridor” and wanders into your gated community. . .)

Whatever.

In the first four-months of 2022, some 400 manatees have succumbed to starvation along Florida’s Atlantic Coast in what state and federal wildlife officials now refer to with the sterile term “Unusual Mortality Event.” 

Many of those gentle creatures died right here in the northern reaches of the Indian River Lagoon in Southeast Volusia County. 

In my view, there is nothing “unusual” about it. 

Florida politicians, at all levels of government, have openly sacrificed the manatee’s food source for lucre – permitting more, more, more malignant coastal development while gutting environmental regulations in a “fox in the henhouse” strategy that allows neutered regulators to look the other way while those with a chip in the game rape our natural places for profit. 

And don’t give me any horseshit about how many acres we have put into conservation – the proof of the wholesale exploitation of our waterways is bloated and decomposing on a shoreline near you. . .

According to recognized biodiversity experts, runoff into the Indian River Lagoon from overdevelopment is fueling algal blooms that have killed tens of thousands of acres of seagrass beds – while sediment washing into the water blocks sunlight and smothers the unique and necessary ecosystems found in seagrass meadows that manatees rely on for nourishment. 

Last week, inconceivably, a pasty-faced douchebag by the name of Brevard County Commissioner Curt Smith promoted the deranged idea of intentionally killing even more manatees as a way of “thinning the herd” and reducing the number who are dying horrible (and very public) deaths due to hunger.

You read that right.

Naturally, a check of previous Brevard County campaign finance records finds Komisar Smith’s groaning war chest was chockfull of contributions from real estate developers. . .

According to the obviously unbalanced Smith:

“Everybody loves manatees. I love manatees. I love seeing them. It’s part of the scenery,” Smith said. “But we have to get real and the reality is that there has never been a calculation of what the carrying capacity should be for this habitat.”

Really?  Part of the scenery? 

Like no one bothered to calculate what the carrying capacity should be for residential and commercial development adjacent to our sensitive springs, rivers, and waterways before craven elected officials approved malignant sprawl for their political puppeteers with Pavlovian regularity? 

Bullshit.

In my view, Commissioner Smith’s idea is the most galactically stupid notion ever proffered by an elected official (this week, anyway).

Researchers are suggesting that we are already doing a masterful job of depopulation – destroying manatees at a rate never seen before in the toxic soup that was once one of the most diverse estuarine systems in North America – citing the fact that further slaughter would have dramatic impacts on other species in the symbiotic cycle that once gave life to the lagoon. 

According to Patrick Rose, an aquatic biologist and executive director of Save The Manatee Club, “To have one of those commissioners to be so uninformed so ignorant of what the real problem is disconcerting. Certainly, the solution is not to have more manatees killed.” 

Did I mention that Commissioner Smith serves as the vice-chair of that do-nothing political insulation committee at the Indian River Lagoon Council? 

Because he does. . .

In my view, it is time that those we have elected to represent our interests stop using the piecemeal restoration of the Indian River Lagoon as a cheap photo-op and get serious about stopping the destruction of our waterways with moratoriums and direct prohibitions on unsustainable development in sensitive environments along the IRL and beyond.    

Regardless, neither history, nor nature, will absolve us of our sins. 

Angel              Citizens Committed to Preserving Our History   

Like some half-drunk Diogenes crashing about with my dim lamp, I searched long and hard for an ‘Angel’ this week.  

I really needed some good news this week, and I found it in a diverse group of area residents who are passionate about preserving an important part of our unique wartime history.    

On Wednesday evening, I watched in utter disgust as the Daytona Beach City Commission was treated to a walkthrough video of the horribly neglected City Island Recreation Center as the historic structure was slow walked toward the gallows.

Earlier in the day, Commissioner Ken Strickland filmed the shocking video for the edification of his “colleagues” and residents who have been denied access to one of their oldest public assets as it fell victim to strategic rot, willful negligence, and official malfeasance. 

In my view, the footage represented compelling evidence of the criminal neglect that has destroyed and depreciated a publicly owned building.

Following the presentation, Mayor Derrick Henry permitted his subjects to approach their overlords on the dais with the admonition, “It is everyone’s right to speak and be heard, but. . .” before a concerned group of residents advanced and begged their elected representatives to save this unique piece of Halifax area history. 

During public comments, some truly courageous citizens spoke out, including former Leisure Services Director Percy Williamson – who spoke passionately about his losing battle to secure budget allocations for proper maintenance and upkeep of the City Island Recreation Center – calling it a “…wrong that happened many years ago.”

It was heartening to hear Commissioners Ruth Trager, Ken Strickland, and Paula Reed champion this connection to our community’s past, while Commissioner Dannette Henry opened her mind to exploring options before making a final decision on the building’s fate.

It was also damnably frustrating to listen as another dismissed the facility as “not worth saving” as the discussion dissolved into some truly nonsensical horseshit that gave disturbing insight into how some elected officials “think.”   

After deliberation, the commission voted unanimously to apply to the city’s historic preservation board asking that they designate the City Island Recreation Center a place of local historical significance – which will allow City Manager Derek Feacher to explore grant opportunities and identify resources to fund renovations – along with estimates on the cost of demolishing the structure. 

Commissioners also rightfully decided to form committee comprised of civic-minded residents to determine a “purpose” for the building going forward. 

Look, I still don’t hold out much hope for the building long-term – but, for now, the City Island Recreation Center has received an optimistic stay of execution. 

While some may consider this another example of “kicking the can down the road” and prolonging the inevitable in the face of vehement citizen opposition – the passion and advocacy demonstrated by those residents who stood in support of preserving this important piece of City Island’s rich history was inspiring. 

At the end of the day, the Daytona Beach City Commission listened to their constituents – with Mayor Henry making the astute observation that – while other citizens want the building demolished in the name of “progress” – those voices did not attend Wednesday night’s meeting. 

Thank you to those caring and civically involved citizens who did – and for restoring our faith in the power of a positive grassroots effort to change the hearts (and votes) of those elected to represent the needs of city residents. 

Quote of the Week

“They’re not respecting the process, and they’re not respecting the voters,” Northey said. “Don’t empower a group to make recommendations and then dismiss them as cavalierly and out of hand as they did.”

–Deltona Charter Review Committee Chair Pat Northey, as quoted by The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Katie Kustura, “2 of 5 charter proposals advanced: 3 recommendations are nixed by Deltona,” Wednesday, April 6, 2022

As H.L. Mencken said, “When somebody says it’s not about the money, it’s about the money.”

After months of careful deliberation, the City of Deltona Charter Review Committee submitted a list of five commonsense recommendations after a careful line-by-line review of the city’s governing document. 

These changes included:

Shall the City of Deltona Charter be amended to modify composition and qualifications to allow for city commissioners to reside in a district and be elected on a city-wide basis?

Shall the City of Deltona Charter be amended to modify the salary of the mayor to be equal to 50% of the Volusia County chair and the salary of the commissioners to be equal to 50% of the Volusia County Council Members?

Shall the City of Deltona Charter be amended to add language to provide for a maximum term of 18 months that the charter offices of city manager and city attorney may be appointed as acting, and to provide for an additional term of six months for extraordinary circumstances?

Shall the City of Deltona Charter be amended to increase the Charter Review Committee to seven members and to require any proposed charter amendments to be placed on the ballot of the next general election?

Shall the City of Deltona Charter be amended to add a provision requiring standards, procedures, requirements, and regulations to provide for environmental considerations on major decisions undertaken by the City Commission or city planners?

Which of these recommendations do you think the Deltona City Commission chose to ‘allow’ electors to vote on during the general election?      

During a recent workshop, the commission moved just two amendments forward – to include a pay increase for themselves – and one setting a maximum term of 18-months for charter officer’s serving in an “acting status,” with an additional six-month extension for “extraordinary circumstances.” 

In an informative article by Wild West Volusia reporter Katie Kustura writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, we learned:

“In discussing proposed changes to compensation — which isn’t required by the charter — all of the commissioners said they weren’t in it for the salary.  (Excuse me.  I just shot a mouthful of my ‘fortified’ Café Bustelo through my nose.  Dammit.) 

Some commissioners expressed support for some level of increased compensation, but not to the extent of what was proposed.

“I think that a good salary being paid to elected officials in the City of Deltona would attract more people to run for office,” Vice Mayor Maritza Avila-Vazquez said.  (I’ll say!)

Commissioner Loren King said he didn’t even know the position included compensation when he first made the decision to run.  (Seriously?)

The annual salary of the Volusia County Council chair is $57,357, and council members each are paid $47,797. The mayor and members of the commission presently are paid $14,187 and $10,520, respectively.”

That’s an increase of $14,491 for the mayor – and $13,378 for commissioners. . . 

When was the last time you saw a raise that more than doubled your salary where you work? 

For a part-time gig?

Only Commissioner Dana McCool admitted that – while she loves public service – for her, it’s kind of about the money, “At the same turn of the coin, my time is worth something.”

Why is it whenever local elected officials are tasked with determining a course of action that will either benefit them and their political benefactors – or improve the ability of citizens to have direct input in the destiny of their community – they invariably revert to their atavistic instincts?

(Don’t take my word for it – the Palm Coast City Council just voted to give themselves a $35,000 pay raise – that is an increase of 365%. . .)

Given the series of blunders, bloopers, bungles, and gaffes that have plagued Deltona government for years, a continuing course of abhorrent conduct that has resulted in an ‘Us vs. Them’ mindset at City Hall – and vitriolic pushback from frustrated residents – I think the good citizens of Deltona have seen enough to make a clear call on this one. . . 

In my view, Ms. Northey is right – limiting citizen choices by excluding amendments from the ballot is disrespectful to those they serve. 

Perhaps it is time We, The Little People begin the discussion of eliminating exorbitant salaries and benefits for part-time elected officials in local governments in favor of an equitable system that reimburses actual out-of-pocket expenses, within certain parameters, as approved by voters and memorialized in the charter? 

Something to consider. . .

And Another Thing!

Last week, we learned that the Flagler Beach City Commission – stewards of the last vestiges of ‘Old Florida’ on the east coast – unanimously voted to approve a 100-room hotel in the very heart of their once quaint community that will be known as “Compass” – another take on the contrived “Margaritaville” trope that is quickly remaking Florida into a cheap counterfeit image of its former self.   

My God.  “Pave paradise and put up a parking lot”. . .

Look, I don’t live there.  It is the Flagler Beach City Commission’s Tinker Toy set – but it is hard for those who have spent our lives in the area to watch this regional gem be destroyed in the name of “progress.” 

Frighteningly, the “vague plan” also calls for something on the wide swath of public beach across A-1-A that may or may not allow the great unwashed hordes to bring our own chairs and sit on that portion of sand now controlled by the stylish new hotel. . . 

