As I wrote earlier this week, the Daytona Beach News-Journal’s two-part Pockmarked Paradise series was an exceptional look at perhaps the most intractable issue of our generation:  The complete economic and social stagnation of our once vibrant beachside. 

But did it go far enough?

Our local newspaper of record has many internal and external challenges – but there is no denying that the crew over on Sixth Street excels at in-depth investigative reporting.

Anchored by the remarkable journalistic talents of Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, the News-Journal’s Tarnished Jewel series was benchmark reporting and served to expose the waste and perpetual ineffectiveness inherent in redevelopment efforts on our beleaguered beachside.

That outstanding exposé was the impetus for several SRO town hall meetings and other public awareness efforts which ultimately resulted in the Beachside Redevelopment Committee.

The piece moved us.  It angered us.  And it stirred many to grassroots action and political involvement.

Unfortunately, what it didn’t do is jettison those bureaucratic lumps with direct responsibility for fostering and managing desperately needed revitalization efforts – people who accept public funds to serve in the public interest –  yet continue to fail miserably in this important role.

We keep the same senior redevelopment staff, perennial politicians and administrative hacks and blowholes – all while expecting a different result.

Now, Ms. Zaffiro-Kean has hit it out of the park with the hard-hitting series, Pockmarked Paradise – a grim look at the economic and social impact of hundreds of vacant and dilapidated properties along the spine of our core tourist areas from Ormond Beach to the Shores.

These deep dives into the continuous cycle of blight on the beachside have left many of us wondering how the same people can remain at the controls of a rudderless redevelopment apparatus – a process designed exclusively to funnel huge sums of public funds to political insiders – while our main draw in a tourist economy continues to openly rot.

After reading the first installment, I took a swipe at our ‘movers & shakers’ who contributed their comments and opinions on “what to do” about the situation we find ourselves in.

My frustration results from the fact that many of these individuals have been in positions of public and private power for years – literally sitting in ivory towers looking down as this steaming squalor permeated once vibrant neighborhoods – and looked away as over $100-million in redevelopment funds was squandered or evaporated.

In reading Pockmarked Paradise, we saw terms like, “First and foremost,” “We need to,” “Got to be a solution,” “We’re trying to make it a family-oriented place,” “You’ve got to get it going,” “I think that things are turning around,” “Some people are scared to come,” etc. – phrases that were followed by general suggestions and observations with no cohesive plan for progress.

Add to that the complete disconnect between area politicians – each with near identical problems, but obviously no collaborative effort to address these common issues – and you begin to see the core issue more clearly.

In short, I thought it was a great two-part series, and I sincerely hope it serves as an ignition point for positive change.

However, in my view, Pockmarked Paradise still missed the mark on what I believe is the ultimate contributing factor for the obstructionism and lack of vision on our afflicted beachside.

 A recent editorial in the News-Journal, “Stop spinning wheels on A-1-A,” served as Cliffs Notes on the Pockmarked Paradise series for our powers-that-be who still cannot read critically, form an independent opinion, or think for themselves:

What’s needed now is “Leadership.”

In my view, there can be no strong political leadership in our oligarchical system, where a few uber-wealthy insiders consolidate incredible power through massive campaign contributions to hand-select candidates for public office, then use that influence as leverage to control everything from redevelopment to infrastructure projects to the local marketplace – even the elimination of our heritage of beach driving.

I believe this represents the crux of the issue that no one – especially not the Daytona Beach News-Journal – wants to talk about.

So long as our government processes are openly manipulated by a handful of powerful political insiders – whose common trait is a voracious appetite for public funds to fuel private projects – nothing, and I mean nothing, will substantively change on the Fun Coast.

 

 

If you haven’t perused Eileen Zaffiro-Kean’s outstanding exposé in Sunday’s Daytona Beach News-Journal entitled, “Pockmarked Paradise” – then put down the pudding pop, go somewhere quiet, and read it.  Now.

(Find it here: http://gatehousenews.com/a1a/home/site/news-journalonline.com )

It’s important.

In my view, this high-level investigative reporting is what the New-Journal does best.

I only wish they would do more of it.

Frankly, we’ve all had our fill of the incessant marketing of the still incomplete Desert Inn/Hard Rock Hotel – or glittery hype surrounding those zero-lot-line cookie cutters out at Margaritaville that we finally got a disappointing look at last week.

Like peeling the layers from a rotten onion, journalistic inquiries like Pockmarked Paradise and Tarnished Jewel, ask important questions that beget another, and eventually the pieces of a very difficult jigsaw puzzle begin to fall into place, allowing us a clear picture of the intractable issues facing the Halifax area and beyond.

And, in my weird view, these articles are beginning to point the finger at the usual suspects.

Look, I’m not some weird clairvoyant – some mystical soothsayer with the power to anticipate the future on this sandy spit of land we call home.

My vision is no better or worse than yours, and I certainly don’t have the answers to the enigma that is the decaying remnants of our beachside.

Like many of you, I’ve lived in the Halifax area all my life, and I’ve experienced first-hand the “good times” that made the Daytona Beach Resort Area a premiere tourist destination – and the slow death spiral that has brought us to this dismal place the Chamber of Commerce set would rather we not talk about in polite company.

In their informative depiction, the News-Journal accurately described our daily sights and sounds, “Empty buildings bleed out rust and rotting wood. Vacant storefront windows are haphazardly covered with crumpled brown paper, plywood and faded bed sheets with tacky prints.”

In addition, the online version of the article includes an interactive map showing a phalanx of red dots stretching from Ormond Beach to the Shores, each denoting a vacant or dilapidated property.  These spots give the appearance of malignant tumors spreading along the spine of the beachside.

In fact, that’s what they are.

According to the News-Journal, there are some 213 blighted or empty commercial and residential properties on the beachside – the majority along A-1-A – the state road which borders the Atlantic Ocean and comprises our core tourist area.

Not surprisingly, that number has increased over a similarly grim inventory taken by News-Journal staff six-years ago.

Why wouldn’t things have gotten worse? 

I mean, have our powers-that-be done anything substantive to slow the progress of the underlying disease – or do they repeatedly revert to the same disastrous strategy of hoping-against-hope that the developer du jour (with enough economic incentives) will build a panacea hotel – a great cure all that will salve the crushing economic and social problems that have dogged the Halifax area for decades?

When smart people ask me why the Daytona Beach area seems physically incapable of progress on what should be the most desirable stretch of real estate in Florida, I do my best Yogi Berra impression and respond:

“Things never change here, because they always stay the same.”

I’m not being sarcastic – it’s the truth.

One thing I readily noticed in Pockmarked Paradise is that the same people, with the same consistent lack of vision, ideas, or workable solutions, still occupy the same “leadership” positions in our community.

The same questionable characters, still lining their pockets and spewing bullshit, pontificating on things they don’t have a clue about.  (Don’t believe me?  Take a gander at a transcript of any Volusia County Council Meeting. . .) 

Because if they had a shred of collective vision, we wouldn’t be in this abominable quagmire.

These same real estate “experts” and perennial politicians provide the same tired answers when asked pointed questions about what we’re going to do about this economic free fall that has turned much of our beachside into a fetid hole of abject squalor and dilapidation.

The first installment of the series gave us a few tepid responses and opinions from everyone who is anyone, except Reed Berger – the City of Daytona Beach’s economic development director – the one person who is paid to give a shit but doesn’t – who couldn’t be bothered to respond to the News-Journal’s request for an interview.

(When, oh lord, is City Manager Jim Chisholm going to recognize this ineffectual non-starter for what he is and fire his ass before more time and money passes over the transom?)

I find it interesting (and infinitely depressing) that during the recent “awards season” – that time of the year when the same “Rich & Powerful” political insiders whose ravenous greed is, in my view, ultimately responsible for our regional stagnation – throw lavish galas and give each other accolades commemorating their ability to take credit for the work of others – or, in some cases, just because it’s their turn for undeserved recognition.

For instance, last week the Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce gave local insurance executive J. Hyatt Brown the “highly coveted” (?) “Enterprise Award” – I assume for his ability to strong-arm $15.5-million in public funds from his hand-selected and generously financed chattel on the dais of power.

