“The administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) steered $92 million last year in leftover federal coronavirus stimulus money to a controversial highway interchange project that directly benefits a top political donor, according to state records.

The decision by the Florida Transportation Department to use money from the 2021 American Rescue Plan for the I-95 interchange at Pioneer Trail Road near Daytona Beach fulfilled a years-long effort by Mori Hosseini, a politically connected housing developer who owns two large tracts of largely forested land abutting the planned interchange. The funding through the DeSantis administration, approved shortly after the governor’s reelection, expedited the project by more than a decade, according to state documents.”

–The Washington Post, “DeSantis agency sent $92 million in covid relief funds to donor-backed project: Mori Hosseini, who donated a golf simulator to the governor’s mansion, championed a new exchange on Interstate 95 that feeds into his housing and shopping center project,” Thursday, June 29, 2023  

In my best impression of Casablanca’s cynically astonished Captain Renault, “I’m shocked, shocked to find well-heeled insiders get whatever they want in this pay-to-play system…” 

Truthfully, what I find shocking is that it took so long for the bright national spotlight to swing toward the “Sunshine State” and our legal quid pro quo campaign finance scheme – something many fed-up Floridians have dubbed, “corruption in the plain sight.”

In 2018, I authored a blog entitled “The Faustian Bargain,” a disturbing corollary between Volusia County politics and the legendary bluesman, Robert Johnson, who grew up in abject poverty in the Mississippi Delta. 

According to legend, one dark night, Johnson stood at the crossroads of Highway 61 and US 49 and sold his very soul to the devil in exchange for mastery of the guitar and the incredible success, and ultimate escape, it would bring.

It’s a tale as old as time, really.

Throughout history – from St. Theophilus of Adana to Doctor Faustus – cautionary yarns have been spun of ambitious people who, in a misguided pursuit of personal riches and power, fall victim to temptation and sell who and what they are, for what they desperately hope to become.

But what happens when folklore becomes reality?

Like many of you, for years, I have been wrestling with the ethical questions surrounding Florida’s normalization of transactional politics – and which side of this strategic assignation is more culpable – the “John” or the hooker?    

In my view, Volusia County – like the rest of our state – has become a despicable example of just how pernicious crony capitalism, facilitated by 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 elected officials.

In fact, it represents a legal return on investment in a system that permits a privileged few to develop financial relationships with office holders, then obtain direct access to the public purse in the form of preferential tax breaks, “corporate welfare,” infrastructure, and even direct subsidies for their private projects.

Of course, the weak defense of sitting elected officials is that “No one has ever asked me for anything!” 

That may be true – but a few of our oligarchical overseers make it damn difficult for any perceptive politician to say “No.” 

By all appearances, in exchange for the all-important financial resources and political clout local candidates receive as an anointing from Volusia’s “Rich & Powerful,” our elected officials are expected to perform their role like the bought-and-paid-for chattel they are whenever an issue directly involving the self-interests and profit motives of their campaign benefactors presents itself before the dais of power.

In Volusia County, Mr. Hosseini stands at the top of a small clique of influential insiders whose mere presence in a council or commission chamber changes the temperature of the room as their elected livestock sit up a little straighter and become hyperattentive.

Invariably, the issue or project these heavy-hitters support or oppose is settled to their complete satisfaction.

Every. Damn. Time…

That attentiveness to the wants of their masters is not lost on We, The Little People, whose voices and needs are routinely ignored by our malleable ‘powers that be.’

The result has been a slow erosion of the public’s trust in the legitimacy of government – and the Washington Post’s scandalous report hit weary residents hard…

It’s no secret that our High Panjandrum of Political Power, Mortenza “Mori” Hosseini – the powerful CEO of ICI Homes, Chairman (and de facto president) of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Board of Trustees, Chairman of the University of Florida’s Board of Trustees, and the undisputed titan of political powerbrokers in Florida and beyond – swings a lot of weight in local, state, and federal political circles.

Residents of these parts have known that for years…

In my view, what makes this so brazen is the bright connection between Mr. Hosseini’s campaign largesse, use of his private jet, the “loan” of an elaborate golf simulator to the Governor’s mansion, and other “gifts” to high-powered politicians – and the historical return on that investment, such as funding for the long-sought Pioneer Trail/1-95 interchange to service ICI’s Woodhaven development – or the $20 million Embry-Riddle was gifted this year in the state budget after an appropriation request by first-year State Representative Chase Tramont – apparently to fund and equip a mysterious “Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility” at ERAU’s research park… 

In the aftermath of the damning Washington Post exposé, Mr. Hosseini spoke to News-Journal reporter Mark Harper and denied seeking favoritism from Governor Ron DeSantis for the Pioneer Trail interchange.

“I have never, ever in my life gone to any governor and asked for anything. Not a governor, not a speaker of the house, not a Senate president, nothing about me. Nothing about my projects,” Hosseini said.

Hosseini said he has solicited help for institutions he supports, including the University of Florida, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Daytona State College.

“I take care of my community and my students of this state,” he said.

Jeremy Redfern, the governor’s press secretary, tweeted several attacks against the Post and its reporter, Michael Scherer, including a digitally enhanced photo of Scherer dressed as a circus clown. He called the story a “nothing burger.”

Guess it’s all a matter of perspective, eh? 

Except, here in Florida – the biggest whorehouse in the world – no one in a position of political power gives two-shits about your viewpoint – or our perception of honor and ethics in public service – unless you articulate it on the back of a campaign check…   

The unfortunate reality is that this “system” of ours did not develop overnight – and had it not been for Governor DeSantis’ presidential run – none of this would have mattered to anyone north of Tallahassee.

With the national spotlight now on the Sunshine State’s pernicious pay to play system – and even Governor DeSantis’ staunchest supporters looking on in disappointed silence – in my view, he owes his constituents an explanation beyond clown memes and flippant dismissals.  

Now those responsible for protecting the integrity of our system of governance must launch an aggressive investigation into the glaring connections and behind-the-scenes machinations exposed by the Washington Post and area environmentalists working hard to protect the Spruce Creek watershed.   

In my view, the process of restoring the public confidence should begin by shifting the $92 million earmarked for Pioneer Trail to far more pressing transportation needs – like expediting the LPGA Boulevard interchange, including replacement of the two-lane Monument to Mediocrity over the threatened Tomoka River – as the bulldozers continue to roar west of I-95…

The stench of insider access in a pay-to-play environment undermines the foundational principles of our democracy.

Business as usual cannot continue. 

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

Barker’s First Rule of Citizen Engagement: Never underestimate the arrogance and stupidity of government…

A disturbing groupthink has evolved in government, now involving the misuse of the legislative process to pursue nonsensical laws and ordinances as a means of distraction, diversion, and control, cloaked as a conscience-soothing “look, we’re doing something!” exercise – an empty ego-massage that does nothing to further the public good while Rome burns…

Sound familiar?

It should…

Anyone remember the early days of the Coronavirus, when local elected and appointed powermongers banned their shut-in subjects from visiting Volusia County beaches?

A few of our panic-stricken “leaders” even suggested an expensive fence be erected to physically block us from the shore – ultimately settling on hundreds of ugly plastic markers to keep us an easily enforceable 25-feet apart – limiting our lawful right to assemble to groups of six or less, using drones to monitor our behavior?

Though most craven politicians would prefer We, The Little People forget how we were abused by “the system,” citizens will long remember that it was always about power and control – not public safety – as those we elected to represent our interests used the United States Constitution for toilet paper and flexed their legislative muscle under interminable “emergency declarations.”   

Welcome back to the ‘bad old days,’ folks…

For years, there has been a law on the books in Florida requiring that motorists obey traffic control devices (FSS 316.074) – defined by statute as signs, signals, markings, and other measures that are placed by a public body for the purpose of regulating, warning, or guiding traffic.

The law carries a stiff penalty, with fines now reaching $264.00 per incident, including three points assessed against a violator’s license and increased insurance premiums.

For reasons known only to him, earlier this year, Volusia County Councilman Danny “Draco” Robins – a self-described “limited government Republican” – announced he wanted to rain ‘deterrence and repercussions’ on hapless motorists caught in floodwaters who disregard traffic control measures during a state of emergency.

So, Robins proposed what he dubbed a “Stupid Motorists Law” an asinine ordinance which would force drivers who avoid a barricade or enter a flooded roadway to pay fines of $500, face 60 days in jail, or both…  

Apparently, the ordinance was modeled on an Arizona law that permits government entities to charge motorists who enter floodwaters for the cost of their rescue.

Last Tuesday, the same detached assholes that refuse to address the clear and present danger of stormwater mismanagement, acknowledge the correlation between the change in topography brought by malignant growth and the widespread flooding that has resulted in devastation across Volusia County, and ignore calls for smart growth initiatives to contain runoff, voted unanimously to pass what I call “Danny’s Law” – a redundant cudgel that penalizes you and I – now that streets and thoroughfares that once remained high and dry quickly become impassable during rain events.  

Bullshit.

To shore up his bullying overreach, Robins sent a letter to Sheriff Mike Chitwood and a few area police chiefs asking for support (what else were they going to do, say no?). 

Councilman Robins also directed County Attorney Michael Dyer to include a series of out-of-context photographs and social media posts from area law enforcement in the council agenda package depicting high-water rescues apparently during Hurricane Ian – exploiting the pain of residents caught in floodwaters through no fault of their own.  

In an even more bizarre stretch, At-Large Councilman Jake Johansson said, “Being a whitewater rafter and whatnot, I’ve seen people who’ve tipped their kayaks over and get caught underneath a tree,” he said. “… I don’t want that to happen anyway in Volusia County, so hopefully we can stop the madness.”

Wait.  Kayaks? 

Say what?   

Look, during weather emergencies, sometimes motorists get caught out, stalled in rapidly rising floodwaters, and forced to make tough decisions.  That was a consideration of Chairman Jeff Brower, who wondered if the ordinance would apply to homeowners who live on flood prone streets?  (And we all live on flood prone streets now.)   

Of course it will. 

Because this unnecessary “law” is specifically designed to punish – despite the quibbling of a Volusia County Assistant Attorney tasked with wasting valuable time on this hogwash, who said, “…those circumstances would be taken into consideration, and residents of affected streets would be allowed to enter and exit their homes safely.”

My ass.

So, if I understand it (and I am not sure I do), the County Attorney is saying we can ignore a traffic control device if we are trying to get home?

When does this new ordinance apply? 

I’m asking.

In my view, this is just another cheap powerplay to divert our attention away from the core issue of countywide flooding – and Volusia County’s total inaction on determining cause or mitigating the incredibly expensive recurring impacts…  

During my three decades in public service, whenever storm clouds gathered, law enforcement officers and first responders routinely sought to help others – rescuing those in danger, and, more often, simply pushing disabled vehicles out of standing water and escorting stranded occupants to safety.

Even when the driver made a stupid mistake in response to conditions not of their own making…

It’s called serving and protecting.

In my view, fining and imprisoning confused residents during a dynamic emergency is wrong – and this new ordinance has nothing to do with giving law enforcement a beneficial arrow in its quiver – and everything to do with political grandstanding. 

Unfortunately, I don’t think Danny is done with his reign of ‘deterrence and repercussions’ – as he continues pouring over the books, translating existing statutes into county ordinances, ad infinitium – in a never-ending quest to waste more time and resources for his own weird self-aggrandizement. 

Back when I served in government, I once worked for a plainspoken police chief who often got my attention with the terse reminder, “Pull your head out of your ass, Barker.  Focus on what’s important.”

That’s sound advice – especially for policymakers who are humble enough to accept constructive criticism…

With appropriate laws and regulations already in place, why do our officious doctrinaires in DeLand spend so much valuable time devising supercilious ways of squeezing more, more, more out of their already strapped constituents while wholly ignoring the serious civic, environmental, and economic threats we face? 

Madness, indeed.  

Angel               Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce

This week, the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to the Volusia County Council lending its powerful voice in support of an innovative Dog-Friendly Beach pilot program that District 4 Councilman Troy Kent proposed earlier this year.

With dogs currently limited to two small areas of Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach – Mr. Kent hopes to establish a more convenient area to accommodate dogs on a leash in Ormond Beach.     

In March, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service nixed the idea of a trial program near Bicentennial Park in Ormond-by-the-Sea, citing concerns about dogs in a designated natural beach management area, which required the Council consider a location farther south.   

As often happens when someone dares to challenge the stagnant status quo, Councilmen Danny “Draco” Robins and Matt Reinhart voted to quash Councilman Kent’s proposal. 

Why? 

I assume because Mr. Robins abhors anything that might be enjoyable for residents – and Mr. Reinhart hasn’t had an original thought since he took his seat in January – apparently finding it easier to simply follow his buddy’s lead…

Unbelievably, the idea was first proposed by Mr. Kent in January – and the rusty wheels of bureaucratic procrastination continue to grind ever so slowly.

