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               Former Director of Volusia Beach Safety Andy Ethridge

The Coconut Telegraph here at Barker’s View HQ was smoking this week as rumors continue to fly over the ‘abrupt resignation’ of Volusia County Beach Safety Director Andy Ethridge, a well-respected servant/leader who worked his way from lifeguard to specialist, sergeant, captain, and deputy chief, then spent less than three-years at the helm after being promoted to Chief in June 2021.

During his tenure, former Director Ethridge oversaw the transition of law enforcement services from Beach Safety to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, short-handedly protected 47-miles of shoreline amid the challenges of recruiting and retaining qualified lifeguards, and successfully navigated a shambolic “beach management” apparatus and that ossified bureaucracy in DeLand.   

Look, I have no way of confirming or discrediting any of the disturbing claims surrounding Ethridge’s unexpected departure – let alone answering the darker questions, like “why” he would suddenly leave 28-years into a successful career marked by promotions to positions of increasing responsibility?

All we know is what slowly oozes from the cloistered Inner Sanctum at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building – usually in the form of a canned “press release” posted on the county’s webpage…   

In my view, of the myriad challenges facing Volusia County, the most troubling aspect is that County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald and his close coterie of deputies, lackies, and senior administrators control the flow of information with an Orwellian understanding that information = power.

They know the ultimate political protection is the ability to channel and restrict information through a single power source.  As a result, even our elected policymakers are often kept in the dark about pressing issues facing their constituents – resulting in a near-constant roil of conjecture and assumptions leading to paranoia and speculation…

That’s the danger of rumors.

I know our ‘powers that be’ hate it when I point out the obvious (I hate me too) but the fact remains, We, The Little People who pay the bills and suffer the inefficiencies of our increasingly expensive essential services have a right to know the truth. 

Like why the senior director of our Beach Safety Department left during one of the most demanding weekends of the year – and more important – who (if anyone) is performing this vital role as Spring Breakers begin to arrive? 

The “word on the street” this week is that Director Ethridge was forced to resign his position by Director of Public Protection Mark Swanson for reasons that remain murky…  

Is that true?  Hellifiknow…

What I do know is that since his appointment in 2022, Swanson has had a tumultuous run, including the ham-handed fiasco surrounding the termination of former Corrections Director Mark Flowers – and now the clumsy departure of the highly respected Andy Ethridge – even as Beach Safety struggles to attract and retain personnel. 

Now, with Swanson assuming command (?) – it appears Beach Safety will revert to yet another destabilizing period of “acting” and “interim” leadership at the beginning of a busy tourist season…

Earlier this week, I obtained a copy of Director Ethridge’s letter of resignation submitted Saturday, March 9, offering a two-week notice. 

I also received the subsequent notification to Volusia County Council members by Director of Community Misinformation Michael Ryan – a bullshit missive which sugarcoated things by thanking Ethridge for his “approximately 25-years” service (he had nearly 29-years with Volusia County) claiming the former director was “returning to his roots in law enforcement…” – except, Mr. Ethridge’s “roots” are in a lifeguard tower on Daytona Beach…

What gives?  

In the view of many, Ryan’s shockingly specious report to our elected officials disparaged Director Ethridge’s service with fabrications and inaccuracies.

More disturbing, in my view, it represents a baldfaced lie to the Volusia County Council. 

Now there are more questions than answers…

Why was last Friday Director Ethridge’s final day on the beach?

Why was there no orderly transition – or immediate notice to citizens, visitors, and our elected representatives explaining who is responsible for beach safety following Mr. Ethridge’s departure? 

If Director Ethridge was in fact forced out – why did Mr. Ryan blatantly lie to the Volusia County Council about the nature of his exit – forever destroying the trust of the elected officials and their constituents?    

And who authorized Mark Swanson to scalp a veteran senior administrator and proven asset who was described during his 2021 promotion ceremony as “revered” within the ranks of Beach Safety? 

Perhaps most important – with Andy Ethridge out, how many more dedicated public servants will flee that sinking ship at what remains of Beach Safety?  

Nearly a week later, the questions continue to swirl, and Volusia County taxpayers want to know the truth…

Last week, a veteran government watcher and civic activist summed up what many long-suffering residents have come to believe:

“They keep firing the monkeys and giving the organ grinder a pay raise.” 

How terribly sad… 

Thank you for your dedicated service, Director Ethridge. 

The nature of your departure does not define the quality of your contributions – or your many acts of courage in service to our grateful visitors and the citizens of Volusia County. 

Asshole           Volusia County School Board

The unfortunate saga continues… 

The Volusia County School Board is embroiled in various outrages, humiliations, and bruhahas spanning multiple fronts – a constant churn excruciatingly played out in the news media – leaving elected board members staring at their shoes and stammering for answers to growing questions of gross mismanagement from taxpayers, even as Superintendent Carmen Balgobin’s administration continues to operate in virtual silence.

Now, anxious stakeholders are questioning what our dullards on the dais are trying to hide?

In January, the School Board’s contract labor attorney sent formal notice to Florida’s Public Employees Relations Commission suggesting that Volusia United Educators – the union representing the district’s teachers and paraprofessionals – falsified membership records making it appear the bargaining unit had the 60% membership required by state law.

The union’s leadership vehemently denied the allegation.

Inexplicably, in February, School Board Chair Jamie Haynes arrogantly attempted to distance the board from the district’s pernicious attempt to decertify the collective bargaining unit – and denied any involvement with either the PERC correspondence or engaging the labor attorney – a cheap alibi that quickly unraveled when Volusia County School’s General Counsel Kevin Pendley admitted that each member of the board individually authorized the action…   

Yeah.  I know.  But as the Dude said, “New shit has come to light, man…”

After being caught either openly lying to their constituents – or pitifully ignorant of events unfolding in Superintendent Balgobin’s Ivory Tower of Power – on February 29, PERC gave the Volusia County School Board until last week to file a formal response “…as to whether it is challenging the Union’s registration” under applicable Florida statutes.  

Instead, the district confused everyone by asking PERC for an extension…   

Rather than exhibit the character and courage to stand before their constituents and explain themselves to those who pay the bills – or clear the air and alleviate the fears of anxious teachers and staff – our elected officials, with Chairman Haynes on the gavel, slithered out of sight into a secret closed session – apparently to discuss their pending response to PERC.

Or was it a strategy session to determine how these vainglorious phonies can best restore their soiled reputations now that they have been individually exposed as prevaricating hypocrites by the district’s General Counsel? 

Although Chairwoman Haynes went through the clearly well-coached legal maneuverings required to meet the statutory requirements of a “shade meeting” – many believed the mysterious “closed attorney/client session” stretched the limits of legislative exceptions to Florida’s Sunshine Law.

Let’s face it – either the Volusia County School Board wants to decertify the union representing its teachers and paraprofessionals and upend the collective bargaining process – or it doesn’t; but that decision should not be made in some shadowy behind-closed-doors conclave.      

In my experience, when an embarrassed elected body starts covering its tracks, things get messy. 

Once those holding high office are caught in a lie – their constituents will never trust them again – and that’s not a positive for politically vulnerable members like the wholly ineffectual Carl “Namby-Pamby” Persis who must stand for reelection later this year…

Regardless, the board’s surreptitious session was the worst political optics imaginable – sending a clear message to everyone watching that the Volusia County School Board is keeping secrets from those of us who pay the bills.

There are several takeaways from last week’s awkward executive session – the most glaring that our elected officials are either incapable or unwilling to control Superintendent Carmen Balgobin as she crashes about like a bull in a china shop – clearly unconcerned by the political realities of her elected bosses – wholly ignoring the concerns of Volusia County residents who are time-and-again surprised by her administration’s edicts and decrees formed in a bureaucratic bubble.    

Asshole           St. Johns River Water Management District

“No one can stop it. It’s on its way. We are building homes. People are moving in. Kids are playing outside,” he said.”

— Mori Hosseini, the all-powerful chairman and CEO of ICI Homes, as quoted by reporter Mark Harper in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “How David beat Goliath: Spruce Creek conservationists block I-95 interchange – for now,” February 6, 2024

As usual, Boss Hosseini was right all along.    

He “won” this week when the historically compromised St. Johns River Water Management District – the regulatory agency charged with protecting our natural resources, water quality, and natural systems – ignored the recommendation of an administrative law judge to deny a permit for the controversial Pioneer Trail Interchange and strategically allowed the permit to be issued anyway.

Just like Mr. Hosseini promised it would.   

And the unique flora and fauna of the environmentally sensitive Spruce Creek watershed lost… 

Screw ‘em.  Fish and wildlife don’t contribute to political campaigns – and they damn sure don’t purchase three-bedroom, two-bath cracker boxes “…starting in the $400’s.”

In October 2023, a small group of intrepid environmentalists and concerned residents successfully defended the sensitive Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve and environs from the threat of the proposed interchange at I-95 and Pioneer Trail by challenging a controversial stormwater permit issued by the St. Johns River Water Management District.

To say it was a ‘David & Goliath’ tale is an understatement…

In January, Administrative Law Judge E. Gary Early rightfully recommended that the SJRWMD’s stormwater permit be revoked after determining its issuance was “not in the public interest,” citing that an area of Spruce Creek has been designated an Outstanding Florida Waterway which requires special protections because of its exceptional natural attributes.

To show just how far some will stoop to see the will of powerful special interests come to fruition, during the hearing, we learned that SJRWMD engineers made the idiotic claim that the massive 74-acre paving project would somehow “…reduce phosphorus, nitrogen and other harmful elements being diverted to Spruce Creek.” 

My God.

According to a report this week by Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida, “…the district’s proposed final order backing the permit concluded that the project “is clearly in the public interest.” It said Early improperly ruled that an “extra” environmental benefit needed to be shown to find the project was in the public interest.

“In aggregate, the district determines that the applicant (the Department of Transportation) clearly demonstrated compliance with all of the regulatory criteria, including the public interest factors addressed herein, and these factors are enough to render this project ‘clearly in’ the public interest,” the proposed final order said.”

I learned this week from a local environmentalist who attended the SJRWMD meeting on Tuesday that several opponents of the interchange met outside the boardroom with officials from the Florida Department of Transportation and the district to discuss “potential changes to the project.”

Look, I’m not sure hashing out the future health and sustainability of the Spruce Creek watershed in a Palatka hallway is the proper way forward.  But sometimes that’s the best those concerned about our threatened environment can hope for here in the biggest whorehouse in the world… 

In a follow-up piece in The Daytona Beach News-Journal by reporter Mark Harper, Katrina Shadix, founder and director of Bear Warriors United spoke of possible plans for a federal appeal of the permit:

“Shadix said her coalition has “such a great federal case now,” after the district granted the permit despite the judge’s finding.

“We don’t want to be too negative and call it a banana republic and a kangaroo court,” Shadix said. “… It’s ridiculous they used this vehicle, this tool, to permit the damage to wetlands and the environmental wildlife. I just didn’t think it was a fair process.”

Anyone who cares about the future of our threatened state should applaud the courage and perseverance of these intrepid conservationists.

This one is important…

Ultimately, a heavy price will be paid by our children and grandchildren – after those influential special interests in the real estate development community have slashed, burned, and paved over every square inch of greenspace – and squeezed the last dollar out of what remains of this place we call home. 

Asshole           Volusia County Councilman Don Dempsey

“It’s been proposed and we put it on the meeting agenda about two or three months ago when each councilman talked about what they think would be their priority if they had a wish list.  My priority was a motocross facility, because we have been needing it. We are 30 years past due for one.”

–Volusia County Councilman Don Dempsey, October 2023

“We need to just let the market play itself out and quit letting government pretend that we’re the cure-all for all the issues, so I’m a hard no on this,” Dempsey said. “I think whenever we have an opportunity to stay out of people’s lives in a free economy, we need to.”

–Volusia County Councilman Don Dempsey, March 2024

Like a recalcitrant child with skewed priorities, last week, Volusia County Councilman Don Dempsey was a “hard no” in a 5-1 vote to allow more flexibility for the development of affordable housing as the chasm between the “haves” and “have nots” continues to widen here on the “Fun Coast.” 

Because I’m pathologically skeptical of the motivations of land use attorneys, real estate developers, and the sutlers and shills who make a handsome living manipulating malleable politicians while taking advantage of increasingly lax permitting, eviscerated environmental regulations, and asinine legislation such as Florida’s “Live Local Act” – I worry how these “incentives” will be abused by greed-crazed developers with a profit motive. 

Among other things, the proposed changes to the county’s Comprehensive Plan will allow expedited permitting for affordable housing projects, deferral of impact fees, and inducements such as waivers for permit and inspection fees, density bonuses, and donations of county-owned land to encourage workforce housing. 

I found it interesting that heavy-hitters – such as Cobb Cole land use and real estate lawyers Mark Watts, Jessica Gow, and Nika Hosseini – worked with county staff to formulate the changes that many hope will incentivize affordable housing in Volusia County.

During the discussion, Councilman Danny Robins voiced his concerns – stating that he wanted the same permissive rules to apply across the spectrum of development (apparently not realizing that influential real estate developers have already been given carte blanche to blanket the width and breath of Florida with “luxury” cookie cutter subdivisions) – but that didn’t stop Mr. Robins from championing the cause of his campaign benefactors…

Whatever. 

But it was the obstinate opposition of Councilman Dempsey that seemed most misplaced.

Apparently, the hypocritical Mr. Dempsey would have us believe he gives two-shits about these relaxed regulations facilitating more, more, more development amidst rising concerns of increased traffic, environmental impacts, sardine-like density, and widespread flooding – because his ludicrous argument about keeping government out of the marketplace rings hollow as he actively lobbies to blow $10.2 million in public funds on a state-of-the-art commercial motocross facility. 

(Excuse me.  I just choked on my Tullamore Dew…)

According to an excellent report by the News-Journal’s Sheldon Gardner:

“Dempsey, a lawyer, is “heavily involved in the real estate market,” he said. A financial disclosure form showed that he was worth over $4.5 million as of June 1, 2023, with a large chunk coming from real estate. Among his assets listed were three rental properties in DeLand that bring in $3,750 a month.

He said he’s seen the real estate market fluctuate.

“We need to just let the market play itself out and quit letting government pretend that we’re the cure-all for all the issues, so I’m a hard no on this,” Dempsey said. “I think whenever we have an opportunity to stay out of people’s lives in a free economy, we need to.”

I don’t make this shit up, folks…

Look, I don’t think anyone who has experienced this willy-nilly explosive growth in Volusia County supports allowing quick-buck artists to swoop in and exploit these permitting and financial incentives for more sticks-and-glue “projects” – or infilling established neighborhoods with substandard housing done ‘on-the-cheap’ – and I found it chillingly telling when powerful land use attorneys stood before the Volusia County Council and vigorously patted our Growth and Resource Management Director Clay Ervin on the head (Goo-boy, Clay!  Good Boy!).   

Disturbing…

But with an increasing number of Volusia County families considered asset limited/income constrained – watching the dream of homeownership (or reasonable rentals) evaporate in an environment where the median sale price of a single-family home is now $361,667 – it is time our ‘powers that be’ focus on safe and affordable workforce housing.

I’m not talking about the same laissez-faire approach to general development we have seen from state, county, and municipal governments – but a visionary strategy focusing on infill, renewal, and rehabilitation in challenged neighborhoods.    

According to the News-Journal, during the meeting, Attorney Nika Hosseini explained to our dullards on the dais the importance of supporting these affordable housing initiatives – while taking a clear swipe at Councilman Dempsey’s faux-concern of government skewing the marketplace:

“The nurse that helps you at the hospital, where is she or he supposed to live when they’re just getting started? To say that this is about development or that the market will simply handle itself is, frankly, pretty appalling in my opinion,” she said. “We are supposed to be a community of individuals that help each other.”

While I appreciate Ms. Hosseini’s passion for those less fortunate – I would argue that many of the developers who are actively paving over Volusia County and beyond have been less than receptive to incorporating affordable housing into their many projects… 

In my view, like any other government “incentive,” affordable housing enticements require strict oversight from those charged with regulating what passes for growth and resource management. 

In my experience, good things rarely result when the fox is given unfettered access to the henhouse in the name of “incentivizing” development.    

Unfortunately, supervision and accountability has never been a strong suit in Volusia County government, and time will tell if last week’s measure will be a blessing, or a curse…

Quote of the Week  

“Bouaziz said he is “far more than unimpressed” with how the school and school district has handled this incident thus far.

“(I’m) disturbed,” he said. “The problem is, where’s the line? What if, instead of yelling ‘retarded’ at them or calling them all ‘retarded,’ she had put her hands on somebody? Right? Or she had, you know, called a kid the n-word? Right? Like, where’s the line that, that causes the school system to take this … seriously?”

Bouaziz said he is also concerned by the lack of transparency from the school and district.

“It makes me feel like the school system as a public entity doesn’t respect or care about the parents who fund it, right?” he said. “The complete lack of communication and just trying to sweep it under the rug until DCF stepped in was just a pretty bad play.”

— Cypress Creek Elementary parent Karim Bouaziz, as quoted by reporter Mary Ellen Ritter writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Cypress Creek Elementary teacher under investigation for using derogatory term for students,” Monday, March 11, 2024

(Please find the rest of this disturbing story here: https://tinyurl.com/25hurw76 )

Not much surprises me when it comes to the faults and foibles of human nature.  