And don’t get me started on our ‘movers and shakers’ outrageous self-congratulations for the “tremendous progress” they’ve made in efforts to “revitalize” the East ISB “gateway” – which is still the same blighted shithole it was last year.  And the year before that.

(I’ll bet you a doughnut it is in the same deplorable condition next year, when the annual round of awards are handed out to all the right last names. . .)

Whatever.

I encourage everyone to carefully study this important series in the Daytona Beach News-Journal and develop your own conclusions.

After all, as a resident of Volusia County, your views and opinions are just as valid as the pseudo-experts, especially when it comes to the who, what, when, where and why of the crippling economic paralysis and sense of hopelessness that – despite the glowing rah-rah speeches and cheery outlook of self-serving real estate marketing types – continues to threaten our quality of life here on the “Fun Coast.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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:          City of Deltona

Last April, Deltona City Commissioner Brian Soukup abruptly resigned his post citing, among other issues, the “continued unprofessional actions of City Manager Jane Shang.”  His specific allegations included frequent misrepresentations and the manipulation of information critical to the decision-making process.

In February, Chris O’Donnell, the city’s events manager, bolted out the door just ahead of a complete mental breakdown.  He also named tensions with Shang, and the wholly dysfunctional atmosphere she has created in City Hall, along with “hostile conditions” generated by elected officials seeking his termination.

Now, the exodus continues as Commissioner Christopher Alcantara has announced he plans to leave municipal service as well.

According to reports, Alcantara cited family issues, a new job – and some obscure biblical reference to building his house on rock (?) – for his decision to leave before the end of his first term in elective office.

Look, I’m not sure what any of that means, but I think the issues go far deeper than that.

Of course, Alcantara’s deliberations regarding his departure were met with the usual divisive jibs and jabs from Mayor John Masiarczyk, a petulant crank who has shown the leadership skills of a dry turd while his painfully inept City Manager runs roughshod over citizens, employees and processes.

It can’t get much worse.

As a result, Mr. Masiarczyk now officially presides over the most disastrously ineffectual local government in Volusia County.

Earlier this week, Deltona resident and intrepid civic activist, Dana McCool – after weeks of attempting to beg help from Deltona Water, her elected officials and city management to resolve a simple billing dispute that left her with a nearly $500.00 water bill – took the unusual step of paying the city in pennies.

She toted them right through the front door in a wagon.

I admire that.  It takes chutzpah to fight City Hall.

Ms. McCool’s peaceful – yet highly effective – protest caught the attention of media outlets, leaving the City of Deltona with yet another embarrassing blackeye.

For months, Deltona residents have consistently asked pointed questions of their elected representatives, seeking answers on everything from the city’s often murky financial practices to the repetitive instances of gross mismanagement by Jane Shang – only to be met with silence, or ridiculous measures designed to quash dissent and limit public involvement.

As an example of how far afield things have gotten, in 2016, the city even proposed an ill-fated “civility ordinance” – an asinine suppressive measure designed to stifle free speech and neuter certain elected officials who were critical of staff – not seen since Mao Zedong’s Double Ten Directive.

My God.  When does this utter dysfunction end?

In my view, it is past time for Jane Shang to resign and peddle her unique brand of disruptive incompetence, and almost pathological internal secrecy, somewhere that enjoys perpetual drama, dysphoria and administrative turmoil.

It is patently obvious that the conflict-ridden Deltona City Commission – under the abysmal “leadership” of Mayor Masiarczyk – lacks the political courage to terminate Ms. Shang’s reign and return stability and transparency to a community that desperately needs both.

Given the gross political cowardice of their mayor and elected officials, perhaps it’s time concerned Deltona residents begin organizing a strong grassroots effort to fundamentally change the way they are governed.

That process begins by electing representatives with the courage, vision and perseverance to stand up for what is right – then remain in the trenches and fight for the best interests of their constituents – and the future of Deltona.

Best of luck in future endeavors, Mr. Alcantara.  We hardly knew ye. . .

Angel:             Flagler Sheriff Rick Staley

Look, it’s no secret – I’m a big fan of Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staley.

In an age where Florida’s elected sheriffs engage in a good-natured, if not slightly annoying, competition vying for the dubious title of “Toughest Lawman in the Land,” a contest where not even our own tough-talking Sheriff Mike Chitwood can’t hold a candle to Polk County’s inimitable Grady Judd – who looks like a bespectacled CPA with the swagger of John Wayne’s Rooster Cogburn – Sheriff Staley stands above the fray as a committed law enforcement professional.

In my view, Rick Staley does a good job avoiding the grandstanding while using his unique high-profile position to bring awareness to the important work of his agency – and the problems that he is clearly committed to solving.

For instance, his recent visionary work to curb the epidemic of domestic violence in Flagler County was an outstanding example of community leadership in action.

Now, Sheriff Staley and his talented deputies and staff have launched an innovative new initiative to stop the revolving door of victimization – arrest – incarceration – repeat.

The project is called STRIDE – Skills, Transitional Support, Respect, Integrity, Direction and Employment – which provides life-skills training for non-violent inmates of the Flagler County Jail who are scheduled for release into the community.

As I understand it, STRIDE focuses on the most predominant issues which lead to recidivism – addiction, homelessness and unemployment.

What I like most about the program is how Sheriff Staley has enlisted existing community resources – such as the Volusia Literacy Council and the Volusia/Flagler Coalition for the Homeless – to bring their extraordinary talents and experience to bear on one of the most perplexing problems facing our justice system.

Kudos to Sheriff Rick Staley and his staff for this ground-breaking effort to help inmates help themselves.

Asshole:          Ormond Beach City Commission

This week, I used a powerful line from the controversial poet, E. E. Cummings, work, “i sing of Olaf glad and big” – a poem about a principled man, a conscientious objector, who gives up his life and good name for his belief’s:

“There’s some shit we won’t eat.”

The vulgarity resonated with many readers still reeling from the City of Ormond Beach’s acquiescence to an even worse obscenity – the complete destruction of majestic old-growth trees and the natural environmental buffer near the intersection of Tomoka Avenue and Granada Boulevard in exchange for a WaWa.

You read that right – another “convenience” store.

Frankly, I think Cumming’s line should become a rallying cry for the long-suffering residents of Volusia County who are forced to stand by and bear silent witness as our elected officials approve the wholesale destruction of natural places from Farmton to the Flagler County line, making way for massive “theme” subdivisions, and accompanying strip centers, all built atop our fragile recharge areas and wetlands.

With feelings still raw, on Wednesday, Granada Pointe developer Mr. Paul Holub, Jr., added insult to injury by lecturing us in the News-Journal’s Community Voices column.

With impeccable timing, Holub’s screed was backed up by a syrupy letter to the editor from Charles Lichtigman, chairman and CEO of mega-developer Charles Wayne Properties, who played the role of the sagacious voice of reason.

As those caught on the wrong side of public opinion often do, Holub reminded us ungrateful rubes that he is doing us a favor – while Lichtigman pulled a pincer move, urging us hotheaded yokels to consider “reasoned debate,” you know, now that the property has been clear-cut and ground into a muddy void.

I mean, God forbid we should be discourteous to our government, or those who give us “decorative pavers” in trade for century-old oaks, “decorative street lights” for wildlife habitat.

Apparently, Deputy Mayor Kent is of the goofy opinion that commercial developers should be able to do whatever the hell they want on property they purchase without question – regardless of the detrimental impact to our environment – or residents who must suffer the perpetual consequences.

But what happens when mercenary politicians use their legislative power to change reasonable planning and zoning regulations to accommodate the appetites of developers?

In my view, that is exactly what happened in the case of Granada Pointe, as there is no way to justify dropping a 24-hour gas station/convenience store/grocery/fast food drive thru on the periphery of a long-established residential area.

It simply defies reason.

In fact, it is inconceivable that ostensibly smart public officials could not have envisioned the clamor and din their constituents will be forced to endure to accommodate this perverted example of “progress.”