In my view, this is a perfect example of county government taking a simple suggestion – the establishment of a small area on our 47-miles of beach to accommodate pets – and making it so onerous, complicated, and expensive that it takes the fun out of the concept, paints any elected official who supports it as a spendthrift, and exasperates supporters until they simply give up and go away.

Even with a generous donation of $100,000 in start-up funds offered by Ormond Beach philanthropists Nancy and Lowell Lohman – we were told if the project were approved – it would be at least November before the proposed trial period would begin.

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

“The Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce supports a one-year pilot program in Ormond Beach, its board of directors wrote in a June 26 letter to County Council Chair Jeff Brower.

“We believe implementing a Dog-Friendly Beach pilot program in Ormond Beach would enhance our community’s livability and attractiveness as a tourist destination,” the letter states. “It aligns with the values of inclusivity and responsible pet ownership while fostering a stronger sense of community among residents.”

A year, the chamber stated, would give the county enough time to evaluate the program’s effectiveness and address concerns to determine its long-term viability and impact on beachgoers.

“We believe implementing a Dog-Friendly Beach pilot program in Ormond Beach would enhance our community’s livability and attractiveness as a tourist destination,” the letter states. “It aligns with the values of inclusivity and responsible pet ownership while fostering a stronger sense of community among residents.”

I agree.

According to the report, at a recent meeting, the Ormond Beach City Commission began to waffle – getting weak in the knees after Commissioner Harold Briley received “several emails” from residents of a “condo-hotel” located south of the Rockefeller beach approach “expressing concerns.” 

That discussion prompted Mr. Briley to inquire if his “colleagues” wanted to pull the old Ormond Beach Flippity-Floppity and pull their initial support for the proposal?  

Like the good political crawfish he is, Mayor Bill Partington mewled, “It’s a strange situation that instead of picking the most logical, commonsense spot for it, they chose (a location) in front of people’s homes,” Partington said. “I don’t think it’s the correct place for it.”

Whatever.

Apparently, Mayor Partington doesn’t bother staying abreast of issues facing his constituents (unless, of course, their concerns are written on the back of a campaign check), so he is clearly unaware that moving the location of the pilot was necessitated by eleventh-hour environmental concerns brought by the USFWS, who hold Volusia County’s Incidental Take Permit which protects shorebirds, sea turtles, and other threatened species.

Now, the usual fear-mongers are telling flashlight-under-the-chin scary stories that a dog-friendly beach could potentially violate the permit and end our century-old tradition of beach driving…

Bullshit.

The Volusia County Council will take another look at Mr. Kent’s proposal on July 11.

Don’t hold your breath… 

Anything inventive or enjoyable rarely comes to fruition here on the “Not-So-Fun Coast.” 

Something tells me the all-powerful bureaucratic machine is working overtime in the bowels of the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building to puff-up costs, erect hurdles, and ensure that Mr. Kent’s suggestion ends up in the same fetid shit-trench that every one of Chairman Jeff Brower’s campaign promises landed in…

Look, we may disagree, and there are a lot of legitimate NIMBY arguments to be made – but I agree with the Ormond Beach Chamber – establishing a dog-friendly test site for responsible pet owners north of Ponce Inlet is a good idea.

In my view, well-maintained dog beaches are a fun and proven amenity in other areas of Florida – and we desperately need new and innovative programs that enhance our area’s ‘livability and attractiveness’ for residents and visitors. 

Angel               Daytona Beach City Commissioner Ken Strickland

“It’s easy to stand with the crowd. It takes courage to stand alone.” 

–Mahatma Gandhi

When watching the sausage being made, or perusing what passes for the news of the day, I am always intrigued by those lopsided votes of local councils and commissions that set public policy – or authorize the zoning changes that usher in another development – and I find it interesting to examine the machinations that result in the “yeas and nays” that shape our lives and livelihoods.

I’m not talking about those lockstep voting blocs of likeminded stooges, each indebted to the same wealthy insiders and desperately committed to preserving the status quo – that’s as dull and uninspiring as the compromised politicians who engage in it…   

But I have immense respect for elected servant-leaders who stand defiantly alone and vote their conscience – representing the needs of his or her constituents with courage – fighting against political expediency, taking the unpopular position, and doing that which is right.

From the most pressing issues of our time to the mundane matters of governance, there are many reasons why political courage is so rare, yet dissent and debate is essential to our democracy.       

Earlier this week, we learned that Encompass Health Corporation, the largest owner and operator of rehabilitation hospitals in the nation, is the latest beneficiary of the Halifax area’s unique brand of corporate welfare – a recurrent shim-sham that showers tax breaks and other “economic incentives” on massive corporations for little (if anything) in return – beyond the hollow promise of ‘high-paying jobs.’ 

In the private sector, success requires understanding the art of negotiation – when to give and when to take – the ability to think strategically, avoid potential pitfalls, leverage advantages, craft mutually beneficial outcomes, and most important, spend money only when there is an identified return on investment. 

Unfortunately, that dynamic is different in the public sector, where playing fast and loose with other people’s money does not require a lot of thought – like spending millions of tax dollars by placing appropriations on an uncontested “consent agenda,” or picking winners and losers by skewing the marketplace with publicly funded props. 

With the Halifax area experiencing explosive population growth – the region is increasingly attractive to businesses and service providers seeking to take advantage of this rapidly expanding market. 

Rather than capitalize on this unique point in our history, our ‘powers that be’ seem pathologically stuck on stupid – unable to escape the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” mindset – refusing to seize the initiative and negotiate from this fleeting position of strength.   

For instance, rather than demand concessions from Amazon – the largest e-commerce retailer in the known universe – Daytona Beach officials allowed them to build a fulfillment center at the desirable nexus of I-4 and I-95 immediately adjacent to an airport, then dutifully handed over $4 million in economic incentives, despite the anticipated impacts on our already overstressed streets, roadways, and claustrophobic residents.

In exchange, area residents were promised $15 an hour scutwork…

Now, in an informative article by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, we learn that Encompass Health – who plans to construct a 50-bed inpatient rehabilitation center at the increasingly crowded intersection of Williamson Boulevard and Strickland Range Road – will “…receive city property tax breaks of up to $300,000 per year during its first five years of operation,” for a total of $1.5 million in relief. 

What’s the ROI?  

Well, it appears Encompass Health simply agreed to staff the place…

If you live here on Florida’s “Fun Coast” you may find this hard to believe – but there are places in this country who know their worth.

In counties and municipalities across the nation that value their quality of life and civic aesthetics, those who are elected to represent the interests of their neighbor’s demand concessions from industry and commerce seeking to relocate to their community.

The result is a healthy competition of civic enhancements beyond a promise of jobs (those are a given) – a mitigating investment by those corporations seeking to take advantage of things like location, a quality workforce, location, stable governance, location, successful schools, location, civic amenities, and location.    

This includes negotiating transportation and utilities improvements beyond the bare minimum required by proportionate-share agreements, parks, and recreational amenities, providing workforce housing opportunities, offering naming rights for athletic and civic facilities, philanthropic investment in the arts, and other true public/private partnerships that enrich the culture of a community.

Most important, by putting local taxpayers over out-of-state corporations, communities who know their inherent worth establish a level playing field, get government out of the marketplace, and treat all businesses – large and small – with fairness. 

According to the News-Journal report on Encompass Health, “The average annual salary for the (ultimately 98) full-time employees must also remain at or above $65,000.

If all of those goals are met, Encompass will get 100% of its city property taxes reimbursed in the first and second years, 75% in the third and fourth years, and 50% in the fifth year.

Construction is expected to start in about four or five months, and it’s required to be complete by Dec. 31, 2025. It’s anticipated the first city property tax grant will be paid in 2027.”

For the record, the annual basic cost of living for a family of four in Volusia County is $56,040…

During the meeting, the intrepid civic activist Anne Ruby asked Daytona Beach officials to consider the planned median income of Encompass employees as the inflated salaries of a few top earners can “…mask low wages among many workers on the bottom of the company pay scale when an average is used.”

Of course, “Jeff Brown, the city’s director of Economic and Strategic Opportunities, told commissioners that even if the company’s top two earners were removed from the calculation, the average would still be above $65,000 for the remaining employees. He said the majority of workers would also earn more than $65,000 per year.”

It appears that Ms. Ruby’s sound logic rang true with Daytona Beach City Commissioner Ken Strickland, who, in an abundance of caution, asked his colleagues to consider continuing the matter until salary figures could be better analyzed to make sure taxpayers are getting the most for their sizeable investment. 

Nah. 

The majority of the City Commission wanted to press forward.  Independent thought or further review be damned…  

Ultimately, Commissioner Strickland stood alone for that which he thought was right and cast the lone “No” vote.   

Good for him.

Quote of the Week

“When Tomoka Oaks was built 60 years ago, the quiet roads were not built for 300 more homes, but we are to believe that this short road measuring 450 feet leading out of Tomoka Oaks will handle approximately 600 more cars.

Escondido Condos’ residents also exit onto this short road to travel the short distance to get to Nova Road. They will be hard-pressed to work their way onto the road if residential development is allowed in the middle of Tomoka Oaks.

Residents in Tomoka Oaks North Condos and Talaquah will find it more difficult to directly pull out onto Nova.

The Trails will have many more cars coming through their development that do not want to wait in line on a 450-foot road to get onto Nova. The Trails has peaceful winding roads that were not meant for additional traffic.

The mayor speaks of finding “ways to implement innovative traffic management technologies.”

Who needs experts? Anyone living in one of the five developments that will be affected by 2,774 additional daily car trips can tell you. The quality of life, depreciation of properties, threat to the species of animals living on the land, challenge for emergency vehicles to enter and exit Tomoka Oaks and Escondido Condos, burden on hospitals and impact on the Tomoka River — which is currently on the impaired water list — are only a handful of reasons why this proposed residential development in the middle of a development is a preposterous and unviable idea.”

–Darla Widnall, Ormond Beach, Letters to the Editor, The Ormond Beach Observer, “Don’t approve the Tomoka Oaks golf course development,” Monday, June 26, 2023

And Another Thing!

“Two development proposals located just outside of the DeLand city limits are moving forward despite public concerns following recent Volusia County Council votes.

The developments required two rezonings and a Comprehensive Plan change.”

–Journalist Sheldon Gardner, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “County Council approves 2 new developments in West Volusia despite pushback,” Monday, June 26, 2023

In the not-too-distant future, this headline – and the scores like it that routinely appear in now neutered “newspapers” across Florida – will serve as the sad epitaph for the Sunshine State.

“Despite public concerns…”

In my view, this political gaslighting – and resultant loss of public confidence in our ability to influence local governance – is the foul curse of sleazebag politicians who have sold their political souls to the highest bidder, wealthy insiders who learned early the power of Florida’s legal quid pro quo campaign finance system.

This “arrangement” is something many fed-up Floridians have dubbed “corruption in plain sight” – a sleazy pact marked by massive campaign contributions from multiple corporate entities owned by the same person, elaborate “gifts,” private jet travel, underwriting luncheons and “galas,” and funding the many perquisites of high office that come with an expected (and lucrative) return on investment.

Invariably, this Faustian bargain provides another bite at the apple for those elected officials who play the game – something not limited to one political party or the other…

Trust me.  Neither the compromised politicians, nor the well-heeled insiders who own them, give two-shits about your perspective – or the public’s perception of morality and ethics.

After what we read in the Washington Post this week – overdue revelations that our High Panjandrum of Political Power, Mori Hosseini, swings a lot of weight on this sandy spit of land – it is now clear those quaint notions of honor and decency in public service no longer matter here in the biggest whorehouse in the world…

In my view, nothing has a more deleterious effect on the public trust than the sinister disease of cronyism, insider access, and the ensuing backroom deals that are routinely sprung – ambush-style – on an unsuspecting constituency.

All while what passes for “public participation” in government is increasingly pushed off-the-agenda – out of sight, and out of mind.  Now, you and I have no influence on public policy, zoning changes, or expenditures – as our serious concerns are frustratingly ignored in favor of paying customers…

In turn, We, The Little People are shocked as our elected officials point fingers at each other and insinuate criminal allegations or spew gossipy accusations in scintillating snippets (devoid of substantive facts) from the dais, fueling more speculation and political turbidity.  

Sound familiar Deltona?

I believe in the adage, ‘where there’s smoke, there’s fire’ – and Volusia County is beginning to look like a conflagration of biblical proportions.   

In my view, it is time for concerned residents to demand that anyone – inside government or out – who believes they have credible evidence of unethical or illegal behavior to report their suspicions to those state and federal agencies charged with protecting the public trust.

Then, it is incumbent on law enforcement and ethics officials to aggressively investigate credible allegations of official misconduct, sweetheart deals, and quid pro quo arrangements to ensure the integrity and basic fairness of our system of governance. 

The health of our democracy demands it.

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           Deltona City Commission

Last week, Deltona taxpayers learned the sobering news that the patented “Deltona Severance Enhancement” is being employed once again. 