According to an informative report in FlaglerLive!:

“Whether at the planning board or in the plans presented the city commission Thursday, there were no details about those plans on the beach-side. Only an ominous indication, drawn in outline on a slide, that there will be some sort of activity on the beach tied to the construction of the hotel. That worried (Commissioner Eric) Cooley and Commissioner Jane Mealy. It should not have surprised the developer, who knew city officials wanted more details about those plans as far back as late 2020.

“If we are going to approve it, since there is nothing about what’s going to be built, I would like us to make sure we address this verbiage that that will have to be a separate approval,” Cooley said. “We can’t approve something we have no data for, and that’s going to have a significant impact on our beach. The verbiage bothers me, by saying that is part of the project site, which is the site plan that we’re approving, when it’s never been discussed, it was never brought the power (sic) board, it’s not in the packet, there’s no detail.”

Sound familiar?  It should.

The idea of elected officials voting on issues that will have long-term invasive impacts on their communities without any due diligence is now the accepted method of political insulation in Florida. 

A strategic ignorance that permits these craven marionettes to rubberstamp malignant development (and intrusive industrial warehouses) for their political benefactors with a “We weren’t given all the facts!” fallback when things go to shit. 

So, say goodbye to this quaint coastal hamlet.  It may be better, it may be worse, but it will never be the same – and Flagler Beach isn’t the only local community that is quickly falling victim to this perverse notion of “progress.”  

In keeping with that theme, I recently heard from a reliable source that one freshman local elected official (in a Volusia County municipality) was told that they were not allowed to vote “No” on proposed development and land-use issues coming before their elected body. 

Unfortunately, based upon the evidence, I believe it.    

In my view, if true, that would constitute a willful suppression of independent representation and should be criminally investigated, prosecuted, and any elected or appointed official – or those who benefited from it – allowed to rot in some stifling hole at the Florida State Prison at Raiford.

But no one who should seems to give two-shits that it is developers and influential insiders who are destroying our quality of life and shaping our communities in their own craven image – and those we elect have become little more than the dull tools used to facilitate it.    

Don’t worry, Sunshine State city/county council/commission members, representatives, senators, managers, directors, et al. – your motivations will not be given a second look.    

Your ilk is safe, here in the biggest whorehouse in the world. . . 

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               F.A.I.T.H.

“Happy days are here again,

The skies above are clear again

Let us sing a song of cheer again

Happy days are here again!”

Some Halifax area “movers & shakers” are of the opinion that if We, The Little People change our negative attitudes, ignore the abject dysfunction that permeates local government, brush off the concerns of “naysayers,” join hands, and embrace the power of positivity, we will eventually come to accept the inconveniences, traffic gridlock, and steady tax increases we face as the necessary byproduct of “progress.”

They tell us these civic incommodes are a small price to pay for the “success” we are all enjoying (you feel the success, right?) while a few fatbacks get filthy rich clear-cutting our natural places and throwing up wood frame cracker boxes – “Starting from the low $300’s.” 

“Altogether shout it now!

There’s no one who can doubt it now!

So, let’s tell the world about it now!

Happy days are here again!”

These well-heeled cheerleaders for the status quo want us to believe that a simple change in mindset is all that is required – that by ignoring what we see with our own eyes, we can turn our collective frown upside-down.  As if ignorance itself can serve as an emotional panacea for the inherent unfairness of a skewed system controlled by those who funnel enormous campaign contributions to hand-select candidates as a means of controlling their environment. 

“Your cares and troubles are gone!

They’ll be no more from now on,

Happy days are here again!

The skies above are clear again,

Let us sing a song of cheer again!

Happy days are here again!”

As a jaded realist, I understand that donning rose-colored glasses and merely viewing problems through optimistic eyes never solves anything. 

In fact, given the serious threats to our quality of life – that strategy is delusional. 

Besides, it is easy to have a cheerful outlook from the safety and opulence of a gated community. . . 

Earlier this week, F.A.I.T.H. – Fighting Against Injustice Towards Harmony – held its annual Action Assembly at the Daytona Beach Drive-In Christian Church with remote viewing locations in Port Orange and Wild West Volusia. 

I find it interesting that F.A.I.T.H.’s annual call-to-action has its roots in the biblical story of Nehemiah:

“In 5th chapter of the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, the Prophet Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem to find his people being exploited. During a terrible drought and famine, a group of moneylenders began capitalizing off of the Israelites desperation by enticing them to buy loans with high interest rates. When the Israelites defaulted on their loans, they were forced to sell their children into slavery (Nehemiah 5:1-5).”

Sound familiar?  It should.

Instead of providing temporary assistance to his exploited people, Nehemiah knew it was the corrupt system that needed to change and used his influence to coordinate a “great assembly” where the Israelites called out the moneylenders for their foul practices.

As in years past, the faith-based group pushed for basic fairness in area living standards – to include Volusia County’s strategic neglect of affordable housing initiatives – once again calling for the establishment of a countywide Housing Trust Fund to ensure adequate housing for working families displaced by the explosive growth our ‘powers that be’ continue to rubberstamp as demanded by their political puppeteers. 

In addition, F.A.I.T.H. is asking for a study to consider inclusionary zoning and “linkage fees” – a one-time impact fee assessed on new construction to mitigate the impact of the additional demand for affordable housing – something considered blasphemy in this growth at all cost environment.

In my view, F.A.I.T.H. is not asking for the world – just a leg up for those less fortunate who are struggling to meet the most basic of human needs – shelter, safety, water, food, rest – in a place where one in three rental families are severely cost burdened, trapped in a wage/rental deficit that, according to F.A.I.T.H., now exceeds a similar gap in the New York City and San Francisco metropolitan areas.

As in years past, their cries for basic fairness were arrogantly ignored by our exalted ‘powers that be.’

Tragically, of all the sitting elected officials who are now busying themselves telling voters how accessible they are – just one Volusia County Council member (Barb Girtman), one School Board member, and three Daytona Beach city commissioners attended the F.A.I.T.H. Action Assembly. 

That’s it.

According to reports, Volusia County Council members Heather Post and Billie Wheeler sent written responses vowing to support a housing trust fund – while Councilman Danny Robins invited F.A.I.T.H. members to ask questions during a Port Orange “town hall meeting” on Tuesday night – on his own turf, far away from the heat of the Action Assembly. . . 

I understand School Board Chair Ruben Colon and Member Carl Persis attended a watch party and answered questions in that venue.

Sadly, Chairman Jeff Brower and L’Eminence Grise – The Very Reverend “Dr.” Fred Lowry – were no-shows. At least At-Large Councilman Ben Johnson had the courtesy to say he would not be attending.

My God. . .

In an effort to bridge the growing divide – in a place where the median rental income is just $13 an hour and a basic one-bedroom apartment now demands an income of at least $17 an hour – F.A.I.T.H. is asking that $2.5 million of federal American Rescue Plan relief funds, a fraction of the Manna from Heaven that has been showered on Volusia County government – be placed in trust then replenished with a $1 million allocation of public funds annually. 

In my view, that’s not a lot to ask when you consider that we’ve coughed up $4 million in economic incentives for the largest on-line retailer in the known universe on a promise of $15 an hour warehouse jobs, a collective $40 million in “incentives” from Daytona Beach and Volusia County for One Daytona (a privately held retail complex where commercial tenants have had their own issues with exorbitant rental rates), $4.5 million in “grants” to Tanger Outlets, untold millions in city, county, and state spiffs, tax credits, and infrastructure for the heralded Brown & Brown headquarters, some $7.5 million in “tax breaks” for the developer of a proposed luxury apartment complex on Beach Street, $4 million to P$S Paving for Beach Street “Improvements,” another $8 million proposed for the Beach Street “corridor overhaul,” etc., etc., etc.

Wow-Wee, I’m getting woozy. . . 

You get the point – a mouthful of gimme and a handful of much obliged come election time? 

Whatever.

It is generally accepted (at least by an unrepentant sinner like me) that one’s character is defined by how they treat people who can do nothing in return – and integrity is how we conduct ourselves when nobody is looking.

Well, everyone is watching how those we have elected and appointed to represent the interests of all residents respond to the basic needs of those who can do nothing for their political careers.

I hope you will join me in encouraging policymakers at all levels of government to pull their collective heads out of the sizeable backsides of their political benefactors long enough to address the pressing (and growing) issue of affordable housing for struggling Volusia County families.   

One way to help is by signing F.A.I.T.H.s petition here: http://www.faithvolusia.org/housing.html

On May 3, F.A.I.T.H. representatives will deliver the housing trust fund petition to the County Council following a prayer vigil to be held outside the Hallowed Halls of the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building that morning.

“Let us sing a song of cheer again,

Happy days are here again…”

Just ask any incumbent running for reelection. . .

Angel              Florida Department of Transportation

I am a fan of the Florida Department of Transportation. 

In my experience, their planning process is transparent and includes ample opportunities for public input, and, whenever possible, the concerns of those most affected are considered and factored into the final design. 

Late this week it was announced that the decades-in-the-making revamp of our dilapidated gateway on East International Speedway Boulevard will finally break round early next year – with a signalized intersection replacing the proposed loop-de-loop at the busiest beach approach in Volusia County.

That’s a good thing.

Unfortunately, I have also noticed that FDOT can be easily swayed by external influences at times – and what our influential powerbrokers want they typically get. . .

In my jaded view, these pressures can move projects up-and-down the “to-do” list, something infernally frustrating to those who see the tilted priorities that often result. 

For instance, this week we also learned that FDOT is sinking $3.3 million into the preliminary design of a proposed $19 million upgrade to a 3.6-mile stretch of Clyde Morris Boulevard from Beville Road to Dunn Avenue in Daytona Beach. 

When I ask my neighbors to list the most pressing transportation needs facing Volusia County – improving the aesthetics of Clyde Morris Boulevard is rarely mentioned. . .

According to a report by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “FDOT proposing big changes to road – Clyde Morris Boulevard could get wider sidewalks, underground tunnel,” we are asked to, “Envision a landscaped median running down the center of the busy thoroughfare that snakes past Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Halifax Health Medical Center.  And imagine a new 100-foot-long pedestrian tunnel 20 feet below the road.”

Trust me.  Denizens of the Fun Coast have a lot of time to daydream and “envision” the future landscape while sitting through multiple light cycles in near-gridlocked traffic on Boomtown Boulevard, Granada Boulevard, Beville Road, and other area thoroughfares as the bulldozers continue to roar, making way for more, more, more development. 

In my view, the fact these improvements are being planned for the “busy thoroughfare” that directly serves the fiefdom of our High Panjandrum of Political Power – Mortenza “Mori” Hosseini – at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is no coincidence. 

Look, it would be gauche of me to suggest a connection, but. . .

According to a press release issued by ERAU last week before we learned about the changes to Clyde Morris Boulevard: 

“Philanthropists Cici and Hyatt Brown have pledged $25 million to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – matching $25 million in support approved by Florida legislators and pending approval by Governor Ron DeSantis – to help the university create a revolutionary new business makerspace focused on high-paying jobs for Floridians.”