Look, I may be an uneducated dunce, but even I understand the gravitational physics of raising the earth under the commercial development some 4-feet above the current grade of surrounding residential properties.

I hope I’m wrong.

As previously said, I’ve seen sitting politicians literally sit up and beg like cur dogs when big-name developers and their high-price mouthpieces start weaving yarns about all the benefits of bringing intrusive developments to quiet neighborhoods, so excuse me if I don’t trust the judgement of unprincipled elected officials to look out for our “highest and best” interests.

Notwithstanding Mr. Holub’s self-serving assurance that we’ll all “get used to it” – in my view, this project is simply wrong for the location – an area predominantly comprised of quiet office space.

But what do I know?

I sound like a broken record, but I believe the only way to return sanity to this out-of-control system is to begin electing representatives who have a modicum of respect for our natural places – and the will of the people – when considering future development.

Asshole:          County Manager Jim Dinneen

After accepting the premature “certification” from Hard Rock International – a document which clearly served to pencil-whip the very specific performance standards set by county ordinance so that the ultimate amenity of a pseudo-private beach would be granted for the strand behind the hotel – our craven County Manager, Jim Dinneen, warned that he alone would determine the time and date our customary tradition of beach driving would be shutdown.  Forever.

Then, crickets.

I suppose – like everything else he does – Mr. Dinneen will launch his unilateral decree in a surprise ambush.  Most likely, being the compromised coward that he is, Dinneen will order the closure be implemented under cover of darkness, using the element of surprise to remove any possibility for peaceful protest or citizen dissent.

Perhaps I’m wrong, but I suspect we will simply awake one morning and find ugly wooden poles driven into the sand – and yet more sign pollution officiously telling us the beach is closed to vehicular traffic.

What a damnable shame.

In Volusia County We, The People, are looked upon by our ruling class – and the uber-wealthy political insiders who own their very souls – as a caste of subservient piss ants who exist to fill the menial service jobs created by an economy which consists of the same five people passing the same nickel around (Read: The current roster of the Volusia CEO Business Alliance) and dutifully pay the exorbitant taxes that feed the machine.

Our needs, wants and traditions mean shit in an atmosphere where the likes of J. Hyatt Brown or Mori Hosseini can shape public policy by their mere physical presence in council chambers.

The debacle that is the Desert Inn/Westin/Hard Rock project exemplifies how willingly our elected and appointed officials in county government will prostrate themselves, abandoning any sense of ethics, morals or common decency, to please their “Rich & Powerful” masters.

My hope is that, in the end, those horrific pilings blocking the strand will serve as a grim monument – a perpetual reminder – that in the Kingdom of Jim Dinneen, abject greed is the only ethic – and the end will always justify the means.

I’m told by those in the know that the Hard Rock officially “opened” at 3:00pm yesterday.

Great.

Good times are here again.  Again.

Quote of the Week:

“Beach-driving supporters howled at the Hard Rock’s future tense: the hotel “upon opening” “will” meet the standards. But did anyone really think corporate would allow its new Daytona Beach franchisee to fail inspection this close to completion?”

–The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Editorial “Hard Rock is official,” Tuesday, February 27, 2018

The answer is, yes.

The long-suffering residents of Volusia County had an absolute right to expect that Hard Rock International – and our elected and appointed officials who ramrodded this project to effectively privatize more of the strand and eliminate our century-old heritage of beach driving – would act with honor, transparency and a basic respect for our system of laws and ordinances.

I mean, don’t We, The People have an honest expectation that those we elect to represent our interests will keep their word?

Yeah, right.

I hope our elected officials realize that the Hard Rock debacle came with a political cost.

In my view, the despicable way this theft of beach access was perpetrated has exposed Little Jimmy and the Volusia County Council as grimy cheese-stealing rats who returned to the wheel once too often.

Citizens from all walks of life – many who support beach driving, and many who don’t – have come to the shocking realization that our elected and appointed officials, people who accept public funds to serve in the public interest, are brazen corporate shills who turned a blind eye when this visibly incomplete project was “certified” as having met the high metrics of the “4-star” resort we were promised.

In the aftermath, many lost respect for the Hard Rock brand when they blatantly compromised their reputation by issuing a quasi-certification and quibbling the specific performance standards contained in the ordinance like mealy-mouthed screwworms.

Then, our newspaper of record has the sand to try and convince us that the end justifies these morally reprehensible means, “The bottom line is that taking cars off a 400-foot stretch of sand is a worthwhile trade to get rid of the old Desert Inn.”

Bullshit.

We accept that the fix was in from the start – just please don’t tell us that any part of this shitstorm of political treachery and deceit is a worthwhile trade for the public’s trust in their government.

Have a great weekend, kids.

 

Earlier this month, I used this space to vent my sense of horror that resulted from the City of Ormond Beach’s acquiescence to the near complete deforestation near the intersection of Tomoka Avenue and Granada Boulevard.

The blogpost generated interest from thousands of Barker’s View readers – many of whom felt the same gut level outrage at this environmental atrocity.

I must admit, in these situations – where our quality of life is pissed away for what passes for “progress” and “economic development” – I lose all objectivity, and I really don’t care to hear the venal excuses of real estate developers and speculative pirates whose first, last and only concern in turning greenspace into greenbacks.

Frankly, I’ve heard it all before.

So, the Daytona Beach News-Journal did the fair thing and followed up with a piece seeking the other side of the argument from Ormond Beach officials and the property developer, Paul Holub, Jr.

Perennial politician and Ormond Beach Deputy Mayor Troy Kent – who is rapidly becoming the face of this ghastly insult to the community’s collective conscience – did his best to assure us that the ugly morass of black muck where majestic, old-growth oaks once stood, “. . .does not change the beautiful character of Ormond Beach.”

Bullshit, Mr. Kent.

It changes everything.

Because it has rocked our confidence in Ormond Beach government to do the right thing, for the right reasons.

In a recent piece, the News-Journal found a local business owner who came off like a whimpering pantywaist, when he praised the destruction over his irrational fear of the wildlife whose habitat has now been decimated, “A lot of times we will walk or run by that place and sometimes we will cross the street because there are critters in the forest.”

Sickening.

Then, just this morning, we endured a lecture by Mr. Holub, writing in the News-Journal’s Community Voices column, bolstered by a letter from Charles Lichtigman, chairman and CEO of Charles Wayne Properties, who played the role of the sagacious voice of reason.

In shameless fashion, Holub reminded us ungrateful rubes that he is actually doing us a favor – while Lichtigman pulled a tag-team move, urging us hotheaded yokels to consider “reasoned debate,” you know, now that the property has been clear cut and ground into a muddy void.

I mean, God forbid we should be discourteous to our government, or those who generously give us “decorative pavers” in exchange for century-old trees, “decorative street lights” for wildlife habitat.

“You’ll get used to it.”

Screw these greedy bastards.

There truly is some shit we won’t eat.

While Deputy Mayor Kent may be able to convince himself that another convenience store, co-located with a grocery operation directly abutting a long-established residential area won’t adversely impact the lives of his constituents – I assure you those who are forced to live with the fallout aren’t so damnably naïve.

They can’t afford to be – their very quality of life and property values hang in the balance.

In fact, I have heard from several of Mr. Kent’s incredibly angry constituents – some of whom live many blocks away from the construction site – who report their once idyllic neighborhoods are being ruined by the near-constant roar of heavy equipment as it churns the earth off Bennett Lane.

Just imagine the exponential increase in noise and ruckus when our new WaWa cranks up 24-hour operations, complete with a chicken wing drive-thru’s amplified speaker barking orders over the “beep-beep-beep” of early morning supermarket deliveries.

At least one realty sign has already sprung up across from the gash on Tomoka Avenue.

I don’t blame them – Get while the getting’s good, I say.

It’s not over.  Plans call for additional clearing on the north side of Granada Boulevard to begin soon.

Apparently, Mr. Kent is of the goofy opinion that commercial developers should be able to do whatever the hell they want on property they purchase without question – regardless of the detrimental impact to our environment – or residents who must suffer the perpetual consequences.