For the uninitiated, it’s a lucrative strategy employed by senior administrators who have been stiffed, forced out, retaliated against, faced discrimination, or just see an easy mark in a city with no identifiable legal representation – who file lawsuits on their way out of the revolving door… 

For instance, you may remember the destructive saga of former City Manager Jane Shang, whose tyrannical reign ended following a long overdue vote of no confidence by the City Commission?

On her way out, Shang pulled the ripcord on a $286,881 Golden Parachute and left Deltona in flames…

In May 2022, the Deltona City Commission settled a lawsuit by former interim manager Marc-Antonie Cooper, who claimed racial discrimination after he was passed over for promotion in favor of yet another “interim” manager in Public Works Director-turned-Interim City Manager John Peters III.   

Mr. Cooper walked with $45,000.

Interestingly, at that same meeting, the elected officials added a 20-week severance package to Peters’ contract, which amounted to approximately $63,000 if he were to be fired without cause.

In September 2022, the City of Deltona paid former Human Resources Director Richard Adams $225,000, to settle a suit claiming retaliatory termination after Adams investigated Mr. Peters for “inappropriate and discriminatory” comments…

Remember? 

Last week, an informative article by The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Wild West Volusia reporter Katie Kustura confirmed what long-suffering Deltona residents had been dreading:

“Deltona’s former acting city manager and the former deputy city manager are suing their ex-employer.

John Peters III filed a breach of contract lawsuit regarding his employment as acting city manager, and Stacey Kifolo filed a lawsuit under Florida’s Public Sector Whistleblower Act.

Each is seeking in excess of $50,000 in damages, according to court records.”

The facts spelled out in the respective actions are shocking – and provide a unique window into the dark dysfunction and gross mismanagement at play inside the cloistered walls of Deltona City Hall.   

Not surprisingly, among Mr. Peters’ claims is the fact that, although he was summarily forced out during a shambolic meeting in September 2022, the city has yet to pay the $63,416 in severance they promised.

The Kifolo case is something entirely different – and calls into question the City Attorney’s veracity and continued viability…

According to the report, “Kifolo was hired by Peters in August 2021 as deputy city manager. She said her work environment became more hostile when Peters left and Marsha Segal-George, one of the city attorneys, stepped into the role of interim manager.

Kifolo said she was retaliated against by Segal-George and a few of the sitting commissioners for raising concerns over the goings-on in Deltona including questions about the city pension plan, emergency services, and collective bargaining issues with the city firefighter’s union.” 

Although Segal-George’s odd term as interim manager ended on October 3, 2022 – with no official extension of her appointment by the City Commission – on October 5, 2022, Segal-George unilaterally suspended Kifolo, mysteriously accusing her of insubordination, but without explanation – after Kifolo filed a formal complaint with Human Resources the day before…

According to reports, Kifolo was later told by an outside labor attorney that Segal-George had accused her of failing to share an email regarding the firefighter’s contract – something Kifolo’s suit describes as “knowingly false.”

Shortly thereafter, like Frankenstein’s monster – Jim “The Chiseler” Chisholm was reanimated from retirement and brought in as the city’s umpteenth interim manager – confirmed in a shim-sham that bore no relation to a professional vetting process. 

Within days of his appointment, Chisholm further muddied the water when he “…told the commission Kifolo had not been suspended but placed on administrative leave without any disciplinary action, according to the lawsuit.”

“On Oct. 13, 2022, Kifolo submitted a follow-up complaint to HR detailing the hostile work environment and retaliation she’d experienced, the lawsuit states. She was fired on Nov. 16, 2022.”

In another strange twist, the controversial Marsha Segal-George – a former partner in the Orlando law firm that was terminated by the City of Deltona earlier this year – was (I think) reappointed to the City Attorney role with an hourly rate of $150.00.

I say, ‘I think,’ because, although most assume Segal-George is Deltona’s attorney, no one is sure a contract exists. 

I mean, Ms. Segal-George has all the earmarks of a city attorney – she sits next to Chisholm during meetings, shuffles papers, grunts, and nods at all the right times – but no one outside the inner sanctum in City Hall (including the elected officials) has seen her rumored employment agreement…    

Unfortunately, massive lawsuits, unchecked stormwater, increasing fees, obfuscating city managers, and dubious legal representation are the least of Deltona’s mounting problems.

During the regular City Commission meeting on Monday evening (which are increasingly rare, with meetings unilaterally cancelled by the Interim City Manager – and certain elected officials showing up only when they feel like it – a classic element of The Chiseler’s patented strategy of orchestrating the public’s business behind closed doors), things quickly dissolved into contretemps, criminal allegations, and wild histrionics from the dais.

In other words, it was a typical Deltona City Commission meeting…  

To her credit, the intrepid Commissioner Dana McCool did her level best to represent Deltona taxpayers with logic and a level head – fighting valiantly to reduce the fiscal and traffic impact of increased development in the proposed Deltona Village BPUD (she was overridden in the attempt) – pressed the tough questions regarding service levels during the debate of fee increases and demanded transparency during the upcoming budget process (please don’t hold your breath, Ms. McCool).      

Then, things got interesting…

During his final comments, Commissioner Jody Lee (a/k/a Jody Lee Storozuk?) recounted a cryptic tale of a recent behind-the-scenes meeting between unnamed developers, Mr. Chisholm, and a mystery sitting commissioner to discuss electing “likeminded” candidates who could help facilitate future development projects. 

Yeah.  You read that right.

According to Commissioner Lee, City Manager Chisholm “didn’t like the conversation” and walked out of the meeting…    

In exposing these “shenanigans” (his descriptor, not mine), Commissioner Lee went on to decry the “good old boy” system in Deltona and encouraged his “colleagues” not to “get in bed” with developers.

Damn.  If true, that’s disturbing.

In my view, Commissioner Lee owes his constituents the facts in support of these spurious allegations, rather than allow more instability and speculation. 

Then, things took a more ominous turn when Mayor Santiago Avila leveled credible allegations against Commissioner Tom Burbank citing systemic violations of Florida’s Sunshine Law as, despite repeated warnings, he continues to disseminate emails to his fellow elected officials discussing issues which could foreseeably come before them for action.

The very definition of a Sunshine Law violation.

More disturbingly, Mayor Avila stated that Commissioner Burbank thumbed his nose at State Attorney R. J. Larizza – apparently making fun of Mr. Larizza’s office for not acting on previously alleged Sunshine Law violations. 

In turn, Mayor Avila insinuated that Burbank – who was previously censured by his “colleagues” for publishing hateful slurs against a Deltona resident – was misusing his position by engaging in the political persecution of outspoken citizens and critics.   

Things ended with Mayor Avila angrily asking, “If R. J. Larizza is listening, maybe he should look into it,” before abruptly gaveling the contentious shit-show to a close…

Wow. 

I don’t know if Mayor Avila’s entreaty to Mr. Larizza was a challenge – or a cry for help? 

Look, by any metric, Deltona is a city in crisis.

In my view, it is high time for outside intervention from state and federal authorities responsible for protecting the public trust and ensuring the proper stewardship of public assets, funds, and services.

From the vantagepoint of over thirty years in local government, this madness should not be permitted in a modern municipality – and the good citizens of Deltona have been victimized long enough.

Asshole           Team Volusia Economic Development Corporation

Those high-flying globetrotters over at TVEDC – that redundant public/private scam that throws our hard-earned money around to bring all those “high paying jobs” you hear so much about (but never materialize) home to the “Fun Coast” – recently accompanied Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry on a junket to Budapest.

That’s right.  Budapest…

According to media reports, Team Volusia’s President and CEO for Life Keith Norden led a group to the Hungarian Summit 2023 earlier this month – ostensibly an economic/cultural/educational confab “…bridging the gap between the two countries in business and higher education.”

A similar “summit” was held in Daytona Beach last year, sponsored by something called HungarianHub, a not-for-profit operated by Piros Pazaurek, a local resident who claims the title “Honorary Consul of Hungary in Central Florida.” 

Which makes sense, I guess.   

I am certainly no expert on international business affairs – so, perhaps there is a Hungarian logistics company looking to cram an industrial warehouse offering $15 an hour scutwork at the increasingly crowded interface of zero-lot-line subdivisions and gridlocked thoroughfares in Daytona Beach?

Because that seems to be TVEDC’s stock in trade…

This week, our jetsetters over at Team Volusia are enjoying the sights and sounds of Paris in Spring at the International Paris Air Show…

How fun! 

How’s by you?  Yeah, I know…

Now, I have no idea what Norden and Company hope to lure here from Le Gai Paris! – but under the current process, we could be vying for a massive distribution center, a modern manufacturing operation, or a toxic waste incinerator – because any endeavor will be cloaked under a secret squirrel code name requiring our elected officials vote in the blind to authorize a lucrative publicly funded incentive package. 

In this political environment, where oversight is abhorred – anything is possible…

As a result, in Volusia County, our “economic development” efforts have become a bad “Let’s Make a Deal” episode – where elected officials are asked to give away our money on dubious corporate welfare schemes with little, if any, prior knowledge of what is behind door number three.

That’s wrong.  But nobody who should seems to give two-shits.

According to the excellent reportage of Charles Guarria in Hometown News Volusia, perhaps some public good may inadvertently come from Mayor Henry’s jaunt to Budapest:   

“The mayor referred to the cleanliness of Budapest. He noted how trash is hardly seen when moving about the city. Mayor Henry intended to speak to Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony to gain an understanding of how they keep the city clean. He will share his findings upon his return.

Mayor Henry also was part of a group that toured an Audi manufacturing plant, a university and a public school. Daytona Beach was gifted a statue by representatives of the Hungary government. The statute will be on display at a yet-to-be-determined location. Mayor Henry said the Hungarian Summit “has been great.”

Great…

Angel               First Step Shelter Board

In March, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported that the First Step Shelter Board was considering an aggressive idea hatched by Director Victoria Fahlberg that would have established “on-site rental housing” to warehouse clients who require on-going support and cannot be placed in permanent housing.

According to the report:

“The concept being explored involves locating a dozen mobile home-like structures on the open land about five miles west of Interstate 95 and in a corner of the shelter parking lot.

The 12 trailers would be subdivided, and there would be space for a total of 33 tenants.

The people who live in the trailers would enter a lease agreement with First Step. Their rent would be based on what they can afford, and they would still be able to use the shelter’s meal program, transportation service, medical clinic, and washers and dryers.”

At the time, the First Step Shelter estimated the cost to renovate and reconfigure surplus portable classrooms no longer needed by Volusia County District Schools at $100,000 each…

To their credit, last week, the First Step Shelter Board made it clear they are not interested in establishing rental housing at the site. 

Smart move.

In my view, expanding services just when the program is beginning to show signs of progress has a feeling of too much, too soon – an overly ambitious move – given that the shelter has yet to stand on its own financially…  

Fortunately, things appear to be looking up in the hinterlands off US-92. 

According to the News-Journal, of the 960 people served by First Step over the past four years, a respectable half of those have gotten off the streets and into permanent housing, with 90% of those still having a roof over their heads. 

In addition, the First Step program recently grew from helping about 40 people at a time to 60. 

Although that remains far below the one hundred active clients we were promised, it shows improvement. 

Earlier this year, the News-Journal reported that First Step now has a whopping annual operating budget of $1.46 million, most of which is still annually subsidized by Volusia County and Daytona Beach taxpayers ($400,000 each).   

Look, from the inception of the First Step Shelter – the arithmetic never made sense. 

Hell, nothing about this enigmatic program was ever made clear to the average Volusia County taxpayer.  We were originally sold on a 24/7 come-as-you-are homeless shelter – but got an incredibly expensive “shelter in name only” instead.   

In February, a Mardi Gras themed black-tie soirée billed as “The Mayor’s Gala” was held in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort – complete with a juggler, magician, and stilt-walker. 

The “gala” generated just $272,797 in private funding, which netted $234,319 after the lavish party expenses of $38,478 were settled – which, according to my math, means the First Step Shelter fell short of its original $250,000 fundraising goal. 

Yet, when the idea of permanent rental units was floated earlier this year, Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry, who also serves as president of the First Step Shelter Board, was “…confident that $400,000 could be raised to renovate the first set of trailers.”

How?

Many in the community were not so confident that a rental program could be sustained with private donations alone…

Fortunately, it appears Mayor Henry has cooled to the notion of permanent rental housing at First Step. 

According to a recent article by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in the News-Journal:

“I’m not in a rush to construct out there. There’s a lot of different models that could work.”  Henry said he wants to stay focused on the shelter’s main commitment to help people get into housing in other parts of Daytona Beach.

“I don’t want to be in a place where we become something new,” Henry said. “I want to be even greater for our central mission.”

In my view, board member and former Ormond Beach City Commissioner Dwight Selby was more to the point, “…this is a great idea someone should do,” but not First Step Shelter.”

“This is mission creep,” Selby said. “We’re not engaged in permanent supportive housing.”

In my view, the First Step Shelter Board should realize that it is going to take more than jugglers and magicians to raise desperately needed private support – especially for a complex program that remains a mystery to many taxpayers.