“Everyone at Embry-Riddle is deeply grateful for the vision and phenomenal generosity of Cici and Hyatt Brown,” said the university’s Board of Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini, who also serves as chairman and CEO of ICI Homes. “Their selfless investment in our community and the Embry-Riddle mission of education will inspire us for many years to come. The creative ecosystem of Embry-Riddle’s Research Park stimulates transformative ideas, which drive economic progress and generate lucrative career opportunities. The new center, made possible by Cici and Hyatt Brown and the State of Florida, will take Embry-Riddle’s already successful economic development efforts to a whole new level.”

Damn.  I guess that makes it hard for us ungrateful peons to say “No” to a mere $19 million road makeover, eh?

Anyone find it eerily similar to the incredibly expensive and on-going “Beach Street Streetscape” that materialized in the wake of the Brown & Brown headquarters building that many taxpayers and downtown business owners thought was an unnecessary waste of public funds and resources. . . 

Just me?  Okay. . .

Look, my ‘philanthropic’ instincts are limited to throwing pocket change into the red kettle at Christmastime to avoid the judgmental glare of the bell ringer – so I am not here to cast aspersions on J. Hyatt Brown when he pledges $25 million for the new “Cici and Hyatt Brown Center for Aerospace Technology” at our Harvard of the Sky. 

Seriously, kudos to Mr. and Mrs. Brown for sharing the wealth.

I hate to sound like the churlish asshole I am, but it just seems every “gift” we receive requires some form of public recompense – and that is fine, a small price to pay, I am told.

Regardless, the East ISB overhaul is a great place to start the revitalization of our horribly neglected beachside.   

In my view, it is high time our elected and appointed officials begin the process of developing a comprehensive (retroactive?) growth management plan that prioritizes our most pressing traffic infrastructure needs and salves the real fears of residents who are frightened by the pace of massive sprawl, sticks-and-glue apartment complexes, and cookie cutter commercial development that is being foisted on them by forces they cannot begin to understand or control.

Quote of the Week

“On Jan. 18, the Ormond Beach City Commission approved a contract for preliminary engineering design for construction of a second wastewater treatment plant on the western boundary of our city. The city commission also approved significant water and sewer rate increases for both this year and next year, higher bills that will bring the greatest impact on low income homes.

Public Works Director Shawn Finley acknowledged that 50%-60% of the need for the second sewer plant is driven by the planned Avalon Park development in Daytona Beach, 3,250 homes and 200,000 square feet of commercial space west of I-95, bordering the south side of Granada Boulevard. Ormond Beach has the right but not the obligation to provide water and sewer service at wholesale prices to this massive development.

Previously, the city agreed to annex and provide water and sewer to Plantation Oaks, 1,500 homes to be built on The Loop. Just south, the city will ultimately annex 103 acres for 298 new housing units in RidgeHaven that will not apply principles of Low Impact Development.

Townhomes are under construction at the U.S. 1 entrance to Ormond Lakes while just west future growth in Ormond Crossings will include hundreds of new homes. Meanwhile, the city continues to provide water and sewer service to Flagler County portions of Hunter’s Ridge, with more Flagler residential growth to come. Within the city, a south Florida developer plans to squeeze 318 homes onto the 18 holes of the now-closed Tomoka Oaks golf course.

With each annexation or new development, and during the recent city consideration of extending sewer service to miles of unincorporated county homes on the north peninsula, city commissioners told citizens we had adequate sewer capacity to provide the additional services. These assurances now seem contradicted by the recent approval of plans for a second sewer plant.

Why have our elected officials pursued such aggressive growth policies without a public mandate, public referendum, or campaign promises to do so? Why are we providing water and sewer service to enable the Avalon Park mega-development, after Daytona Beach annexed those acres in direct violation of the service boundary agreement that previously existed between our cities? If Ormond Beach taxpayers are responsible for most of the capital costs for a second sewer plant, are we not funding the problematic growth our citizens do not want or need?”

–Civic Activist and former Ormond Beach City Commissioner Jeff Boyle, writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, Letters to the Editor, “We bear the burden of growth,” Tuesday, March 29, 2022

And Another Thing!

Gentle readers, after much consideration and consultation with close friends and family, I am proud to announce my candidacy for the Volusia County Council District 4 seat.  My campaign will be financed in total by the local real estate development community, and just for the practice, I have openly stolen my campaign slogan from friend and perennial New Orleans mayoral candidate Manny Chevrolet:

“A Troubled Man for Troubled Times”    

April fool!  (There, that’s the most frightening prank that will be pulled on you all day.)

Regardless, it is time to have “The Conversation.”

For the uninitiated, every election year I receive calls from well-meaning people who ask which (insert elective office here) I plan to run for this year. 

Most are incredibly nice folks – many of whom have recently awakened to our collective political nightmare, enjoy these diatribes, and surmise that my snarky take on the news and newsmakers of the day would make me an effective public policymaker. 

So, for the umpteenth time, here goes:

In an everchanging and uncertain world – the one constant is I will never hold myself out for elective service. . . 

Ever.

Each qualifying period, a few tattered veterans of the internecine political wars take sick pleasure in annoying this reclusive old sot in a game of “Let’s bother Barker” – but I am truly humbled by those kindly neighbors who are unfamiliar with my pledge and nice enough to feign disappointment when I wave them off. 

I appreciate their horribly misplaced confidence. 

The fact is, the older I get the more particular I am about who I associate with (for instance, give me an honest thief over a politician) – and I abhor the political prostitution that now defines the blood sport our local electoral process has become.

As I have said repeatedly – with three marriages under my belt, a debilitating case of social anxiety, and a hard-earned reputation as a degenerate barfly – I have more skeletons in my closet than a haunted house.

Not to mention, after three-decades of municipal government service, my lips are necrotically chapped from kissing the asses of some less-than-deserving tyrants, scam artists, douchebags, and incomps that wormed their way into some high-level government offices during my tenure. 

Hell, I was one of them. . . 

I also had the pleasure of serving with some exceptional elected and appointed officials through the years, true servant-leaders who embraced the finest traditions of public service, and that sense of possibility they bring to local government keeps me looking on from the cheap seats and hoping for better.

Frankly, the very thought of returning to that godawful bureaucratic fishbowl – even at the top of the food chain – makes my pickled liver quiver. 

No, thanks.

Besides, my hypocrisy knows no bounds, and once I got my snoot firmly wedged in the public trough you would never get rid of me. . .

Trust me.  I know all the magicians and most of their tricks for keeping the public teat patent for a select few – and no one responsible for protecting the integrity of the system seems to give a shit anymore.  That makes an advantageous environment for those who make their living at the nexus of public funds and for-profit interests. 

Like clockwork, each election cycle I am contacted by sitting officials, frustrated citizens who are considering a run for office, and neophyte politicians shoring up their rickety platform, all seeking insight on the myriad issues facing Volusia County. 

I find it odd that these same people rarely ask our opinion when the sausage is being made, so I rarely take them up on their artificial offer of input.     

Through the years I have learned that, once elected, many candidates and incumbents who seek to buddy up during the campaign season go out of their way to suppress public participation as they defend the status quo – slowly “taken into the system” by the trappings of office – transmogrifying into everything they hated when they entered politics.

When political newbies reach out to me for advice I typically demur – more times than not doing my best to talk them out of running like a negotiator trying to urge someone off a bridge.  Besides, if they are this far into the process and still do not have a firm grasp on the needs of, We, The Little People, then I question their true motivations. 

Some candidates have been drafted by various factions, party handlers, or wealthy insiders building a political stable – usually uninspired marionettes selected for their flexibility. 

Others represent true grassroots frustration, their candidacy born of the civic stagnation in forgotten areas of their community, out-of-control sprawl, and the blatant ‘good ol’ boy’ patronage that is destroying our quality of life and skewing the economic playing field.   

Other recognizable names entering the ring are what you see is what you get retread politicians hopscotching through various local elective offices.  

The fact is, many are called, but few survive the nut-cutting hour – and Volusia County politics is not for the faint of heart. 

You may not know it from reading these jeremiads, but I truly admire those with the grit to hold themselves out for public office – even when we vehemently disagree on the issues of the day.

In my view, it takes a special brand of courage to accept the slings and arrows, lay oneself bare to withering scrutiny, speak truth to some immensely powerful forces, and hold firm to your promises in the face of crushing internal and external obstructionism. 

Don’t take my word for it – ask Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower how he has been received by Volusia County’s stodgy Old Guard. . .

So, if you are a declared candidate – or seriously considering a run for elective office in one of the various county, municipal, state, or congressional races this year – I salute you. 

Your participation in our most sacred democratic tradition is a noble pursuit – important to the future of Volusia County and beyond. 

This election year, I am happy to report that We, The Little People are better informed than ever before – and many are poring over campaign finance reports, watching public meetings, researching voting records, connecting the dots, discussing the issues over the back fence, and winnowing down the true motivations of those running for office or seeking to keep their seat.

On a bright note – I want to extend a hearty Congratulations! to my friend Paul Zimmerman, candidate for Volusia County Council Zone 2, who earned the coveted endorsement of our Sheriff Michael Chitwood this week!

According to Sheriff Chitwood:

“I am proud to endorse Paul Zimmerman for [Volusia] County Council District 2. I’ve known Paul for over 16 years. He’s passionate about Volusia County, he’s passionate about our residents and you can guarantee Paul will work for you the first day he steps into that chamber til the last day… God Bless you Paul … you have my support, we can use you.” – Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood”

Learn more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLnQCIwe5Ic  

Folks, this year’s political season is important. 

In fact, the balance of power between an entrenched power structure and the needs of those who, for far too long, have been required to pay the bills and suffer in silence hangs in the balance.

As George Orwell said, “A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves and traitors are not victims…but accomplices.”

And that’s no joke. . . 

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

“Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.”

 –Potter Stewart, Supreme Court Justice, 1958-1981

It is no secret that some very influential forces are at play in the gilded chamber of the Volusia County School Board.

During a recent discussion of whether to extend the contract of Superintendent Dr. Scott Fritz, We, The Little People who pay the bills and suffer in silence were treated to a ringside view of what happens when true power moves in Volusia County. 

It began when two sitting members of the School Board – Carl Persis and Linda Cuthbert – pushed for a premature off-the-agenda vote to extend the Superintendent’s contract without any substantive analysis of his performance.

In backing Cuthbert’s play in seeking a vote, Mr. Persis said:

“I feel sorry for Dr. Fritz right now. He probably thought something was going to happen. It’s stressful,” Persis said. “I’d rather take the heat than go through this all over again, put him through this again, put everyone who came out tonight through this again.”

I found that strange. . . 