As a horribly jaded cynic, I rarely expect the “best” from people – that’s a recipe for disappointment…

During my career in public service, I made my share of embarrassing gaffes and missteps – an experiential education that can teach valuable lessons to those willing to humble themselves and learn from their mistakes.

We all have bad days, and most people can forgive what they see themselves doing. 

I’ve said things I regret in a pique of anger or stress. 

How about you?

In my experience, it sounds like this unfortunate incident could be resolved with a sincere apology, refocusing, and stress management techniques.  It is how Volusia County District Schools left a parent feeling their complaint was “swept under the rug” due to a “complete lack of communication” that I find disturbing.    

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident in Superintendent Carmen Balgobin’s cloistered Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand…

Sometimes those in high profile positions attempt to protect themselves by circling the wagons, going mute, and protecting the status quo at all costs.  That’s when perception becomes reality for those of us peering through the greasy pane in the portcullis that separates citizens from their government.

Without exception, it is how an organization – especially one funded by tax dollars – communicates with those it exists to serve that either builds a reputation for transparency and trust – or one of confusion, chaos, and suspicion.

Sound familiar Osceola Elementary parents and Ormond Beachside residents?   

I understand that details of pending personnel matters cannot – as a matter of policy and collective bargaining agreements – be disseminated to the public; but when the media or concerned residents call, organizations can take the opportunity to explain the process to those looking on, address the concerns of stakeholders, and maintain an open and inviting path for those seeking to provide input on necessary policy revisions. 

In my view, that avoids quotes in the newspaper like, “It makes me feel like the school system as a public entity doesn’t respect or care about the parents who fund it…”

It also helps if those at the top actually care about those they serve – rather than covering their own ass.

Trust me.  I know better than most how easy it is to sit in the cheap seats and snipe and sneer at those ‘actually in the arena’ who stumble doing work worth doing.  It’s kind of a hobby of mine…

I also know the importance of shining a bright light on the pervasive mismanagement, misinformation, and inefficiencies that erode trust in government and those institutions we rely on.

Establishing a culture of doing the right thing, for the right reasons, costs nothing. 

And it means everything…

In my view, it is time our elected representatives begin to examine how Superintendent Balgobin and her senior staff can get it so wrong, so often?  

And Another Thing!

Earlier this week, we learned a few lessons about what works – and what doesn’t – when it comes to the “revitalization” of Downtrodden Downtown Daytona.

We also learned how much that renaissance can cost…

In the fall of 2017, insurance magnate King J. Hyatt Brown, gathered his loyal subjects before him at an “invitation only” event – and announced bold plans to construct his Grand Headquarters on Beach Street – something HRH J. Hyatt’s handmaidens in government and industry hailed as the ultimate panacea for Daytona Beach’s perpetually struggling downtown.

It was the very answer to our collective prayers – a catalyst for transformative success.

At the time, then City Manager Jim “The Chisler” Chisholm gushed, “It’s a game changer for the downtown area,” and Dr. Kent Sharples of that mysterious camera stellata over at the CEO Business Alliance swooned, “It’s the biggest and best thing that’s happened since General Electric in terms of the number of jobs created, salary, and impact on our community.”

Just weeks later, both the City of Daytona Beach and the County of Volusia ponied up millions-of-dollars in public infrastructure improvements, financial incentives, and property tax abatement – which, we were told, would assist Brown & Brown in obtaining even more tax credits from the State of Florida for the promised six hundred “new high-paying jobs” the HQ would bring to Daytona Beach.

The town was abuzz with exciting words like “rejuvenation,” “recovery,” and “revitalization” – as our ‘powers that be’ assured skeptical taxpayers that downtown restaurants, boutiques, and bars would be brimming with free spending insurance executives – something that gave strapped area merchants reason to hang on by their splintered fingernails just a little while longer…

To prepare for the second coming of the once vibrant Downtown Daytona, taxpayers acquiesced to a plan that gifted the riverfront park to HRH J. Hyatt for his lavish “esplanade” – with the Brown’s generously donating $35+ million and the citizens of Daytona Beach agreeing to pony up some $800,000 annually for upkeep. 

In addition, a bizarre plan was hatched to replace a perfectly serviceable streetscape, a project that further disrupted Beach Street…

Remember?

And who can forget the continuing boondoggle that became the publicly subsidized (and horribly misnamed) First Step Shelter – a $6 million magic potion born of a shambolic process that began with a 2014 ($135,000) “study” which recommended a 250 bed come-as-you-are homeless shelter – before morphing into an insanely expensive social program that takes homeless people who submit themselves to a mysterious process and, we hope, magically ends in sustainable permanent housing…   

But what about those who don’t want to participate in First Step’s convoluted “get your shit together” program? 

Well, according to an informative article by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week – a story that read like a Steinbeck novel – at least some of those ambulatory drunks, lunatics, vagrants, and malevolent vagabonds (who apparently didn’t get an invitation to HRH J. Hyatt’s Grand Plan) have once again turned Downtown Daytona into an unsafe and unsanitary “battleground.”

According to the disturbing report:

“For nearly 14 years, Sweet Marlays’ Coffee has been serving up freshly brewed java, delectable desserts and a sun-filled retreat overlooking the Halifax River across the street.

At times it’s also been a battleground between shop owner Tammy Kozinski and the vagrants who wander inside the Beach Street café to lobby for free food, rant for no particular reason, urinate on the floor and steal. One angry man recently cursed at Kozinski and threw his cup of hot coffee at her.”

Whoa. 

I guess publicly subsidized glass and steel office buildings and elaborate “transitional programs” aren’t the cure-all we were promised, eh?

Please find the rest of the News-Journal’s interesting exposé here: https://tinyurl.com/2fhzr8zt

Now, the City of Daytona Beach has formulated a plan that will bring the same private security service that patrols the squeaky-clean Brown Esplanade to the mean streets of downtown to take on these marauding miscreants head-to-head… 

According to the News-Journal, “The city is getting ready to launch a (60-day) pilot program that will provide security officers six days a week along Beach Street between Orange Avenue and International Speedway Boulevard, where the city’s redevelopment director said “most of the issues have been.”

“Two unarmed officers will cover foot patrol shifts from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day except Sunday, and when they see problems they’ll use their radios to summon police for help.”

After meeting with downtown merchants to discuss their concerns, Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry announced the plan during a public meeting last week.

I agree with Mayor Henry.  This idea has legs.

Literally, four of them, walking a beat on Beach Street… 

(I hear you, “Who is behind that keyboard and what have you done with our beloved Barker the Bitcher?”)   

Listen – rather than put the cost on the backs of already tax-strapped Beach Street residents and merchants, the program – estimated at $2,400 per week for two officers – will be underwritten from the reinvestment of Downtown Redevelopment Area funds under City Manager Deric Feacher’s discretionary spending authorization.   

According to the report, “If the city wants to make the guards permanent, it will have to put out a request for proposals. City staff would choose the bidder with the lowest cost who met all the city requirements. City commissioners would then make the final decision.”

In my view, with the City of Daytona Beach preparing to invest $30 million on needed upgrades to Jackie Robinson Ballpark – and $12 million on more streetscaping at the north end of Beach Street – using redevelopment funds to better secure the core downtown commercial area without further burden on struggling business owners is a sound idea. 

But the $1.5 million-per-year question remains – with the First Step Shelter continuing to pick and choose who they will accept into the “shelter program” and who will be turned away – where will those aggressive “vagrants” go when they are once again displaced from Downtown Daytona? 

That’s all for me.  Have a great St. Patrick’s Day, 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               Volusia County Councilman Troy Kent

In 2021, Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower attempted to make good on his primary campaign promise and announced he wanted the council to consider eliminating beach access tolls for county residents.

His compassionate rationale was the fact taxpayers already pay for beach management and maintenance and should not be billed twice. 

It was a key plank of his successful 2020 run – a topic Mr. Brower had become known for after more of our beach was closed to driving by an asinine 2015 ordinance benefitting Hard Rock Daytona – and access tolls were doubled in 2018, with a day at the beach going from $10 to $20, prompting residents who could afford it to opt for the $25 annual pass.

Both issues remain contentious points for many who live and pay taxes in Volusia County.   

Unfortunately, Mr. Brower’s idea was dead on arrival – a non-starter that never enjoyed the support of Volusia’s “Old Guard” – those influential insiders who control the rods and strings of county government. 

To anyone paying attention, it was abundantly clear that when Brower beat the “darling of the donor class” and upset the carefully crafted succession plan of our ‘powers that be,’ his bread was never going to land jelly-side-up again…    

Equally unfortunate was the fact Chairman Brower did not appear to have an articulable plan for feeding the insatiable bureaucratic machine by replacing the revenue lost by eliminating residential beach access fees.

Of course, Brower took a public thrashing at the hands of his “colleagues,” with Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins accusing him of engaging in “pay to play” politics and manipulating public policy “…so the chair’s friends can drive on the beach for free.”

At the time, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported on Robins’ ridiculous projection:

“You are feeding your base support, only with other people’s money. Welcome to the swamp,” Robins said from the dais Tuesday. “Talk about ‘bought and paid for’ and ‘pay to play,’ something you campaigned — and we all campaigned — so hard on.”

The goading and badgering continued…

“You are only one vote. That is it. Everyone, including staff, is not subservient to you and the beach crowd. This isn’t a dictatorship. There is no room in here any longer for a bully,” Robins said.

By October 2021, Chairman Brower proposed a revenue generating plan in support of his plan to eliminate tolls for residents by allowing naming rights and sponsorship of beach access points – something that was roundly panned by the I Hate Brower Brigade when it was first discussed earlier that year. 

In short, because doing away with beach tolls for residents was Jeff Brower’s idea – it never had a snowball’s chance in hell… 

Business as usual in the Kingdom of the Status Quo.

Then, in March 2023, freshman County Councilman Troy Kent brought forward a well-thought idea to eliminate access tolls for Volusia County taxpayers.

To his credit, unlike Mr. Brower – Kent’s proposal came with a carefully considered solution. 

According to Mr. Kent’s plan, Volusia County would charge out-of-town visitors more for vehicular beach access and off-beach parking and generate enough additional revenue to reduce the burden on residents.

In my view, Kent presented a workable strategy for making our greatest natural resource a more fun and accessible place for Volusia County families – a plan that was uncomplicated, well-organized, and clearly communicated.

At the time, the council voted 4-3 to table any further discussion of changing beach access and parking fees – with Jeff Brower, Troy Kent, and Don Dempsey (who wanted to raise fees) voting against the Old Guard’s gag order.

Then, on Tuesday, Mr. Kent’s suggestion was resurrected during a staff presentation on automating tolls and parking fees – using license plate readers, cameras, credit card kiosks, fully automated access at low volume beach ramps, and a bombshell idea – complimentary annual parking registration for Volusia residents. 

Yep.  You read that right. 

Using Councilman Kent’s funding plan, if adopted, out-of-town visitors would pay $30 per day for beach access (and $20 for off-beach parking) with enhanced fines for violators – generating sufficient revenue to off-set allowing Volusia County residents to access our beach without additional cost. 

Now, county staff will return with the necessary ordinances and legalities – including a “sunset clause” which will require the resident exemption be formally renewed by action of the council on a date certain.

Keep your fingers crossed…

In my view, Mr. Kent’s refreshing proposal represents the first solid improvement to area beaches since the misguided 1986 charter amendment that allowed Volusia County to seize control of the strand from beachfront municipalities and enact homogenized “uniform rules,” eliminating the distinctive characteristics that made Halifax area beaches a destination for millions of families.    

The rest, as they say, is history – as our horribly mismanaged beach became miles of “do this/don’t do that” sign pollution, wooden poles, traffic cones, unchecked erosion, closed ramps, walkovers, etc., etc. – now totally devoid of anything fun or unique.   

Speaking of history… 

In 2014, when Mr. Kent served as the District 2 representative to the Ormond Beach City Commission, he called for giving the cities a meaningful say on beach issues, “In my opinion, this beach is a broken system.  I’ve been taking it, and taking it and taking it. … I’m not taking it anymore.” 

At the time, several elected officials from other coastal municipalities suggested forming a beach advisory board – formally recognized by the Volusia County Council – that would give local governments, residents, and beachside businesses a voice on beach management, access, and maintenance. 

Obviously, that never happened.

In my view, Mr. Kent is on the right track, and I applaud his efforts on behalf of Volusia County families.  Now that he has a seat at the table in DeLand – the beach advisory board is another great idea ripe for resurrection.   

Asshole           Volusia County School Board

It was ‘put up or shut up’ time for members of the Volusia County School Board this week. 

Per usual – they did neither… 

As you may recall, on January 18, the School Board’s contract labor attorney sent formal notice to Florida’s Public Employees Relations Commission suggesting that Volusia United Educators – the union representing teachers and paraprofessionals in the district – falsified membership records making it appear the bargaining unit had the 60% membership required by state law. 

The leadership of Volusia United Educators vehemently denied the spurious allegation – with VUE President Elizabeth Albert describing the board’s actions as “disappointing” and “malicious.”

Last month, Chairwoman Jamie Haynes desperately attempted to separate the board from the growing public perception that the elected body engaged in union busting tactics – saying unequivocally that the elected board members had no part in the district’s communications with PERC – and never authorized the hiring of an outside attorney.

With a haughty air of indignance, Chairwoman Haynes puffed, “It has been stated that we – the five of us – have gone after the union,” – then proceeded to assure everyone watching that the board did not authorize the hiring of an outside attorney – and, in fact, no one on the board had any knowledge of the district’s correspondence to PERC.

Bullshit. 

Unfortunately for Chairwoman Haynes and her fellow dupes on the dais – that assertion was shattered in dramatic fashion by Volusia County Schools General Counsel Kevin Pendley, who reported that at Superintendent Carmen Balgobin’s direction, he individually communicated with each of the elected board members – and all five agreed to the district sending the notification to PERC.

After getting caught either openly lying to their constituents – or pitifully ignorant of events unfolding in Superintendent Balgobin’s Ivory Tower of Power – last week, the Public Employees Relations Commission gave the Volusia County School Board until yesterday to file a formal response “…as to whether it is challenging the Union’s registration” under applicable Florida statutes.    

Perhaps PERC was as confused by the School Board’s machinations as everyone else?

In my view, denying their surreptitious involvement in commissioning the accusatory correspondence to PERC – a blatantly untrue statement that was publicly refuted by the district’s General Counsel – effectively exposed the School Board’s complicity in Superintendent Balgobin’s attempt to decertify Volusia United Educators and besmirch the character and reputation of its leadership.

Regardless of your views on public sector unions – this outrageous backstabbing should not be ignored.

Volusia County taxpayers deserve answers. 

They deserve the truth…   

While it is one thing for public employers and unions to fervently disagree on important issues during the collective bargaining process – even coming to impasse at times – it is quite another when the district’s administration actively works to decertify the organization, while the elected body that oversees it falsely denies any knowledge of the pernicious activity.

That speaks of something more disturbing – more ominous…

Time will tell how the School Board responds to the PERC request for clarification of their motives.  As I understand it, the district’s labor attorney has asked for an extension until March 15, and the board will meet in executive session today to decide how they wish to proceed…   

In another development this week, concerned Ormond Beach residents attended their City Commission meeting to demand answers about why their elected representatives on the School Board took action to move the Riverview Learning Center – an “alternative education” program for students who can’t follow the rules – to the former Osceola Elementary campus.

According to an excellent article in the Ormond Beach Observer, we learned:

“Resident Lindsey Wolf said she and her neighbors, all who live by Osceola, were never notified of a Dec. 5, 2023, community meeting to discuss the transfer. She was also concerned that having an alternative educational facility in the neighborhood would negatively impact property values. 

“The amount of buyers who look for homes based on the schools in the area is astronomical,” she said. “To think that having a school like that in our neighborhood wouldn’t have a detriment impact is putting your head in the sand.”

I’m not sure “sand” is where our Volusia County School Board member’s heads are wedged… 

According to the report, District 4 board member Carl “Namby-Pamby” Persis attended the Commission meeting and agreed that Ormond Beach residents were not adequately informed of the December 5 meeting. 

“Persis said he thought that was strange, and when he asked the district about it, staff told him a mailer wasn’t sent. Instead, a notice of the meeting was posted on the district’s website and on their social media.

“But, unless you have kids in school, you’re not looking at the Volusia County Schools website or anything else affiliated with it,” Persis said. “I thought, ‘Well, that’s a major error right there.’”

Persis said a community meeting is necessary — both to make amends and explain what students Riverview sees. These are not kids that are dangerous, he said.

“It makes me feel so sad that we’re talking about children,” Persis said.”

Amends?

Look, I’m just spit-balling here, but Mr. Persis should understand that taxpaying homeowners get weepy too – especially when they watch detached politicians make critical decisions detrimental to their property values and quality of life in a virtual vacuum – with little, if any, input from those impacted. 

In my view, this chaos and confusion sends a clear signal of how little our elected “representatives” respect their constituents – or their sworn oath to “well and faithfully” perform their duties in the public interest.     

I hope you will remember that at the ballot box this year… 

 Quote of the Week

“Homeowners in Deland told FOX 35 News that they have been battling flood water since neighborhoods were built nearby at higher elevations.