The fact is, building public confidence will require transparency – less bashing of critics and belittling those with questions – and more community outreach, education, and explanation.    

That begins by sharing a broader understanding of First Step’s core mission, a strategic plan for meeting its expanding needs, and clarification on why the reasonable goal of assisting one hundred clients remains so elusive?   

Asshole           Volusia County Council

I had a rather animated conversation this week with a young man of immense potential who is considering a 2024 run for local political office. 

Because I consider him a friend, I did my best to talk him out of it…

When the potential candidate persisted in asking for advice, I suggested that he and his wife sit down somewhere quiet, take out a sheet of paper, and write a single sentence across the top summarizing why he wanted to put his family through the meatgrinder of what passes for a “Fun Coast” political campaign.

I told him the justification could be anything from “I want to create a better community for my children,” “I want to help my rich friends in the development community get richer by building more apartments,” “I like it when important people laugh at my jokes,” or “I’m concerned about our environment and drinking water” – all of which are tried and true reasons to run for office.   

Then, I asked him to list all the things he was willing to sacrifice – reputation, time with family, financial and personal privacy, friendships – including walking the slippery slope of bending one’s personal ethics in an era that demands absolute fealty to those who fuel political campaigns with massive contributions while expecting a return on investment…

Our discussion turned to how elected officials, even those who enter politics for all the right reasons, quickly become everything they hated – taken in by the constantly expanding “system” – ultimately becoming indentured servants of the bureaucracy.

In time, the people who elected them (and pay the bills) are slowly perceived as a necessary nuisance – a noisy hindrance to be suppressed and ignored – all while the bloated bureaucracy continues to metastasize like a malignant tumor…

And that was when one man’s noble desire to serve collided with one of the most insurmountable conundrums of our time – one that has been made virtually impossible for even the most altruistic elected official to change – especially when square pegs of independent thought are quickly pounded into the round hole of conformity.

There is no denying, in Volusia County, bureaucratic expansion has become parasitic – no longer rational, functional, or governable – slowly exsanguinating its host – and our elected officials are unable or unwilling to control it, especially now that they are beholden to the senior ranks for access and information.

A disturbing example of Parkinson’s “Law of Multiplication of Subordinates” occurred this week when County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald announced the appointment of Joseph DeMore, the former warden of Butler County Prison in Pennsylvania, as our new Corrections Director effective July 13. 

What?  You didn’t know there was a “nationwide” search underway to recruit a new Corrections Director?

Me neither…

Regardless, Director DeMore was approved by unanimous vote of the Volusia County Council on Tuesday – now that the ugliness that necessitated his hiring is comfortably out of sight and out of mind…

According to reports, he will be paid $148,000 to start, and – as self-described “beach people” – DeMore and his wife will realize their decade-long dream of moving to the area. 

I don’t know Director DeMore – I’m sure he is an experienced professional – well equipped to manage and oversee the Corrections Division.

But so was “interim” Corrections Director Steven Smith…

As I understand it, Smith will return to his role as Volusia County Jail Warden, and will now report to DeMore, who will report to Public Protection Director Mark Swanson, who will report to Deputy County Manager Suzanne Konchan, who (I think) reports to The Wreck, whew…

Yeah.  I know. 

Although the mere thought of crippling nausea prohibited me from watching the meeting (which ended just shy of 3:00am) – I’ll just bet that during Tuesday’s welcoming ceremony no one on the dais bothered to ask The Wreck why Volusia County could not promote a middle manager from within?

Or inquired of Director DeMore, as a seasoned penologist, to publicly explain his thoughts on placing inmates in four-point restraints in the nude – a disturbing practice reminiscent of Abu Ghraib – that The Wreck cited as one reason for the controversial termination of former Corrections Director Mark Fowler. 

Look, none of this is Director DeMore’s fault – hell, he just got here – and no one wants to upset the pageantry and backslapping that accompanies welcoming a new senior administrator to the fold with uncomfortable questions from our elected representatives, eh?   

But a cursory check of govsalaries.com for 2021 (the latest year available) requires you go 122 employees deep before you reach someone making below $100,000 – not including benefits… 

As we begin the “budget process,” it is time for our elected officials (each of whom bills themself as a “fiscal conservative,” yet prove, time-and-again, they wouldn’t know a real fiscal conservative if one jumped up and bit them on the ass) to start the process of “right sizing” this out-of-control bureaucracy in an environment where Volusia County taxpayers still earn far below the state and national average. 

In my view, it is unsustainable and immortal for our elected officials to permit this top-heavy monstrosity to continue hemorrhaging more of our hard-earned tax dollars funding redundant positions.

Quote of the Week

“New District 5 Councilman David Santiago has missed four of the 11 regular Volusia County Council meetings that have occurred since he joined the governing body this year while his six fellow council members have had near-perfect attendance.

This has not gone unnoticed. Deltona City Commissioner Dana McCool, who lives in Santiago’s district, recently raised the issue on “The Smoking Truth” podcast, which she cohosts.

“I want to understand, when is it ethically and responsibly wrong for an elected official to miss meetings that they were elected for?” she asked. “And I love this person but I want it answered to the constituents because I deserve better in District 5.

Santiago says he has had good reasons for missing those meetings and said he doesn’t plan to miss any more. He also noted the council’s job goes beyond the dais, including serving on committees.

“There’s countless discussions and meetings and conference calls and constituent services that happen throughout the week,” he said in a phone interview.”

–Journalist Sheldon Gardner, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Councilman Santiago has missed 4 of 11 regular meetings; county has no policy on absences,” Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Hey, Volusia County taxpayers, guess what?

We deserve better for our $51,292 a year…   

And Another Thing!

“Daytona Beach City Commissioner Stacy Cantu said she would like to see a grocery store at Daytona Entrada because it would benefit those who live along ISB, west of I-95. That includes the future residents of the planned 1,600-home Waypoint community south of the intersection of ISB and Tomoka Farms Road.

“It could help divert traffic from LPGA Boulevard (to the north) as well as Beville Road (to the south),” she said.”

–Daytona Beach Commissioner Stacy Cantu, as quoted by business editor Clayton Park, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “A huge project is being planned at Daytona’s ‘gateway.’ Here’s what we know about it,” Friday, June 16, 2023

I’m sorry.  But that doesn’t make sense to me… 

How about you? 

What do the claustrophobic residents of the Halifax area think? 

Do you believe the proposed “Daytona Entrada” – a massive 121-acre development that promises to shoehorn another 208 rent-to-own townhomes, 359 apartment units, and nearly 115,000 square feet of commercial space on already overcrowded LPGA Boulevard west of that two-lane Monument to Mediocrity at the Tomoka River pinch point – will “divert” traffic from LPGA Boulevard and Beville Road, or add to it? 

I’m asking. (Because no one in a policymaking role cares what you think…) 

I find it interesting that whenever I speak to our new neighbors in places like Margaritaville and Mosaic – or the frustrated residents of the LPGA community – they’re scared shitless about what the future holds as their elected officials commiserate with them – then continue to rubberstamp more, more, more development in this asinine shove ten-pounds of shit in a five-pound bag growth management strategy. 

According to the News-Journal, the Daytona Entrada project could include a “large anchor tenant” (even as many of our current “anchor tenants” are rapidly closing their doors in established shopping centers along ISB), along with more fast-food restaurants, and “shops.” 

I found it interesting that when the developer was asked why they selected the area at LPGA Boulevard and West ISB, they cited pie-on-the-sky plans by FDOT and Volusia County to “eventually” widen LPGA – now that explosive growth has been allowed to outpace transportation infrastructure:

“It’s really the entry point to Daytona,” said (Jawaad) Khanani (of Elevation Development, LLC) of the site. “It’s already got a lighted intersection and we feel the growth there is definitely advantageous for our project.”

“We also really like the planned infrastructure improvements,” he added, referring to plans by the Florida Department of Transportation and Volusia County to eventually widen LPGA Boulevard west of I-95 from two to four lanes.

There is no telling when those road improvements will actually happen.

Funding has yet to be secured for the road-widening project, which would include a new interchange where I-95 and LPGA Boulevard connect as well as a new four-lane Tomoka River Bridge.”

Again, I’m not an expert – but I am skeptical that adding more development along a two-lane roadway already described as “critical” by both public and private transportation experts will help alleviate the growing problems on LPGA Boulevard.

In fact, Maryam Ghyabi-White, Central Florida’s preeminent traffic engineer, who has been working hard to find solutions on LPGA Boulevard, said in a prophetic 2021 interview with The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

“I have moments, really angry moments where I say, ‘This shouldn’t be that way. How can we approve all of these projects knowing we didn’t have the capacity? Who does that?’ But, again, I advise myself not to look back.”

Earlier this year, Ms. Ghyabi-White advised that construction on the LPGA interchange and improvement project was not expected to begin before 2028 – with completion taking an estimated 30-months… 

Good luck, residents of Boomtown Boulevard and beyond.

You’re gonna need it…

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

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               Mark Bryson

“Mark Bryson’s last act was a selfless one.

The 42-year-old Lakeland man, having already rescued two children from a hazardous rip current off Daytona Beach, swam out to rescue one more person, a family friend. He didn’t make it.

“What he did is who he was,” said his fiancee, Lori McElligott. “Even if it wasn’t our family, if he saw anybody in danger he wouldn’t have hesitated to go rescue them. You know, he helped everybody.”

–Reporter Sheldon Gardner, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, ‘What he did is who he was’: Man dies off Daytona Beach after rescuing others from ocean – Fiancée says hotels, county officials should post more rip current warnings,’ Friday, June 9, 2023

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends…”

–John 15:13

I didn’t know Mark Bryson; I doubt you did either. 

But he died a hero. 

On June 2, Mr. Bryson and Ms. McElligott were enjoying a day on Daytona Beach with family and friends celebrating their daughter’s seventh birthday.  At approximately 11:00am, as Bryson built a sandcastle with his daughter at the water’s edge, he heard one of his children, a family friend, and her young child screaming for help. 

Without hesitation, Mr. Bryson courageously ran into the ocean and saved both children before heading back out to help the struggling woman.    

Unfortunately, Mr. Bryson died attempting to save the life of his friend. 

Although responding lifeguards performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Bryson was later pronounced dead at Halifax Hospital. 

According to the News-Journal’s report, “The lifeguards rescued the woman and another man who had gone into the ocean to help.”

Tragically, Bryson’s death followed another drowning in Daytona Beach Shores the day before, when a 76-year-old grandfather visiting from Kentucky died after heroically saving his young grandson from a rip current…   

Now, many are questioning why there were no lifeguards on the busy stretch of beach where Mr. Bryson and his family were swimming? 

While Volusia County officials warn beachgoers to swim in front of “staffed lifeguard towers,” the cruel reality is that the lifesaving towers are increasingly few and far between – with beach safety leadership continuing the practice of assigning lifeguards to roam the beach (and Atlantic Avenue) in vehicles – rather than monitoring swimmers from the beach.    

During the Memorial Day weekend, beach safety officials reported hundreds of ocean rescues – so many that some longtime beach activists questioned the numbers – with many saves attributed to the prevalence of dangerous rip currents. 

In fact, on May 30, Beach Safety Captain A. J. Miller said in an interview with WESH-2 news:  

“Anytime you are swimming without a staffed lifeguard tower is risky business.”

Then, on the day of Mr. Bryson’s death, Ocean Rescue Deputy Chief Tammy Malphers was quoted:

“We need people to make sure they come down on the beach and swim in front of a staffed lifeguard tower. If you get down on the beach, there’s not a lifeguard; find one.”

But where? 

Apparently, you need an “app” for that…

In an impassioned open message to clueless members of the Volusia County Council, beach advocate Paul Zimmerman wrote:

“I was on the beach yesterday paddling, again I saw multiple red trucks on the beach, A1A, and Publix etc.  I saw stretches of 2 miles or longer with no red towers. How many tourists must die at 11 AM in the morning in the heart of our tourist district on an unprotected area of our beach?  Isn’t it time to restructure the idiotic model that has county employees, who are trained in lifeguard responsibilities, driving their red trucks around the beachside rather than sitting in towers ON THE BEACH. 

As elected officials and administrators of the beach department when will the obvious along (with) the sad death of this individual motivate you to do your job? I also remind you of the email thread that you all received a couple weeks ago WARNING you of the danger of this model. You did nothing then but make excuses. How many?”

Wow.

Two miles or longer between towers? 

Now, Lori McElligott is seeking answers as to why there was no lifeguard assigned to the crowded section of beach where her fiancée died, and, after some 300 rescues in four days, more wasn’t done to warn visitors of the grave danger of rip currents? 

According to the News-Journal:

“Volusia County Beach Safety did not have a lifeguard on duty at the tower in that section of the beach at the time. County officials urge people to swim in front of manned lifeguard stations.

McElligott said there were no warnings in her hotel about the dangers of rip currents, no one told them about the Volusia County Beaches app, which reports local conditions, and she didn’t see any warnings on the beach. She also said there was no way to tell if a lifeguard was simply taking a break from the tower.”