As a member of the coveted $200K Club – that rare atmosphere where those making more than $200,000 a year in public funds understand and accept the professional volatility and uncertainty that comes with it – Dr. Fritz either knew, or should have known, that his performance would be open for discussion.

Interestingly, the move to keep Fritz at the helm was supported by some very heavy-hitters who spoke to board members from the podium – quickly followed by glowing letters from the heads of area colleges, universities, and the Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce – supported by other internal and external lobbying efforts.    

Given the abject dysfunction and lack of any substantive communications strategy that has hamstrung the Fritz administration – a foundering ship that never found its compass during the pandemic when students, teachers, parents, and staff needed strong leadership the most – many have questioned the full-court-press to extend the Superintendent’s contract some eight-months ahead of its expiration in November. 

The resultant confusion has caused many to speculate on the why of things.

Some wonder if keeping Dr. Fritz at the helm is to ensure funding for what they suspect may be a technology-based high school – possibly affiliated with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – something that might explain why the incredibly influential Forough Hosseini – the wife of Mortenza “Mori” Hosseini, who serves as Chairman of the ERAU Board of Trustees (and Chair of the University of Florida Board of Trustees) – has been such a vocal supporter of Dr. Fritz, recently calling him a “visionary.”

Other watchers contacted me with rumors that Ormond Beach City Commissioner Susan Persis – the wife of Volusia County School Board member Carl Persis – was granted a lucrative contract with Volusia County District Schools to provide “coaching” services to several area principals.

One concerned citizen suggested that in an environment where the district is facing massive budgetary shortfalls, difficulty securing pay increases, and hemorrhaging teachers, the quiet agreement with the wife of a sitting board member – who represents one of the five fingers on the hand which controls Dr. Fritz’ fate – represents Volusia County cronyism at its finest. 

That raised my eyebrows. 

So, I did some checking to satisfy my own morbid curiosity. . . 

On March 16, 2020, Susan Summers Persis formed a Florida Limited Liability Corporation known as Summers Educational Coaching, LLC.  According to SunBiz, the $160.00 filing fee was paid using a personal check from a Bank of America account listing Susan S. Persis and Carl G. Persis on its face.

On September 1, 2021, Susan Persis signed a Contracted Services Agreement with the School District of Volusia County (CS 22-031LS) – the binding contract was approved by Deputy Superintendent Carmen J. Balgobin on September 7, 2021, and signed by Superintendent Ronald Fritz on September 8, 2021 – with a retroactive effective date of August 16, 2021, terminating on June 30, 2022. 

Among the scope of services, the agreement requires that Ms. Persis provide “…coaching and mentoring services to School Principals and Assistant Principals upon request by the Superintendent and/or the Deputy Superintendent…”  The location of services is listed as Pathways Elementary, Sugar Mill Elementary, Horizon Elementary, and Holly Hill School. 

The goals of the contract include coaching school principals to “…prioritize and accomplish sustainable target initiatives,” “guiding Principals to prioritize tasks,” “assisting Principals to become situational and instructional leaders,” “provide advice to Principals on how to effectively retain staff,” and some bureaucratic horseshit described as, “Provide Principals with comprehensive perspectives in a dynamic environment, while confronting new challenges daily.”

Whatever.

Under the terms, as a district contractor, Summers Educational Coaching is compensated at a rate of $82.00 per hour – not to exceed $23, 616.00 over the term of the agreement with services provided no longer than six-hours per day. 

The contract specifies Dr. Carmen Balgobin as the administrator designated by Superintendent Fritz to coordinate “…all matters pertaining to this agreement and to authorize services, accept and approve all reports, drafts, products, or invoices for all services…”

The contract terms are within Dr. Fritz’ spending authorization – which means the agreement did not need to come before the School Board for public approval. 

Pursuant to a formal public records request to Volusia County Schools, last week I learned that the following invoices have been paid to Summers Educational Coaching, LLC:

June 30, 2021              $1,025  (Before the effective date of the agreement)

September 18, 2021   $   902

September 28, 2021   $   738

October 1, 2021          $   492

October 31, 2021        $   820

November 15, 2021    $   615

November 30, 2021    $   738

December 15, 2021    $   738

January 15, 2022         $   902

January 31, 2022         $1,066

March 9, 2022             $   615

In addition, I found it interesting that Susan Persis executed an Authentication of Proposal and Statement of Non-Collusion and Non-Conflict of Interest dated April 28, 2020 – which was apparently made part of the Contracted Services Agreement signed in September 2021. 

Among other declarations, the agreement certifies that Ms. Persis, as a vendor, “…is legally entitled to enter into the contract with the School District of Volusia County and is not in violation of any prohibited conflict of interest, including those prohibited or any procurement regulation of the School District of Volusia County.”

Section five of that declaration states, “That the Vendor has fully disclosed with their response the name(s) of any officer, director, or agent who is or was an employee of the School Board of Volusia County, Florida.”  However, that disclosure was not made part of the public records I received.

For the record, Volusia County District Schools did not provide any ‘work product’ of Summers Educational Coaching relative to my public records request – that does not mean none exists – but I did not receive any.

Look, I am not casting aspersions on Ms. Persis’ contract with Volusia County Schools – if she certifies that no conflict of interest or prohibited business relationship exists under the terms of Florida’s ethics laws or the procurement of regulations of Volusia County Schools – then I accept that. 

As I understand it, by statute, School Districts are specifically exempt from Florida’s nepotism law – as are the Board of Governor’s of the State University System – and Ms. Persis has appropriately listed her company on required financial disclosure forms filed with the Supervisor of Elections.

Besides, I’m not an investigative journalist – I am just regurgitating information that is available to anyone who asks for it – and I damn sure am not the conscience of Volusia County District Schools.

But like Justice Stewart so eloquently said, “…knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do,” in my view, is the essence of personal and professional ethics. 

In my experience, avoiding even the appearance of impropriety is omnipotent in public office – because any conduct perceived to impair the ability of an elected or appointed official to fulfill their important responsibilities with fairness, impartiality, objectivity, and integrity is detrimental to the public’s trust of the institution. 

That is when – right or wrong – perceptions become reality for taxpayers who are routinely treated like mushrooms: Kept in the dark and fed bullshit. . .

This is especially true as controversy arises, such as when the School Board splits on whether to renew the Superintendent’s employment contract – especially when the wife of a board member has a lucrative contract with the same district overseen by the member – signed and authorized by that same Superintendent.  

That is when suspicion increases as We, The Little People seek answers – especially when what we see with our own eyes does not comport with what we are being told by some very influential people – and confidence in the important processes of governance continues to erode. 

UPDATE:

According to a report by education reporter Nikki Ross in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this morning:

“Volusia County Schools Superintendent Scott Fritz has decided not to extend his contract, which he announced to staff in an email Monday morning. 

“After much reflection, I have decided not to extend my contract,” Fritz said. “Serving VCS has been the greatest experience in my 30 years of public education. I would like to thank each of you for your dedication to our students and our school system.”

Fritz did not give a reason for his decision in the email. He did not immediately return calls for comment Monday.” 

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 County Emergency Medical Services

The term “Emergency Medical Services” is just that – an essential service staffed by highly trained professionals who respond in cases of serious illness or injury to provide acute care and transport between the scene of an incident and a trauma center or emergency department. 

Like most of those we ask to go into harms way to protect our safety and security, the dedicated paramedics and emergency medical technicians who perform life-saving measures under difficult and dangerous conditions serve for far less than they are worth – subject to long-hours and appallingly low pay in a profession that consistently ranks as one of the world’s most stressful. 

Here in Volusia County, these brave professionals have long been pawns in a poorly managed and inefficient system that many practitioners have warned is placing the lives of residents in jeopardy – and driving many paramedics and EMT’s out of the emergency services altogether. 

Inexplicably, for years, members of the Volusia County Council have been reluctant to even question senior administrators on the serious issues facing emergency medical transport – while ignoring the alarms sounded by those on the front lines – choosing instead to accept the same protocols (and excuses) while expecting a different outcome.

In the meantime, Volusia County EMS continues to hemorrhage qualified employees – an industrywide problem our ‘powers that be’ have addressed (as always) by throwing money at it – offering recruitment and retention bonuses while refusing to change the culture.     

Last year, Councilwoman Heather Post attempted to extract answers to persistent questions from the former Public Protection Director and County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald – only to be lambasted by her “colleagues” – accused of “micromanagement” and conducting a “witch hunt.”

Her sin?  Daring to look behind the velvet curtain of a cloistered system where those providing this vital service are expected to suffer in silence from the stifling confines of an ambulance cab.

Recently, the Volusia County Council held a much-needed workshop to discuss EMS service delivery and working conditions in an atmosphere where, as of March 1, the average Volusia County paramedic has worked 362 hours of overtime, with EMT’s racking up 256 hours, in the last year.

As someone who was once responsible for the recruitment, retention, and scheduling of emergency service personnel – I can tell you those hours are unsustainable – and, more important, detrimental to the mental and physical health of those who are forced to work them.   

During the workshop, Jason Lademann, president of the International Association of EMTs and Paramedics Local 77, explained that the most pressing issue facing emergency medical personnel is the lack of dedicated facilities where working paramedics and EMT’s can write reports, decontaminate, resupply, or simply eat a meal outside the fishbowl.   

“Although the overtime demands issue is a close second place, the overtime demands are a reflection of retention,” Lademann said.

“And that first priority of providing stations for EMS personnel to work at addresses one of the contributors to turnover that we’ve identified, as we’ve studied those who have departed the organization in recent years.”

At present, due to Volusia County’s “dynamic deployment” model, wherein ambulances respond from different locations throughout the county instead of returning to stations to await calls, EMS personnel are forced to disinfect themselves of blood, mud, urine, feces, and other potential pathogens in public restrooms – where crews have been exposed to dirty hypodermic needles from illicit drug use and other unsanitary conditions – a recurring situation that demands purpose built EMS stations at strategic locations. 

I have always felt that forcing EMS personnel to spend hours-upon-end responding to emergencies – operating exclusively from the close-quarters of their ambulance with no place to call home – was detrimental to the physiological and psychological needs of those asked to perform critical procedures in high-stress situations. 

Only recently did Volusia County implement a system of “respite locations” – an unofficial understanding with area fire departments that requires paramedics and EMT’s knock on firehouse doors like Dickensian orphans seeking refuge because they are not issued access cards or codes. 

My God.

Of course, the workshop was not without its share of high-ranking Volusia County officials engaging in the old bureaucratic soft-shoe as a diversion for those dimwits on the dais of power.   

For instance, when Councilwoman Post asked, “Why aren’t we sort of allowing them to base out of the nearest fire station from wherever they would be stationed instead of the 7-Eleven so that they can actually use the fire station fridge or the fire station restroom?”

The director of Volusia County EMS, Michael Coleman, explained that “rest locations” are based upon a standard response time of eight minutes and 59 seconds, requiring that ambulances stage in the “most ideal place.” 