JC Figueredo and his family bought over a dozen acres of Volusia County land in 2016 to build their dream home.

“It was flat,” he said. “It was dry. This is what life has turned into for us.”

A submerged driveway and several feet of water surrounded his property off Jackson Woods Road. In 2018, the homes behind his property started going up as part of the Victoria Park and Sawyer’s Landing neighborhood in the City of DeLand – all built at a higher elevation.

“As soon as construction started with a lot of the retention, we started having standing water issues,” Figueredo said.

He provided FOX 35 with aerial images from a geographical consulting firm study that showed his land without flooding for decades before the construction. It’s not just affecting Figueredo’s home. Lisa Latham has a farm next door. She said her pasture hadn’t been dry in four years.

“I have cows in my front yard now because there’s no pasture and nowhere to put my cows,” she said.

Just down the road lives Ronnie Mills, who built his home 15 years ago.

“What you’re looking at here is my pasture – this is not a lake,” Mills laughed.

The homeowners live in flood zone X, which is known as the zone with the lowest risk of flooding in all of Florida.

“I’ve had this property since the ‘70s, and we’ve never seen this,” Mills said.”

–As excerpted from a report by Fox35 Orlando’s Amanda McKenzie, “Flooding fears in DeLand have homeowners on edge: ‘The infrastructure is ruined,’ Thursday, February 29, 2024

(Find the disturbing story here: https://tinyurl.com/msh48zu5 )

I understand petty politics and the self-serving motivations of those who practice it.

But I despise the stench of lies…

This week’s response to Fox35 Orlando’s eye-opening exposé of serious flooding concerns in Wild West Volusia was an interesting window into how far some elected officials will sink to run interference for their well-heeled supporters in the real estate development industry – while completely ignoring their sworn responsibilities to long-suffering constituents.

According to the report by Fox35’s Amanda McKenzie, some West Volusia residents have lost their homes – or are on the verge of having their lives destroyed – due to persistent flooding, something many have attributed to the proliferation of surrounding subdivisions, a problem County Council Chair Jeff Brower admitted both Volusia County and the City of DeLand have known about for the past five-years…

“It’s a lot worse now,” Brower said.

He said he agrees with the homeowners that the development has resulted from the flooding.

To be clear, the Victoria Park and Sawyer’s Landing neighborhood developers followed county and city guidelines and did everything legal before putting in the development.

“The developers aren’t breaking the law,” Brower said. “We’ve got to change our development pattern and stop approving every development that’s doing the exact same thing, paving over acreage and putting in a retention pond and thinking that we can hold all of that water in a retention pond that used to be dispersed over hundreds of acres.”

According to DeLand officials, aerial photographs from 2005 show some standing water in the area. 

If that’s true, why in the hell did city and county officials allow anyone to build anything – let alone a subdivision – in identified flood-prone areas in the first place?  And why are those same complicit developer shills still receiving public funds to serve in the public interest?

“Brower said he does not want to see this happen again.

“I am not willing to approve another single development in Volusia County until we know how to deal with this situation,” Brower said.”

That clearly didn’t sit well with Volusia County Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins – a needling facilitator who lost all credibility with many of his astonished constituents this week after taking to social media to dismiss the concerns of suffering Volusia County residents by posting pictures and articles of past regional flooding events, some dating to the 1920’s…

In turn, Councilman Robins tried to use my prior public service in a pernicious effort to add credibility to his ridiculous apples to acorns comparison.

My God…

Apparently, during his exhaustive research to prove waterlogged residents wrong, Robins found a 2009 article in The Daytona Beach News-Journal quoting me during my service as Chief of Police for the City of Holly Hill.

The quote came from an interview conducted with reporter Eileen Zaffiro-Kean while I was actively managing a critical incident impacting thousands of area residents when unusual atmospheric conditions dumped 30-inches of rain in 72-hours – forcing an estimated four-billion-gallons of water into Northeast Volusia stormwater systems – overwhelming infrastructure and inundating the area with massive flooding resulting in a Presidential disaster declaration. 

During that difficult time, I reported to Holly Hill residents, “(The rain) just overwhelmed the system,” Barker said. Pumps couldn’t even be used in some areas because there was no dry place close enough to send the water, he said.  “Once the rain stopped, our system worked efficiently, Barker said.”  

Because that was the truth. 

Maybe Mr. Robins should look that concept up in the dictionary?

(I wonder how much could be accomplished if Danny spent half as much time worrying about the serious issues facing his constituents as he does scheming to marginalize the concerns of residents who fear the imminent loss of their homes, agricultural properties, and quality of life?)

In the aftermath of Mr. Robins’ flippant brushoff, a rightfully indignant long-time Volusia County taxpayer and business owner sent me a note regarding Mr. Robins’ social media post:

“The nerve of that Danny Robins to gaslight us and try to make us believe that the 2009 100-year storm was the equivalent to the flooding we are experiencing with these trickling minor rainstorms.” 

Other area residents reported that following malignant sprawl and the resultant destruction of greenspace, their properties – which never saw flooding in the past – are now inundated each rain event. 

Yet, Robins – and those malleable “experts” on the public dole in the cloistered Inner Sanctum at Volusia County – refuse to admit that explosive development has drastically changed the topography of the land, paved over recharge areas and permeable surfaces, filled wetlands in a weird “hurt here, help there” mitigation strategy, overwhelmed estuaries, drowned outdated drainage systems, and resulted in standing water on once dry adjacent properties causing millions of dollars in damage and displacement.

Why is that?

Last week, the City of New Smyrna Beach – whose citizens are “represented” by “Gaslight” Robins – adopted an emergency ordinance temporarily blocking building permits in the Venetian Bay area. 

According to a report by Brenno Carillo writing in the News-Journal, the move came following recurring flooding that has resulted “…in property damage concerns but also in public health and safety concerns for affected residents, who are calling for a resolution to problems identified in the area’s stormwater system.”

One resident quoted in the article said what everyone else in Volusia County (except those holding high office) are thinking, “The additional impervious surfaces and runoff will only exacerbate the existing serious drainage issues that we have within the area…”

Many of Mr. Robins’ worried constituents agree.

In my view, it is easier for our dullards on the dais to deceive residents and dismiss the concerns of affected property owners – refusing to admit the problem even exists – manipulating the truth, causing residents to question their own perceptions and experience, downplaying concerns, and sending a clear message that those we elect and appoint to address these threats care more about facilitating additional growth for their greed-crazed benefactors and influential insiders than they do about protecting the lives and livelihoods of existing residents.

More to the point, quality mitigation efforts require strategic vision – the ability to learn from the past – and an unselfish willingness to put pet projects and petty politics on the backburner and direct critical time and resources to serving the common good. 

With that as a benchmark, don’t expect anything of substance from Councilman Robins or this shambolic shit show of a county government that our tax dollars continue to underwrite – now a massive public trough filled to the brim with some $1.2 billion of our money annually…  

And Another Thing!

By what must be official design, the portal through which taxpayers can provide input on the issues important to our lives and livelihoods is getting smaller all the time, now reduced to a three-minute audience before those stone-faced gargoyles on the dais of power who are strategically prohibited by internal “policy” from responding to citizens seeking to participate in the decision-making process.

If you have the time and stomach for it, residents can contact their elected “representative” directly and listen to a few minutes of disingenuous gladhanding, backslapping, and commiseration before being shunted into the bureaucratic ether. 

Just don’t expect anything of substance to come from either option. 

It’s not about you.

The concept of citizen advisory boards is to provide a diverse perspective on the issues, encourage “buy in,” and increase communication and transparency.  These committees improve the democratic process by involving the active participation of those who pay the bills in shaping public policy.  

So, while the critical issues of our time go unaddressed – and the majority of our wholly compromised hand-puppets on the dais turn their full attention to undermining Chairman Jeff Brower ahead of a critical election that will determine complete conformity to the whims of special interests – this week, the Volusia County Council took up the time-wasting exercise of considering eliminating or consolidating citizen advisory boards.    

Boy, did they get an earful…                 

On Tuesday, over thirty active and engaged citizens let our elected victims of bureaucratic aphasia (a weird malady contracted by pompous politicians that prevents them from hearing, or responding to, the needs of their constituents) know their serious concerns about the possible elimination or “consolidation” of several boards, to include the Cultural Council of Volusia County, the Environmental and Natural Resource Advisory Committee, and the Volusia Forever and ECHO boards.

It did my beat-up old heart good…

Former Volusia County Councilmember and veteran civic activist Pat Northey used her three-minutes to call “BS” on the idea and asked that the agenda item be voted down in its entirety. 

Good for her.

As a long-time proponent of both the Volusia Forever and ECHO initiatives, Ms. Northey was concerned about the council combining the individual governing boards – something Councilman David “No Show” Santiago scoffed at – puffing that the council has never discussed the notion (apparently not realizing the agenda item clearly said it “May be possible to combine (the ECHO board) with Volusia Forever Advisory Committee…”) 

Chairman Brower pointed out that the presentation merely contained staff “suggestions” – not recommendations: 

“Apparently, everybody has read the item (apparently not “everybody”), which is really encouraging,” Brower said. “I’m glad that you’re paying attention — we need that.”

When talk turned to the 14-member Environmental and Natural Resource Advisory Committee (ENRAC) – who work with county staff on policy, goal setting, and ordinance implementation regarding growth management, environmental resource management, and minimum standards for the protection of the environment – it became apparent our slippery “representatives” envisioned a convenient scapegoat for one of the most emergent issues of our time…  

During a subsequent discussion, Councilman Santiago suggested that ENRAC take a larger role in stormwater issues (read: “widespread flooding”) – creating another political insulation committee – an expedient group to blame for Volusia County’s abject failure to find solutions to this growing problem as the bulldozers continue to roar.

Especially now that property owners throughout Volusia County see the standing water slowing creeping toward their door – and are demanding answers…   

For a glimpse of their grim future, ENRAC members should skim what is euphemistically known as the “Grippa Report” – the final work product of an impressive committee once charged by the Volusia County Council with developing a comprehensive revitalization strategy for the Halifax area’s struggling beachside.

I suspect they can find a copy of the ill-fated Beachside Redevelopment Committee’s findings moldering on some dust-covered shelf in the bowels of a musty dead records morgue in DeLand – right next to the yellowing remnants of the unread “2011 Tourism Study” – another time-wasting exercise, wherein the Volusia County Council paid $100,000 to an out-of-state consultant to conduct a review which found that our beachside “tourism product” was a serious impediment to attracting visitors and economic development, and concluded “…there is no “plan” for who is leading the effort and how these challenges can be improved.”

“Without resources – leadership and economic – the overall tourism experience in Volusia County will decline.  An overall collaborative strategy is needed.”  

What’s changed? 

Sorry ENRAC volunteers.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

For the moment, it appears the Cultural Arts Council, Volusia Forever, and ECHO boards are safe from either the chopping block or bureaucratic blender – but I don’t hold out much hope for the Code Enforcement Board (which will be replaced by a special magistrate), Library Advisory Board, Animal Control Board, or the Business Incubator Advisory Board…

It seems Councilman Jake Johansson believes some of these county committees are stifled by the openness and transparency provided by Florida’s Sunshine Law.

He seems to think that without those pesky legal constrictions – those wishing to participate in the process could meet over coffee, chat amongst themselves, develop substantive solutions, then come before the Volusia County Council – where their suggestions can be wholly ignored by those catatonic do-nothings who refuse to interact, answer questions, (or even acknowledge) anyone who takes the time to appear before them.  

Whatever.

In Volusia County, the more things change – the more they remain the same… 

That’s all for me.  Have a safe and enjoyable final weekend of Bike Week 2024, y’all!

Hi, kids!

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

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

Asshole           Volusia County Council

Has anyone ever listened to a State of the City/County address that began:

“Ladies and gentlemen, I have grim news to report. 

In our overweening desire to please those wealthy masters who finance our campaigns and control everything but the ebb and flow of the Atlantic tide here on the “Fun Coast,” we have allowed explosive growth to outpace infrastructure and essential services, resulting in massive flooding, the ongoing destruction of our sensitive environment and wildlife habitat, disruptive school rezoning, traffic gridlock, and myriad quality of life issues, all while saddling our children and grandchildren with the crippling debt that will ultimately be required to fix it. 

As such, our chief priority this fiscal year will be using your tax dollars to construct a $10.2 million motocross track…” 

Of course you haven’t.  Because that’s the unvarnished truth.

Following Chairman Jeff Brower’s State of the County address last month, it seems the remainder of our elected dullards on the dais of power didn’t like what he had to say.  I guess Brower’s call for an end to destroying wetlands to facilitate new development and open more of our beach to those who pay for it was too much for his “colleagues” to swallow… 

So, last Tuesday, the majority took it upon themselves to ignore the dictate of the Volusia County Charter and stripped Chairman Brower of his right to independently report to Volusia County residents on “the activities of county government,” and present “new and revised goals and objectives for future action.”

In yet another off-the-agenda “public policy by ambush” vote, the majority will now “review” the Chairman’s speech ahead of time – censoring the content to ensure dubious goals, objectives, and “accomplishments” fit neatly into their template of conformity.

As this latest timewasting political theater progressed, the bought and paid for chattel of our wealthy overseers took the opportunity to cut into Chairman Brower over his single-handed attempt to protect our environment, ensure water quality and quantity, and make our beach more accessible. 

Then, after spending the last year haranguing, opposing, and ridiculing him at every turn – they painted Mr. Brower as “unprofessional.”

Apparently, Volusia’s “Old Guard” – those behind-the-scenes puppeteers who control the rods-and-strings of their obsequious marionettes on the dais – also took exception to Brower’s stance on restoring beach driving from East ISB to the Boardwalk, citing “That taking of public beach has done great harm to the economy of local businesses in the area and our personal enjoyment.”

He’s right. 

Don’t take my word for it.  Ask struggling beachside business owners what they think of the idea…

In addition, the majority also demanded that Brower stop using county letterhead to correspond with Gov. Ron DeSantis and others touting any position that could be misconstrued as coming from the council as a whole.

That includes anything other than lockstep groupthink and faux optimism as Rome burns – and strategically blocks Mr. Brower’s future efforts to bring attention to the pending destruction of the Spruce Creek watershed with runoff from the proposed Pioneer Trail interchange, his staunch opposition to Belvedere Terminal’s plan to put a 13-million-gallon bulk fuel storage site in Ormond Beach, destructive flooding, and other ecological disasters in the making.   

Who are these egotistical shitheels to tell the County Chair what he will and won’t do in service to his constituents? 

An excellent article by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week captured the spirit of their well-coordinated and meanspirited attack:

“District 3 Councilman Danny Robins raised concerns about arguments on the council.

“Think it’s highly unprofessional,” Robins said. “We all get our time up here. If we have opposing views, we use our time. We don’t get into a back-and-forth spat with each other. It just doesn’t look good. It looks like two fools arguing.”

Robins also took issue with Brower’s message to the governor.”

Bullshit. 

In his weird form of political gaslighting, Councilman Robins has repeatedly balled up his hands, stomped his little feet, and launched into one of his long-winded stream-of-consciousness blusters – openly goading Chairman Brower into an angry confrontation every time he has opened his mouth on an issue since he took office…

In turn, Councilman David “No Show” Santiago – who couldn’t be bothered to attend the State of the County address even though it was held in his district – got his licks in:

“That letter that’s out there should be corrected or taken down because I did get a copy of it from someone on social media — because it’s inaccurate,” Santiago said. “Again, I’m not trying to take anybody’s right to speak, but that’s what happens when you get into these areas. It gets dangerous. And if you make mistakes, you get called out on it. And that was one particular mistake, and I don’t appreciate words being put in my mouth.”

Santiago also criticized Brower for his comments on beach driving because that isn’t the position of the council.”

It didn’t end there… 

“At-Large Representative Jake Johansson said he believes it’s “extremely important” for the council to review a template of what the council will present at the “State of the County” event.

“This is not the president’s State of the Union. We don’t have a chief executive elected official,” he said.

Johansson added that he doesn’t want to be surprised by the contents of the “State of the County” event. Johansson made a motion to have the council pre-approve the contents of the “State of the County” event, including the chairman’s speech. Brower is running for reelection this year, so it’s not clear whether he’ll still be the chairman in 2025.

The County Council approved that motion 6-1, with Brower dissenting.”

In his defense, Brower explained that “…county staff told him the State of the County address is his speech and gave him “free rein.” Brower said he made clear in his speech what goals were his personal goals that he would bring to the council.”

Interesting set-up, eh?

The fact is, our County Charter directs the Chair to address both the Council and Volusia County residents annually – and some cheap power move by these carping Monarchical figureheads does not usurp that responsibility – or dictate that the Chairman only speak of things that feed the enormous egos of the other six…      

In my view, Chairman Brower should have made a point of publicly telling these lecturing weasels just where they could shove their haughty notion of ‘going along and getting along.’

In a pique of pomposity, Councilman Johansson said he would not attend next year’s address if it weren’t scripted in advance – then accused Chairman Brower of taking his brutal tag-team thrashing “a little personal.”

My God.  What a pretentious blowhard…  

Look, I’m the first to admit – Chairman Brower can be his own worst enemy. 