Look, I complain ad nauseum about what passes for Volusia County’s beach “management” apparatus – a bloated bureaucracy within a bureaucracy that seemingly exists to perpetuate its own existence rather than improve the beachgoing experience – but I have never questioned the incredible courage and dedication of those lifeguards who go into harm’s way to save lives. 

In my view, it is time for County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald to take responsibility for the ongoing mismanagement that allows demonstrably failed practices and policies to remain – and the stagnant status quo to prevail.   

When it comes to these recurring issues on our pole and sign cluttered beach, where does the buck stop?

This problem didn’t happen overnight.   

One year ago, Volusia County officials reported a chronic shortage of lifeguards and announced a $500 bonus for returning staff and new recruits. 

At the time, it was announced that lifeguard pay started at just $13.24 an hour…

Perhaps one day those we elect to represent our interests on the Volusia County Council will understand the inherent risk of failing to objectively evaluate Mr. Recktenwald’s performance each December, the need to prioritize spending on beach issues, and the grave importance of addressing ongoing threats to public safety and our quality of life.

As Mr. Zimmerman warned, “How many”?

Asshole           Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington  

This week, Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington unveiled his laughable “vision” for closing the barndoor now that the swaybacked nag of malignant sprawl has bolted and is stuck in traffic somewhere on Granada Boulevard…

For the past 20-years, Partington – a perennial politician supported by our “Rich & Powerful” with a reputation for “malleability” on development issues – has loitered around Ormond Beach government, now presiding over the most asinine ‘cart before the horse’ period of explosive growth in our history.

In my view, Hizzoner’s mediocre reign has been marked by a complete lack of effective planning, no identifiable growth strategy, an abysmal environmental record that trades old growth forest for convenience stores and unkempt vacant lots, and a reputation for gross political cowardice that has allowed this once quaint community to be surrounded on all fronts and held hostage by insatiable developers who could give two-shits that our only east-west throughfare is nearing gridlock.

Now that the hue and cry of claustrophobic residents feeling the squeeze of more, more, more internal and external development  – including the looming specter of the gargantuan Avalon Park, which will soon begin the slash-and-burn land clearing required for what we are told will be between 3,000 and 10,000 cracker boxes and a ‘city within a city’ one-million square foot commercial footprint – has become too loud to ignore, Mayor Partington has announced his pie-in-the-sky “Grand Plan” for expanding transportation infrastructure.  

Bullshit.

Sadly, Mayor Partington’s laundry list of pathologically unrealistic desires as published in the Ormond Beach Observer – astronomically expensive transportation infrastructure projects that might be considered for funding around the time the Comet Kohoutek returns – is clearly designed to scam worried residents into believing he has a workable plan for getting us out of the quagmire he and his craven colleagues have created by rubberstamping every project that came across the dais…

For instance, the plethora of projects he wants us to “discuss/debate/consider moving forward to improve the conditions on Granada/S.R. 40 and overall east/west traffic flow in the Halifax area,” include:

A Diverging Diamond Interchange at S.R. 40 and I-95, similar to that proposed for U.S. 1 and I-95.

At least one extra lane both ways on S.R. 40 west of I-95 all the way to Airport Road.

A Hand Avenue overpass/extension.

Create frontage road on S.R. 40 to LPGA on the west side of I-95.

Extend Tymber Creek Road from LPGA to Granada Boulevard.

Additional east/west connectors at Fleming Avenue and Calle Grande Street; Williamson Boulevard to U.S. 1.

Commercial property available west of I-95 (i.e. Publix/bank/fast food/dry cleaners/salon.)

Accelerate/decelerate lanes placed at strategic hot spots to maximize flow.

I-95 interchange access at Airport Road overpass.

And a “…bridge over LPGA to beachside A1A to increase east/west mobility and keep trips south of Ormond Beach.”

Say what?

Considering LPGA Boulevard and Riverside Drive is located within the City of Holly Hill – a community that has worked diligently to keep its “Old Florida” charm and small-town identity despite the insanity of the massive overdevelopment embraced by its irresponsible neighbors – maybe Mayor Partington should stay in his lane and cleanup his own damn house before foisting his “visionary ideas” on other communities that are getting it right… 

In my view, Mayor Partington’s abject arrogance was on full display when he suggested a “…social media campaign on “know when to go” that will encourage retirees to use off-peak times for driving needs.”

If this tone-deaf schlub thinks retirees – who make up an increasingly large number of Ormond Beach voters – are an inconvenient constituency who should stay home and make way for the overcrowding his policies have facilitated, something tells me Mayor Partington’s political ambitions are about to land on that fetid ash heap of history where the careers of all obtuse politicians ultimately end when they lose touch with the realities of We, The Little People…   

Hey, Mayor – as an Ormond Beach resident of over 60-years who pays taxes and has suffered the sweeping ineptitude, asinine spending, lack of strategic thought, and craven cowardice that has marked your political tenure – I feel comfortable speaking for my fellow retirees when I say:  Up yours. 

Although Mayor Partington’s announcement in the Ormond Beach Observer contained a steaming pile of flowery hokum and horseshit touting his commitment to “community engagement” (since when?) – the one glaring omission in his proposal is:

How are Ormond Beach taxpayers (and our great-great grandchildren) going to pay for it all?    

Don’t take my word for it, get a load of Partington’s pandering here: https://tinyurl.com/hrmka4dj

In my view, this latest shim-sham is merely more smoke and mirrors designed to prop up Mayor Partington’s run for the Florida House in 2024 – nothing more.

At the end of the day, the only thing he truly cares about is perpetuating more of the same for his well-heeled campaign contributors – and it should now be frighteningly evident to anyone paying attention that, in Mayor Partington’s desperation, he will say anything – with all the faux empathy for our diminishing quality of life a retread politician can muster – to make long-suffering residents believe he gives a damn about fixing the now insurmountable problems his craven acquiescence and incompetence helped create.

Angel               Sons of the Beach

I half-jokingly subscribe to the Groucho Marx adage, “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” 

But I have never regretted my long association with Sons of the Beach – Florida’s premiere beach driving and access advocacy – a grassroots organization comprised of civically active people dedicated to protecting our most important natural asset and preserving our century-old tradition of beach driving.

Most recently, a reinvigorated Sons of the Beach have been sounding the klaxon on the grave threat of coastal erosion and the disastrous policy of continuing to permit development east of the Coastal Construction Control Line – even as residents in Daytona Beach Shores, Wilber-by-the-Sea, and beyond continue incredibly expensive recovery and mitigation efforts following the devastation brought by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. 

Here in the Real World, most rational beings understand the folly of doing the same thing over and over – putting profit ahead of the public good – while expecting a different outcome.

The very definition of greed-crazed insanity. 

Now, as existing residents struggle to meet rapidly expanding property insurance premiums,  those with the wherewithal to purchase a chip in the game using massive campaign contributions (in a bizarre environment where an individual’s civic intelligence is measured by the size of their bank account) – some out-of-town developers are intent on building more high-rise ‘condotels’ east of A-1-A – blotting out the very sun that brings visitors to our area in the first place.

Fortunately, many concerned residents have come to the logical conclusion that continuing to build on what remains of our protective dune line represents a clear and present danger to public safety, the coastal environment, and our hospitality industry.

Recently, Sons of the Beach marked a victory in the fight against a 27-story condo/hotel project proposed near Silver Beach and A-1-A when members spoke in opposition before the Daytona Beach Planning Board. 

If approved, the planned development would have allowed five-years for permitting and ten-years for “substantial completion” – setting the stage for another interminable “pardon our progress” sign in front of the latest environmental insult on the beachside…   

According to Sons of the Beach, the City of Daytona Beach’s Land Development Code requires that the city take measures to protect the public welfare should a project be located “wholly within or partially within any flood hazard area” – and, according to reports, approximately half of the proposed development is within a flood zone…

“Rich Yost, newly elected President of SONS OF THE BEACH, states “the whole purpose of these policies (per city ordinance) is to safeguard the public health, safety, and general welfare as well as protect against development which may increase flood damage or erosion potential.” 

As it stands, the developer has been granted a two-month continuance…

Many thanks to SOB President Yost and those intrepid members who stood in defense of commonsense and our quality of life in fighting this monstrosity. 

Again, if you haven’t already, I encourage everyone to go to www.sonsofthebeach.org and become a member today.  While donations are appreciated, membership is free, and a great way of joining with friends and neighbors concerned about the future of our coastline. 

Quote of the Week

“Assistant City Manager Annual Salary: $150,936.65”

–City Clerk’s Office, City of Ormond Beach, Florida, Friday, June 9, 2023

Some 13-days after filing a formal public records request through the City of Ormond Beach’s third-party vendor for the Assistant City Manager’s salary and benefits, I received the terse response above – along with an electronic copy of what appeared to be a human resources brochure giving a general overview of employee benefits. 

That’s okay.  The delay gives me another bite at this rotten apple of bureaucratic redundancy.

My request was in response to reports that Assistant City Manager Claire Whitley is representing the city in testy negotiations with the International Union of Police Associations – the Police Department’s collective bargaining agent – who are working hard to obtain reasonable increases in salary and retirement benefits for Ormond Beach police officers in an era where it is extremely difficult to recruit and retain qualified personnel.

In my view, given the increasing demands on law enforcement and first responders – having the superfluous bureaucratic position of “Assistant City Manager” nickel and dime our dedicated officers out of a competitive wage is the height of hypocrisy.

Especially when you consider the starting salary for an Ormond Beach Police Officer is advertised at $46,468… 

For the record, a check of the City of Ormond Beach’s “transparency” portal finds that, last year, the Assistant City Manager received base pay of “$151.11K” – “other pay” of “$8.21K” and an “employer paid amount” of “$32.37K.”

That’s a whopping total of “$191.69K” in 2022 alone. 

For an unnecessary Assistant City Manager?  

Whoa.   

In my view, it is time for Mayor Bill Partington and the Free Spenders to start the process of “rightsizing” exorbitant executive salaries and start paying those at the tip of the spear – the brave souls who put their lives on the line to protect your family and mine – a compensation package that respects their courage, commitment, and dedication. 

And Another Thing!

They call it the old “Bait-and-Switch.” 

A confidence scam employed by old-time grifters like former Daytona Beach City Manager Jim “The Chiseler” Chisholm (who is now practicing his unique brand of “management” in the Lost City of Deltona). 

The ruse is perpetrated when, after several iterations of a controversial development are proposed – and the least-worst of all evils is approved by the elected body – another more onerous project is ultimately substituted after a period of stalling and stagnation.

Sound familiar?  It should.

Does anyone remember the super-secret “Project Delta” – the “brainchild” of the former good old boy’s investment club at Consolidated Tomoka Land Company – a development once billed as a 300-unit apartment complex with grocery store, shops, and an elevated parking garage – proposed on the site of the now demolished First Baptist Church in downtrodden downtown Daytona?   

Me neither…            

Like so many ‘grand reveals’ that make a flash in the pan then fade into the civic ether, Project Delta took on several iterations – including a weird plan floated in the waning days of The Chiseler’s reign that would have declared Daytona Beach City Hall “functionally obsolete” and replaced with a palatial, multi-story municipal complex constructed on the property then owned by CTO Realty Growth, Inc. at International Speedway Boulevard and North Ridgewood Avenue – complete with a five-story parking garage abutting a new “multifamily building” fronting North Palmetto Avenue to the east.

In an August 2020 article by the intrepid Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, we learned the real reason Chisholm wanted to comingle public and private funds for the project:

“Chisholm said the new development would evolve in stages, with the parking garage built first and a City Hall built later. The company that owns most of the Ridgewood Avenue block between International Speedway Boulevard and Bay Street, CTO Realty Growth Inc., has a developer under contract to build apartments on the site but could use help with the expense of a parking garage…”

This week, Westplan Investors – d/b/a “Accent Daytona Beach LP” – the Dutch developer who purchased the property in 2021, held a “neighborhood meeting” to unveil their latest plan for what is now referred to as “Project Delta West.”   

According to the News-Journal, “At issue are new plans to build five multi-story luxury apartment buildings instead of one on the downtown Daytona Beach property.”

“New plans”?

Wait, what?

In an informative article by the News-Journal’s business editor Clayton Park this week, we learned:

“The new site plan reveals what Westplan has in mind: five multi-story luxury apartment buildings, instead of one, as previously planned. The rest of the property is earmarked for surface parking with the exception of a small pad for potential commercial development.

No longer included in the plans are a grocery store, parking garage, restaurant, and retail store that CTO officials envisioned when they owned the land.

“We are amending the zoning to reflect the current multifamily layout they’re proposing,” said Cobb Cole land-use attorney Jessica Gow, who represents Westplan. “The zoning would still permit other (potential) retail or grocery uses, but those are not contemplated in their design at this time.”

Damn…

Unfortunately, it appears that the Downtown and Midtown neighborhoods will remain a ‘food desert’ for the foreseeable future. 