(You mean “more ideal” than a centrally located fire station?) 

“I’m not discounting your idea, it’s just if we do that, then we have to agree that 8:59 isn’t a reality that we could get there for a while,” Coleman said.

Say what?

Given the fact municipal departments and county fire services typically respond simultaneous to Volusia County EMS, are we to believe that their fire stations are not located in the “most ideal” locations for rapid response to emergencies? 

Is this another failure of our “growth management” gurus to plan for adequate public safety facilities and infrastructure in the face of malignant sprawl?

Or is it because any substantive change in the “way we’ve always done it” is guaranteed to upset the bureaucratic applecart at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center – transformation that is always scotched using scary stories of the dramatic impacts on service delivery any deviation from the status quo would bring?

Bullshit.

According to an informative article by Jarleene Almenas, writing in the Ormond Beach Observer this week:

“County Council Chair Jeff Brower asked if EMS personnel are allowed in fire stations, and County Manager George Recktenwald said they are. However, he also added that during the pandemic, there were situations where the county was aiming to keep first responders as isolated as possible.”

Really? 

Whatever. . . 

During the workshop, we learned that Volusia County is placing a “modular building” at Fire Station 46 in DeLand – in my view, a temporary structure (at best) which offers zero protection for EMS personnel, their vehicles, and equipment during severe weather events when their services are needed most.

“We’ve gone through a lot of ideas of how to drop these stations around, because the reality is that this county is growing superfast,” Colman said. “So we don’t know where that station is going to be in a few years, and if we do a lot of brick-and-mortar stuff … and then all of the sudden dynamics change, we have people in other areas, now we need to abandon that spot and then that’s good for the taxpayers and all the effort that was put into this.”

Excuse me?  All of the sudden?

It appears efficient emergency medical services is yet another victim of this “cart before the horse” growth-at-all-cost strategy where the proliferation of new wood frame cracker boxes is outpacing government’s ability to provide essential services to them – with absolutely no relief in sight from those compromised politicians who rubberstamp new development as an involuntary reflex.  

Again, I am no longer in the emergency services business, but when I was, I distinctly remember my bosses and the taxpayers we served, demanding that I think strategically, anticipate threats, then formulate comprehensive solutions to meet expected challenges. 

In my view, Director Coleman is a nice guy who clearly knows his stuff – but if he and Mr. Recktenwald cannot marshal the massive resources of their enormous bureaucracy to anticipate shifting needs and population centers – then tactically locate hardened facilities to house and stage this important essential service, perhaps it is time for our elected officials to take off the blinders and find someone who can? 

The dedicated professionals of Volusia County Emergency Medical Services deserve better.

Asshole           Volusia County School Board

I like to joke that I have a solid eighth-grade education – my high school years a blur of hops, malted barley, and habitual truancy – which means I have spent the bulk of my life as an experiential learner and skilled mimic of qualities I admire in others.

It is the most expensive education one can achieve. 

The fact is, everything of substance in my life came from the efforts of my long-suffering parents and dedicated teachers who refused to give up on me – or allow me to give up on myself – in helping overcome what I now recognize as intellectual disabilities affecting comprehension, including persistent dyscalculia, something I still struggle with. 

But even a dull-normal rube like me knows there are few government services more important than the education of our children – and as the “culture wars” rage, more parents are taking an active role in shaping the who, what, when, where, why, and how local school boards set policy and present the curriculum in the classroom. 

At their February meeting, the Volusia County School Board became mired in a premature discussion of whether to extend Superintendent Scott Fritz’ current contract, which is set to expire at the end of November, during what I am sure will prove to be a very contentious election year. . . 

During the confusing confab, two members – Carl Persis and Linda Cuthbert – pushed for a hasty off-the-agenda vote to extend Dr. Fritz’ contract without any formal evaluation of his performance.

Why the rush?

To their credit, Chair Ruben Colon joined members Jamie Haynes and Anita Burnette in calling for more information – with Haynes and Burnette making the commonsense suggestion that Fritz undergo a comprehensive performance review before a final decision is made on the contract extension.

Following the usual awkwardness, the board voted to push the discussion to a workshop initially scheduled for earlier this week. 

Didn’t happen. . .

Last Friday evening, Volusia County taxpayers, students, parents, and teachers were taken aback by the surprise announcement that the much-anticipated discussion of the Superintendent’s contract had been summarily cancelled – the prepared agenda removed from public view – with little explanation beyond a social media post from Chairman Colon, which explained, in part:

“During our next regular school board meeting, the board will have a discussion on a revised timeline of a formal evaluation of the superintendent. A formal evaluation of the superintendent’s performance will serve as the basis for the board’s decision on whether to extend his contract or not.  It will allow the opportunity for the board to evaluate the superintendent’s performance formally & in writing. After this, should it be the desire of the board, a discussion of an extension can be had based on the evaluation. Clearly this has not been an easy decision.  This was my decision as Chair. I believe this is in the best interest of our district.”

Something else raised a few eyebrows as well: Many watchers were flabbergasted by the mysterious behind the scenes wrangling of some influential insiders who lobbied the School Board to extend the Superintendent’s contract absent a formal evaluation – or substantive input from district employees, parents, and the public. 

Something’s up, folks.   

Unfortunately, I’m too dumb to figure out exactly what is happening in the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand.    

But I will.  And so will you. . .

What we do know is that this mystery is quintessentially Volusia County – a place where a few well-heeled political insiders with a chip in the game wield a lot more influence over those we have elected to represent our interests than you and I do. 

That’s only going to change when We, The Little People decide there is some shit we won’t eat and make our collective voice heard at the ballot box. . .    

(Don’t take my word for it, read the familiar contributors in the District 5 School Board race between incumbent Ruben Colon and that perennial political retread Volusia County Councilman The Right Reverend “Dr.” Fred Lowry, here: https://tinyurl.com/3khvk4wt )

In my view, as we wait for whatever this process will be, Dr. Fritz’ administration and the Volusia County School Board has, once again, shown little regard for the “strengthen communication and community engagement” standard set forth in their heralded “Strategic Plan – perpetuating the sense of confusion and entrenched mediocrity the bureaucracy has become known for.

In a recent News-Journal article detailing the fiasco, Elizabeth Albert, president of the Volusia Teacher’s Union, articulated what many are thinking:

“I can tell you that there’s been much anticipation about this workshop and the meetings on both sides of the coin. Those who want Dr. Fritz contract to be extended and those who feel like maybe we should look in a different direction,” Albert said. “I think the timing is very poor. I think the lack of communication just further demonstrates the level of disarray that the district is in right now.”

Amen.

Trust me.  I’m doing some digging – others are too – and I have no doubt that time will explain the full-court-press by some very influential forces to keep Dr. Fritz at the helm of this foundering ship. 

In the meantime, keep an eye on this one. . .

Asshole           City of Ormond Beach

On Tuesday, Ormond Beach residents were treated to another large, and awfully expensive, slice of “Pie in the Sky” – this time a proposed community recreation center to accommodate our new neighbors to the west – during a City Commission “workshop” to discuss future recreation needs. 

(Not a peep about why I, and what seemed like hundreds of my motoring neighbors, had to sit through three light cycles at a horribly clogged intersection on Granada Boulevard this week. More on that later. . .)

During the hot-air generator, our elected dullards discussed the findings of a Parks & Recreation Master Plan Study conducted by an external consultant (read: someone paid to think for them – not necessarily a bad thing) at a cost of $125,000. 

According to a 2020 City of Ormond Beach resolution authorizing the analysis and survey:

“The Master Plan update is intended to help meet the needs of current and future residents by positioning the City of Ormond Beach to build on the community’s unique parks and recreation assets and identify new opportunities. Included with this project is an analysis of funding sources, such as the park and recreation impact fee. This effort will also prioritize future improvements to align the desired needs of citizens and be utilized as a steering component for the future of the provision of parks and recreation.”  

At Tuesday’s meeting, those dreamers on the dais unanimously agreed to pursue a new indoor recreation center – possibly partnering with those visionaries over at the Volusia County School Board to collocate the facility at Pathways Elementary on Airport Road – a not-so-bright idea that would obviously limit when residents could access it.

(Because, God forbid, those of us who are asked to pay for Taj Mahal school facilities should be permitted to use the gymnasiums, multi-purpose rooms, and other amenities when they are not in use educating our children. . .)  

According to reports, in 2016, the City of Ormond Beach paid Zev Cohen and Associates nearly $50,000 for a feasibility study which, at the time, estimated construction costs on the Pathways site at between $8.9 million and $10.2 million.

To his credit, Commissioner Dwight Selby brought everyone back to reality by reminding his colleagues that the “bottom line” remains identifying funding sources for these nice to have community amenities. 

According to an excellent piece detailing the workshop in this week’s Ormond Beach Observer:

“Commissioners were presented with three funding options as part of the master plan update: 1) Continue existing practices to fund Leisure Services, including impact fees, ECHO grants and CRA dollars; 2) add a dedicated millage for park and recreation projects; or 3) opt for a bond.

The first option is projected to bring in $11 million, the second $17 million and the third, $18.5 million.”

Which option do you think those “all growth is good growth” developer shills on the Ormond Beach City Commission are going to select?

“Per the master plan update’s statistically valid survey, where 402 people were asked how much they would be willing to pay annually to fund leisure services projects, the majority of respondents — 69.5% — said they would be open to paying $12-$60.

A total of 41.9% of respondents said they would be OK with paying $61-$120. Only 21.4% said they weren’t willing to pay any additional dollars.”

I have no idea how those percentages shake out mathematically – but I think it means the ‘survey says!’ the majority of my neighbors (obviously addled rubes I have never met) have no problem taxing their own eyeballs out to pay for shinny baubles before we know how much we will need to spend on roads, bridges, potable water, and wastewater treatment in the not-so-distant future. . . 

Whatever. 

In most private sector endeavors – you know, where smart people spend their own money to effectively plan, rank needs, and accomplish goals – they conduct a detailed analysis to prioritize must-haves, should-haves, could-haves, and not right now requirements. 

But not in the gilded halls of power at Ormond Beach City Hall.   

Like giddy children with a Tinker Toy set, our ‘powers that be’ are given to floating goofy ideas about moving a serviceable police facility out of downtown, destroying historic structures for parking lots, or constructing an indoor recreation center so our new neighbors west of I-95 don’t have to travel to Nova Road to use the existing one – all while long-suffering taxpayers try desperately to turn their attention to the real crisis we collectively face: inadequate transportation and utilities infrastructure in the face of massive internal and external sprawl that is rapidly threatening our quality of life.

In my view, nothing exemplifies the utter incognizance of some sitting elected officials like Commissioner Susan Persis’ tone-deaf remarks at this week’s confab:

“I think something really fabulous needs to go out there to keep making Ormond Beach better and better,” Persis said.   

Do you know what my neighbors and I think, Mrs. Persis? 