When he announced his reelection campaign last May, Mr. Brower promised supporters he was “taking the gloves off” – now, I’m not even sure he knows what the term means.  Let’s face it, being publicly kicked in the crotch repeatedly by petty politicians without punching back doesn’t inspire confidence…  

Regardless, this pernicious practice of Brower’s “colleagues” campaigning for his competition from the dais is horribly divisive – ethically and morally wrong – but it is nothing new.

Trust me.  There is a reason our uber-wealthy insiders want lockstep conformity on the Volusia County Council – and it has nothing to do with reducing the size and cost of government, making essential services more efficient, protecting our threatened environment, or preserving what remains of our increasingly claustrophobic quality of life. 

Chairman Brower was right about one thing:  Volusia County residents deserve better…

Asshole           Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito

Once again, Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito has left her elected bosses feverishly backpedaling, this time after she fired off a missive to School Superintendent LaShakia Moore suggesting Flagler County would be reducing or eliminating its $1.4 million commitment to the School District as part of a decade old 50/50 cost-sharing plan, most of which funds the School Resource Deputy program.

Let’s face it, this is not the first time Ms. Petito has left County Commissioners scratching their heads as they tried to recall authorizing one of her brusque communiques – which often have all the subtlety of a fart in church – such as insinuating to parents that protecting their children isn’t a priority for Flagler County Commissioners…   

According to an informative article in FlaglerLive! last week, we learned:

“Petito’s letter was phrased in a way that makes it seem as if the county has already made its decision. It has not: commissioners are interested in having that discussion, but Commission Chairman Andy Dance said the 50-50 cost-sharing approach is no longer sustainable. Dance was previously a school board member. He understands the district’s budget and the pressures it’s under.

“I am writing to inform you of an important decision regarding our ongoing financial commitment to the school district,” Petito wrote Moore on Feb. 13 (the day before the sixth anniversary of the Parkland school massacre), summarizing the county’s support “through various legacy expenditures” over the years. “However, after careful review and consideration, we have concluded that we can no longer sustain annual legacy expenditures that are not directly aligned with our strategic plan or mandated by state statute, while at the same time achieving our responsibility as county government.”

Wow.  Sounds cut-and-dried to me…

I’m just spit-balling here, but it seems like there are other areas to trim in Flagler County government before eliminating funding for school security – a point well made by Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly in a December 2023 letter to the Board of County Commissioners following a mention of the funding cut at a budget workshop.

Sheriff Staley said, in part:

“After the horrific tragedy of the high school shooting in Parkland in 2017, which left 17 students and staff dead and 17 injured, the Florida Legislature passed new laws in 2018 and 2019 encompassing a number of significant changes and requirements for school safety.

What they didn’t change was the Florida Department of Education Safe Schools funding formula, which they should have. The current formula, developed in the 1980s, penalizes school districts that are in low-crime rate counties, such as Flagler County. Now that school safety requirements are the same across every county, the formula should have been changed, too.

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has 12 Deputies plus a supervisor assigned to Flagler County’s traditional schools, who provide security, investigate campus incidents, mentoring, and leadership to over 13,000 students at nine public schools, plus one charter school. Each campus has one SRD (School Resource Deputy), with the exception of our two High Schools, which have two SRDs at each campus.

These campuses, especially our high schools, are small cities. Flagler County SRDs are equipped with all necessary equipment to include medical kits with tourniquets, bandages, and gloves. They also wear ballistic vests with a rifle plate and have immediate access to an AR-15 to help protect them and others and to immediately stop a threat to our children.”

Now, parents, board members, and other stakeholders feel “blindsided” by Ms. Petito’s notice – and the tone of the correspondence left many believing the funding cuts had already been decided.  

A follow-up article in FlaglerLive! reported that both Dance and Commissioner Dave Sullivan walked back comments regarding Petito’s missive in an interview – with Dance claiming that his comments at the December workshop were merely to “open a discussion” about transitioning the expenses – and that the Commission had given consensus to “look” at the expenses,” clarifying that there was no agreement to end funding.  

In an earlier interview with FlaglerLive!, it was reported that Flagler County Commissioner Leann Pennington said she was “caught off guard” by Petito’s letter – and while she recalled the budget discussion regarding “legacy expenses,” Ms. Pennington could not remember the Commission giving consensus for Petito to act.

Last year, at the BOCC’s direction, Ms. Petito sent a letter to all Flagler County municipalities soliciting support for a sales tax increase – correspondence that some felt contained erroneous information – including a statistic that “..almost 40% of the funds collected will be paid by non- residents,” which was, in the view of many, complete bullshit.

That “miscommunication” turned into something of a good ‘ol Flagler County bruhaha that left County Commissioners red-faced… 

Now this? 

The ruckus prompted Flagler County Commission Chair Andy Dance to issue a long-winded manifesto this week – alternately blaming the messenger, FlaglerLive!, for the confusion – then reassuring parents that there is no “immediate threat” to alter current SRD funding, stating “…there will be meetings occurring soon to initiate a collaborative approach to evaluate funding constraints and opportunities that face the District and the County to address the County’s concerns. There is no predetermined timeline for action on these discussions. School Resource Deputies are not leaving school campuses.”

Find Chairman Dance’s rambling declaration here: http://tinyurl.com/mtxkmj5b

Regardless, as often happens when people feel “blindsided” on both sides of the dais – there remains righteous public backlash that has left the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners clearly scrambling with egg on their face…

That’s rarely a good look for a County Administrator…  

Given the explosive growth that Flagler County and Palm Coast officials continue to advance – it is time to determine how the infrastructure and essential services required to meet increasing demand will best be shared – preferably in an environment free of chaos, confusion, and mixed-signals from Ms. Petito. 

Angel               Defenders of the former Osceola Elementary School

It is bitter-sweet when those who take a stand against the machinations of those we have elected to represent our interests are vindicated – and this week it became apparent that the intrepid parents, staff, and officials who sensed something strange afoot and fought so hard to save Ormond Beach’s only beachside school were right all along…

In 2021, in a shambolic process that defied any reasonable concept of “due process” – with inadequate public notice and virtually no public input – the Volusia County School Board voted to close Osceola Elementary in favor of spending millions in public funds to build a new school on the site of the former Ortona Elementary in Daytona Beach, then consolidate students and teachers at the new Beachside Elementary.     

The decision, which disrupted hundreds of lives – one that had been clearly reached in advance – was challenged by parents and stakeholders of Osceola Elementary, to include a petition signed by some 600 concerned residents, and a controversial $2 million pledge by the City of Ormond Beach to help with renovations and repairs of the campus. 

In the end, none of it mattered.  

Then, last October, we began to hear rumblings that our district’s “brain trust” was considering relocating Riverview Learning Center – an “alternative education” program for students who have violated the “code of conduct” and been removed from other schools – from its current location on North Wild Olive Avenue (with a satellite location ten-miles away on Herbert Street) to the former Osceola Elementary campus in Ormond Beach.   

In turn, taxpayers heard the usual dirges about how the Riverview campus – constructed in the 1920’s – has been allowed to rot into such disrepair that renovations are now estimated at $5 million (I always assume those arbitrary estimates are arrived at by the same facilities maintenance, operations, and management “experts” who allowed the property to decay in the first place…)   

Whatever.

At the time, Elizabeth Albert, president of Volusia United Educators, the union representing teachers and paraprofessionals, demanded answers for those displaced during the consolidation: “They don’t understand this,” Albert said to the School Board, “Some of the comments here: ‘It wasn’t good enough to restore for us, but now it is?'”

To my knowledge, Ms. Albert never got an adequate explanation…

Neither did disappointed Ormond Beach residents. 

But now we know the miraculous answer. 

On Tuesday, the rumors and speculation inherent to Superintendent Carmen Balgobin’s administration were confirmed when the School Board voted to approve the transfer of the Riverview campus to Osceola.   

In an excellent article this week by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, we learned:

“School Board members Ruben Colon and Anita Burnette said the district should commit to making some improvements to the Osceola campus to better accommodate the Riverview students. While School Board member Carl Persis agreed, he also said that the board needs to be informed of how much those improvements will cost and what they will look like.

“We decided to abandon Osceola because it was going to cost too much money to renovate it,” Persis said. “And we said, ‘Let’s just build a brand new school’ … I don’t want students to be a substandard facility.”

I found it interesting how much things have magically improved at the Osceola campus… 

According to the Observer, Superintendent Balgobin now reports “…the improvements suggested for the Osceola campus would be minimal. District staff confirmed that facilities, like the cafeteria, were in good shape.”

What about the dilapidated Riverview facility, you ask?   

Well, it appears that facility has also undergone some supernatural transformation and is now perfectly capable of housing offices for district staff!

According to Patty Corr, chief operating officer for Volusia County Schools:

“We were just having a conversation before the board meeting that we are in desperate need of space, for office space, for personnel in all parts of our county and looking at repurposing the physical building of Riverview,” Corr said.”

What a crazy coincidence!  

Amazing how everything has a way of miraculously working itself out when you simply ignore the input and objections of your constituents, eh? 

I hope Volusia County voters will remember this mystical legerdemain come election time…

Quote of the Week

“Imagine the following ad for the recruitment of a city manager for Deltona:

“HELP WANTED — Someone with the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, the humility of Jesus, the compassion of a missionary, the thick and armored “skin of an alligator,” the toughness of a Marine, the warmth of a golden retriever, and the resolve to maintain these qualities during natural disasters, storms and human-caused crises. Apply today.”

More than four years after Jane Shang exited as city manager, Deltona’s quest for someone to come into town and solve all the problems is once again gaining attention and traction. With the City Commission’s blessing, Colin Baenziger and Associates, the executive-search firm Deltona has contracted to lead the search, has prepared a brochure to supplement its advertising in publications and online to reach potential applicants for the position.

Newly appointed City Commissioner Troy Shimkus noted Deltona has a reputation for being “dysfunctional,” beset with plenty of challenges in a time of nonstop growth.”

–Reporter Al Everson, West Volusia Beacon, “HELP WANTED: Applications open in Deltona manager search,” Friday, February 23, 2024

The Lost City of Deltona’s advertisement for its next City Manager isn’t so much a call for applications as it is a cry for help – an “S.O.S.” of extreme distress – an urgent appeal by citizens and city staff desperately seeking stability. 

Sorting out this mess isn’t going to be easy…   

My three decades in public service provided many lessons about human nature and the effect of unbridled power on small minds in the confines of a municipal government – and the devastating fallout that ensues.    

One key lesson is that a community’s inability to attract and retain quality senior administrators is a key indicator of a government in crisis – and by that metric the Lost City of Deltona has soared past the “crisis stage” and is now an abject shit show – choreographed, produced, and performed in the raging inferno of a dumpster fire…

For instance, earlier this week, Deltona became a front-page/above the fold laughingstock when Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr. – for what he must have thought the best of reasons (?) – unilaterally named March 13 “L. Ron Hubbard Day” in honor of the controversial founder of the Church of Scientology – then clumsily rescinded the proclamation in a ham-handed social media post…   

Perhaps worse – after embarrassing himself, Mayor Avila couldn’t shut-up about it.  Later claiming in a solo statement on social media that he had single-handedly “made the choice” that the City of Deltona will no longer issue faith-based proclamations…

That on-going confusion is why not too many experienced administrators worth their salt – some of whom have been chewed up and spit out in internecine political wars in other unfortunate places – will be willing to try their hand at sorting the gut-wrenching dysfunction of a Civic Thunderdome like Deltona. 

In my view there is plenty of blame to go around – and that ugly history should be unpacked, spread out, and openly aired beyond a blurb in a headhunter’s brochure that reads, “…some in the public have lost trust in the government,” and “Commission meetings have, on occasion, become raucous.”

The sales pamphlet also (almost comically) warns, “Deltona has a variety of competing interests. The ideal candidate will be immune to pressure. He/she will be strong but diplomatic, and have the skin of an alligator. Finding common ground, and bringing people to a consensus will be key to success.”

Tall order.  I would add bring your own whip, chair, and asbestos underwear to the list… 

I’ve said this before, now is the time for the Deltona City Commission to put their petty personal agendas aside, act responsibly, and come together for the common good (look that term up in your “Elected Official” handbook) and remain vigilant at this critical time.

Because there will always be self-serving opportunists waiting to take advantage of a leadership void – fakes and frauds with one good suit and a briefcase – failed screwballs, and “managers in transition,” looking for their next victim – confidence artists who speak in acronyms and bureaucratese who will offer their services in hopes of backdooring a six-figure gig in the sun. 

As things play out, those behind-the-scenes power players in Deltona who manipulate their hand-select Muppets on the dais should allow this process to progress free of external meddling. 

There is a time to work the system – and a time to allow the system to work – and this one’s important…     

And Another Thing!

“Volusia County is giving serious consideration to the construction of a $10.2 million motocross track in the county.

The County Council heard a presentation this week from Hunden Strategic Partners about options for a track. The council asked for more information on each option presented by the consultant, so the matter will come back for further discussion.

The options include the county building and managing the track on its own or creating a public-private partnership, where a private firm manages operations and pays the county a share of the profits.

County officials are considering an area off Tomoka Farms Road west of the city of Port Orange.”

–Reporter Sheldon Gardner, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Volusia council mulls $10.2M motocross facility,” Friday, February 23, 2024

“Come with me and you’ll be, In a world of pure imagination…”

“Take a look and you’ll see, Into your imagination…”

“We’ll begin with a spin, Traveling in the world of my creation, What we’ll see will defy explanation…”

–Willy Wonka, 1971

One year ago, Volusia County Councilman Troy Kent expressed interest in establishing what would later become a dog friendly section of beach.  He also resurrected the possibility of allowing double-taxed residents to drive on the beach toll-free by charging out-of-county visitors a little extra for vehicular access and parking in beachfront parks.

That didn’t happen… 

As you may recall, Kent’s suggestion dissolved into a grim discussion of metered parking in off-beach lots for everyone, and the specter of raising beach tolls and fees for residents and visitors alike.  

Remember?  I do. 

Initially, naysayers painted the dog beach idea as so prohibitively expensive that it would cause financial Armageddon for Volusia County.  At the time, Councilman Danny Robins moved to squash the idea early, wringing his hands, and moaning the Poormouth Blues:

“The big elephant in the room is, how are we going to pay for it?  I don’t want to hear that we have a $1.2 billion budget — that’s not a sufficient answer … We’re in an economic decline.”

In turn, Councilman Don Dempsey was more direct – warning that Volusia County families should “suck it up” and expect to pay more for a day at the beach.   

Yeah.  That didn’t age well…

In October 2023, in a blatant example of a self-absorbed elected official using public funds to feather their own nest – Councilman Dempsey sprung a cockamamie idea for a taxpayer funded “public motocross facility” in an off-the-agenda sleight-of-hand for the ages. 

While the rest of us rubes (Read: “Taxpayers”) are shaking in our boots over the complete lack of a comprehensive transportation infrastructure plan, overstressed public utilities, dwindling water quality in area rivers and lakes, massive flooding across the width and breadth of Volusia County, dangerous fuel terminals near residential areas, a complete lack of beach management and hodge-podge coastal erosion control, struggling emergency medical services, a broken zoning and permitting apparatus, dangerous conditions in correctional facilities, public safety concerns, lack of “high paying” jobs, safe and affordable housing, an artificial economy where government picks winners and losers, rising taxes and fees, density, congestion, malignant overdevelopment, etc., etc. – we learn that Councilman Dempsey’s most pressing priority – his Number One concern – the greatest single urgency facing Volusia County residents – is our lack of a motocross track? 

Really?

“It’s been proposed and we put it on the meeting agenda about two or three months ago when each councilman talked about what they think would be their priority if they had a wish list,” Dempsey said. “My priority was a motocross facility, because we have been needing it. We are 30 years past due for one.”

I don’t make this shit up, folks…                       

   

Unbelievably, what everyone thought was just a weird fantasy dancing around in Mr. Dempsey’s Wonkaesque imagination is now gaining traction as the Volusia County Council spent public funds hiring a consultant to tell them that a publicly funded motocross track, built on publicly-owned land near Port Orange, will cost you and I an estimated $10.2 million (I say “estimated” because I’ve never known a government project that came in close to the initial estimated budget, have you?) 

What?  You’re a senior citizen living on a fixed income, worried about the dearth of affordable housing, astronomical insurance premiums, and explosive sprawl that is making traffic unbearable and forcing you to wait hours for treatment in overcrowded area emergency rooms, and you don’t want your tax dollars shunted to a ridiculous $10.2+ million “nice to have”? 

Tough shit, Granny.  Don Dempsey has his ‘priorities’…

As history proves here on the “Fun Coast”, those malleable Good ‘ol Boys who “get along and go along” and protect the stagnant status quo get whatever they want – and those who refuse to conform and stand for the real needs of their long-suffering constituents get the Bastinado treatment on the dais – in front of God and everybody, during an election year – for even acknowledging the pressing issues of our time.    

Sound familiar? 

That’s all for me.  Have a great Bike Week 2024, y’all!

Hi, kids!

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

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

Asshole           Volusia County School Board

In the wake of last week’s hyper-dramatic production of the Volusia County School Board, many have reached out with their thoughts on the clueless disconnect of our elected representatives – and the shocking revelation of the school district’s morally repulsive behind-the-scenes machinations to undermine the collective bargaining unit representing teachers and paraprofessionals. 

The common reaction is, “That was crazy!”   

I agree.  Totally nutso…      

The study of Political Psychology is defined as “an interdisciplinary academic field dedicated to understanding politics, politicians, and political behavior from a psychological perspective.”  