Of course, Mr. Holub cloaks himself in the stale reasoning that he and his investors are merely using their property in keeping with how our politicians envisioned its “highest and best” use – regardless of how appropriate or intrusive that use may be.

It seems they always factor the private profit margins – yet never consider the intrinsic cost to our collective quality of life.

The fact is, once these beautiful greenspaces and natural environmental buffers are gone, they are not coming back.  Ever.

Look, I’ve seen sitting politicians literally sit up and beg like cur dogs when big-name developers and their high-priced mouthpieces start weaving yarns about all the benefits of bringing highly intrusive developments to quiet neighborhoods, so excuse me if I don’t trust the judgement of mercenary elected officials to look out for our “highest and best” interests.

Unfortunately, this isn’t limited to the City of Ormond Beach.

Thanks to rampant, unchecked development, Florida has one of the worst environmental records in the nation.

As I’ve previously written, maybe when this entire godforsaken state becomes an uninhabitable shithole – completely devoid of potable water, greenspace or wildlife; when all the natural resources are exploited, hauled-off and sold – and every dime has been looted from the public coffers – someone will wake up.

I know it’s becoming a recurring theme, but perhaps it’s time we begin electing representatives who have a modicum of respect for our natural places – and the will of the people – when considering future development.

There is an ancient idiom which states, “The end justifies the means.”

The saying is used by those who believe a desired result is so important that any methods, even those which are morally reprehensible, may be used to achieve it.

The question “Does an important outcome excuse any wrongs committed to attain it?” is one that many of us ask ourselves in the course of daily life – especially those who have sought a position of power over their fellow citizens, have assumed the obligations of stewardship and sworn a sacred oath to support, protect and defend our Constitution and democratic principles of governance.

In my experience, this ethical conundrum becomes exponentially more difficult for elected officials, at all levels of government, when money is involved.

This question transcends honest differences of opinion.

It is a test of an individual or organizations situational ethics, rather than a passionate, fact-based conflict of ideas.

For instance, many long-time area residents happen to believe that the Halifax area’s century-old tradition of beach driving, from Sir Malcom Campbell’s Bluebird to a family day spent cruising the beach, is what makes the Daytona Beach Resort Area distinctively different from every other strand in the state of Florida.

By and large, beach driving supporters believe that progress, and the revitalization of our beleaguered core tourist areas, can be enhanced when investors and developers embrace and incorporate this unique aspect of our rich heritage.

Others, many of whom stand to personally benefit from beachside development, are on the public record stating that a traffic-free beach is the panacea for all our social and economic woes – and that the removal of beach driving represents the only viable way forward in terms of our “economic development.”

The difference being that those who have a direct financial interest in opposing beach driving are incredibly wealthy, and infinitely more politically influential, than us helot’s whose role in our bastardized economy is to fill menial service jobs and provide a ready flow of tax dollars.

In a political system that has transmogrified into an ugly oligarchy, where a few of those the Daytona Beach News-Journal describes as our “Rich & Powerful” can – through the infusion of massive amounts of cash into the campaign coffers of their hand-select candidates for local office – ultimately buy access and physically control our once democratic systems and processes.

We, The People, were simply out bid.

And it appears that not even our local judicial system – the last bastion of impartiality, where every citizen, regardless of social, political or financial standing – can expect equal treatment under the law – has remained unsullied by this adulterated political process.

Whenever grassroots beach advocacy organizations have attempted to fight back against elected and appointed government officials intent on pleasing the donor class and meeting the exacting demands of their financial benefactors – whether an attempt to allow the people a vote on issues affecting their beach, or compelling arguments that Volusia County entering into a partnership with a private entity to fund off-beach parking (the prerequisite for total removal of beach driving) is not permitted under our laws and ordinances – they have been blocked from even getting the questions before a judge.

How?  By Volusia County Attorney Dan Eckert’s despicable use of the people’s own money to file lawsuits against them questioning their standing in the issue.

In 2015, at the direction of prominent local insurance executive and political boss J. Hyatt Brown,  the Volusia County Council enacted a series of ordinances which removed beach driving from behind the Desert Inn/Westin/Hard Rock – a languishing project built on the bones of the haunted Desert Inn property – which was once notorious as the site of horrific child sex crimes and a haven for the lowest forms of human excrement on the planet.

The beach driving ban was couched as an “inducement” for the developers, Summit Hospitality Group, to complete the infamous hotel’s renovation to exacting performance standards by a date certain.

Last April, this date was extended to February 28, 2018, by our elected officials at the request of Summit Hospitality Group – following a surprise, off-the-agenda ambush announcement by County Manager Jim Dinneen – during which we learned that Summit had decided to “terminate its agreement” with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, LLC, to open an upscale Westin Hotel.

Some nonsense about Starwood being sold to Marriott Corporation (?) as I recall.

(I suspect that Marriott – as the recognized leader in the international hospitality industry – ran from this “four-star” project like a scalded dog.)

Instead, we were told the property would be re-flagged a Hard Rock franchise, operated by Summit Hospitality.

Regardless, we were clearly led to believe that the same standards of excellence, amenities and guest experience, including the drop-dead date for completion – as established by county ordinance – would remain a firm condition of the beach driving incentive.

The opening was announced for “late fall 2017,” then “Daytona 500 weekend,” then “March 1.”

When it became clear that Summit Hospitality would not meet the performance standards, or be remotely ready to open, by February 28^th – strange things began to happen.

Inexplicably, “senior county officials” and attorneys held a closed-door meeting with Summit to determine, “what needs to be done to bring the Hard Rock Hotel into compliance.”

Something our doddering fool, and congenital liar, County Chair Ed Kelley told us wasn’t necessary.

Then, county attorney Dan Eckert began the process of clarifying what everyone assumed was the hard date for the property to be open and welcoming guests was, in fact, merely an arbitrary time frame for Summit Hospitality to receive “certification” from Hard Rock corporate that they were permitted to open under the brand.

My ass.

The real problem came when people realized – based upon their personal observation of deplorable conditions on the external seawall, photographs depicting structural integrity concerns in a subterranean parking garage and an unfinished pool deck – that no corporation worth its integrity and standing in the hospitality industry could possibly risk their reputation by certifying an incomplete renovation as meeting their exacting standards.

Yet, on Friday, that’s exactly what Hard Rock International did.

Kind of.

What Hard Rock shrewdly quibbled was that the “luxury design” of the hotel – and “upon opening” the operation of the hotel “will” – meet brand standards and service requirements.

Based upon this “kinda/sorta” premature certification from Hard Rock International – sometime today, County Manager Jim Dinneen will unilaterally decide when our heritage of beach driving will be permanently (read: forever) removed from the strand behind the hotel.

In doing so, Mr. Dinneen and our elected officials – in their wholly corrupt and underhanded attempt to meet the demands of their political puppet masters – have forever fouled our democratic system of governance and lost the trust of the public it exists to serve.

Why would ostensibly bright people – who accept public funds to serve in the public interest – compromise their personal and professional ethics and reputation in this patently obvious way?

To remove cars from 410 linear feet of our beach.  That’s why.

In the end, these soulless bastards won a shallow victory over the will of the people they are sworn to represent.

But at what cost?

I guess the Apostle Paul, in his first letter to his young disciple, Timothy, was right when he said, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils. . .”

“Please accept this letter as notice that the property at 900 N. Atlantic Avenue, is a beach side resort and full service hotel under franchise agreement with Hard Rock International.  Moreover, the luxury design of the hotel meets, and upon opening the operation of the hotel will meet, Hard Rock International’s aforementioned brand standards and franchise requirements, and comply with all operations and service requirements of Hard Rock. . .”

–Friday, February 23, 2018, letter from Hard Rock International to Volusia County Manager Jim Dinneen, ostensibly fulfilling the requirement for the permanent removal of our century-old heritage of beach driving for 410-linear feet behind the hotel.

“It’s going to be great for the people of Volusia County, having that quality of hotel in our area,” said Ed Kelley, Volusia County Council chair. “I never really had a ‘What if they didn’t do it’ plan, because I really was confident that they (Summit) would do what they said they would do all along.”