We believe the coming tax increases and inconveniences we are told are necessary to pay for the devastating impacts of out-of-control development this Commission (and others) have winked and approved – sprawl that is destroying our natural places and wildlife habitat, fouling our waterways, encroaching on scenic byways, and threatening to gridlock our roads – should be prioritized to fix this godforsaken mess and not be wasted on fabulous amenities that fit into some craven politicians twisted view of our overcrowded future.

Quote of the Week

“Affordable housing, roof replacements, business façade grants, vaccine incentives, COVID education, crime fighting, public art, park improvements, sidewalks and trails are all on the city’s list for ways Daytona Beach can use its allotment of Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.

“We want to make sure it’s legal so we don’t have to give back the money,” Deputy City Manager Dru Driscoll told city commissioners at their meeting last week.

Since the final federal rules were released in January and February, Driscoll said, “many governments had to recraft their plans” and Daytona Beach also tweaked its COVID fund proposal.

The city received $7.5 million in federal COVID relief funds in May 2021 and expects to receive another $7.5 million in May or June this year.”

–Excerpted from The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “City firms up plans for relief funding,” written by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, Tuesday, March 22, 2022

I am not an expert on the authorized uses of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provided $2.2 trillion in economic relief to help Americans cope with the economic impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic – or the nuances of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 – which allocated an additional $350 billion to support state and local governments. 

What we do know is that this Manna from Heaven has many local governments salivating as they develop clever ways of shoehorning expenses and programs that seem wholly unrelated to mitigating the economic impacts of the pandemic onto “Wish Lists” – some of which have resulted in embarrassing back-pedaling by public finance directors and elected officials who got too “creative” with their wants and whims. 

While the CARES Act and ARPA programs share a similar funding stream (our tax dollars) the authorized purpose is different for each.  But I’ll be dipped if I can understand how public art programs and corporate welfare giveaways for developers of “affordable housing” projects are being considered – while needed improvements to water, sewer, transportation, and broadband infrastructure are ignored? 

Whatever.

Trust me.  When gobs of “free money” are floating around – people inside government and out – get highly imaginative. . .    

For instance, our elected dullards on the Volusia County Council were recently forced back to the drawing board after it was revealed that Chief Financial Officer Ryan Ossowski’s “creative accounting” overestimated revenue loss for the covered period by some $34 million – resulting in a red-cheeked reversal of some “big-ticket” items the council had excitedly agreed on in July 2021.

Trust me.  Volusia County is not alone when it comes to reassessing their Christmas lists. . .

I applaud Daytona Beach Deputy City Manager Dru Driscoll’s wise caution to city commissioners last week.  Because we all want to ensure that allocations of public funds are “legal” – and used only for expenses and programs specifically authorized under the terms of these incredibly expensive programs.

To ensure fiscal accountability in the high-risk environment that occurs when federal dollars are showered on already bloated public coffers – We, The Little People want to see anyone who ignores programmatic regulations and engages in waste, fraud, cronyism, favoritism, and abuse of this tax funded windfall prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.    

And Another Thing!

As a rule, Barker’s View focuses solely on local issues.

Why? 

Because it is hard enough for me to untangle the petty machinations at City Hall – let alone the international intrigues, rogue powerplays, and global economic manipulations moving across the geopolitical stage.

However, I understand base thuggery when I see it – and like freedom loving people everywhere – I have been riveted on the crisis in Ukraine and the building humanitarian disaster resulting from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s horrific barbarity.

I recently watched through gritted teeth as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the United States Congress – an impassioned speech accompanied by a video depicting the gut-wrenching atrocities being committed by the Russian military against the civilian population – scenes of abject terror and heartbreak that left many of us wondering how we could help. 

This week, local civic activist and loyal member of the Barker’s View Tribe, Mary Synk, reached out for help publicizing a worthwhile effort to help Ukrainian women and children who have fled to the relative safety of neighboring Romania.   

As I understand it, Mary has traveled to the region on several volunteer missions and has developed trusted friendships there.  One of them being Daniel Stefanica, a middle-school principal in the City of Barlad.   

Last week, Mr. Stefanica made a plea for direct assistance to Ukrainian refugees. 

According to Mary:

“Ukrainian mothers & children are fleeing their country, and many are arriving in bordering Romania.  Daniel is one of the people organizing help for them.  Women arrive with their children and only what they can carry.  Many don’t know anyone, have no specific destination, no food, and no shelter.  Daniel has given up his own home for two families to live in while he himself has moved into an apartment.  This is happening all over Romania (and I’m sure other countries).

Romania is the poorest country in the European Union.  Barlad is in the poorest region of Romania.  The generosity of these people, who have so little themselves, is heart-warming and inspiring.   

I have organized a GoFundMe campaign to support Daniel’s work.  The work is being done through Scouts of Art, a non-profit organization that Daniel founded in 2013 to help under-privileged Romanian children. 

It is the organization that sponsored two English Camps, back in 2015 and 2016, where I was a volunteer teacher.  He is now using that organization to help the refugees.  The money is used for their basic needs (transportation, food, clothing, shelter).  Once they are safe, he helps them enroll their children in school, find jobs, learn the Romanian language, and become self-supporting.”

I ask that you visit Mary’s GoFundMe campaign at: https://gofund.me/0e4a8aa0

For additional information, Mary has posted a recent interview she conducted with Mr. Stefanica at  https://youtu.be/9n6gNIAGMLs or please feel free to contact Mary directly at mlsynk@yahoo.com .

According to a report by Katie Kustura writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal following last week’s prayer vigil in Deltona, “As of Friday, more than 3.27 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia began its full-scale military invasion on Feb. 24, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency. A few million more have been internally displaced.”

My God. . .

Thank you in advance for your generous support of this most deserving effort. 

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

“You should stay together for the sake of the children. . .” 

That’s bad advice – regardless of the setting.

In my long experience in law enforcement – often dealing with people on the worst day of their lives – I came to understand that perpetuating a dysfunctional situation to create a façade of domestic tranquility is tailormade for disaster. 

Because old wounds rarely heal in the presence of suppurating resentment, and once trust is lost, it is impossible to regain.    

This holds true for government entities and taxing districts trying desperately to keep up appearances in hopes those who pay the bills won’t notice the paralytic chaos, fails, and fiascos that invariably result from prolonging the inevitable. 

In my view, pretending things are normal rarely convinces anyone – especially those who have been personally and professionally victimized by the failures of leadership and systemic disasters that always result in organizational entropy and distrust. 

At a February meeting of the Volusia County School Board, our elected representatives produced a voluminous amount of hot air discussing the thorny issue of whether to extend the reign of Superintendent Scott Fritz, whose current contract is set to expire in December.   

Incredibly, two sitting members of the School Board – Carl Persis and Linda Cuthbert – pushed for a premature off-the-agenda vote to extend the Superintendent’s contract without any substantive analysis of his performance and leadership acumen, or his administrations positive and negative impacts on students, parents, teachers, or staff. 

Following the usual chaos and confusion, the board voted to push the discussion to a workshop scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, March 22.

To their credit, Chair Ruben Colon joined members Jamie Haynes and Anita Burnette in calling for more information – with Haynes and Burnette making the commonsense suggestion that Fritz undergo a comprehensive performance review before a final decision is made on the contract extension.

At that same meeting, some local heavy hitters weighed in – to include Len Marinaccio, board member of the FUTURES Foundation; Nancy Keefer, president and CEO of the Daytona Regional Chamber; and Daisy Grimes of the Volusia County African American Leadership Council – all of whom supported extending Dr. Fritz’s contract.

But everyone in the room sat up straight and slicked down their cowlicks when the incredibly influential Forough Hosseini approached the podium and described Dr. Fritz as a “visionary” – before “suggesting” that the School Board give him the opportunity to, in her words, take us to the “next level.”

Trust me.  When those High Panjandrums of Political Power at the House of Hosseini speak – people listen – or they don’t remain in a policy-making role. . .

I caught some flak for my view that Mrs. Hosseini’s support all but guaranteed that Fritz’ contract would be extended with great flourish – his tenure cemented by the swaddling insulation of area heavyweights who control everything but the ebb and flow of the Atlantic tide here on Florida’s Fun Coast. 

Still think I’m off base? 

This week, in an excellent piece by education reporter Nikki Ross writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, we learned of the growing effort by some very influential community “leaders” to ensure that Dr. Fritz’ contract is extended – as ordained by Mrs. Hosseini last month:

“Area organizations, universities and colleges have sent multiple letters to Volusia County School Board members supporting Superintendent Scott Fritz’s contract extension.

Signed letters have come from the FUTURES Foundation, the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, Daytona State College, Bethune-Cookman University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Stetson University.

All organizations expressed their concern with a change in leadership in the district.

“We believe a leadership change at this time, as the community and school system begins to recover from the pandemic and the strategic plan continues to evolve, would negatively impact the forward direction of the Volusia County School District,” the letter from the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce stated. “The Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce strongly believes extending the contract of Dr. Fritz will continue to move Volusia County Schools in the right direction and add stability to our students, teachers and community.”

Based upon what metrics? 

The abysmal lack of an effective internal or external communications strategy that has plagued the district since Fritz took the helm? 

The “Us vs. Them” mentality that permeates the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand? 

The annual warnings of a coming financial catastrophe with a budget now over $1 Billion?

The dire warnings from those in the classroom, “…burnout, low pay, lack of respect and community support have led some teachers to retire early or seek new careers”?

The unfilled vacancies? 

The district’s ham-handed, divisive, and often chaotic pandemic protocols that resulted in angry outbursts and demonstrations from concerned parents at board meetings?

The fact that “…teachers, district staff and parents have spoken out against the contract extension” – you know, the core ‘stakeholders’ with a vested interest in the district’s success? 

Or is it the need to project the illusion of stability to lure more warehouse operations to Volusia County and the $15-an-hour scutwork our graduates are asked to aspire to? 

Whatever. 

Regardless of the district’s shortfalls, we always have the almighty three-year “Strategic Plan” – a boilerplate of vague goals and objectives that read like most superintendent’s job description (don’t take my word for it, read it here: https://tinyurl.com/2p8fpkzb) – much of which was facilitated by an “external consultant” – for which Dr. Fritz received a $10,000 spiff on top of his $205,000 annual salary. . .   

Now, the workshop scheduled for March 22 has been abruptly cancelled with the swiftness of a Facebook post by Volusia County School Board Chair Ruben Colon – apparently to allow time for a formal evaluation of Dr. Fritz’ performance. 

Given that Dr. Fritz took a leave of absence for some seven-months while receiving cancer treatments, his performance has never been formally reviewed. 

According to a News-Journal report, “The special meeting had been on the school board calendar for nearly a month. The district website was updated Friday afternoon to say the meeting was canceled and the agendas removed.”