In my jaded view, a political headshrinker could have a field day in Volusia County…

My layman psychoanalysis of our current crop of elected and appointed officials on certain commissions, boards, and councils throughout Volusia County finds a contagious psychosis at work – a virulent disorder that ensures lock-step conformity to the status quo and a pathological need to compromise themselves in the pursuit of power.

An infectious disease that renders its victims completely incapable of independent thought or strategic vision.

A weird neuropsychiatric malady I’ve dubbed “Volusia Dysfunction Syndrome.”

Those most vulnerable include small-minded authoritarian personalities with enormous egos, a limited capacity for critical thought, parasitic loyalty to wealthy insiders, a propensity for mutism when questioned by constituents, and a voracious appetite for tax dollars. 

Over time, its feeble victims become catatonic drones who single-mindedly take public funds and transform them into huge salaries for senior bureaucrats and underwrite the for-profit wants and whims of insiders with a chip in the game.

Just my unscientific diagnosis.  But is there another explanation?

For instance, last week, teachers, parents, and taxpayers watched in horror as Volusia County School Board Chair Jamie Haynes fell victim to another common ill spreading like a plague among area politicians – a weird compulsion known as “Coprolalia” (from the Greek kópros, meaning “dung or feces”, and laliā́, meaning “speech”) – in short: “Talking Shit.”

There was no obvious reason for it. 

The item Chairwoman Haynes seemed irresistibly compelled to discuss didn’t appear on the agenda – and it certainly wasn’t a Pandora’s box her perplexed “colleagues” seemed anxious to unpack during a public meeting. 

Yet, Ms. Haynes, apparently overcome by a compulsive need to lash out at those who instruct our children and support their education in the classroom, droned on – denying the School Board’s involvement in a spiteful scheme to decertify Volusia United Educators – the union representing some 3,000 teachers and paraprofessionals in Volusia County District Schools.

In a mewling monotone, Ms. Haynes explained that the five elected members of the board were completely unaware that an outside attorney had been employed by the district to write a letter questioning the number of dues paying members reported by Volusia United Educators to Florida’s Public Employee Relations Committee – a move that could set in motion a process leading to the union’s decertification as a bargaining unit.   

There was simply no stopping Chairwoman Haynes fit of coprolalia – like a victim of selective amnesia – she denied any knowledge of the district’s attempt to torpedo the union and hammered on, personally castigating VUE President Elizabeth Albert by accusing her of spreading “inaccuracies.”

Then, the room was plunged into reality when the district’s General Counsel Kevin Pendley openly contradicted Ms. Haynes’ delusional yarn – explaining that each member of the board personally authorized employing the districts outside labor attorney to send the notice to PERC challenging the union’s membership density.   

The reaction of board member Carl “Namby-Pamby” Persis was even more bizarre as he questioned Mr. Pendley like someone just aroused from a deep coma – stammering, “…like, you told me at a board meeting? Or, you told me on a telephone call? Or in a private setting?, Or…?”

Like reminding a dementia victim what they had for lunch, Mr. Pendley carefully explained to Persis how, at Superintendent Carmen Balgobin’s direction, he contacted each board member individually, discussed the ramifications, and all agreed to send the notice to PERC.

That clarification resulted in Mr. Persis suffering a weird form of echolalia – as he seemingly repeated the noises, words, and phrases uttered by Mr. Pendley – rehashing what had just been explained to him as though he was hearing it for the first time. 

Weird.   

I can only imagine that Ms. Albert, being of reasonably sound mind, was doing cartwheels through the chamber doors after watching the Volusia County School Board come unwound in a public meeting – openly exposed by the district’s General Counsel as either naïve lumps or baldfaced liars (or both) – in a dramatic exchange captured for posterity on video… 

Now, the fallout continues…

In my view, it is incumbent on Superintendent Carmen Balgobin to openly explain to teachers, staff, parents, taxpayers, (and confused board members) how this union busting tactic got so far afield.

Then, she should step aside.

Stakeholders (and that includes everyone who pays taxes in Volusia County) deserve to know why the district insinuated itself into VUE’s certification process with the Florida Public Employee Relations Committee, how this could have happened without the direct knowledge and support of the Volusia County School Board, and what steps will the board and district take to improve relations with its employees, and restore the fractured trust of its wary constituents… 

Angel               Thomas Baker, Daytona Beach Shores

When property insurance rates on his Daytona Beach Shores condominium skyrocketed 563% last year, Thomas Baker – a Vietnam Veteran and U.S. Army retiree donned his uniform bearing the insignia of a Ranger qualified Special Forces officer – and literally charged up the hill. 

Recently, Mr. Baker took his gallant fight against what he aptly calls “grand theft” to Tallahassee, along with sound ideas for returning sanity to Florida’s growing insurance crisis – one that has strapped residents suffering astronomical increases in rates with reduced or non-existent coverage. 

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

“Baker, a resident of Marbella Condominiums in Daytona Beach Shores, brought with him two messages: He’s angry and he has ideas on how to reduce rates for condo owners across the state.

Marbella, as did much of the state, suffered damage during the hurricane season of 2022. And that was on top of the insurance industry’s disruption with the deadly Champlain Towers South condo collapse in Surfside in 2021.

During Ian and Nicole, the Atlantic Ocean battered Marbella’s seawall, leading to extensive damage to the pool deck. None of that was covered by insurance.

Then, as 2023 started, the homeowners were dealt a second blow: that nearly six-fold increase for casualty coverage, as reported in The News-Journal last November.

That set Baker off.

“We got a bill, but no coverage,” he said.”

Please find Mr. Harper’s report here: http://tinyurl.com/ywm5vcmw

After writing letters to those who should care – state legislators, the Governor, and others – Mr. Baker got little response to his concerns and began discussing the issue with other condominium owners in Daytona Beach Shores.

Ultimately, Mr. Baker produced some commonsense ideas for reducing casualty insurance rates, to include allowing non-standard mortgages for condominiums that wouldn’t require property insurance coverage, having companies write policies for individual units, or eliminating the requirement for property insurance all together. 

Because the state legislature is now in session, ostensibly doing the “people’s business,” most of the lawmakers Mr. Baker contacted didn’t have time and shunted him, and his problem – one facing thousands of Floridians – off on their staff.

According to the report, Baker was able to meet with Sen. Jay Trumbull of Panama City and our own Rep. Tom Leek of Ormond Beach.  “Baker said Leek took notes and said one of his ideas might have some merit and that he’d research it.” 

While reading the News-Journal report, I found it interesting (and infuriating) that an assistant for Sen. “Terrible Tommy” Wright of New Smyrna Beach, arranged a telephone call for Mr. Baker with a representative of the Florida Department of Financial Services – but after the News-Journal called the agency “…seeking comment about Baker’s ideas, Baker said he was told the call was off, as he had been discussing it with the media.” 

In a December 2023 News-Journal article discussing the octogenarian’s fight for condominium insurance reform, Mr. Baker was quoted:

“Baker said he’s most disappointed in Sen. Tom Wright, R-New Smyrna Beach, who represents Daytona Beach Shores.

“For one year, I’ve been trying to get an appointment with Sen. Wright,” Baker said. “I even went to his office. He walked right past me. He didn’t extend me the courtesy of shaking my hand.”

Wright did not respond to a request for comment.”

My God…

Interestingly, after Mr. Baker began making waves about his condominium’s “atmospheric” insurance bill in 2023, Citizens Property Insurance offered a reduced rate for the property in 2024 – about 50% less than the previous year. 

I guess that goes to prove the power of civic activism – and the extraordinary difference one man with a righteous mission can make. 

Unfortunately, Floridians continue to suffer the deleterious effects of a greed-crazed insurance industry run amok, as our legislators remain occupied with preempting local governance, incentivizing explosive sprawl, and undermining the rights of citizens to complain about it…   

Kudos, Mr. Baker.  Thank you for so courageously taking the fight forward.

Soldier on, sir.

Asshole           Volusia County Council

Hey, residents of Wild West Volusia! 

Guess what?

This week, a majority of our elected dullards on the Volusia County Council approved a request to put some 100 townhomes near the northwest corner of State Road 44 and Kepler Road – one of the worst intersections in, oh, the known universe (and that’s saying something when it comes to clogged “Fun Coast” intersections). 

Yep. 

Despite the pleas of area residents, one of whom advised her “representatives” that she won’t make a doctor’s appointment before 9:30am in DeLand because she cannot physically access the intersection during the busy morning drivetime – in their infinite wisdom, Councilmembers Danny Robins, Jake Johansson, Matt Reinhart, and David “No Show” Santiago voted to plop one hundred new townhomes, a grocery store, and assorted “shops” – along with the additional “trips” and traffic that come with each new commercial and residential unit – at what has been described as a “well-known trouble spot.” 

Of course, those members of our elected “brain trust” in DeLand approving the project validated their asinine vote by opining that a proposed loop-de-loop at the intersection (which should be built sometime around the return of the Comet Kohoutek) will alleviate the massive traffic tie-ups. 

My ass…

According to an excellent report by Sheldon Gardner writing in the News-Journal:

“The County Council approved a rezoning and a small-scale Comprehensive Land Use Plan Amendment for the land. Council Chairman Jeff Brower, Vice Chairman Troy Kent and District 1 Councilman Don Dempsey, whose district includes the intersection, voted against the project.

Kent said he gets aggravated by traffic delays at the intersection when he travels to council meetings.

“I’m going to admit to you, these are things I say in my truck when I’m on 44 … ‘What the what?’ ‘Are you kidding me?’ ‘Stop the insanity,’” Kent said.”   

(You are going to want to take a strong antiemetic and read the rest of the article here: http://tinyurl.com/yu8wd4yu )

For the record, both Chairman Brower and Councilman Kent are up for reelection this year. 

In keeping with the Rites and Rituals of Volusia’s “Old Guard,” it was Councilman Santiago’s turn to publicly pillory Chairman Brower after he voiced a concern that the development would add to widespread flooding in the wake (literally) of Volusia’s massive overdevelopment.

“I can’t approve another project that I believe is going to flood out more neighborhoods in DeLand,” Brower said.”

In turn, Santiago – a habitual politician who found his place in and around government and has hung on like a tick – took umbrage with being rightfully named part of the problem, and asked “Growth and Resource Management” Director Clay Ervin (who always looks like one of those bobble-heads when asked a question supporting more, more, more development) if the project would exacerbate flooding?

According to the News-Journal report:

“Well, hold on, the chairman is laughing and it’s on TV,” Santiago said. “I want to make clear. So, I did not know you were a scientist or you were an expert in this area. That’s why I’m asking them. And you made the statement.”

“I did. We have flooding. … Am I saying they designed it to flood? No, they did not. But it still floods,” Brower said.

Santiago said, “You’re insinuating that if we approve this —” “I’m not insinuating,” Brower said. “It’s going to flood; you said it,” Santiago said. “You said I’m not going to allow this to happen.

So you put the rest of this council in a perspective if they’re going to vote for this that you’re saying that we’re going to make everything else flood. So your comments have to be clarified by people that are experts that know more about this than any of us.”

“The experts that gave us all the flooding,” Brower said.

“Okay, here we go. That’s what we’re dealing with,” Santiago said.

Hey Councilman Santiago, if the galoshes fit, wear ‘em… 

Of course, Mr. Ervin tap-danced in his patented bureaucratic pule about ‘minimum requirements for stormwater management,’ and the unknown effects of “a 25-year, 24-hour storm event” – all but admitting that both he, and senior state water management officials, continue to plausibly deny the clear implications of paving over the landscape on areawide flooding. 

I know it’s painful to watch but expect the brutal thrashing of Chairman Brower to continue through the election cycle as his “colleagues” repay their debt and shamelessly campaign for his competition from the dais…

Good luck, Delightful DeLand from your friends in this ugly and overcrowded Planned Unit Development east of the Palmetto Curtain. 

You’re next…

Angel               News-Journal Editorialist “Mark Twain” Lane

“Any blogger, keyboard soapboxer, Facebook political commentator, online environmental activist or local gadfly speaking to a group could be shut up by deep-pocket interests under this rewrite of defamation law. Note that the Senate sponsor of this bill, Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Lake Mary, is the same senator who pushed for a state political blogger registry last year.

It goes without saying that the political class has never loved the media in whatever form the press has taken over history. But because of the ways the powerful have weaponized libel law to suppress free speech during the Civil Rights Era and the days of criminal libel laws, courts have rightly evoked the First Amendment to make libel suits hard for public figures to win.

The fact that so many Florida legislators are eager to see their critics hauled into court tells us something, and it’s not about the media.”

–The Great Mark Lane, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Defamation law rewrite threatens free speech,” Sunday, February 18, 2024

The late, great Big John had a nickname for everyone he cared about – and he rightfully dubbed our intrepid News-Journal editorialist “Mark Twain” Lane.

He really is that good, and his Footnote column is the first thing I turn to each Sunday.   

Last week, Mr. Lane cut to the heart of a pernicious bill working its way through the legislature that would permit thin-skinned politicians to continue their skeevy shenanigans in Tallahassee and beyond – only you and I, the citizens of the “Sunshine State,” would be effectively muzzled from complaining about it.

How? 

By weaponizing the law to permit public officials the ability to file crippling lawsuits against anyone who bruises their delicate sensibilities, suppressing the free speech provisions enshrined in the First Amendment – the same inalienable Constitutional right United States fighting men and women have given their lives to protect – eliminating the time-honored journalistic use of anonymous whistleblowers, reducing the burden of proof to “You hurt my feewings,” and allowing lawsuits for something published on the internet to be filed in any county in the state. 

Perhaps most chilling, the provisions of this tyrannical edict would apply equally to conservative talk radio hosts, liberal podcasters, bloggers, editorialists, political pundits, media outlets, soapbox orators, and anyone who vents their political spleen on social media (ever do that?) 

Look, this isn’t about silencing blowhards like me – or punishing professional editorialists like Mr. Lane – in my view, it is about suppressing political dissent by fundamentally attacking the ability of We, The Little People to openly participate in the marketplace of ideas and express our opinions by arming our powerful overseers with the ability to financially crush anyone who calls out their transactional politics for what they are.

So much for Governor Ron DeSantis’ fabled “Free State of Florida,” eh?  A moniker this bill exposes as nothing more than a cheap Iowa stump speech…  

If you have ever taken an oath to “…support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic,” I hope you will use your sacred vote to hold accountable any incumbent state legislator who supports this assault on our most basic freedom. 

I can’t think of anything more un-American – or dangerous to the fabric of our democracy.   

Keep spreading the good word, Mr. Lane.  We need your sharp mind and exceptional voice now, more than ever…

Quote of the Week

“Here in the Sunshine State, our elected leaders have taken to the idea that endless growth and sprawl are the only paths forward. Rich developers and their special interest groups pour millions of dollars into electing the officials who will serve them most eagerly, and from where I’m standing, it looks like most of the politicians in our state are more than happy to bend to the will of their corporate masters.

What is in the public interest doesn’t seem to matter much. In a state once known for its pristine and untamed natural beauty, we have bulldozed most of it to make way for strip malls and tract homes, losing forever the most sacred attributes that make this land special. Surely, many developers and real estate folks have been greatly enriched in the process. But for the rest of us, the price of this so-called “progress” has been steep.

Many people in our community felt welcome vindication this month when hearing of our legal victory against the Florida Department of Transportation and their efforts to bulldoze sixty acres of wetlands in the Spruce Creek watershed to make way for an unneeded $200 million interchange on I-95.

To me, it was bewildering that our state government would even consider doing such a thing – that private citizens would need to battle them and their army of expensive lawyers – just to prevent the government from destroying the sensitive habitat it has often vowed to protect. It seems like hypocrisy, and it is.”

–Conservationist Bryon White, as excerpted from The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Guest Opinion, “Spruce Creek legal victory over proposed interchange was ‘welcome vindication,’” Tuesday, February 20. 2024

Powerful. 

And Another Thing!  

Every four years or so, well-meaning people ask if I would consider running for (insert elective office here) – an apocalyptic sign that we have reached the absolute nadir of political options here on the “Fun Coast.” 

My answer remains the same.

In the words of William Tecumseh Sherman, “If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve…”

For those joining us late, let me explain:

While I sincerely appreciate the confidence of those misguided souls who ask me to throw what’s left of my tattered hat in the ring – with three marriages under my belt, a lifelong career in law enforcement, and a propensity for strong spirits – I have more demons and skeletons in my closet than a haunted house…

Besides, if I was allowed to get snout deep in the public trough you might never get rid of me. 

After all, as my literary hero Dr. Hunter S. Thompson was fond of saying about government, “In a closed society where everybody’s guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity…”

Selah.

As a perennial naïf, I believe most people who hold themselves out for elected office, at least at the local level, enter politics for all the right reasons – a willingness to serve and be a good steward, born of a heartfelt desire to improve the lives of their neighbors.  I also believe that most first-term elected officials have the best interest of their constituents at heart, especially in matters involving the expenditure of public funds.

However, in the cloistered Halls of Power, it doesn’t take long for the ego-driven transmogrification from public servant to self-important shitheel to begin. 

Inexplicably, our “representatives” mysteriously become morally and mentally superior to the rest of us, then metamorphose into pious ninnies with a God complex – convinced they know what’s best for the rest of us – thus earning their coveted invite into the secluded inner sanctum of the bureaucracy. 