–Volusia County Council Chair and Shameless Corporate Shill Ed Kelley, speaking in the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Saturday, February 24, 2018

“Dinneen, meanwhile, praised the new Hard Rock as being as luxurious “as any hotel a hundred miles in any direction.  Our expectations were very high, and they went beyond that,” Dinneen said of the hotel’s developers.”

 —Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Hard Rock Daytona certified” – Saturday, February 24, 2018

The following photographs were taken at approximately 9:45am, Saturday, February 24, 2018, from the beach directly behind the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach – a “4-Star” quality resort as determined and certified by the Hard Rock International corporation.

Those who hold high office and accept public funds to serve in the public interest would have us believe that this represents the very “jewel” of Daytona Beach resort hotels – as luxurious as any hotel within a hundred miles in any direction. . .

You be the judge.

Hi, Kids!

It’s been an incredibly productive few weeks here at Barker’s View HQ!

In the past few days, we have garnered over 13,000 views, largely on two recent blog posts – one discussing the horrific scene of utter environmental devastation in the heart of the Granada Boulevard commercial corridor in Ormond Beach, (where the requirements for destroying majestic historic trees are obviously different for city government than they are for you and I) – and another screed explaining my frustration over Volusia County’s plan to “pull the trigger” on beach driving behind the languishing Desert Inn/Westin/Hard Rock project on March 1^st.

It appears area residents are paying very close attention to the maddening intrigues and petty maneuvering of what passes for local governance here on the Fun Coast – and they are clearly thirsty for an alternative opinion.

And that, my friends, makes our powers-that-be very nervous.

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

 We, The People have a real problem.

Duh.

What happens when our duly elected officials – at all levels of government – become so co-opted by unbridled greed and an insatiable lust for political control that they no longer remotely consider the wants, needs and opinions of those they are sworn to represent?

In Volusia County, we long ago abdicated a representative form of governance and exchanged it for some weird oligarchy, where a small group of incredibly wealthy political insiders have absolute power over our elected officials, our economy and our quality of life.

Like everything else – the root cause is money.

By using multiple LLC’s, dubious corporate entities and “political action committees” to inject enormous amounts of cash into local political campaigns, the “Rich & Powerful” have insinuated themselves into positions that allow them to manipulate our democratic systems and processes.

Some believe that our local Donor Class – by virtue of their business success, strong personalities or standing in the Halifax area’s weird economic and social caste system – are somehow more intelligent than the rest of us – that they intuitively know what’s best for the rest of us.

That’s not true.

Look, these insufferable “Big Shots” are no different than you or me – they simply have the financial means to buy direct access to the halls of power.

They control their environment by taking unfair advantage of the vanity, simplicity and hubris of spineless politicians who desperately need hard cash to fuel their egocentric compulsion to run for high office – or to remain entrenched once elected.

It’s no secret that J. Hyatt Brown – the prominent chairman of the billionaire international insurance intermediary Brown & Brown – sits at the top of the current list of those who have spread enough hard cash around to directly influence public policy by manipulating the votes of his elected chattel on the dais of power.

(Sorry, Mori – don’t get your knickers in a twist.  I know you’re still a Very Important Person, too.  It’s just that this truly is J. Hyatt’s year to shine – what with his $15.5-million in public subsidies for the new corporate headquarters and all. . .  Keep your chin up, big guy.) 

It is also clear that J. Hyatt wants our heritage and tradition of beach driving eliminated once and for all.

In my view, Mr. Brown sees vehicles on the beach as an impediment to entrepreneurial investment and development – and he has given his highly paid facilitator, County Manager Jim Dinneen – strict instructions to dangle the carrot of a traffic-free beach as a lucrative incentive for any speculative developer who comes down the sandy pike.

In 2015, after passing the initial ordinances that will ultimately remove beach driving from the strand behind the languishing Desert Inn/Westin/Hard Rock property, Mr. Brown stood before his hired hands in DeLand, patted their pointy heads, and said, “It is a positive step. It is one that we will never regret, and it is a step that in the future we will look back and say, ‘Good job you all.’”

I happen to believe that in keeping with J. Hyatt’s royal edict, our elected officials – through the backroom machinations of the bag man, Jim Dinneen – enlisted Summit Hospitality Group, the developer of the Hard Rock and several other area hotels – to serve as an effective tool for county government to remove beach driving from yet another strand of our beach.

Could they do it without them?  Sure.  But this method is cleaner come election time.

The problem came when Summit drug their heels on the renovation – now there is a very real possibility that they will fail to meet the exacting performance standards set by ordinance – and Hard Rock International – by February 28^th.

We recently learned through a public information request by the News-Journal’s Dustin Wyatt that senior Volusia County officials and attorneys met behind closed doors with Summit Hospitality to discuss “what needs to be done to bring the Hard Rock Hotel into compliance.” 

Yet – just days ago – our doddering fool of a County Chair, Ed Kelley, was quoted in the News-Journal, yammering in his inimitably clueless style, “It’s not up to us to keep up with a construction project.”

Really?

Then why in the hell are senior county officials meeting privately with Hard Rock staff for what a county spokeswoman told us was an “update on construction?”

I don’t make this shit up, folks.

Old Ed Kelley really is that dumb – and he lies like a frigging rug when the truth would serve him (and us) better.

But since when has shoddy past performance been even a passing consideration when our elected officials award additional incentives to speculative developers in Volusia County?

Earlier this week, the Volusia County Council sat in open session and once again tossed reason to the wind when they unanimously approved yet another “deal” with Summit.

This time, we (you and I) will “vacate” (read: effectively giveaway) another public beach approach (which the City of Daytona Beach handed over to another developer 40-years ago) at Summit’s La Playa resort – in exchange for a cheap walkover and $300,000 cash.

There was one glimmer of hope when Councilwoman Billie Wheeler momentarily questioned whether giving publicly owned beachfront property to a private entity for peanuts was a “fair trade” – then, just moments later, she voted in lock-step with her fellow co-conspirators on the dais.

Nice work, Billie.

Even Councilwoman Heather Post, who constantly tries to convince us that she’s a maverick – yet always seems to vote as she is told – concurred with the majority.

(I guess the uber-weird Mrs. Post is desperate for the acceptance and political affection of Deb Denys and Old Ed Kelley, who make sport of regularly kicking her around on the pages of the News-Journal. . .)

In my view, the only solution to this growing problem of political treachery and mistrust is to closely follow the campaign finance reports of those who are running for public office this year – then vote in direct opposition to any candidate who accepts massive sums of cash from these oligarchs who are so desperate to retain total control.

Angel:             Public Defender Jim Purdy

Although we haven’t had much professional contact since my retirement from law enforcement, I consider Seventh Circuit Public Defender Jim Purdy a friend.

We worked together on some incredibly interesting cases during his time with the State Attorney’s Office, and I came to know him as one of the hardest working, well prepared and dedicated public servants I ever knew.

Jim Purdy cares.

He probably doesn’t know this, but I once watched him pacing contemplatively along the banks of the Halifax river – sporting his fedora – obviously in deep thought, quietly considering strategy before heading into the courtroom.

I admired that, as many prosecutors back in the day would do little more than review the facts of the case with the arresting officer in the hallway outside the courtroom minutes before the trial started.

He brought that same drive, persistence and enduring sense of fairness and professional competency to the Public Defender’s Office.  Earlier this week, Mr. Purdy announced his retirement effective at the end of his current term in 2020, completing an impressive sixteen years in public office – and decades more practicing law.

Our system of justice – and our community – is well-served by Jim Purdy, and his contributions will be sorely missed.

As you hang-up your spurs, I offer hearty congratulations, my friend.

All the best for a healthy, happy and productive retirement.

Angel:             Paul Zimmerman

Someone much wiser than I once said that you can tell you’re close to exposing something important when they start trying to marginalize you.

Recently, Paul Zimmerman, president of Sons of the Beach, Florida’s premiere beach driving and access advocacy, expressed serious concerns regarding the structural integrity of the languishing Desert Inn/Westin/Hard Rock.