Many were looking forward to the long-promised revitalization of the area – including the supermarket, eatery, and new retail shops we were assured were part of the “original” Project Delta. 

Now, it appears our always upbeat downtown development gurus are moving the cheese just a little farther out of reach.

According to Jack White, the patient president of the Jack White Land Company, who, with his wife, former Daytona Beach City Commissioner Kelly White, have held on longer than most to see the revitalization of Downtown Daytona come to fruition – explained in the News-Journal that some 2,000 to 2,500 people will need to move into the area before a grocery store is viable…

“Nobody wants to be first,” said White. “Brown & Brown stepped up and built their new headquarters (which opened in January 2021) and then they created the new (Riverfront Esplanade) park across the street. If you think of it as a clock, those were giant cogs, but one of the cogs we’re still missing is getting more people living downtown.”

So, Brown & Brown wasn’t the panacea we were promised? 

I’m confused.                                                

Because I specifically recall being assured by our ‘powers that be’ that the Brown & Brown headquarters was going to solve every social, civic, and economic problem we face from malignant blight to the heartbreak of psoriasis…

In 2017, just weeks after the carefully orchestrated announcement that we would host the headquarters, both the City of Daytona Beach and the County of Volusia ponied up millions-of-dollars in 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 600 “new high-paying jobs” the gleaming glass-and-steel HQ would bring to downtown.

As the News-Journal reported at the time, these lucrative spiffs were championed by “some of the city’s heaviest hitters,” to include former Mayor Glenn Ritchey, past County Chair Frank Bruno, and representatives from Halifax Health, the Regional Chamber of Commerce, Cobb Cole, ad infinitum…

There was heady talk around town – exciting words like “rejuvenation,” “recovery,” and “revitalization” were bandied about – as our “heavy hitters” assured us taxpaying pissants that downtown restaurants, shops, and bars would be brimming with free spending Brown & Brown executives – something that gave strapped area merchants reason to hang on by their splintered fingernails just a little while longer. 

(Until Brown & Brown opened a full-service restaurant inside the new building, that is…)

Remember?  I do.

All us rubes who pay the bills had to do was keep our pieholes shut and accept the massive corporate welfare, tax breaks, and other publicly funded “economic incentives” the longsuffering citizens of Daytona Beach and Volusia County showered on the billion-dollar international insurance intermediary to hedge risk and cover overhead – then, in turn, developers, grocers, and entrepreneurs would be fist fighting each other to locate downtown.     

Now we’re being told this cheap watch we were sold is still missing a “cog”?

Whatever.

Naturally, the Pavlovian response of many weary residents when the “new plan” for Project Delta West was unveiled this week was to speculate what “incentives” our economic development shills will lavish on our new friends at Westplan Investors as we await “…the next big thing”?

Stay tuned, folks. 

Because the one constant here on Florida’s “Fun Coast” is the more things change – the more they stay the same…    

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

Look, when I am wrong, I’m wrong. 

I am the first to admit it. 

But when I say Volusia County doesn’t give a tinker’s damn about citizen input on growth management issues, you can take that to the bank…

Last week, Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower posted a notice on social media announcing a mysterious series of “Growth Management Workshops for Residents Input” with meetings scheduled on both sides of the Palmetto Curtain. 

First you’ve heard of it? 

Don’t worry – you aren’t alone.

Turns out, the flyer posted on Facebook was created by a private citizen concerned about the lack of advertising by Volusia County…

“If you have concerns with the way Volusia County is growing please go to your district workshop and express your concerns. Volusia County Planners will be there with historical and current maps to answer your questions, not to make a speech. This is your chance to make your voice heard and your comments will be considered as we move forward to update the comprehensive land management plan.”

As a retiree – out of my prime, and out of my mind – I have lots of spare time to stay abreast of current events.    

Almost masochistically, I read all local “newspapers,” several state and national news aggregators, monitor breaking news feeds from regional network affiliates, watch most council and commission meetings from around the “Fun Coast” (at least until the waves of nausea and bone crushing boredom drive me to the Pepto) and follow most official government social media sites. 

But when it came to the serious matter of growth management, try as I might, I could not find anything of substance about these important citizen input workshops where We, The Little People can provide our thoughts on the most pressing issue of our time.

However, what I did find was a lot of pap and fluff announcing a day at the beach with three members of the Volusia County Council – District 3 Danny Robins, District 2 Matt Reinhart, and District 4 Troy Kent – to be held from 9:00am to noon on Saturday, just north of the Harvard Drive approach in Ormond Beach. 

According to an official release by Volusia County, “The three beachside Volusia County Council members are giving new meaning to government in the sunshine.”   (Excuse me, whew! I just upchucked in my mouth a little…)

“Residents are invited to wear their beach duds and enjoy a morning on the beach. They can also bring a fishing pole if they want to do some surf fishing with the council members.”

How fun!

“Free parking will be available (for now) at Andy Romano Beachfront Park, 839 N. Atlantic Ave., Ormond Beach. Parking is also available on the beach with a beach pass.”

Look, playing beach blanket bingo with three pasty politicians isn’t my idea of fun.

But this shameless self-promotion has already brought some long simmering issues and animosities to the surface for many residents – like the county’s continuing lack of a comprehensive beach management plan, the slow pace of repairs and mitigation efforts in Daytona Beach Shores and beyond, onerous beach tolls for Volusia County taxpayers, allowing new development east of the Coastal Construction Control Line, the inability of disabled persons to access the strand, etc., etc. 

In fact, Florida’s premiere beach driving and access advocacy, Sons of the Beach, has produced a disturbing video on social media depicting the devastation on large swaths of the beach and the unaddressed threat of coastal erosion – and the SOB’s plan to attend – and seek answers to serious questions…   (Find the SOB video here: https://www.facebook.com/VCSOB )

Unfortunately, I wash my beard on Saturdays. 

But under Florida law, this beach party constitutes a public meeting – which means minutes must be taken and “promptly recorded” – so those of us who cannot attend will be able to get a copy by public records request later…

As I read the publicly funded hype and horseshit – complete with an artfully designed advertisement bearing the county seal and depicting the three elected show-boaters in sunglasses – I thought back to the bad old days of 2018, when former District 4 Councilwoman Heather Post was brutally pilloried by her “colleagues” for breaking the Old Guard’s Code of Omerta and hosting a citizen engagement meeting at a public library in her district. 

Whatever. 

The “Good ol’ Boys” are in full control now – and they do what they want…

After a search, I finally found our fleeting opportunity to provide input on future growth management listed in a May 16 “News Release” under the less than descriptive “County schedules planning workshops.”

I also found a May 22 post on the County of Volusia’s official Facebook page which also listed the dates of the workshops:

May 31: Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center, first-floor training room, DeLand. 

June 7: Deltona Regional Library, 2150 Eustace Avenue.

June 14: Daytona Beach Regional Library, 105 Jackie Robinson Parkway.

June 28: Ormond Beach Regional Library, 30 S. Beach Street.

July 5: Volusia County Fairgrounds, Hester Building, 3150 E. New York Ave., DeLand

Unfortunately, if you work for a living, please plan ahead. 

The window to “express your concerns” on Volusia’s growth mismanagement debacle is only open from 4:00pm to 6:00pm – which conveniently gets senior staff home in time for supper – but leaves precious little time for those stuck in traffic after getting off work at 5:00pm…

Good luck, friends.

If you haven’t already, I would like to encourage you to go to www.sonsofthebeach.org and become a member of this important grassroots organization today. 

Although donations are appreciated, membership is free!

In my experience, Sons of the Beach is a great way of coming together with friends and neighbors committed to ensuring public access to our most precious natural asset – while letting our powers that be know that, when it comes to preserving and protecting our beach, there is some shit we won’t eat.   

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

With all deference to the great Alice Cooper, as of today, school’s out for summer in Volusia County.

Unfortunately, the district administration’s fierce dedication to mediocrity and strict adherence to the stagnant status quo continues…

During the May 23 meeting of the Volusia County School Board, parents, students, and staff looked on in sadness as Superintendent Carmen Balgobin announced the transfer of thirteen school principals and sixteen assistant principals from across the district.

This nonsensical upheaval was ordered by Balgobin’s bureaucratic fiat – then blindly blessed by the School Board…   

Amidst the embarrassing distraction of Chief Human Resources Officer Mark West’s cell phone interrupting his presentation to the board – we were told that the retirement of five principals triggered the transfer of 29 school administrators districtwide? 

(For the record, Chief West should not be confused with the district’s Human Resources Director, Professional Standards Manager, Human Resources Coordinator, Employee Performance Coordinator, Employee and Leadership Development Coordinator, Recruitment and Retention Coordinator, or Professional Learning Coordinator…whew.)   

Following Superintendent Balgobin’s diktat – and Mr. West’s tepid explanation – two parents from Orange City Elementary School spoke for many across Volusia County as they begged board members to keep their beloved principal in place. 

In fact, one parent advised that Orange City stakeholders have collected over 500 signatures on a petition to retain Principal Charlie Bynum – who now faces a cross-county transfer to Pine Trail Elementary School in Ormond Beach.   

Another parent openly wept.

Per usual, these emotional entreaties were callously ignored…

The questions – and utter absurdity – did not end there.

In another case, Troy Kent, a veteran assistant principal who currently serves as an elected member of the Volusia County Council, has been transferred from his current position as AP of Sugar Mill Elementary in Port Orange to an “Alternative Education” facility in Deltona that deals exclusively with Exceptional Education Students.   

He resides in Ormond Beach…

As I understand it (and I’m not sure I do), although Mr. Kent has extensive credentials and administrative experience, a search of the Florida Department of Education’s database finds that he does not currently possess an Exceptional Education qualification on his teaching certificate. 

You may recall that in 2021, Volusia County District Schools entered into an agreement with the United States Department of Justice following sustained allegations that ESE students were arbitrarily excluded from programs, while the district failed to implement necessary behavioral supports, and lacked training on how to properly respond to students’ disability-related behavior – to include the trauma of removing children with disabilities from school through improper use of the state’s Baker Act.

I’m no expert – but one might think with an HR bench this deep and the Department of Justice looking over their shoulder – someone in the byzantine hierarchy at Volusia County Schools either knew or should have known that Mr. Kent’s appointment to an ESE post was, at best, inappropriate – and, at worst, setting both him and the school up for failure.

Look, I don’t always agree with Mr. Kent’s politics – but this smells like an old-fashioned screw job to me.  In my view, a 24-year Volusia County educator and administrator deserves better.

I also found it interesting that Dr. Balgobin’s husband – Thomas Soli – who previously served as an assistant principal in Orange County Public Schools before being appointed principal of Riverview Learning Center in Daytona Beach (over several qualified internal candidates), was spared from the transfer list? 

Yeah.  I know… 

In response to the very real concerns expressed by parents – both during the board meeting and on the district’s official Facebook page (criticisms that were summarily censored and hidden from public view by staff) – School Board member Carl “Namby-Pamby” Persis gave his patented “I feel your pain” soliloquy (trust me, he doesn’t), always deferring to the omnipotent bureaucracy, rather than represent the needs of those who elected him. 

Why is that?

I found it telling that at the same meeting in which Superintendent Balgobin announced her administrative musical chairs – the district reported over 700 vacancies in both instructional and support roles – with 97 in the critical area of Exceptional Student Education, and 74 in core teaching assignments.

That should shock the conscience of every taxpayer in Volusia County…

Recently, a self-described “new teacher” in Volusia County Schools reported leaving the district citing a lack of support and mentorship, explaining that many opportunities which had been promised never materialized. 

In most organizations, this critical information would be considered vital to future retention initiatives – yet it was dismissed with a terse, “I wished we could have helped you earlier.  I’m sorry you had this experience,” as if the teacher were sending back an overdone porterhouse at a Golden Corral…

According to an informative report by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer:

“So far, 756 people have separated from VCS, including 106 employees who retired.

A total of 102 reported finding employment outside of education as their reason for separation, while 169 listed personal reasons and 72 listed finding a job in education somewhere else in the state.”

Frighteningly, those in the know expect that number to increase over the summer as more teachers and staff decide to flee this sinking ship…

According to the report, School Board Chair Jamie Haynes (who always sounds completely exasperated to me) said she wants to see the district’s gargantuan Human Resources apparatus reach more potential candidates who are willing to take a ride in the meatgrinder…

“We need more options,” she said. “We need more options, because I don’t see my families in Seville or Pierson — that very well could want to be working at one of those schools — having the ability to get to Deltona. That’s a long way.”

Of course, Chief HR Officer Mark West obsequiously agreed (because, what else is he going to do, tell the unvarnished truth?) and advised Haynes, “those factors are part of the conversation at the district level.” 

Whatever that means…

“Haynes also suggested the district go beyond advertising employment on social media, and spread the word to local chambers of commerce, churches, doctor’s offices and community centers.

“There are people out there that will work,” Haynes said. “We just have to find them.”

What’s next?

Prison work release inmates? 