When I see those who ran for office with the best intentions of making their county or municipal government more lean, accessible, and accountable – now rubbing elbows and having their picture taken with C-list phonies and so-called “dignitaries” on social media at (insert the latest oh, so elegant “gala” here) – I know the transformation is complete…

No thanks.

I want no part of that charade.

In my view, Volusia County has become a despicable example of just how pernicious cronyism, through the corruption of the campaign finance system, can be when uber-wealthy individuals and their corporate entities repeatedly secure a political quid pro quo from local office holders.

It’s subtle – but pay attention the next time all the right last names assemble in a council or commission chamber ahead of a vote vital to their self-interests and watch what happens… 

To my jaded mind, it represents a legal return on investment in a system that permits a privileged few to develop financial relationships with potential and current office holders, then obtain direct access to the public purse in the form of preferential tax breaks, infrastructure (even interchanges?), and direct subsidies for private for-profit projects.

For reasons I can’t quite figure out, in this atmosphere even viable candidates for high office – those with the personal wealth and wherewithal to finance their own campaign, demonstrate independence, and change the grim trajectory of Volusia County politics – succumb to the lure of “big money” contributions and the imprimatur of importance that comes with it. 

These chummy associations will become more prominent as what passes for our cut-throat campaign season heats up.    

For instance, I recently shook my head at the utter disconnect between We, The Little People who pay the bills and our exalted “Donor Class” when I saw a very exclusive fundraiser for a perennial politician held at the home of a prominent philanthropist where Volusia’s “who’s who” were shuttled to the soiree via limousine. 

Yeah.  I know…

Earlier this week, Volusia County Councilman Troy Kent held a clubby klatch – with a “Host Committee” comprised of all the right last names – to mark the kickoff of his latest reelection campaign. I must admit, the optics seemed odd to me, considering Mr. Kent is desperately trying to shed his skin and reinvent himself as an “everyman” in the wake of the Belvedere Terminal’s debacle… 

Although those in power are quick to deny it, in exchange for the all-important financial resources and political clout local candidates receive as an anointing from Volusia’s “visionaries” they must feel at least subliminal pressure to perform their role like the bought-and-paid-for chattel they are, especially when an issue directly involving the self-interests and profit motives of their campaign benefactors presents itself before the dais of power.

The result has been a slow erosion of the public’s trust in the legitimacy of their own government – and a recurring Sophie’s Choice in local elections – as wealthy developers get richer…   

I don’t have the answers, folks.

And I certainly don’t want to paint all local elected officials with the same brush – we have some selfless individuals in key positions who demonstrate incredible leadership and serve with humility, vision, and values.

They deserve our respect and support.      

My sincere hope is that those creative change-makers – engaged citizens who have proven they can work collaboratively with others to seek the solutions we desperately need – will find the courage to stand for elective office and end the stagnant status quo.

I think that begins by banding together – developing a formidable coalition of the various groups, factions, and loose knit activists who are working hard, spending their time and talents in the fight to conserve our environment, ensure our children’s safety, and protect our fleeting quality of life – many voices, speaking as one. 

Trust me.  Citizens united in the pursuit of positive change is the last thing compromised politicians and entrenched bureaucrats want…

As for my complete lack of “political ambition,” I may be a low-life sot with no redeeming social graces – more of a “complainer” than a “doer” – but I have what remains of my threadbare dignity, something I am not willing to compromise for a bit part in this privately underwritten Theatre of the Absurd that passes for “governance” here on the “Fun Coast.” 

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

Hi, kids!

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

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

Asshole           Volusia County School Board

The Volusia County School Board had a collective out-of-body experience this week when they were flagrantly exposed as either clueless lumps suffering from selective memory disorder – or baldfaced liars who engaged in a skeevy behind-the-scenes scheme to decertify Volusia United Educators, the union representing some 3,000 of their teachers and paraprofessionals.

Frankly, the horrific sense of vicarious embarrassment I felt for Chairwoman Jamie Haynes and her fellow quisling saboteurs on the dais of power was excruciating – an unexpected emotion that surpassed my overwhelming feeling of schadenfreude watching these rat finks get hoisted on their own petard…    

If I were Superintendent Carmen Balgobin – I would be packing my desk and slinking out the back door of the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand – because the political implications of this week’s ugly exposé will be long remembered by Volusia County voters. 

Last year, Volusia County District Schools activated a labor attorney they keep on retainer to write a letter to the state’s Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) alleging that Volusia United Educators failed to comply with a controversial new law that requires certain public sector unions (namely teachers unions) to report, among other things, dues-paying membership data to the state proving at least 60% participation – or face possible decertification as a bargaining unit. 

According to a January article in Orlando Weekly:

“Elizabeth Albert, president of Volusia United Educators in Daytona Beach, told Orlando Weekly that her union submitted the required information (including membership numbers) to the state in October 2023, using guidance the union had received from PERC, the state agency tasked with implementing last year’s law.

“We stand on telling the truth,” she asserted. The Volusia County school board, however, has cast doubt on the union’s calculation. A private attorney, writing on behalf of the school board, sent a formal notice to PERC on Jan. 18, insinuating that the union had falsified information, specifically to make it appear as though they had surpassed the required 60% membership threshold.

The board did not take a legal position, but merely notified PERC that the union representations did not appear to meet statutory density requirements by the recertification deadline,” a spokesperson for Volusia County Schools told Orlando Weekly in a statement. Albert believes this interference was unnecessary and described the board’s move as “disappointing” and “malicious.”

(Find the Orlando Weekly article here: http://tinyurl.com/2yw2vtmc )

On Tuesday, the truth was revealed in a shocking turn of events…    

At the end of the public meeting, Chairwoman Haynes desperately attempted to separate the school board from the growing public perception that the elected body is engaging in union busting tactics – saying unequivocally to teachers, staff, parents, and taxpayers that board members had no part in the district’s communications with PERC – and never authorized the hiring of an outside attorney. 

With a haughty air of indignance, Chairwoman Haynes puffed, “It has been stated that we – the five of us – have gone after the union,” – then proceeded to assure everyone watching that the board did not authorize the hiring of an outside attorney – and, in fact, no one on the board had any knowledge of the district’s correspondence to PERC. 

In a tense exchange, VUE President Elizabeth Albert countered that all correspondence to PERC was clearly referenced as having come from the school board – explaining that the outside labor attorney clearly stated in documents they were working on behalf of the “Volusia County School Board.”

Chairwoman Haynes emphatically reiterated that she did not authorize the hiring of an outside attorney and openly accused Ms. Albert of making “inaccurate” statements about the board’s involvement. 

Then, in a hyper dramatic moment right out of a bad Perry Mason episode, the district’s attorney Kevin Pendley – his head turning an odd shade of ochre that laid bare a thinly suppressed teeth-gritting rage – dropped a bombshell that literally shook the room…

Speaking pointedly before the board, Mr. Pendley explained that the School Board is represented by Sacha Dyson, the districts outside labor attorney, in the matter before the Public Employees Relations Committee – then openly contradicted Chairwoman Haynes by revealing that the board had in fact authorized the correspondence from Dyson to PERC disputing the union’s membership density. 

Chairwoman Haynes asked, “So, we voted here in the boardroom?” 

To which Mr. Pendley responded, “No.  You told me personally.”  

In turn, Mr. Pendley explained that at Superintendent Balgobin’s direction, he individually communicated with each of the elected board members – and all five agreed to the district sending the notification to PERC. 

Yeah.  I know.  Whoa. 

That direct confirmation from Pendley, the district’s General Counsel, left board member Carl “Namby-Pamby” Persis suffering a fit of embarrassment-induced amnesia – an awkward discomfiture that sucked the energy right out of the batteries in his neon pink sport coat…

(Please don’t take my word for it.  Get yourself a big batch of Jiffy Pop and watch the hijinks for yourself here: http://tinyurl.com/3mvyu5eb (To protect your digestion, tune to the 5:29:00 mark…you’re welcome.) 

Ugly. 

From there, the soothing sounds of board member Ruben Colón’s comforting rendition of Kumbaya wafted over the chamber – a soft drone explaining why the elected board members would insinuate themselves into VUE’s recertification process with a state regulatory agency, etc., etc., etc.

Nobody heard a word of it.   

Everyone was busy picking their jaws up off the floor…

The damage had been done – and the shockwave produced when Mr. Pendley exposed the elected board members as obfuscating liars/disengaged rubes who tried to convince us they were not engaged in a coordinated effort to undermine the representation of its teachers and staff outside the public eye – left everyone reeling.

Kudos to Kevin Pendley for speaking truth to power – and for acting in the finest traditions of his office to correct the public record, expose an attempted smear, and ensure transparency.

That took guts.

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.

I’m not sure how Chairwoman Haynes begins the arduous process of rehabilitating her scorched reputation – or if restoring trust is even possible – given the blatant and malicious nature of her conniving attempt to besmirch Elizabeth Albert’s character and sabotage Volusia United Educators. 

In my view, this latest dreadful episode in the sad history of the wholly dysfunctional Volusia County School Board should serve as a cautionary tale to other elected bodies of the corrosive effect of lies and deception on individuals and organizations.

Now, constituents are left with the overpowering fear that these unashamed transgressions by sitting elected officials charged with stewarding our children’s education may conceal even more ominous untruths – duplicity and deceit yet to be revealed…       

Asshole           Volusia County Council

The theme of the glamorous 2024 State of the County address and notorious “free” lunch was “Shaping Volusia’s Future Together.” 

(Urrrp, ahem.  Excuse me.  Sorry.)   

Presenting his fourth State of the County address – this year held at The Center in The Lost City of Deltona – Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower once again called for cooperation and collaboration between his “colleagues” on the dais of power:  

“This is a time in our history in Volusia County where we all have to come together, to work together, with the common goal of improving our coun………”

Yawn…Zzzzzzzz, Zzzzzzz, Zzzzzzz, Zzzzzzz, Zzzzzzz, (snork), Zzzzzzz, Zzzzzzz, (snuffle), Zzzzzzz…

Asshole           Disinterested “Fun Coast” Officials

Just as mismanagement and neglect can result in a series of disastrous events spiraling out of control (see “Volusia County School Board”) a “vicious cycle” of dysfunction – attentive leaders can also create a “virtuous circle” – defined as a chain of events in which one desirable occurrence leads to another resulting in a continuous process of improvement. 

For instance, a constructive circle of civic engagement is one where citizens share input on the issues important to them, elected officials listen and use that feedback to address problems, the government entity shares progress and openly admits challenges, trust in government increases, and the cycle repeats.

Increasingly, many of our elected officials here on Florida’s “Fun Coast” have strayed from the democratic imperative of citizen input – ignoring the voices of their long-suffering constituents – becoming insular, less receptive, more focused on the wants of those with a chip in the game or the self-serving directives of entrenched bureaucrats.

Others simply dissolve into disinterested lumps – empty suits who have mentally checked out – repeatedly proving to colleagues and constituents they would rather be anywhere but on the dais representing those who have put their trust in them.

That usually begins with rumblings about the amount of time set aside for the ceremonial duties inherent to public office – and using restrictive edicts to limit public participation – administrative “efficiencies” that widen the gap between elected officials and those they represent.   

Recently, Flagler County School Board member Sally Hunt exemplified this expanding chasm when she – in her own inimitable way – literally “phoned it in” to a board “retreat” to suggest too much time is spent on proclamations, public participation, and formal recognition of the achievements of students, teachers, and staff.

According to a disturbing piece in FlagerLive!:

“Something that I just would like for my fellow board members to think about just for the sake of our parents and community,” she started, using a preface she’s often used before – “for the sake of our parents and community” – as cover for a concern of hers more than anybody else: “We’ve got some business meetings where our kind of intro is taking up to, like, 45 minutes. So by the time we read proclamations, by the time we maybe have different spotlights like from the [Education] Foundation, we can be at, like, 6:45.”

She seemed to suggest that the proclamations and public comments would take place at 6, but that the board meeting itself, which she was seeing as distinct from the spotlights, would start at 6:30. She referred to the “working mom” waiting to see her kids who rushes over to the Government Services Building by 6 for whatever reason, “and now it’s already 6:45, the meeting is just now really starting, and then several minutes later for public comments.”

According to the report, Ms. Hunt has developed a “distant” relationship with those she serves – refusing to respond to emails, failing to attend graduation ceremonies, district celebrations, or recognition dinners – and recently “…complained that members of the public are not following the “chain of command” when they have a complaint, and are soliciting board members’ help when they should first bother someone else with their concerns, like a teacher or a school principal or administrator.”

Please find the article here: http://tinyurl.com/8z6kpced

In my view, what Ms. Hunt and others like her fail to understand is – as outsiders peering into the inner sanctum of local governments through the opaque aperture that separates us from those who accept public funds to serve in our interest – We, The Little People are forced to use scripted public meetings to catch a glimpse of where our “leadership” stand on the pressing issues of the day.

Adding to the thick rind of insulation is the increased use of paid government mouthpieces, “Community Information Directors” – who sanitize, manage, and condense “the message” into canned press releases while running interference for public officials – leaving those stilted bimonthly theatrical productions by various city and county commissions and the boards of taxing districts as the only knothole we have left.

It has become painfully apparent that most official decisions are a foregone conclusion – hashed out ahead of time in the city or county managers office, based solely on the political insulation of a “staff recommendation” – which, in the minds of disinterested elected officials, all but eliminates the need for public input or strategic thought on the critical issues.

This sense of remoteness between the average citizen and those we elect to serve our interests is becoming institutionalized, an accepted part of what passes for local governance in an environment where public policy is formed in seclusion by politically unaccountable bureaucrats. 

Inconceivably, these detached public officials – their egos massaged by the same insiders – completely ignore that the resultant “trust issue” even exists.

A vicious cycle indeed… 

I’ve said this before – this summer, when incumbent politicians come out of their bunkers in the Ivory Towers of Power across our increasingly claustrophobic region to shake hands, slap backs, and ask for another bite at the apple – please take a minute to ask them when those of us who pay the bills and suffer in silence became an afterthought?

Ask them why they sold their political soul for a walk-on role in an overchoreographed Kabuki that no longer bears any resemblance to a representative democracy – or service in the public interest.

If you pay taxes, you deserve an answer…

Quote of the Week

“The “hearsay” prohibition would include media exposés — the basis for most of the commission’s complaints.

“I’ve never seen a power grab like this,” says Ben Wilcox of the nonprofit watchdog group Integrity Florida. “This legislation will do away with ethics enforcement in Florida.”

“Incredibly destructive and corrosive,” Carolyn Klancke, a past deputy executive director and general counsel for the commission, told the Florida Center for Government Accountability.

Klancke, who now heads the Florida Ethics Institute, said it would prevent the commission from acting even on official audit and inspector general reports, which are not sworn complaints.

“Wrongdoing by public officials rarely takes place at times and in places accessible to the general public,” wrote Bonnie Williams, a former executive director of the commission, in an email to the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board. “Rather, it occurs in the rarefied air of political culture or within the confines of officials’ private lives. Of necessity, citizens rely on documents and reports, investigative journalism, information from persons close to the potential violation or violator, or other indirect means.

“Restricting filers of complaints to those with direct knowledge restricts citizens’ participation, will significantly restrict the number of complaints filed, and will abridge public faith in enforcement of the ethics laws,” Williams said.

It could extinguish what remains of public faith in the Legislature.”

–Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, “A sneak attack on state ethics laws shatters trust in 11 words,” Friday, February 9, 2024

The evisceration of longstanding protections that help Floridians ferret out unethical conduct by those they elect to positions of trust continues.

As the current legislative session slogs on, lawmakers are quietly working to move bills in the house and senate that would block citizens from filing valid allegations of official misconduct with the Commission on Ethics by “requiring complaints to be based on personal knowledge or information other than hearsay.”

As former director Williams said, rarely do public officials engage in wrongdoing at times and places accessible to the public – or law enforcement.  Which means watchdogs must rely on public records, outside research, anecdotal information, credible informants, and the findings of investigative journalists to develop reasonable suspicion.     

In my view, this isn’t legislation in the public interest – it’s an intentional weakening of ethical safeguards – a legal roadblock designed to protect the weakest links here in the biggest whorehouse in the world…

Restricting complaints exclusively to those with first-person direct knowledge of ethical misconduct closes the door on citizen access to the Commission on Ethics – an autonomous authority who should rightfully be the unbiased arbiter of an allegation’s legal sufficiency based upon an independent investigation.   

For instance, earlier this week, the Orlando Sentinel broke the shocking story of how Democratic State Senator Linda Stewart, a former Orange County commissioner, secretly schemed with a lobbyist from the mega-firm GrayRobinson to craft legislation that would have severely limited the authority of the Orange County Commission to reduce or eliminate tourist-tax funding for Visit Orlando.

This sordid plot was exposed when the Orlando Sentinel requested and reviewed text messages between Stewart and Carmody. 