Mr. Zimmerman – a former licensed building contractor – took the time to examine the hotel’s external seawall and observed concrete spalling and gaping fractures compromising the barrier, which were apparently being covered-and-painted, rather than properly repaired.

The deficiencies reported by Zimmerman were confirmed by the Volusia Waterman’s Association, a public employee union representing members of the Volusia County Beach Safety Department, who issued a strongly worded press release this week entitled, “Hard Rock Hotel Risks Collapse While County Ignores Evidence.”  

I find that compelling, considering it comes from law enforcement officers and lifeguards who spend 24-hours a day on the beach.

In turn, Mr. Zimmerman dug deeper and obtained photographic evidence of rotting support beams which were being supplemented by screw-jacks – along with signs of flooding, crumbling concrete post supports and evidence of water intrusion – in the Hard Rock’s subterranean parking garage (which is located directly under the swimming pool deck).

When he failed to get the attention of officials charged with inspecting the construction and ensuring the public safety – Mr. Zimmerman posted the shocking pictures on social media and let the court of public opinion decide if the effort represents the quality one expects of a “4-Star” resort hotel.

Other than a select few star-crossed local realtors – who invariably lock arms with the Chamber set, put the blinders on and take personal umbrage anytime someone questions the “newest, biggest and bestest” marketing shtick here on the Fun Coast – most people were horrified by what they saw.

As I’ve previously said, I’m not handy – in fact, I intentionally avoid any attempt at home repair, and shy away from anything remotely mechanical – because I simply don’t have the aptitude for it.  (I don’t have the tools either.  I recently looked in a small tool chest in my garage and found it contains ice tongs and a Tupperware lid. . . seriously.)

However, I can look at a photograph of corrosion on a structural member and tell if it adequately supports something I want to stand under.

When questioned by the Daytona Beach News-Journal – things took a dramatic tone when Summit’s Abbas Abdulhussein began waving a letter around, claiming that the building’s “chief structural engineer” determined that the corrosion on the columns is “superficial,” and that the structure has been declared safe and sound.

Interesting.  Because it sure looked like the deterioration of the support posts went deeper than surface rust to me – and hundred of others who examined Mr. Zimmerman’s photos.

Another thing I find intriguing is that inspections on the property are being conducted by Universal Engineering Sciences of South Daytona – a company hired and paid by Summit Hospitality Group.

The prestigious engineering firm has been serving all the right last names in the Halifax area for over 30-years – to include its recent work on the “$400-million” (?) renovation of the Daytona International Speedway.

The City of Daytona Beach’s own mouthpiece, spokeswoman Susan Cerbone, assured us that the company has “conducted hundreds of inspections on the property.”

Look, I’m not doubting Ms. Cerbone’s veracity – or Universal’s findings – but how in the hell would she know what a private company may or may not have done?

I’m not making accusations – I’m asking.

You may remember that way back in those heady days when the City of Daytona Beach spent $1.4 million to gain control of the then dilapidated Main Street pier, in 2009, Universal Engineering was hired by the city to conduct an inspection of the pier’s building.

I can assure you Paul Zimmerman does.  He sat on the committee that advised the Daytona Beach city commission on the pier’s overhaul.

According to Universal’s inspection report, “It is the opinion of Universal Engineering Sciences that the main building and accessory structures are structurally sound,” the report concluded.

“The plumbing, electrical, mechanical and fire sprinkler systems are in good condition.”

Ultimately, the firm recommended about $1-million in upgrades, to include decking, plumbing and paint.

According to reports, just two-years later – city officials discovered that conditions were worse than originally thought, and the renovation turned into a money pit that ultimately cost the citizens of Daytona Beach some $4-million to complete.

At that time, Mr. Zimmerman believed his committee received bad information regarding the project, and he expressed his frustration in the Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Now it’s just a never-ending mountain of millions. It’s unreal,” Zimmerman said. “This has been a scandalous boondoggle from its inception.”

Now, Universal Engineering took the unusual step of attempting to publicly discredit Mr. Zimmerman in the newspaper.

According to Universal’s Volusia/Flagler branch manager, Brian Pohl (who, according to the Universal website, holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UCF) said:

“Everything has been inspected and is at or above code,” Pohl said. “The items in these pictures, they’re not even structural items. Those pedestals are being replaced, as we speak. At the same time Mr. Zimmerman was on the property illegally looking at this, those crews were on the other side of the basement replacing them. I have a photo of these being replaced.”

“My advice to Mr. Zimmerman would be to go to school for about five to seven years, then do four more years of internship and then, maybe, he could get on the project legally,” Pohl said.”

“Everything here meets and is above code. We’re confident about every bit of work that has been performed on that site.”

Wow.

With so much at stake, my hope is that an independent government agency charged with inspecting construction and renovations will ultimately determine who’s right and who’s wrong.

Regardless, I’m afraid that when it comes to questions of public safety, the tired old argument – “Who are you going to believe, me, or those pictures?” – just doesn’t work.

Look, I’m not second-guessing anyone here (God knows, the hardest three years of my life was the fourth grade) but, perhaps a learned civil engineer like Mr. Pohl should know that perception is equally important to scientific interpretation when it comes to winning the public’s confidence.

In my view, arrogantly dismissing the concerns of a long-time civic leader on the pages of the News-Journal does not serve the best interests of Summit Hospitality, Hard Rock International or the citizens of Daytona Beach.

Angel:             Kevin Lowe

 In 2003, my friend Kevin Lowe was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

He was 17-years old.

Unfortunately, complications of the highly invasive surgical procedure to remove the mass resulted in total blindness.   In a few short hours, Kevin went from a precocious teenage kid – hanging at the beach, motocross racing and 4-wheeling – to utter, life-altering darkness.

Last evening, I had the extraordinary pleasure of attending the debut of a recently produced documentary entitled, “Kevin’s Story” which was screened at the historic Anderson-Price House in Ormond Beach.

The film chronicles this extraordinary young man’s indomitable spirit and exceptional transformation as he embraces both faith and family to overcome all obstacles and ultimately find a purpose-driven life.

This powerful work was produced by the amazingly talented young filmmaker, Wilson Kowaleski – a true artist and passionate advocate for positive social change – who captured the very essence of the transformative power of positivity and perseverance in Kevin’s inspirational story.

Following the film, the standing room only audience was treated to a remarkable presentation by Kevin himself – perhaps one of the most deeply motivating and personally inspiring speakers I’ve ever known.

During his emotional speech, Kevin literally captured the room with his eloquent explanation of the omnipotence of persistence – never giving up – in our individual quest to overcome adversity and find our sense of happiness and purpose.

I encourage everyone to visit www.ncuyd.com – and learn more about the Nothing Changes Until You Do movement.

Kevin, last evening reminded once again, in the most remarkable way, why you will always be such an incredibly important and motivating force in the lives of so many.

Love you, buddy.  Thanks for being you.

Quote of the Week:

“I don’t think it’s an adequate exchange for what we are giving up.”

 –Volusia County Councilwoman Billie Wheeler, speaking moments before voting with the remainder of the council to handover publicly owned beachfront property to Summit Hospitality Group, on the promise of a walkover and $300k toward an off-beach parking lot (the prerequisite for total removal of beach driving in Volusia County.)

Unbelievable.  Thanks for nothing, Billie.

Have a great weekend, kids.

 

 

 

This week, a public records request by The Daytona Beach News-Journal confirmed what many have suspected for months:

Our elected and appointed officials in Volusia County government are planning to close the beach to vehicular traffic whether their lackeys at Summit Hospitality Group meet the performance standards set by ordinance or not.

In addition, we learned the odious truth that in the recent past, “county officials, attorneys and the hotel developers” met privately to discuss “what needs to be done to bring the Hard Rock Hotel into compliance.”

However, when News-Journal reporter Dustin Wyatt attempted to obtain meetings notes, he was brushed aside and simply told that none exist.

That’s a big deal.

Why would recipients of public funds, senior government officials who are paid handsomely to work in the public interest, spend duty hours in a backroom meeting – held completely off the public record, with no attendees being identified, or even making notes during the clandestine confab – to discuss how to bring the Hard Rock Hotel into compliance before the February 28^th council-imposed deadline?