Ambulatory hoboes? 

Robotic androids? 

Indentured foreign nationals shipped in to teach in Volu…oh, wait…

I’m asking. 

Because whatever it is Volusia County District Schools are doing to retain professional educators isn’t working – and our children are suffering the consequences of this institutional incompetence.

Hey!  I’ve got a few ideas!

How about Superintendent Balgobin, and her throng of bureaucratic sycophants in the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand, come to the realization that asinine practices like the haphazard transfer of principals and assistant principals – despite the pleas and protestations of students, parents, and staff – moves that in some cases result in onerous cross-county commutes – are counterproductive, ruin any sense of continuity or community, and destroy morale? 

How about listening to the concerns of teachers, paraprofessionals, and staff members then provide them with the support and mentorship they deserve?    

How about getting serious about addressing the raging “behavioral issues” that are turning our schools into a dystopian “Thunder Dome” of violence, bullying, criminality, and chaos?      

How about replacing whatever passes for the senior executive ranks in Deland with professionals who understand the need for responsive, transparent, and participatory leadership that values the contributions and suggestions of those who present the curriculum in the classroom?

That’s a good start.

In my view, it is high time Volusia County District Schools stopped using “Leading with Grace and Respect” as a sick punchline and got serious about righting that foundering ship of fools in Deland. 

I think that process starts at the ballot box…

Angel               City of Ormond Beach Police Officers

You know how they say, “Growth doesn’t pay for itself?” 

Here’s Exhibit A…

Having spent the bulk of my adult life in public service – an uneducated bumpkin who clawed my way to middle management and hung on by my fingernails – I rarely criticize government salaries or the lucrative perquisites that many in the private sector will never know. 

It seems sanctimonious for someone who drug on the public teat for over three-decades to carp about the current salaries of those still in the arena. 

Because it is. 

But as regular readers of these screeds know – my hypocrisy knows no bounds…

In my view, when it comes to the salaries and “Golden Parachutes” enjoyed by some local senior government administrators, we’ve gone from the irrational to the irresponsible, while those who deliver essential services – like law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, water distribution and wastewater treatment personnel, or serve at the interface of the bureaucracy and those it ostensibly exists to serve – continue to work for far less than their contemporaries in other areas of the state.   

That’s a problem. 

Especially when you consider that some municipal and county governments now have more executive levels than a sfogliatelle…

Recently, the Ormond Beach Observer reported on the testy negotiations between the City of Ormond Beach and the International Union of Police Associations, which represents Ormond Beach police officers, who are seeking reasonable increases in salary and retirement benefits in an era where it is increasingly difficult to recruit and retain qualified law enforcement officers.

In fact, in 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis enacted a $13.5 million cash incentive program to attract out-of-state officers to meet Florida’s growing need. 

In my view, if we paid police officers what they are worth in our society – we couldn’t afford them – and given the social and civic upheaval that continues to drive many from the profession, now is not the time for municipal leaders in one of the most affluent communities in Volusia County to cry the Poormouth Blues as they continue to rubber stamp more, more, more development.

According to reports, the city is being represented during the negotiations by Assistant City Manager Claire Whitley – who was recently captured on video making what many mistook for a slight against Ormond Beach police officers at the bargaining table.   

The out-of-context clip made the rounds on social media and rightfully angered residents who saw it, which mistakenly appeared to show Whitley commenting to union representatives, “If you were top officers, you’d go and get the top dollar.”

What Ms. Whitley actually said was, “We all know there’s lots of reasons you work here, we’re not the top paid. You are the best officers. You could go get the top top dollar, right.”

Yeah.  I’m not sure where she was going with that either…

Regardless, I found it absurd that the City of Ormond Beach would have an “Assistant City Manager” – a redundant senior management position that epitomizes Parkinson’s Law of bureaucratic expansion – sitting across the bargaining table facing brave men and women who put themselves in harm’s way, yet make thousands of dollars less than Ms. Whitley commands for polishing a wingback chair at City Hall…

A search of salary information for the top five senior positions in Ormond Beach government finds a combined publicly funded annual nut of $813,740 – not including benefits – which includes Ms. Whitley’s handsome salary of $146,540 (according to govsalaries.com for 2021). 

Really?

For the record, at present, the starting salary of an Ormond Beach Police Officer is advertised at $46,468 – about $100,000 less than Assistant City Manager Whitley commands…

You wouldn’t know it by driving down Granada Boulevard in Ormond Beach (or any other congested thoroughfare in Volusia County) but Florida law dictates “concurrency” – land use regulations that require local governments ensure that new development does not outpace their ability to manage it.

For a development to “meet concurrency” the local government must have enough infrastructure capacity and facilities to serve each proposed development.  These requirements include roads, stormwater drainage, parks, solid waste, potable water, sanitary sewer, and mass transit facilities. 

Commonsense says that those we elect and appoint to represent our interests should also consider our growing public safety needs – especially in this rapidly expanding community that is slowly being pinched from all sides by explosive growth. 

That begins by setting priorities – like determining “must haves” from “nice to haves.”

In my view, community-based police, fire, and emergency medical services are mandatory for any full-service incorporated municipality.  These highly visible, accessible, and responsive essential services provide a sense of place – a true civic identity – that results in deep bonds of loyalty between citizens and those who serve and protect them.   

Those brave souls who are willing to lay their lives down to protect your family and mine deserve our respect – and that begins with a competitive wage and benefits package in the face of unprecedented social, civic, and political challenges – and the malignant sprawl that continues to increase pressure on public infrastructure and emergency services. 

In my view, tone-deaf Ormond Beach “leaders” should stand united in support of our officers – and direct staff to ensure these brave men and women receive the compensation and benefits they deserve – because given the increasing demands on law enforcement and first responders – having a superfluous “Assistant City Manager” and various high-paid labor attorneys nickel and dime our dedicated first responders is the height of hypocrisy. 

Quote of the Week

“A brief history of the proposed Tymber Creek Apartments project: The developer’s initial request was for 299 units, which is the density granted with a PBD (Planned Business Development) waiver. 

Straight zoning would’ve been around 164 units. 

In December 2022, the Planning Board unanimously voted down the newly-proposed 270 units. In March of this year, the Florida Senate Bill 102 “Live Local Act” was signed into law, which basically overrides local decisions regarding rental properties if the property falls within certain “affordable” parameters. The law goes into effect on July 1.

Because of this law, the developer threatened to build even more apartments if the 270-unit project was not approved, claiming he could build over 500 units under the new law. On May 16, the commission approved the 270-unit project with a 4-1 vote. 

On Tuesday, June 6, there will be a second reading before final approval of the Tymber Creek Apartments proposal.

We realize that the state law has put the commission in a tight spot. However, most laws are tested in court before they can be enforced. This law will likely be challenged and therefore we believe the commission should wait before giving in to the developer. 

Even lobbyist Jeff Sharkey, CEO of Capitol Alliance Group, Inc., admitted the law was an “experiment” and that Ormond is likely among the first municipal governments impacted by the law. He also acknowledged there would be pushback because the law “may not work in Community X, but it will in Community Y.”

There’s also a question if the developer’s threat of 500 units would clear the concurrency requirements, anyway. Note that an affordable housing requirement involves nearby public transportation. We all know there is no Votran service west of I-95 in Ormond Beach, and that area will not see bus service for years to come. So technically, under the law, the applicant would not qualify for a higher density granted by the state.

People should write and come out expressing that the commission not approve the project until the law’s been tested. Most of us are aware of the multiple reasons apartments — whether they be 160, 270, or 500 — are wrong for this area.”

–Julie and Ken Sipes, Ormond Beach, Ormond Beach Observer, Letters to the Editor, “Tymber Creek Apartments,” Tuesday, May 30, 2023

And Another Thing!

I’m not one to give unsolicited advice.  Because I don’t take it well myself.     

But sometimes you see a trainwreck looming on the horizon and feel a sense of responsibility to offer a word to the wise…

Take it or leave it.

Let’s face it, most politicians are a different breed.

They possess a weird compulsion to hold themselves out – to fight tooth-and-nail through the gristmill of a modern campaign – putting their reputation on the line, scraping and groveling, selling their political souls to the highest bidder while desperately trying to convince themselves (and us) that they won’t compromise our trust – knowing deep in their hearts the ‘big bucks’ come with an expected return on investment.

Now the money is omnipotent, and rarely does the best man or woman win the day…   

Like Dr. Thompson so eloquently said, “That is the nature of professional politics.  Many are called, but few survive the nut-cutting hour…”

When the majority of their neighbors elevate them to high office, most politicians are quickly taken into “the system” – the once square peg of independent thought we voted for is quickly pounded into the round hole of bureaucratic conformity – and those who refuse to comply are just as quickly marginalized and vilified by their malleable “colleagues.” 

What remains is a neutered wooden figurehead trying desperately to remain relevant – painting themselves as an iconoclastic “everyman” – standing on the outside looking in – hoping they can convince us to give them another bite at the apple so they can “finish the job” when it comes time for reelection.

Sound familiar?

Last Friday, beleaguered Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower stood before a small group of supporters at Common Ground Farm in DeLand to announce he has filed to run for reelection in 2024. 

He joins Port Orange Mayor Don Burnette and car-guy Randy Dye in a race that is sure to attract more hopefuls in the weeks/months to come. 

I like Jeff Brower.  He is a good and decent man.   

Unfortunately, as a politician, his vision, span of attention, and strategies can be, well, shambolic. 

That is not completely his fault.    

When he ran for elective office in 2020, I went well outside my comfort zone to endorse his candidacy and spoke on his behalf at a campaign gathering in West Volusia. 

At the time, I naïvely convinced myself that Mr. Brower could deliver on his much ballyhooed (but never fully explained) “Plan B” – and he truly wanted to be the voice of a silent majority desperate for change.  In my feeble mind, he represented our last/best hope to transform the stagnant status quo – someone willing to fight for our dwindling environment and quality of life in the face of massive overdevelopment.   

Unfortunately, once elected, Volusia’s influential Old Guard crushed his every effort…

Out of frustration, I suppose – during the 2022 elections, Chairman Brower wallowed in the ugly internecine local Republican wars – fielding and openly supporting a slate of likeminded (if unknown) candidates that he hoped would break the voting bloc that had openly shit on his every campaign promise and turned council meetings into chaotic shit shows that often dissolved into little more than timewasting one-upmanship and pettifoggery.   

Rather than get out of the way and allow the grassroots candidates to run their own race – Brower came off like a domineering puppeteer – something that ultimately exuded weakness and desperation. 

When the openly hostile Volusia Republican Executive Committee unanimously rejected Brower’s “Volusia Values” slate – it resulted in Brower and Volusia REC chair Paul Deering publicly locking horns.

It was ‘poor optics,’ as they say, for both sides.

But Mr. Deering had nothing to lose…

Since the “new” Volusia County Council took their seats in January, the open hostility that was the hallmark of the “old” council has given way to a more genteel and polished suppression of Chairman Brower’s initiatives. 

But make no mistake, most of Brower’s “colleagues” will never allow his priorities a chance – at least not if they want Paul Deering and his powerful VREC to pat them on their pointy little heads and offer their endorsement again…

Now, over halfway through his first four-year term – and facing a daunting reelection campaign – Chairman Brower tells us he is now ready to “…take the gloves off.” 

Better late than never, I suppose…

In my view, Mr. Brower began his campaign kickoff last week by saying all the right things, speaking passionately about patriotism, sacrifice, and the purest motivations of public service.  

During his stump speech, Brower asked his supporters to stop looking at developers and their attorneys as “evil” (I guess, like SunRail, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, eh?) – and implored residents to “come together as a community” to collectively solve the problems we face.

Once again, Chairman Brower promised to be “our voice” to reign in the overdevelopment that many believe has contributed to widespread flooding, taxed our insufficient infrastructure, and adversely affected our quality of life.

It was inspiring. 

Then it wasn’t…

As Chairman Brower is inclined to do, the cheese slowly slipped off his cracker, as his speech veered into the weeds of weirdness when he began cryptically hinting at two mysterious companies he is courting to bring those elusive “high paying jobs” we hear so much about to Volusia County.    

Of course, like most “economic development” shim-shams we’ve become leery of – absolute secrecy is paramount – and our Chairman was not at liberty to give us the name of the companies – other than teasing that one magically cleans septic systems – while the other plans to revolutionize energy production using – wait for it – “algae.”

Call me a cynic, and I could be wrong, but it sounded an awful lot like Mr. Brower’s unilateral business recruitment efforts will somehow involve expending county staff time, and, ultimately, our tax dollars?    

According to an article by Sheldon Gardner and Mark Harper in The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

“Brower talked about an effort he’s working on with county staff to bring in a business that he said would change lives and how energy is used.

“I want that company here in Volusia County because it will create hundreds, maybe thousands, of high-tech, high-paying jobs that change the energy consumption of what drives our economy all over the world … using algae,” he said.

He said he’s not ready to reveal the details of the potential project yet.”