According to the report, GrayRobinson lobbyist Chris Carmody, represented both Orange County and the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association – something that should sound familiar to area residents opposed to the bulk fuel terminal planned for Ormond Beach – as GrayRobinson represents Belvedere Terminals in their lawsuit against Volusia County, while simultaneously representing the Volusia Growth Management Commission… 

According to an excellent commentary by the Orlando Sentinel’s intrepid Scott Maxwell:

“There’s one more text you should know about. Three days after Stewart filed the legislation drafted by a GrayRobinson lobbyist, another GrayRobinson lobbyist let Stewart know he had some money for her PAC. “I’ve got a check for you,” GrayRobinson lawyer and lobbyist Robert Stuart Jr. texted Stewart on Jan. 8. “Are you around for a quick handoff?”

Could this stuff sound any more mafioso? I mean, why are lobbyists hand-delivering checks unless it’s to also deliver a message? Remember who took care of you.

Stewart and Carmody say everything they did was on the up and up — which suggests they may be directionally challenged.

Stewart has long preached the value of local control. Yet she says she filed this bill meant to override local control — and require a super-majority vote by county commissioners to trim Visit Orlando’s $100 million-a-year budget — because she genuinely believes Visit Orlando provides a valuable service to the community and economy.”

While both Stewart and Carmody deny any wrongdoing (Carmody claims he wasn’t working in his capacity as a lobbyist – just helping a “longtime friend”) the implications resulted in Orange County Mayor Jerry Demmings abruptly terminating the county’s relationship with GrayRobinson. 

In an article by Stephen Hudak that appeared in the Orlando Sentinel yesterday:

“Clearly, Mr. Carmody created a conflict of interest when he advised a State Senator about a matter contrary to the best interest of Orange County Government,” Demings said in a letter Thursday to Dean Cannon, CEO and president of GrayRobinson. “As a result, the County has lost confidence in his ability to objectively represent the County.”

Good on Mayor Demmings.

In my view, this represents one more gut punch for longsuffering citizens who are slowly becoming acclimatized to a dark and cloistered campaign finance environment where “quid pro quo” should be inscribed on the Great Seal of the State of Florida…    

Imagine a Florida where concerned citizens, whistleblowers, and others with circumstantial evidence of official misconduct are prohibited by law from referring a good faith complaint to the Commission on Ethics for review? 

Consider the ramifications of a “Sunshine State” where sitting elected despots crush free expression and legitimate criticism, use legislation to limit a journalist’s use of anonymous sources, and weaponize the courts to allow elected officials to file crippling lawsuits against reporters, editorialists, and the average citizen who complains on social media, further eroding First Amendment protections?

Pay attention, folks.   

That grim reality is closer than you might think this legislative session…

And Another Thing!

As the dust settles from the Volusia County Council’s recent vote to deny a short moratorium that would have allowed time to reassess the I-2 heavy industrial zoning classification – a move that paved the way for Belvedere Terminals to move forward with plans for a controversial 13-million-gallon bulk fuel terminal on Hull Road in Ormond Beach – weary residents are left with the queasy feeling their elected “representatives” took the path of least resistance – and sold them out in the process.

The vast majority of those I speak with remain in shock, shaking their heads in utter frustration that their fervent pleas were ignored by haughty elected and appointed public officials they had every right to assume had their best interests at heart. 

In the aftermath of any hard-fought civic loss – from environmental protections to beach driving and access – times when spirited grassroots activists put their busy lives on hold and fight threats to their safety, livelihoods, and quality of life – there is a period of confusion and self-reflection that leads to questions like, “How could anyone in a politically accountable position of power refuse to protect their constituents from a clear and present danger?”

“Why is it so difficult for sitting officials to listen to the concerns of those who pay the bills?” 

“What could we have done differently to change the outcome?”  

Ultimately, the question becomes, “How can we ensure this never happens again?”

As disappointment turns to anger, those who feel they have been ignored begin studying the mechanics of changing our leadership – hoping that by replacing the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker on the dais of power, We, The Little People will finally have a voice at the table, never realizing that – like an iceberg – the problems run fathoms deeper that those wooden figureheads at the surface who play their carefully choreographed roles twice a month, acting out scenes directed by “staff,” and condescendingly staring down at their ‘subjects’ like monarchical gargoyles…    

In my experience, most public policy comes about despite our elected officials on the Volusia County Council – not because of them. 

Real power moves in the increasingly cloistered Halls of Power at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building among senior staff – incredibly well compensated pencil pushers who oversee essential services, establish the agenda, and control the narrative with little external oversight and virtually no accountability. 

When you add to that the “subliminal” influence exerted by those extremely wealthy insiders who purchase a very lucrative chip in the game with massive campaign contributions each election cycle – money that pays for scripted television advertisements and thousands of those “glossy mailers” for hand-select candidates – efforts strategically choreographed by partisan powerbrokers who play on the apathy of disengaged voters, you begin to see how Volusia’s entrenched political system works, and how very little control average citizens have on those policies and decisions that control our lives and livelihoods.   

In my view, there is something else at play that I think We, The Little People tend to overlook. 

I’ve come to the uncomfortable conclusion that a key factor we fail to consider is the effect of old-fashioned stupidity on some who hold high office.  

Institutionalized dumbness fed by egotism and a false sense of infallibility.   

In his seminal work, theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer espoused a theory that stupidity is more dangerous than evil, or as one sage philosopher explained it, “More harm is done by one powerful idiot than a gang of Machiavellian schemers,” and, more ominously:

“Against stupidity we are defenseless.”   

From personal observation, I have long agreed with Bonhoeffer’s theory that many who ascend to powerful positions are quickly taken into “the system” – made to feel part of the established power structure (although they aren’t) – and even critical thinkers who once railed against the inefficiencies and madness of the bureaucracy succumb to the fawning of sycophantic appointed administrators, enamored by the trappings of office, rubbing shoulders with the “rich and powerful,” consumed by the perception of perfection that comes with power, and ultimately “deprived of their inner-independence.”  

That dynamic allows our elected officials to become easily influenced and controlled by senior staff – who are wholly dependent on the proliferation of the bureaucracy – and protect their positions by controlling the flow of information in the insular halls of power.   

They alone become the recognized “experts” on any matter of public concern – while citizen activists are marginalized as a vocal annoyance.      

In time, those we elect to high office become everything they hated when they entered politics – and the bureaucratic machine hums along, greased by an endless supply of our tax dollars…  

Sound familiar? 

Pastor Bonhoeffer’s story does not have a happy conclusion.  

Tyranny never does.

As a staunch anti-Nazi, well-known for his active resistance against Hitler’s dictatorial persecution, Bonhoeffer was officially forbidden to speak, print, or publish his thoughts, and required to report his activities to officious martinets before ultimately being imprisoned in January 1943. 

Three months later, Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by hanging at Flossenbürg concentration camp…   

Although we may be defenseless against the pernicious influence of stupidity – I believe an informed and engaged electorate remains our best hope of bringing true servant-leaders to high office – rather than those who succumb to the false sense of aloof superiority that results in this disconnect that allows entrenched problems, suspicions, and speculation to fester.  

Look, I no longer “endorse” candidates in this space.  Who am I to tell you for whom to cast your sacred vote?    

I merely ask that citizens identify candidates who support the issues important to them – then vote their conscience. 

It’s important. 

I hope that those who feel ostracized and ignored by our ‘powers that be’ will consider a run for public office – never forgetting how this disappointment felt – or the importance of a receptive government of the people, by the people and for the people.   

That’s all for me.  Have a great Daytona 500 weekend, y’all!

Hi, kids!

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

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

Asshole           Volusia County Council

This week, Volusia County residents concerned about the perilous consequences of a proposed bulk fuel farm in Ormond Beach learned a disturbing truth about how things work in the cloistered Halls of Power in DeLand – and saw their cherished belief that government works in the public interest shattered in a shocking moment of clarity. 

On Tuesday, in a 5-2 vote, the Volusia County Council did the unthinkable in rejecting a nine-month moratorium on heavy industrial development that would have allowed time for a review of the I-2 zoning classification – a move that now paves the way for Belvedere Terminals to move forward with permitting to construct a 13-million-gallon bulk fuel storage facility in the most inappropriate location on the Eastern Seaboard. 

To their immense credit, Chairman Jeff Brower and District 4 Councilman Troy Kent stood firm and voted to protect the health, safety, and quality of life for Ormond Beach residents. 

In the view of many, this abject act of cowardice by senior administrators and elected officials is the culmination of a shambolic and ham-handed county response to this clear and present threat to public safety – one that has galvanized a frightened community – and exposed the depths of confusion, obfuscation, and dysfunction in County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald’s administration. 

During the hearing, nearly forty residents approached the dais, the majority imploring our elected dullards to pass the moratorium – a move that would have continued a temporary hold on Belvedere’s development application – while heavy industrial zoning is modernized in the face of explosive development countywide that will invariably result in more inappropriate (and dangerous) interfaces between conflicting classifications. 

In my view, that’s just one of the many problems inherent to Volusia County’s greed-crazed “growth mismanagement” strategy of shoving ten-pounds of shit in a five-pound bag…

One speaker tried to paint the proposed fuel terminal as a NIMBY issue.  It isn’t.

With the pending expansion of the massive Ormond Crossings development – and the proposed facility’s proximity to established neighborhoods, the city’s sports complex, and a busy municipal airport – many believe it represents a grave public safety hazard – and a 24/7 nuisance as both rail and heavy truck traffic adversely impact area residents.

As their constituents demanded action, our gutless wonders on the dais of power in DeLand continued to press for the City of Ormond Beach to annex the property, even stooping to blaming citizen activists for using “tactics” that “poisoned” the effort (?) – another desperate attempt to pass the buck and abdicate their jurisdictional responsibility for this debacle – ignoring the pleas of city officials, environmentalists, business owners, the 600 members of the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce, and scores of residents until the bitter end.   

Prior to the vote, Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington called the moratorium of “profound importance for the future wellbeing of Ormond Beach and its residents.”

“The push for a moratorium is not about halting one project, but about taking a necessary pause to reassess and modernize the zoning of development plans.  This reevaluation is crucial to ensure that our growth aligns with the current and future needs of the county and Ormond Beach,” he said. 

Mr. Partington’s pleas, like those of his crestfallen constituents, were ignored… 

Instead, in a move clearly choreographed out of the public eye, the majority of the Volusia County Council took the path of least resistance – kowtowing to Belvedere Terminals/Grupo Mexico and retreating to the safety of the status quo – now requiring that county “planning” officials process the development application – a mere bureaucratic formality that everyone knows is skewed toward advancing development. 

Don’t take my word for it – wait till in rains and look around – then form your own opinion on the validity of Volusia County’s development review protocols…

At the end of the day, the vote to remove any impediment to the fuel farm beyond a typical “shoot-it-through-the-grease” site plan review was viewed as a “sucker punch” by disheartened residents – many of whom took to social media to express their disbelief at being sold out by those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest. 

Look, I understand that queasy feeling of betrayal that comes when the veil of ignorance is lifted and the true face of Volusia County’s self-serving bureaucracy is revealed.  It’s one of the reasons I vent my jaundiced spleen in this space each week… 

In an article by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, several grassroots activists concerned about the future of their community (and their children’s safety) put words to that profound sense of disloyalty and disappointment:

“Ormond Beach resident Robin Magleora was in tears after the council voted the moratorium down.

“We’ve been battling this for six months and we’ve had loud voices,” she said. “… Today, our elected officials, the people that we elected into office to protect us, to do what’s right by the citizens of Volusia County, they didn’t do that. Instead, they chose the side of a company.”

Ormond Beach resident Fran Canfield, president of the Bear Creek homeowner’s association, said the council’s vote was a “sucker punch.”

“We didn’t expect this,” Canfield said. “We expected our elected officials to stand by us and their mission statement to the constituents of Volusia County to protect our health and our safety and our lifestyle.”

Unfortunately, from the moment resident’s saw the stunning revelation in The Daytona Beach News-Journal that Belvedere Terminals was planning to put millions-of-gallons of hazardous fuels on Hull Road – Volusia County immediately circled the wagons, questioned the motivations of citizen activists, couched it as a “property rights” issue (Belvedere’s rights, not yours), shifting blame to ensure that the ineptitude and inattention of senior administrators would never become the focus.

And it never hurts for Volusia’s “Old Guard” to publicly hand Chairman Brower a high-profile and painful loss to teach him a lesson on the consequences of independent thought – or daring to depart from the script carefully crafted by senior staff – especially during an election year… 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, folks – but it really is that petty and vindictive.  

If there is a positive outcome, it is that Volusia County residents are slowly awakening to the fact that corporate interests will always prevail over the safety, security, and quality of life of residents in this era of Cover Your Ass politics, where any irresponsible decision, malfeasance, or error in judgement in the Halls of Power can be cleaned, polished, and molded into something different. 

There are a lot of things wrong with Volusia County government, but our ability to conduct free, fair, and trustworthy elections isn’t one of them.

The essential right of free citizens is the ability to change our leadership, make choices on public policies that effect our lives, defend against limitations on our God-given rights, and express our collective will from the sovereignty of the ballot box.

My hope is that this travesty and others will be remembered – and serve as the catalyst for concerned residents to develop and support quality candidates for elective office in city, county, and state elections – true servant/leaders that will demand accountability from entrenched bureaucrats more concerned about consolidating power and acquiescing to the wants and whims of special interests than protecting our dwindling quality of life. 

Angel               Derek LaMontagne, Bryon White, Sweetwater Coalition of Volusia County, and Bear Warriors United Inc.

In October 2023, a small group of intrepid environmentalists and concerned residents – armed with the facts – successfully defended the sensitive Spruce Creek watershed from the threat of a proposed interchange at I-95 and Pioneer Trail by challenging a controversial stormwater permit issued by the oxymoronic St. Johns River Water Management District. 

To say it was a ‘David & Goliath’ tale is an understatement… 

According to an outstanding exposé by reporter Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week:

“Port Orange environmentalist Derek LaMontagne is a scientist, not a lawyer.

But for five days last October, he was forced to play one before a judge in a Tallahassee hearing room, where he argued a state agency should not have granted a stormwater permit for a controversial Interstate 95 interchange because it would damage an already impaired Spruce Creek.

And the table across from him was crowded with eight attorneys − eight − representing the Florida Department of Transportation and St. Johns River Water Management District, which oversees environmental permitting from northeast Florida down the Atlantic coast to Indian River County.

LaMontagne found himself in this predicament after the law firm he and his coalition hired, Guilday Law, P.A., resigned from the case citing “fundamental disagreements” with its clients just a few weeks before the hearing was originally scheduled in late August.”

Despite all odds, LaMontagne and his witnesses – which included biologist and Stetson University Professor Wendy Anderson, Professor Hyun Jung Cho of Bethune-Cookman University, and Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower – presented a commonsense argument challenging the public benefit of the stormwater permit. 

During the hearing LaMontagne and his witnesses exposed the SJRWMD engineers who made the ridiculous claim that the project would “…reduce phosphorus, nitrogen and other harmful elements being diverted to Spruce Creek” – an environmentally sensitive ecosystem which has been designated an Outstanding Florida Water – a waterway which requires special protections because of its exceptional natural attributes.

According to the report, Professor Anderson said, “Intuitively, you’re like, ‘How could this be possible?’ and of course, it’s not,” Anderson said. “I went back and found their worksheets … checked their math … they’ve made some wild assumptions here about how they’re setting the parameters of this model and maybe there’s some standard in how they’re choosing that, but it wasn’t based in science. It was based on wishful thinking.”

My God.

Last month Administrative Law Judge E. Gary Early rightfully ruled that the SJRWMD’s stormwater permit should be revoked after determining its issuance was “not in the public interest.”  According to the report, the SJRWMD has until next week to revoke the permit, file an exception, or lodge a written objection. 

What do you think the SJRWMD will do? 

In my view, based on Dr. Anderson’s expert testimony, the Florida Inspector General and Department of Environmental Protection should undertake an immediate criminal investigation into the manner and means by which FDOT “engineers” sidestep scientific determinations, play fast and loose with the facts, and apparently pencil whip environmental studies to show that directing stormwater from a massive interchange built directly over a sensitive waterway would somehow reduce pollutants flowing into the ecosystem…   

As expected, these stark revelations and Judge Early’s decision did not sit well with some enormously powerful insiders – to include our High Panjandrum of Political Power Mori Hosseini, owner of ICI Homes and developer of the massive Woodhaven project, which would be served by the Pioneer Trail interchange – who many speculate influenced Gov. Ron DeSantis to earmark some $92 million in Covid-era American Rescue Plan funds for the project.

This week, Boss Hosseini bristled at the very notion of undue influence in the News-Journal:

“If they think we have so much influence, why has it taken 20 to 30 years for this interchange to be built? That’s lousy influence if it takes that long,” he said.

Hosseini insisted the interchange won’t make any difference to the success of Woodhaven. 

Then, Mr. Hosseini followed with an ominous warning – one that should serve as a grim epitaph for what remains of Florida’s natural places:

“No one can stop it. It’s on its way. We are building homes. People are moving in. Kids are playing outside,” he said.”

Wow.

Fortunately, like the Belvedere Terminals debacle has proven, it appears the increasingly angry silent majority is becoming aware of the erosion of our democratic system of governance by the pernicious influence of special interests and its catastrophic impact on Florida’s sensitive environment. 

Last week in a Letter to the Editor of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Flagler Beach resident Brynn Newton wrote:

“It was heartening news to read that a judge has recognized that the proponents of a new I-95 interchange at Pioneer Trail have not shown that it is “in the public interest” to endanger the Outstanding Florida Waters of Spruce Creek for the paving project’s sake. 