Yet, with no notes, minutes or agenda available, a county mouthpiece can suddenly report with absolute certainty that the meeting was merely to provide officials with an “update on construction” and for the developer to assure everyone involved that they would have formal confirmation from Hard Rock corporate by the drop-dead date.

Something stinks.

I mean, is County Spokesperson Joanne Magley clairvoyant?

How can she report to us – her employer, the citizens of Volusia County – the content of a meeting where no notes were taken?

To add to the intrigue, let’s review the county’s official response to a series of photographs depicting the deplorable conditions at the Hard Rock construction site – to include critical concerns regarding the very structural integrity of the underground parking garage – that were provided to all county council members by Paul Zimmerman, president of Sons of the Beach.

On February 14, 2018, Volusia County’s Growth and Resource Management Director Clay Ervin, sent the following email to salve the concerns of Councilwoman Heather Post – the only sitting council member who bothered to respond to Mr. Zimmerman’s questions:

Good afternoon,

Mr. Dinneen requested that I contact you to clarify that the City of Daytona Beach is the permitting jurisdiction and will be responsible for the inspection of the building. 

Marja (Kolomyski) sent the concerns raised by Mr. Zimmerman to the City of Daytona Beach.  I followed-up with Jim Morris to confirm his receipt of the complaints and to confirm that they are addressing the concerns as part of their inspection process.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

So, if the City of Daytona Beach is the permitting agency – totally responsible for the compliance inspection and certification of the building – then why are Volusia County officials meeting off-the-record with the developer to discuss ways to bring the languishing project into conformity?

I mean, what business is it of ours?

Why would we would expend the incredibly expensive time of senior county staff members providing advise and counsel on the internal operational issues of Summit Hospitality?

In my view, the Volusia County Council got caught flatfooted by their new business partner – Summit Hospitality – who, even after being granted a lengthy extension in April 2017 – continued to drag their heels and waste valuable time during the construction phase.

That wasn’t the deal.  Summit was supposed to pull a quarterback sneak and give our elected officials the legal means to close yet another section of the strand to driving.

They dropped the ball.

As the clock ticked, early this month the site turned into a virtual beehive, with workers frantically rushing everything from signage, to landscaping, to critical repairs of the compromised seawall and even the swimming pool to completion in a last-ditch effort to meet the deadline – all while assuring anyone who is anyone that they will have brand certification from Hard Rock International by February 28^th.

In turn, County Attorney Dan Eckert – with the full support of our doddering fool of a County Chair, Ed Kelley – openly ran interference for the developer, trying in vain to convince all of us that the date certain for completion, as clearly established by ordinance, doesn’t mean squat.

Then, in perhaps the most poorly worded communication ever issued by a sitting public official, Ray Manchester, director of Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue, wrote in a January 30, 2018 email to several county employees, “We’ve been asked to pull the trigger on this closure on March 1^st.  Once cars come off, they will not come back so I believe telephone poles would be the best option.”     

Looks like ol’ Ray spilled the beans.

Then, in subsequent emails, we learned that our highly paid county beach officials dicked around like the entrenched government employees they are, frittering the time away deciding whether they should erect the horrendous eyesore of more telephone poles to block beach traffic from encroaching on the Hard Rock’s private beach – or if equally ugly short posts driven in the sand will do the job.    

(I’m just surprised they made a decision on their own – rather than call for a $100K study by an out-of-state consultant to solve the weighty poles or posts conundrum. . .)

The difference being, the poles require a permit to install – while those atrocious short posts can be erected anywhere on the beach at Volusia County’s whim.

“I don’t think any of us want to be in the position of installing something on the beach that requires a permit and not getting one,” said Rob Walsh, the activity manager over Volusia Forever, a voter-approved initiative to conserve, maintain and restore the natural environment for the “enjoyment and education of the public.

Being the cynical shit that I am – the fact Mr. Walsh found it necessary to remind his fellow bureaucrats to do the right thing – because those pesky beach driving advocates are watching – tells me that absent the outside oversight of Sons of the Beach, Florida’s premiere beach access and advocacy group, county officials would have done whatever they damn well pleased – rules and permits be damned.

Kudos to Dustin Wyatt and the Daytona Beach News-Journal for obtaining these important internal communications and dragging them into the light of day.

In my view, this peek behind the scenes gives We, The People a horrifying glimpse at how the Dinneen administration – with the complete acquiescence of those dullards we elected to represent our interest on the dais of power – blatantly ignores their own rules and ordinances, then does whatever they want to advance the needs of their tool – a speculative developer who was clearly enlisted to assist in ramrodding their ultimate goal of removing our heritage of beach driving – permanently.

 

Why is it we always find a way to make an ass out of ourselves whenever we have guests over?

On the very morning of our world-famous “Daytona 500 Day” – with all its spectacle and pageantry – and the sense of excitement that only comes from 40 rolling billboards, driven by no-name adolescent’s making left turns for 500-miles, can generate – we open the newspaper and read about the latest brouhaha between the uber-weird District 4 County Councilwoman Heather Post and her “colleagues” on the dais of power in DeLand.

How embarrassing. . .

Last Saturday morning, Councilwoman Post hosted something she self-described as “Government 101” – a “Meeting for Citizens to Engage Themselves in This Critical Process.”

Now, I have no idea what that means, but Post apparently wanted an opportunity to lecture her weary constituents on how “local city commissions and county councils work, how bills are enacted at the state level, and the process to amend the Florida Constitution.”

Didn’t hear about it?

That’s okay – apparently no one else did either.

According to The Daytona Beach News-Journal, about eight people showed up.

Look – God bless her – at least Heather tried to educate us bumpkins on how this bastardized oligarchical kleptocracy we call governance here on the Fun Coast functions.  That’s more than most in county government have done.

For her trouble, a couple of Post’s fellow elected officials on the Volusia County Council made it clear that any attempt to break ranks – violate the ancient Code of Omerta – and engage with constituents will be met with faux outrage and an overweening sense of officious superiority that only these preening assholes can muster.

After all, the idea of communicating with citizens, opening a dialog or allowing those who pay the bills some limited input – or even insight – into the murky intrigue that passes for “the people’s business” is anathema to County Manager Jim Dinneen’s administration.

Make no mistake, Mr. Dinneen – at the physical direction of those wealthy political insiders who set public policy while feeding greedily at the public trough – personally controls everything but the ebb and flow of the Atlantic tide here in Volusia County.

In my view, our County Manager is a cheap bag man – a Teflon coated facilitator – who enjoys the political protection of those who pour hundreds-of-thousands of green dollars into the campaign accounts of those cut-rate whores we elect to represent our interests – and it serves no purpose to allow taxpayers even a hint at what happens behind the curtain.

Perhaps Mrs. Post’s most egregious sin on Saturday came when she was mildly critical of Mr. Dinneen’s gross ineptitude and inability to properly manage a 2011 contract with an out-of-state information technology company that utterly failed – for seven years –  to implement a computer program for the Medical Examiner’s Office.

Seven years.

Ultimately, Jimmy’s little oversight cost you and I $117,000.

So, when Mrs. Post’s fellow elected officials were made aware of her seminar – and her public reproach of county management – in typical fashion, they circled the wagons and dramatically overreacted.

For instance, the always arrogant Councilwoman Deb Denys – whose District 3 seat is up for reelection this year – complained in the News-Journal that Post’s symposium was more of a “PR stunt than ‘Government 101.’”

Jesus.  That’s rich.

In my view, the most shameless self-promotion in recent memory came earlier this month when Deb – a demonstrable liar with a history of saying one thing to her constituents, then doing another when it comes time to vote – feigned interest in discussing impact fees for transportation infrastructure, knowing full-well what the result of that empty exercise would be.

Then, in perhaps the most egregious display of political pomposity since his autarchic suggestion that the City Island library be “relocated” and the property used for speculative development, our doddering fool of a County Chair, Ed Kelley, took a cheap swipe:

Speaking of Mrs. Post’s meeting in the News-Journal, Old Ed said, “I had not heard that” (which is not unusual, there are a lot of things Mr. Kelley conveniently doesn’t hear about) “I think you’d want someone explaining that who’d had a little bit more than a year of experience on the council.” 