A meeting to discuss the ins-and-outs of the Superintendent’s proposed evaluation has now been set for April 12. . .

I don’t make this shit up, folks. . .

“Elizabeth Albert, president of the Volusia Teacher’s Union, said the abrupt cancellation of the meetings is “suspicious.”

“I can tell you that there’s been much anticipation about this workshop and the meetings on both sides of the coin. Those who want Dr. Fritz contract to be extended and those who feel like maybe we should look in a different direction,” Albert said. “I think the timing is very poor. I think the lack of communication just further demonstrates the level of disarray that the district is in right now.”

Albert said one of Fritz’s steps highlighted in the strategic plan was to improve communication. She said this canceled meeting shows where the district is missing the mark. The decision to cancel the meeting was made by Colon.

“If we can’t support our goals and our strategic plan, I think we can take a second,” Albert said.”

Well said. 

Look, by any measure, we are emerging from a very difficult time. 

Right or wrong school districts around the nation have become Ground Zero for the resultant “culture wars” and Volusia County is no exception.  But anyone can hold the helm in calm seas – it takes strong, adaptive leadership to right the ship and set the direction during challenging times.

That is why Dr. Fritz makes the big bucks – and with it comes responsibility, and accountability. 

At least it should.     

In my view, we are witnessing what happens when real power moves in Volusia County – and the needs of the students, parents, teachers, and staff members most affected by the continuing dysfunction that permeates the district be damned. 

Stay tuned.  This one’s important. 

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               Chief Jakari Young and the Daytona Beach Police Department

I am incredibly proud to call Chief Jakari Young of the Daytona Beach Police Department a friend and former colleague.  In my view, he represents everything good and right with the future of my beloved profession.

Let me show you just one example why this quiet professional sets the Gold Standard for those who perform this vital role: 

Last Saturday night – during the final blowout weekend of a busy Bike Week – Chief Young could have been at home, allowing his able command staff to manage the event or sitting in a warm office monitoring the situation – instead, he was in uniform patrolling the streets, serving in the trenches shoulder-to-shoulder with hardworking officers to keep his community safe. 

Just after 11:00pm that evening, Chief Young observed a man rummaging through a trash dumpster.  Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon sight in our troubled times and many officers would have simply offered a verbal warning and left. 

To say it had been a busy week for the Daytona Beach Police Department is an understatement.        

Chief Young and his officers spent the better part of the week investigating a grisly double homicide – a senseless act of violence that galvanized the region – the brutal murder of a random couple as they bicycled home after a night on Main Street. 

Thanks to their diligent efforts, investigators quickly identified the suspect and tracked the butcher to Orlando where he was arrested and later extradited to Volusia County where he is being held without bond. 

By any metric, Chief Young would have been justified in taking some downtime. 

But that is not his style. . .       

As a veteran law enforcement officer, when Chief Young observed the scene unfolding in a filthy dumpster behind a Daytona Beach business, his good instincts told him that something “didn’t feel right, didn’t look right,” so he stopped to investigate.

Rather than interrupt a crime in progress, what Chief Young discovered on that chilly night was a struggling family down on their luck.  A devoted father – heartbreakingly searching through the trash in the desperate hope of finding toys for his children – one of whom had a birthday coming up.    

According to Chief Young, “With the help of Patrol Officer Sean Wagner and Patrol Captain Trisha Loomis, we took the family to our Valor Boulevard headquarters, where the kids got some toys we keep in reserve along with some much-needed school supplies.”

In a subsequent note of thanks, the children’s grateful mother appropriately described Chief Young’s actions as a “…most unexpected act of kindness.” 

In my view, the compassion extended by Chief Young, Officer Wagner, and Captain Loomis, exemplifies the very essence of community-oriented policing – a simple act of goodness in a difficult situation that illustrates the Daytona Beach Police Department’s culture of humanity and commitment to service above self.   

In keeping with his humble nature, Chief Young was quick to give credit to his subordinate officers, but this incredible story begins with a resolute Chief of Police who took time out of his busy night to look deeper into a routine situation. 

Rather than drive away and address a thousand other pressing issues – Chief Young acted in the finest traditions of the police service – and took the time to leave an indelible impression on this young family, setting the example and cementing his stellar reputation as a true servant-leader. 

In my view, Chief Young’s actions in successfully leading a complex and protracted homicide investigation, simultaneously managing a world-class motorcycle rally, while still making the time to brighten a desperate situation for a family in need is worthy of official recognition.

Yet, Chief Young later explained that the best prize is the satisfaction that comes from helping others: 

“These are the moments which makes being a police officer worth it.”

Kudos to Chief Jakari Young and the outstanding officers and staff of the Daytona Beach Police Department.  You are a true credit to your difficult and dangerous profession – and, by your personal example – epitomize the gallantry, pride in service, and depth of human compassion that rightfully elevates and enhances the reputation of our noble service.    

Thank you for your service, Chief – and congratulations on a job well done!

Angel               Anne Ruby, Sandy Murphy, and Citizens 4 Responsible Development

Last month, the great Halifax area civic activist Anne Ruby – an incredibly astute watcher and researcher who, with the intrepid Sandy Murphy, have devoted countless hours working to make Daytona Beach a better place – called me to say ‘not so fast’ following a premature piece I wrote lamenting the demise of the beleaguered City Island Rec Center. 

I am happy to report that there may well be new life in this horribly neglected civic asset. 

With a ‘never say die’ attitude and the confidence of knowing they are right, Anne, Sandy, and members of Citizens 4 Responsible Development have fought to save this notable building and preserve its important link to our area’s unique contributions to the war effort.    

According to published research, the Rec Center was built in 1943, primarily with funds from the Federal Works Administration, to serve as a dance hall for the many military personnel stationed in the area during World War II. 

The estimated 10,000 members of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Corps stationed at Daytona Beach caused some consternation among area residents – with some locals complaining that crowds of servicemembers were taking over the city’s few “sizeable restaurants,” drinking, carousing, and “touring in groups” when they descended on the city nightly. 

A subsequent military investigation found that these scurrilous criticisms were largely without merit, reporting that “…most such complaints came from about 15 percent of the local residents described as “well-to-do property owners. . .”  (The more things change, the more they stay the same, eh?)   

The City of Daytona Beach and military authorities agreed that area recreation and entertainment opportunities were inadequate, and city officials agreed to expand facilities on City Island for that purpose.   

According to Citizens 4 Responsible Development – a 501c3 nonprofit formed to encourage the City of Daytona Beach to provide a better quality of life for its citizens:

“It was the only building in Florida built for this purpose; it is unique. The City Commission voted to fund the stucco finish and a stronger roof so the building could serve the community long after the war. The building was actively used for community events, meetings, and classes until 2012, when the city closed the building. Since its closure, it hasn’t been maintained in a manner appropriate for any municipal property, let alone an historic property.”

Last month, it appeared the city’s ‘powers that be’ had successfully killed the historic property with a one-two punch of strategic neglect and frightening repair estimates, with The Daytona Beach News-Journal reporting:

“At a meeting last week, City Commissioner Ruth Trager made an impassioned plea to keep the structure standing and restore it. City Commissioner Ken Strickland also argued for a stay of execution and a chance to fully renovate it.

But Trager and Strickland were outnumbered by the five other commissioners who said it’s not worth the estimated $2 million it would take to save the nearly 80-year-old building. City Commissioner Paula Reed said she’s “just not willing to spend that.”

“We need to be better stewards of city facilities … but I am not in favor of saving this building,” Reed said. “I think we need to count our losses and just do better from this point forward.”

Fortunately, Anne Ruby, Sandy Murphy, and members of C4RD refused to allow the structure to fall victim to the pernicious practice of destroying buildings and facilities that connect the present to our past in the name of “progress.” 

The group placed emphasis on the value of the building to the community – rather than the inflated cost of preservation and rehabilitation.   

In an open letter to members of the Historic Preservation Board, C4RD explained:

“If the Rec Center is demolished it will be gone forever.  If you declare it historic and convince the Commission to do the same, options for purpose and funding of the Rec Center could be explored over the next year. A refreshed, repurposed Rec Center could again be a valuable city asset, contributing to the economic good of the city.

 There are many good reasons to explore the options to restore the Rec and many possible valid counterpoints to arguments the city may raise.  Citizens are not typically allowed to engage in a public conversation with staff or members during Board or Commission meetings.  City staff and their experts have unlimited time to speak and interact with those on the dais; they always have the last word.”

On Tuesday, the volunteer’s provided a professional video presentation and research material to the Daytona Beach Historic Preservation Board which debunked many of the myths surrounding the building’s threats and condition – an effort that saw some seventeen area residents speak in support of protecting the facility from demolition.    

Thanks to the excellent work of these committed civic activists, the HPB determined on a 5-1 vote that the City Island Rec Center is a place of important historic significance to our area!

I am told that the meeting was not without the usual dose of civic drama when HPB Chair Tracey Remark, who cast the lone “No” vote, engaged in what one observer described as “bizarre” dialog in arguing against saving the structure from oblivion. . .   

Weird. 

For now, let us celebrate the Historic Preservation Board’s visionary finding – and continue to support the efforts of C4RD and others working to save this endangered part of the Halifax area’s history. 

If, as Commissioner Paula Reed said, it is time for our elected and appointed officials to be better stewards of municipal facilities, let that commitment start with saving the City Island Rec Center – both in remembrance of those who served – and as a tangible link to our past for future generations. 

Please visit Citizens 4 Responsible Development at https://www.c4rddaytona.com/

Asshole           Volusia County Council

I hate to replough the same furrow, but the abject absurdity of Volusia County government is never more evident than when our elected dullards facilitate some influential insider’s vision of “progress” – spending the next year dipping and dodging complaints resulting from the disruptions and inconveniences felt by us rubes who live and eke out a living here on Florida’s Fun Coast. 

For instance, last November the Volusia County Council voted unanimously to approve a $2.7 million proportionate share agreement between the City of Daytona Beach, Daytona 634 Development LLC, and the County of Volusia. 

The agenda item included a proposed extension of Pelican Bay Drive connecting the under-construction Amazon fulfillment center’s driveway to busy Beville Road – a plan that anyone paying attention could see would dump heavy traffic from the 2.8 million-square-foot warehouse facility at the east entrance to the tony Pelican Bay gated community. . .

As I understand it, a “proportionate fair-share agreement” is fancy bureaucratic double-speak for a ‘hurt here/help there’ pro-growth shim-sham that (we are told) requires developers to ensure necessary public services and facilities are in place “concurrent with the impacts of growth.”

It doesn’t.      

Both the “prop-share” agreement, and extension of Pelican Bay Drive, passed with no discussion from the normally chatty council members – beyond Chairman Jeff Brower’s explanation of the behind-the-scenes wrangling you and I were not privy too:

“For the purpose of the public…I will let you know there has been a lot of discussion with councilmembers with staff, and apparently this seems to everybody, including me, that this will be a benefit for future economic development opening up this area. . .” 