The News-Journal’s report also noted that “The state appeared to be fast-tracking the project by funding it with $92 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds last year.” 

Unfortunately, it seems there is no forum where the public can receive a hearing on whether it is “in the public interest” to take money that was allocated for the purpose of relieving communities from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic – and re-appropriate it to subsidize yet more development in Florida’s sensitive environment.”   

Well said.

It’s true – most believe government should work in the interests of those who struggle under the yoke of excessive taxes and fees, participate in what remains of our democratic processes, and elect representatives who promise that a modicum of our tax dollars will return to the community, assure that essential services will be provided efficiently, declare that our environment will be protected, and pledge that the administration will be accessible and responsive to our needs.

In my view, it is time we held those who violate that trust politically accountable for forgetting who they serve.      

Asshole           Palm Coast Mayor/Realtor David Alfin  

As massive sprawl blankets the region, one of the hardest lessons existing residents of Volusia and Flagler County are learning is that growth doesn’t pay for itself. 

In fact, experts are warning that many transportation and utilities projects remain unfunded and years away as the bulldozers continue to roar on new development – and it is increasingly evident that, while transportation-oriented political insulation committees nervously shuffle their feet – our ‘powers that be’ do not have a comprehensive infrastructure plan, money to pay for it, or a clue where to start…

Guess what that means?

Citing distrust in local government – fueled by the revelation that a publicly funded impact fee study was intentionally kept from public view – in 2019, Volusia County voters roundly rejected a half-cent sales tax money grab that we were told would allow the same dullards who got us into this mess millions of dollars more to somehow get us out of the very quagmire they helped create.

There was a well-choreographed sales pitch supported by all the right last names, a cockamamie special referendum, and a full-court-press by Volusia County’s “Rich & Powerful” to separate already strapped residents from more of their hard-earned money, even as we watched astronomical pay raises heaped on senior bureaucrats, preventive maintenance withheld from public assets in a “rot and replace” strategy, and an unwillingness to put reasonable restraints on malignant sprawl.   

Now, it looks like the City of Palm Coast is taking a novel approach to the problem of getting others to underwrite the impact of new development… 

Recently, Palm Coast Mayor/Realtor David Alfin, with the assistance of City Manager Denise Bevan and Chief of Staff (whatever that is) Jason DeLorenzo travelled to Tallahassee to grub money directly from state coffers to fund “infrastructure projects “above and beyond” what the city could afford to do on its own.”

Say what? 

According to an article in FlaglerLive!, Mayor/Realtor Alfin is seeking “somewhere in the neighborhood of a third of a billion dollars” in state funds to facilitate even more growth, despite calls for caution from worried residents (who Alfin calls the “loudmouth minority”) already feeling the squeeze – and the flooding…   

During his “State of the City” address last week (which just happened to coincide with his reelection announcement) Mayor/Realtor Alfin touched on the “unpleasantness” existing residents can expect as the City of Palm Coast plays catchup:

“We (why do politicians always preface bad news with “we” and progress with “I”?) understand that hearing about possible increases in utility rates can be unpleasant. But please know that these decisions are not made randomly.  They’re part of a plan to ensure our utility services remain exceptional both now and in the future.  When we think of critical services, we know that Palm Coast truly needs clean, safe water. We care about your opinions and appreciate your collaboration as we work to map out a resilient future for Palm Coast.”

(Translation: “Bend over Palm Coast taxpayers – here it comes again…”)  

Apparently, Alfin’s “Plan” is to put the arm on Florida residents for the astronomical cost of improving Palm Coast’s woefully inadequate infrastructure before already overburdened villagers descend on City Hall with pitchforks…

I wonder how residents in other areas of the Sunshine State experiencing explosive growth during this orgy of greed feel about their state tax dollars going to fund municipal infrastructure projects in rapidly expanding Palm Coast?  

As Speaker of the House Paul Renner of Palm Coast begins his final year at the helm, I suppose it’s only natural for Mayor/Realtor Alfin and company to loot as many state resources as possible, eh? 

Afterall, that is the nature of Florida politics.

On Monday, (while you were at work) the City of Palm Coast held “…an orientation session focused on the strategic action planning process,” facilitated by one of those “have briefcase, will travel” experts with a PhD and a nice shoeshine, to help elected and appointed officials develop a “blueprint for progress.”   

Although the meeting was open to the public, I found it interesting that there was no time on the agenda for public input on this important process…   

Oh, well. 

So much for all that, “We care about your opinions and appreciate your collaboration” horseshit…   

Perhaps it is time residents of Palm Coast (and elsewhere on the “Fun Coast”) demand that those they elect open their eyes to the fact there are natural limiters to growth – and one is a community’s ability to fund necessary infrastructure upgrades and provide schools, hospitals, public safety, water, and other essential services required to support additional development before it occurs.    

Angel               Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young

I believe there truly are angels among us – those intrepid souls who answer a call to serve and dedicate themselves to protecting and enhancing the lives of others.   

In my view, no one better personifies that dedication and professionalism than Daytona Beach Chief of Police Jakari Young. 

Last week, the Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce honored Chief Young with the J. Hyatt Brown Enterprise Award at their annual banquet in recognition of his outstanding community service and contributions to the law enforcement profession. 

Well done!

To their credit, the Chamber recognized that there are few positions more important to the day-to-day life of a community.  The police officers under Chief Young’s mentorship hold the dual role of law enforcement and public service – protecting, serving, and safeguarding while bringing those responsible for victimizing others to justice. 

As the most visible arm of local government, how a city’s police department is perceived by those it serves is important to civic harmony and economic progress.

In my view, during his tenure, Chief Young has met unfathomable challenges with great poise, grace, and professionalism – serving as a beacon of strength for his department and community during some tough times – and his forward-thinking strategies are paying dividends for Daytona Beach residents and businesses, as the character and reputation of the Halifax area is positively impacted by his efforts.

From my vantagepoint, Chief Young possesses a strategic mind and sharp intellect, with skills honed by a wealth of practical leadership experience, and he embodies the strength of character and quiet professionalism that instills confidence in those around him. 

In fact, I can think of no one more deserving of this important recognition. 

Congratulations to my friend and former colleague Chief Jakari Young and the outstanding men and women of the Daytona Beach Police Department! 

Thank you, Chief.  You make us proud!

Quote of the Week

“Volusia County residents and stakeholders are invited to join area elected officials and other dignitaries on Valentine’s Day for an update on the progress made in 2023 and a glimpse of what’s on the horizon in 2024 at the annual State of the County Luncheon.

The event will be held from noon to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at The Center at Deltona, 1640 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd., Deltona. Graciously supported by community sponsors, the yearly luncheon offers attendees an opportunity to celebrate the substantial achievements that significantly enhanced the quality of life in our community and learn about upcoming initiatives in Volusia County.

The address will include an annual report by Volusia County Council Chairman Jeff Brower detailing the County’s activities, goals, and future initiatives, musical accompaniment by the Navy Band, and a Valentine’s Day lunch provided by Deltona’s own Cocky Rooster Café.”

–Volusia County, “Shaping Volusia’s Future Together,” State of the County 2024

How Swellegant!

Next Wednesday, as Volusia County families go about their busy day – raising children, going off to school, hustling to earn a dollar, running errands amidst the hustle-and-bustle-and-gridlock of our increasingly crowded daily life (in a place where some 42% of those households will struggle to meet basic living expenses – while others will fight hunger and homelessness, living at or below the federal poverty level) our haughty ‘powers that be’ will gather in their finery to pat themselves on the back for all they did with our money last year…    

Yep.  While you rubes are toiling away, eking out your $15 an hour at (insert the latest industrial warehouse/logistics center you and I gifted “government incentives” to attract), our “movers & shakers” – what passes for “dignitaries,” elected officials, entrenched bureaucrats, and those High Panjandrums whose money greases the grimy wheels of Volusia County’s political machine – will nosh on a “free” catered lunch in Wild West Volusia at The Center at Deltona for the State of the County 2024.

Don’t worry, the whole overchoreographed shebang is “donated” by government contractors trying desperately to keep their lucrative spot in the suckling order at the public teat… 

Whatever.

Oh, never mind me.    

It’s the height of the “Gala Season” here on the “Fun Coast” – a time when those entities who rely on public funds for their very existence waste donor money throwing extravagant soirees in a contradictory ploy to attract donations (?) – and nobody needs Barker the Bitcher casting a pall on the elegant festivities.

Especially during an election year.

Screw it.

Let them eat cake…   

And Another Thing!

Each election season I become surlier, more sullen (I know) – rolling my battered psyche into an armored ball like some primitive woodlouse, instinctively hardening my soul against the bone crushing disappointment I know is coming – an instinctive response to the fact that, when it comes to the fetid swamp of Volusia County politics, some things never change…    

Year after year, like some clueless yokel stumbling wide-eyed down a carnival midway, each election cycle I get my hopes up despite the inevitable letdown I know is coming.  

Look, I smugly consider myself an “informed voter.”

I listen attentively to the political theories of smart friends, the informed whispers of insiders, and study the disinterested shrugs of the guy on the barstool next to me – contemplating the various thoughts and opinions of my neighbors – winnowing the wheat from the chaff and clutter of the early campaign season. 

It’s important to me. 

Not because I’m a morbidly addicted political junkie (although I am) – or some pretentious asshole who thinks he has all the answers (I’m that too) – but because the difference between winning and losing is four more years of the same.

By all accounts, “Car Guy” Randy Dye – the well-respected owner of Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram and Maserati Alfa Romeo of Daytona – is an incredibly successful businessman with the world by the ass and an admirable history of philanthropy and volunteer service on various civic boards (including his association with that mysterious camera stellata over at the CEO Business Alliance, but I’m not holding that against him…)

In my jaded view, he’s the last guy one would expect to get involved in the no-holds-barred shitshow of Volusia County politics. 

I suppose that’s why his interest in holding himself out for the mudslinging and character butchery that passes for a modern political campaign intrigued me; and when I first heard Mr. Dye was considering a run for Volusia County Council Chair, I promised to keep an open mind.

It is apparent that those who work the rods and strings of Volusia County politics – our stodgy “Old Guard” – see value in Mr. Dye as an answer the ongoing “impediment” of having six round pegs sitting neatly in the round holes of conformity – guarding the ramparts of the status quo – while working around that one recalcitrant square peg, Chair Jeff Brower, who refuses to be beaten into submission.    

I find Chairman Brower’s resistance to the age-old practice of “getting along and going along” admirable. 

Although I must admit, Brower’s brutalization at the hands of his “colleagues” is painful to watch… 

As a result, and for reasons not entirely his fault, Brower’s term has been depressingly ineffectual – and, as this week’s moratorium vote proved, his presence is a mere inconvenience for those who pay to play and expect a return on their investment from the bought-and-paid for chattel who form the current majority on the dais of power.

That’s infernally frustrating to many Volusia County residents. 

And it should be. 

Look, I like Chairman Brower, he’s a nice guy.  I believe that – despite the mistakes and political missteps – he means well – but even his staunchest supporters admit things haven’t looked promising for him in early wagering…

So, playing devil’s advocate, I asked myself if Mr. Dye – a smart guy with the personal wherewithal to remain independent of “The Machine” – could serve an independent voice for all citizens of Volusia County?

You know, someone willing to give back to those who have given him so much – a “statesman” with the charisma, interpersonal skills, and political influence to think for himself and remain above the fray – to recognize the outsized influence of Volusia’s exalted “King Makers” and self-serving senior administrators for what it is – find middle-of-the-road consensus, unite the various camps, and bring a sense of collegiality and commonsense to the dais of power in DeLand?   

Then I opened The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week and got whacked across the eyes with what I knew in the pit of my queasy gut was coming all along:

“Randy Dye raises $235K in county chair race; Hosseinis and their firms among top donors.”

Damn…

In an excerpt from the informative article by reporter Sheldon Gardner, my naïve question was grimly answered:

“Some of the top contributors to Dye’s campaign include Mori Hosseini’s associated businesses, family members and a trust. Those contributions total at least $20,000.

Hyatt and Cici Brown, Brown & Brown of Florida and other businesses associated with the Browns donated at least $8,000. J. Hyatt Brown is the chairman of Brown & Brown Insurance. Some leaders of Brown and Brown Insurance also donated to Dye’s campaign.

Tim Phillips, president and CEO of P&S Paving in Daytona Beach, a family member and associated businesses donated at least $5,500.

At least $5,000 came from Blue Ox Enterprises in Sanford and associated businesses or businesses associated with leaders of the firm. Blue Ox Enterprises is involved in residential and commercial site development.”

By contrast, as of last month, Chairman Brower had raised an insignificant $14,560, with his closest challenger, Port Orange Mayor Don Burnette, reporting a paltry $21,412. 

Yeah.  I know…

As a reminder to my fellow disheartened rubes who feel duped – those Volusia County residents who are losing hope of ever changing the dismal tide of money and the outsized influence on public policy it purchases – it is not unheard of for We, The Little People to collectively rise and tell those uber-wealthy insiders that there is some shit we won’t eat.

It’s happened before.    

For instance, when Mr. Brower rode a wave of grassroots support to victory in 2020, he had amassed less than half of former Councilwoman Deb Denys’ then unheard of $244,641 war chest. 

With Randy Dye now firmly entrenched as the new “Darling of the Donor Class,” it looks like that dubious record is about to fall… 

Welp.  There you have it, folks. 

Bidness’ as usual here on the “Fun Coast.” 

Stay tuned – and keep the faith.  This one’s going to get interesting…

That’s all for me.  Have a great weekend, and Happy Valentine’s Day, 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               God’s Faithful Servant Donnie Brock

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Godspeed, my friend…  Well done. 

Asshole           Volusia County Attorney Michael “Rip Van Winkle” Dyer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Say what?

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

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

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

“Shame on you for not doing your job!”

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

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

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

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

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

Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower thought so too…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vote your conscience. 

Angel               Citizens of Holly Hill, Florida  

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

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

Yay, us…

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

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

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

Made me smile. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“A city must have a municipal spirit beyond its physical properties, it must be alive with an esprit de corps, its personality must be such that visitors—both business and tourist—are attracted to the city, pleased by it and wish to return to it. That personality must be one to which the population contributes by mass participation in activities identified with that city.” 

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

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

Angel               Deltona City Commission

You read that right.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See what I mean?

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

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

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

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

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

Quote of the Week

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

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

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

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

Read it and weep my fellow rubes…  

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

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

Or more…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

According to a report in the News-Journal:

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

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

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

Bullshit. 

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

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

(Don’t hold your breath…) 

And Another Thing!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yeah.  I know.

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

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

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

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

Hi, kids!

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

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

Angel               Local Small Businesses Owners

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Thank you for your patronage of One Daytona.”

Bullshit.

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

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

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

I didn’t think so…

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

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

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

That’s wrong.

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

Hear! Hear!

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

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

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

Good on ‘em, I say. 

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

Time will tell… 

Angel               City of DeBary

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

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

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

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

You read that right: 

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

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

It got worse before it got better…

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

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

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

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

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

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

All’s well that ends well, I suppose… 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Asshole           Flagler School Board Chair Will Furry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Because she did…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good for her.

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

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

Asshole           Florida Legislature

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The short answer is – money and power.   

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

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

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

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

Trust me.  It’s an eyeopener…

Quote of the Week

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I don’t make this shit up, folks…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This one’s important.

And Another Thing!

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

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

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

Speaking of the Florida legislature’s perpetual power grab…   

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

Can you believe that? 

Me neither…

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

Weird.

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

So, who is looking out for us?   

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

Say what? 

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

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

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

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

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

Interesting…

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

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

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

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

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

Why is that?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Certainly not a democracy. 

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

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

That’s all for me, y’all. 

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

Hi, kids!

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

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

Angel               Ormond Beach Planning Board

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.  This one bears watching…

Angel               Palm Coast City Councilwoman Theresa Pontieri

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bullshit. 

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

I don’t think so.

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

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

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

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

That didn’t happen…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Angel               Jeff “Yogi” Martin

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

He was 61 years old.   

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

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

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

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

But most knew Yogi for his amazing musical talent.    

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

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

Godspeed dear friend.      

Angel               Deltona’s Brandy Lee White

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Quote of the Week

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

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

Really?

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

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

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

WTF?

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

Remember?  I do.  

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

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

Sound familiar?

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

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

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

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

Worse than that – it is a damnable farce.

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

Disgusting.  

And Another Thing!

“Democracies die behind closed doors.”

— Judge Damon J. Keith

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

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

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

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

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

I could go on…

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

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

I wonder why?

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

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

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

Why is that?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That is a learned trait.

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

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

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

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

Hi, kids!

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

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

Asshole           Sen. “Terrible Tommy” Wright

A strip club? 

Really? 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the half of it…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Say what?

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

Yeah…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Angel               Artist Perego

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone is welcome and I hope to see you there.  

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

Asshole           Volusia County Council

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

According to Belvedere’s case in chief:

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

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

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

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

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

Bullshit.

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

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

Which do you prefer?  

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

Quote of the Week

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good.  I’ll take comfort in that.

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

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

Great…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Speaking in the Ormond Beach Observer, Mayor Partington said:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And the hits just keep on comin’…  

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

Then vote your conscience in November… 

And Another Thing!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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