“This should have been something discussed in a council meeting.  I guess I can go host a talk show now.”

My God – only a perennial/professional small-minded local politician could have uttered such a damnably arrogant slight against a fellow sitting official.  And since when does a duly elected member of the county council need to ask permission to engage with those she represents at a community forum?

(For the record, Ed – the reason you can’t host a talk show has nothing to do with Mrs. Post’s community meeting – and everything to do with the fact you’re a scatterbrained dullard who hasn’t had an original thought since you accepted your first campaign contribution.)

Look, I don’t agree with much of anything that Heather Post says or does – she fancies herself a maverick, yet votes in lock-step with the majority of the council on any given issue, especially in matters involving the wants of developers – but we do find common ground on a couple of thoughts she expressed – “It is the people’s responsibility to ensure that we (elected officials) are doing the best job possible.  We need people to keep us accountable.”

I also agree with Mrs. Post when she states, “I’m not a politician.” 

That’s true.  She’s not a politician.

She’s an uber-weird show-boater with a ‘look-at-me’ complex – but since when has that personality quirk prohibited anyone from holding public office?

In fact, its become a prerequisite.

In my view, this on-going spit-spat between Heather Post and the rest of the council is indicative of much larger, and certainly much darker, issues in county government.

When a goofy public affairs forum, attended by a handful of civic-minded people, results in this level of official outrage and petty personal assaults by what passes for our senior elected “leadership,” in my view, it exposes the depths to which this administration will stoop to silence internal dissent, marginalize opposition and ensure that the light of day never sees the cloistered maneuverings and shadowy collusion of those political insiders who truly control our lives and livelihoods in Volusia County.

 

As a life-long resident of Ormond Beach, I have a real affinity for our unique community here on the banks of the beautiful intercoastal waterway.

I grew up on North Halifax Drive when it was little more than a fire trail, went to elementary school at St. James Episcopal Church, and played in the side yard of the Casements long before it was renovated into the wonderful civic amenity it is today.

Our daughter and son-in-law were married there.

I knew Mr. MacDonald – the proprietor of the original Billy’s Tap Room – and frequently solicited his help whenever our kickball wound up on the roof of what is now the Gaslight Shops on East Granada Boulevard.  I found it fascinating that he had dime coins given to him as a boy by John D. Rockefeller in exchange for carrying one of the wealthiest men in historys golf bag to what is now Oceanside Country Club course.

I saw smoke rising in the sky from our backyard the day the Ormond Garage burned – and I have walked across the old draw bridge with my classmates as we visited Santa Claus and the talking tree each Christmas at the former City Hall.

As a child, I had the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. aboard the personal train car of Ormond’s most philanthropic benefactor, Chapman Root – the “Silver Holly” –  complete with its multifaceted observation dome.

The car is now part of the Root Family exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Science in Daytona Beach.

My wonderful memories of life here in the “Birthplace of Speed” go on-and-on.

Those of us fortunate enough to call this place home enjoy a rich history and a wealth of outdoor recreation activities and parks, and in so many ways we’ve stayed true to our roots, balancing controlled growth along our main east-west commercial corridor while protecting natural spaces and virgin forests.

I have also been publicly appreciative of the good work of City Manager Joyce Shanahan, who has brought a high degree of stability and transparency to Ormond Beach government, restored public trust in our utilities and maintained an effective dialog with area residents.

However, times they are a changin’.

Last week, as I traveled west on Granada Boulevard, I came upon the horrific scene of utter environmental devastation taking place near the intersection of Tomoka Avenue.  A closer inspection found the wholesale destruction of hundreds of old growth specimen trees – to include dozens of ancient oaks – all felled in a gnarled morass.

The wholesale ruin goes on for acres on both sides of Tomoka Avenue, then south on Bennet Lane, with men in heavy equipment actively churning this once pristine forest, which so appropriately buffered the heavily traveled thoroughfare from residential areas to the south, into an ugly black muck of twisted vegetation and splintered limbs.

Like many of you, I heard rumblings that a new WaWa convenience store – co-located with yet another chicken wing drive-thru, and one of those posh specialty grocers some people find so fashionable – was going up, but I really didn’t pay any attention to the when, where or why.

The development goes by the typically pretentious handle – Granada Pointe.   

Shame on me.

I know something about this beautifully tucked away area of our community.

In 1992, my wife Patti and I built our first home in the Woodgrove subdivision, a small two-story pink house which sits at the intersection of South Center Street and Tomoka Avenue.  If you look closely, you can now see it from Granada Boulevard.

If memory serves, the subdivision was built on an old farm and pasture that once took up much of central Ormond Beach.

From my up-close and personal experience, I can tell you that the area provided habitat for a variety of turtles, snakes, birds, raccoons and small mammals.

Now, nothing lives there – except those unfortunate souls who have just watched their property values settle to the bottom of the toilet.

According to a survey performed by the City of Ormond Beach, there were 34 “historic trees” on the three parcels (one located on the north side of Granada Boulevard), with 15 located on the southern parcels along Tomoka Avenue which are being prepared for “commercial development.”  Of these, four trees were said to be in “poor condition.”

The report, dated July 13, 2017, states, “All trees, including the (11) historic trees will be removed (except tree preservation areas below) from the southern parcels as the site requires up to 4’ of fill to bring the buildings, roads and parking areas to proper elevation, excavating for storm water ponds and extensive utility relocation work along Granada Boulevard.” 

Of course, to make us all feel better about ourselves for killing century old hardwoods to make way for an up-scale gas station – and the third grocery store within a half-mile of each other – the city has set aside a 10-acre “conservation area” behind the Moose Lodge.

My ass.

The Ormond Beach Planning Board unanimously approved a rezoning request for the project last July.

At the time, Paul Holub, the local real estate developer who is ramrodding the project, was quoted in the Ormond Beach Observer, “Granada Pointe was designed to minimize impact to the surrounding residential areas, with the landscape buffers, privacy walls and the design of the site’s retention pond.”

Do these speculative developers know no shame?

My God.

Perversely, they call this “progress.”

Does Mr. Holub – or our elected officials – truly believe that Woodgrove and surrounding neighborhoods won’t suffer the near constant “impact” of restaurant, retail and grocery operations – to include deliveries, amplified speakers, traffic and outdoor lighting – which will take place 24-hours a day – literally in their backyard?

And what of the inevitable flooding and run-off that results from raising the surface 4’ above current grade?  And what happens during periods of torrential rain when storm water retention ponds overflow and drain south across Tomoka Avenue?

Despite the very real concerns of area residents, last August our elected officials on the City Commission unanimously approved the project on the recommendation of city planning director Ric Goss and others.

According to Mr. Goss, those residents who are fretting that their property will flood during storms need not worry – “I think we resolved that issue.”

You think that issue has been resolved?

I hope Mr. Goss is willing to bet his job on his hunch.

Because if this project results in flooding, damage, noise and light pollution to area homes as many suspect, I, for one, will be joining the mass call for Mr. Goss – and any other bureaucrat who had anything to do with this project – to be summarily fired and run out of town on a rail.

In my view, one key problem we face in the Halifax area is a complete lack of accountability by public officials – self-described professionals who accept public funds to serve in the public interest – then quibble away the very real concerns of citizens who have invested all they have to carve out a life here whenever a developer wants to start clearing land.

When our environment is decimated, and people’s lives and livelihoods are placed at risk for the benefit of another cookie cutter commercial development, “We hope” and “I think” doesn’t cut it in my book – and its high time these well-compensated guessers are held to account when they’re wrong.

According to Mr. Holub, “As with most of the projects we have built in the last 30-plus years in Ormond Beach, in the end, once it is built and open, the community will use it and support it and accept it.”

As though we had a choice. . .

(Update:  Ormond Beach Planning Director Ric Goss retired at the end of 2017 after serving the city for more than 10-years.  The point of holding city officials accountable for their professional opinions stands.)