Then, one month later, the Daytona Beach City Commission unanimously authorized the “prop share” agreement on a staff recommendation – effectively paving the way for the nightmare traffic funnel on Beville Road. 

To ramrod the project, the Daytona Beach City Commission enthusiastically approved a development agreement – including some $4 million in corporate welfare incentives – when the development, previously known only by the mysterious cryptonym Project Tarpon, was revealed to be an Amazon Fulfillment Center. . . 

For the record, then newly elected Commissioner Ken Strickland cast the lone dissenting vote on the corporate welfare scheme.   

Now, the 3,600 residents of the Pelican Bay community are vehemently opposed to the deleterious effects of around-the-clock traffic at the gateway to their homes – a low-ball estimate of 630 to/from truck trips daily and 3,000 employee trips every 24-hours – leaving our suddenly stupefied elected officials scrambling to appear as if they give two-shits. . . 

They don’t. 

Because here on the Fun Coast, “future economic development,” regardless of impact, naturally equals “good” – and anyone who asks questions is dismissed as a “clown,” “disgruntled naysayer,” or worse. . . 

Who’s the Clown now? 

According to an informative report by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Daytona Beach residents take Amazon traffic worries to County Council”:

“Nine people urged County Council members to talk to Amazon officials and work with county government staff to find an alternative to the current plan to create a new thoroughfare just north of Beville Road for large Amazon trucks that will be heading to and from the e-commerce giant’s new facility.

“It’s going to be a nightmare for everybody,” Pelican Bay resident Janis Griffith told Council members.

“We’re already at somewhat of a logjam, and that’s before Amazon starts up,” Pelican Bay neighborhood resident Paula Kaplan said during Tuesday’s meeting. “My husband and I and others are fearful.”

Other Pelican Bay residents spoke of their very real concerns of gridlock, an increase in crashes, and the effect of non-stop commercial traffic on tourism – all while their elected officials sat on the dais of power staring down at them like gargoyles – knowing full-well they voted to approve this mess without discussion just four-months ago. . . 

My God. . .

Now, we are told that council members are “working behind the scenes” – in that ethereal bureaucratic rip in the space-time continuum where the concept of ‘accountability’ does not exist – struggling to find a “solution” to the inevitable consequences of their own gross lack of due diligence as they put the blinders on and worked to protect the interests of their political benefactors over the needs of their constituents.

In my view, most nauseating was the puling of those craven politicians who voted enthusiastically for both the proportionate share agreement – and the spiffs and giveaways that secured the secretive project – who are now praying they can convince their constituents (and neighbors) that they care. 

They don’t. 

Because in Volusia County the one constant is that the wants and needs of those who pay the bills and suffer in silence will always be subservient to the mercenary machinations of those extremely wealthy insiders with a chip in the game. . .

Of course, that Master of Strategic Ignorance, lame duck Councilwoman Billie Wheeler – who forgot she was one of the “Yes” votes to approve the Beville Road nightmare – clucked, “We’re all fighting the battle.  I’m not ignoring it and staff is not ignoring it. Some things, our hands are tied. We’re trying to figure this out as well as we can. We can’t make promises, but we’re not hanging up the towel.”

Bullshit. 

I’ve asked this question before, but how could any sitting official who voted for the Amazon amendments, incentives, and agreements have failed to consider the radiating traffic impacts inherent to a five-story industrial warehouse?

Oh, I forgot – they didn’t know what they were voting for when they approved it. . . 

Get the picture? 

Now, these same politicians are attempting to use this tactical incognizance in a feeble attempt to dodge accountability for the intrusive after-effects of this ‘pig-in-a-poke’ sham. 

To many living in Pelican Bay and doing business along the Beville Road corridor, it is increasingly evident that their quality of life has become collateral damage – exchanged for the promise of $15-per-hour warehouse jobs (until automation takes over) – and the looming specter of even more industrial development impacting the area in the near future.    

Late yesterday I was told that one solution being considered is to simply change the name of the access road from Pelican Bay Drive to something (anything) else.

Wow.

You can’t make this shit up. . .

I like to say, “Vote like your quality of life depends on it.” 

Because it does. . .

Quote of the Week

“At the March 3rd, 2022 meeting of the Volusia County Council all members voted in favor of giving $1,500 of our tax dollars to Embry Riddle’s Athletic program.

Their job as council members is not to take our money by force and with the threat of the loss of our homes and property in order to give to another. This is not the government’s role, and the practice should end. $1,500 may not be much in the bigger picture, however, it is wrong, and it is only a small portion of what is given away every year.

Charitable giving should be a personal choice that is made based on one’s desire and ability to give and it should not be done for us by our government. Our elected representatives are not being noble or charitable when they allow this to occur, it is not their money to give away.  It is beyond time to reduce the scope, size, and responsibilities of our county government. Government is in place to do those big things that we cannot do as individuals such as building roads and bridges, providing public transportation services, and providing public safety services.”

–Civic Activist Keith Chester, writing on the popular Facebook political forum, “Volusia Issues,” Wednesday, March 16, 2022

And Another Thing!

On Monday, already stressed area residents awoke to The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s frontpage headline, “Can city’s LPGA Boulevard handle 9,000 new homes? Top city staff members preparing for the growth,” a clearly rhetorical question designed to emphasize the stark reality of overdevelopment. 

At least I hope it was a rhetorical question. . .

Because the unequivocal answer from anyone paying attention is “No” – the entirety of the Halifax area is completely incapable of rapidly absorbing the current rate of rampant sprawl – let alone the estimated 12,500 new “housing units” on the horizon, including the proliferation of wood frame apartment complexes that are sprouting like weeds out of those ugly slash-and-burn moonscapes east of I-95. 

To add insult, some of the very same politicians who have rubberstamped every planned unit development that came before them with Pavlovian conditioning – including Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry, who was reelected in 2020 on the strength of a war chest crammed with over $91,000 (for a municipal mayoral election?) with thousands of dollars coming from area developers and uber-wealthy insiders – are wringing their hands, now that the crush of new development is (literally) hitting close to home:

“…Mayor Derrick Henry is still a little uneasy with the surge in new home construction that won’t ebb for several years.

“This has given me a bit of a headache, and I knew it would,” Henry said last week after city staff gave commissioners a presentation on the new development approved for the LPGA area. “I prefer more commercial development.”

Henry lives in the LPGA area west of I-95, so he has an up close and personal view of the surge.

“I see what’s taking place. I feel the increase,” the mayor said. “I don’t want it to hit like a sledgehammer at one time.”

Not to worry, folks.

Those highly paid Rip Van Winkles who accept public funds to serve in the public interest are now awakening from years of slumber to “study” things like securing the water supply, treating sewage, reworking the intersection of I-95 and Boomtown Boulevard, and “readying the road network” – all part of some weird ‘cart before the horse’ strategy that has allowed developers to cram ten-pounds of shit in a five-pound bag and haul untold millions out of the pine scrub before our now groaning transportation infrastructure could handle it.

According to the News-Journal’s report, “City staff members say they’re ready to handle the next waves of development in a part of Daytona Beach already undergoing explosive growth. But there are likely to be some growing pains that, at least for the next few years, could mean more traffic congestion than some people care for and less than optimal cell phone service.

The two-lane bridge on LPGA Boulevard just west of I-95 is one choke point that can already tie up motorists. And as more people pour out onto the roads, there could be other slow-moving stretches until new road extensions, road widenings, new traffic signals and other improvements are in place.”

Sledgehammer?

Choke point?

The next waves?

Growing pains?

At least the next few years?

Traffic congestion?

“Less than optimal” cellular service?

Any of that sound like an effective growth management and concurrency outcome to you? 

So, NOW – after thousands of zero lot line cracker boxes have been built on top of our aquifer recharge areas with more on the way – “Staff” has decided it’s finally time to begin the process of preparing for the “explosive growth” that will have us drinking our own recycled sewage and dying a slow death in gridlocked traffic?   

Really?

Trust me.  Growth management, environmental protection, and low-impact development strategies form the most pressing issues facing political candidates this election season – and our decisions at the polls are increasingly influenced by a changing dynamic where campaign contributions from certain heavyweights and the industries they control signal who NOT to vote for – no longer providing the traditional undue advantage for hand-select marionettes who lack the strength of character to tap the brakes on their political benefactor’s out-of-control greed. 

That’s a good thing. 

Please remember – votes beat money – and this one’s important. 

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

It’s good to travel, it’s great to be home. . . 

I’ve just returned from a much-needed few days away in Northern Virginia where a late-season snow made things interesting on Saturday – turning the beautiful rolling hills of the Old Dominion’s horse country into a frosty tableau – perfect for relaxing in front of a roaring fire with a few glasses of fine whiskey. 

 On the way home, a stop in Raleigh, North Carolina found a community in the midst of aggressive revitalization – with historic neighborhoods and former warehouse districts being transformed into affordable residential areas with a true neighborhood feel, tony shops and eateries occupying once dilapidated spaces, and a bustling downtown capitalizing on the regions “Research Triangle” designation. 

On Monday, I spent a few hours touring the area – stopping for a delicious platter of fresh oysters and good craft beer at the innovative Transfer Co. Food Hall – a market and gathering place built around an eclectic group of small restaurants housed in the 50,000 square foot former Carolina Coach Garage – a beautifully renovated space where producers, makers, vendors, restaurateurs, community members and their guests gather and connect through food.

My hope is that this space represents exactly what the City of Daytona Beach envisions for their recent acquisition of the former Corbin building on Main Street. 

This afternoon, Barker’s View joins GovStuff Live! with Big John – Volusia County’s premiere public affairs radio forum beginning at 4:00pm. 

Our guest in the 5:00 o’clock hour will be the incomparable Mike Scudiero – a long-time contributor to the Marc Bernier Show, a go-to source on local issues for The Daytona Beach News-Journal, tireless advocate for public safety practitioners, and an astute professional political consultant and influential commentator who has helped many successful candidates craft their message and navigate the intricacies of the political process to achieve their goal of public service. 

In fact, Mike is one of the smartest people I know – and while we don’t always agree – I invariably learn from his insightful take on the important issues of the day. 

You will too.

If you are interested in the ‘local stuff’ – and Mike’s insightful take on the how the political playing field is shaping up this election season – you won’t want to miss this informative and interactive forum. 

Please join us locally at 1380am The CAT, or online at www.govstuff.org (Listen Live button). 

I welcome you to join the discussion by calling us at 386-523-1380 where the irrepressible Big John – Volusia County’s foremost expert on local government and politics – welcomes your questions, observations, and “pithy comments” on the Fastest Two-Hours in Radio!

Also, our weekly installment of Angels & Assholes – my often-irreverent take on the news and newsmakers here on Florida’s fabled Fun Coast – returns to this space tomorrow morning! 

Please join us!