There you have it. 

Perhaps his campaign slogan should be, “Brower ’24: From the Sublime to the Ridiculous…you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” 

In my view, Mr. Brower should realize that as we anxiously face the start of the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season, Volusia County residents are not so much concerned about heating our homes with algae farts as we are about hardening and insuring our properties, even as many of our neighbors are still completing repairs from last season – rightfully worried about the threat of more devastating floods – and county government’s unwillingness to determine its cause or mitigate the risk. 

Here’s my sliver of unsolicited advice to Mr. Brower as he throws what’s left of his hat in the ring:

“Keep the crazy to a minimum.” 

Sorry.  But someone had to say what everyone is thinking…

We, The Little People, who pay the exorbitant bills and suffer in silence are seeking substantive answers to the serious issues that affect our lives and livelihoods here on the “Fun Coast,” starting with a Volusia County Council that is capable of building consensus and collaborating with policymakers in the municipalities to develop comprehensive solutions and rebuild public trust.  

If Chairman Brower hopes to regain the respect and confidence of Volusia County residents in 2024, he must demonstrate substantive progress on the serious issues we face.  That will require strong and decisive leadership and a laser focus on finding solutions – not more pie-in-the-sky horseshit, partisan bitchery, and political hoopla…   

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

________________________________

Angels & Assholes will be on hiatus next week while your intrepid scribe goes under-the-knife once again to correct the final cataract plaguing my foggy right eye.   

As always, thanks for your understanding and support.

“See” you real soon!

Mark

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 Sheriff Michael Chitwood

In 2022, the Florida legislature considered the best interests of residents fed up with being held hostage in their homes while (insert unsanctioned invasion here) seizes control of their community.   

Working cooperatively with Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood and Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young – last year, Rep. Tom Leek of Ormond Beach and Sen. Tom Wright of New Smyrna Beach – filed bills which ultimately resulted in an effective law addressing these unpermitted “pop-up” events. 

The statute allows county sheriffs to designate “special event zones” authorizing enhanced fines, vehicle impoundment for non-criminal traffic infractions, occupancy limits, and other sanctions, including the recovery of costs associated with designating and enforcing a special event zone from the organizer or promoter. 

As any resident of the Halifax area can attest, the law was desperately needed in the aftermath of out-of-control events like the disastrous Daytona Truck Meet in 2021, which resulted in gridlocked traffic, reckless driving, public urination, and other nuisance conditions which taxed law enforcement and first responders as an estimated 50,000 participants descended on our area. 

Earlier this month, Sheriff Chitwood enacted the special designation ahead of “Orange Crush 2K23” – an event which recently drew huge crowds to Tybee Island, Georgia and resulted in numerous arrests and traffic violations – including reported incidents of participants throwing items at police officers. 

Unacceptable. 

In my view, Sheriff Chitwood’s proactive response to averting potential mayhem represents the perfect application of Florida’s new special events law.

Last week, Sheriff Chitwood sent cease and desist letters to organizers of “Orlando Invades The Beachside” originally scheduled for this weekend. 

According to a report by Katie Kustura writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Sheriff Chitwood explained that the unsanctioned event would place an “…unreasonable strain on the already burdened law enforcement, medical, firefighter and beach safety resources of Volusia County.” 

To their credit, the promoters agreed to seek proper permits should the event be rescheduled.

With the latest “livestream” fad, “Tic-Toc” challenge, or internet promoted “flash mob” pushing many American cities closer to anarchy, we can be thankful Volusia County has bold law enforcement leaders like Sheriff Chitwood and Chief Young – working collaboratively with their colleagues and our legislative delegation – to enact and enforce substantive laws that provide those who serve and protect the tools to keep residents safe.   

Well done. 

Asshole           Volusia County Council & ECHO Advisory Committee  

“If everyone is thinking alike, then someone isn’t thinking.”

–Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.   

We live in a time and place where the decisions that affect our lives and livelihoods are increasingly made by paid consultants – out-of-town “experts” who facilitate “groupthink” and provide a thick layer of political insulation for those we elect to high office and the career senior administrators who abhor any innovation or creativity that disturbs the status quo.   

Because in Volusia County, “If everyone is thinking alike, who can criticize the outcome?”

Trust me.  Expert “advice” does not come cheap.

Unfortunately, the final product often ends up on a groaning shelf in a dusty records morgue in DeLand – totally ignored.  The paid expert’s expensive suggestions never enacted (or even read) by any elected or appointed official…

Let’s face it, as the Volusia County Council’s recent $6,000 consultant-facilitated “goal setting” session proved – County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald and his senior “staff” rigidly control all internal and external processes – and any involvement by those wooden figureheads on the dais of power is pure window-dressing. 

Now, even county advisory boards are emulating the fast and loose spending of the elected officials they advise… 

Recently, the Volusia County Council approved a request by the ECHO Advisory Committee to fund the creation of a “strategic plan.”  As part of the committee’s required annual report, the group sought “…funding in the FY24 ECHO budget to hire a firm to lead the development of an ECHO strategic plan…”

According to the council agenda report, the plan will help identify future projects and needs with “our partners” (i.e., municipalities and non-profits); explore ways to improve the grant process and programs; provide recommendations for marketing ECHO projects; and other grant-related areas that the committee identifies as needing strategic input or direction.

Incredibly, on a 5-2 vote, the council authorized an ECHO budget expenditure of ‘no more than’ $75,000 to hire an outside firm…

My God.

When Volusia County residents took a strong leap of faith, ignored their best instincts, and overwhelmingly voted to continue the Volusia ECHO and Forever programs, I’m not sure using our hard-earned tax dollars to pay outside consultants was what we had in mind? 

In my view, the ECHO program lost all legitimacy earlier this year when Volusia County openly looted the fund using a cheap strongarm tactic called a “Direct County Expenditure.” 

In March, by unanimous vote, the Volusia County Council approved a bundled “5-year plan” which placed divisional capital improvement expenditures – specifically the repair and replacement of existing infrastructure – on the back of the Volusia ECHO program.

Rather than come before the committee with their hat in hand, a novel idea for improving our environmental, cultural, historic, and outdoor recreation programs, all articulated in a properly formatted grant application with matching funds – just like other ECHO applicants are required to do – our elected officials simply took what they wanted from our cookie jar.   

With the wave of a bureaucratic wand, the Volusia County Council approved a list of 43 projects at 32 sites to be funded using $15.4 million in ECHO funds – with 24 of those projects identified as “improvement of current assets.”

Bullshit.

According to a report by Jarleene Almenas in the Ormond Beach Observer, “County Councilmen David Santiago and Don Dempsey, who voted no, said they were concerned about the strategic plan’s potential price tag. Santiago said he believed the committee has done great work on their own so far. Though ECHO is self-funded, he thought an outside consultant would be a waste of those dollars.

“I think they’re fully capable, in my opinion, to do that visionary work and maybe work within staff resources to come up with these goals,” Santiago said.”

I rarely agree with Councilman Santiago, but he is spot on this time.

Apparently, Brad Burbaugh, the county’s director of “resource stewardship” – who also serves as County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald’s duenna for the ECHO committee – claimed that a recurring issue with developing an internal plan is that the “…county has not been successful with its partners — the municipalities.”

“We think part of that is that their priorities are when they bring projects,” (?) Burbaugh said. “We’ve talked about that, because they’re responsible to elected officials as well, but how do we get everyone in the room, including elected officials, to develop a 2040 vision for ECHO?”

Say what? 

Hey, Brad:  How about Volusia County start by treating taxpayers and the municipalities like “partners” instead of victims of serial bullying? 

The fact is, if they are honest, many municipal officials will tell you they do not trust Volusia County any more than the average citizen does – for good reason – and there isn’t a damn thing any high-priced “expert” can do to change that.

Here’s some cheap advice for the ECHO Advisory Committee:

The board was created to serve as the promised “citizen oversight” component.  Get the County Manager’s minion out of the process, find a backbone, and tell these sneak thieves to keep their grubby hands off our money.

Then you can recommend quality projects with a clean conscience – those that comply with established grant criteria – rather than stand idle while brazen bureaucrats fund normal repair and replacement costs using ECHO funds.

Once you have worked cooperatively to develop a collective vision, allocate the $75,000 saved to properly vetted projects that enhance the lives of those whose hard-earned tax dollars fund this valuable program. 

You’re welcome.  

In my view, the “direct county expenditure” scam harkened back to the bad old’ days, when ECHO became little more than a slimy slush fund – our tax dollars earmarked for environmental and cultural projects pillaged to fund required governmental expenditures, purchase off-beach parking lots, and a mysterious (now defunct) plan to extend the Daytona Beach Boardwalk – with little, if any, public input in the process.

I realize independent thought is a foreign concept in the gilded Halls of Power at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building, but teamwork and the honest competition of ideas nurtures group cohesion, increases knowledge, fosters creativity, encourages organic problem solving, and develops specific objectives and metrics – not open-ended generalities that are the stock-in-trade for most consultants.

Rather than throw more of our money at a project best addressed in-house, in my experience, good things happen when people work cooperatively utilizing a transparent process that considers the priorities of all stakeholders. 

The Volusia County Council should try that sometime…

Asshole           Deltona’s Acting City Manager Jim “The Chiseler” Chisholm  

With Memorial Day approaching – a time when we honor those brave souls who gave their lives in defense of freedom – it is fitting that we remain vigilant to the slow creep toward official suppression of our sacred right to free and open expression and the ability to have substantive input in our government.

I cannot think of anything more important in a representative democracy. 

This week, true to the fitting sobriquet bestowed by the late great political commentator Big John, Deltona’s acting City Manager Jim “The Chiseler” Chisholm reverted to his base instincts when he unilaterally shut down the right of taxpayers to be heard on civic concerns.

Why? 

Because he is a petty autocrat who desperately wants to silence citizen dissent.  That’s why.

On Monday, Deltona residents were surprised to discover that the City Commission agenda opened with the city’s highly subjective “Decorum Policy” warning that the mayor – or “a majority of the City Commission” – may interrupt, warn, or terminate any citizen addressing their elected officials “…when that statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene, irrelevant, or otherwise reasonably perceived to be a disruption to the fair and orderly progress of the discussion at hand.”

Violators of the dictum face being frog-marched out of the chambers by a Volusia County Sheriff’s Deputy…  

Also, without warning, discussion, or consensus, residents also learned that the “Public Forum” section of the City Commission meeting had been moved to 6:00pm – 30-minutes before the official start of the regular meeting – and citizen comments were not televised on the community’s public access channel Deltona TV. 

Bullshit.

You may recall that Mr. Chisholm enforced the same dictatorial edict during his tenure in the City of Daytona Beach – a cheap move by a politically unaccountable manager that was viewed almost universally as an affront to the foundational principles of our democratic process – a policy that was immediately reversed when he mercifully retired.

None of this heavy-handed oppression should come as a surprise.   

In an editorial marking the end of The Chiseler’s reign in Daytona Beach, the News-Journal accurately noted:

“For all his accomplishments, Chisholm has drawn criticism for a close-to-the-vest decision-making style. While he has been sporadically available to the public — as when he appeared to answer questions recently at The News-Journal’s forum on the decay along East International Speedway Boulevard — his natural habitat is behind closed doors.

It’s an approach that has blindsided potential allies, cut off the city from benefits of wider partnerships and new information, and more often looks to outmaneuver rather than convert critics.”

Sound familiar?

Yet, in February, the wholly dysfunctional Deltona City Commission voted to extend Chisholm’s $200,000 contract for one-year – complete with a lucrative package of perquisites mirroring “all of the benefits of a full-time employee” – including pension payments, full health, dental and vision coverage for the manager and his wife, and a vehicle “including insurance, maintenance, repair and fuel” and “without restriction of personal use.”

Earlier this month, rather than allow the future permanent manager to select his or her own assistant, Mr. Chisholm hired Rick Karl – another retired long-time Volusia County bureaucrat, attorney with the influential Daytona Beach firm Cobb Cole, and recent political candidate – to serve as Deltona’s deputy city manager with a salary of $165,000 plus benefits…

Not a bad retirement gig, eh? 

In 2022, Mr. Karl ran for the Florida House District 29 seat and was soundly defeated by Webster Barnaby, who took 59.5% of the vote.

Although the good citizens of Deltona did not want Rick Karl representing them in the state legislature – they got him anyway – as The Chiseler’s handpicked deputy…

Yeah.  I know.   

One of the most acute symptoms of civic dysfunction is the pomposity of power – the arrogance that distances public officials from those they were elected and appointed to serve – best exemplified when the exalted members of The Monarchy adopt policies that allow them to ignore their servile subjects – or when an acting manager autonomously sets restrictive public policy.

If limiting public comment is the will of the majority of the Deltona City Commission – that policy should be debated in the light of day – during an open meeting where elected representatives must look constituents in the eye and explain their support or opposition to citizen input. 

Regardless, Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr. – as the presiding officer of commission meetings – should address this issue immediately, then demand action on an aggressive and transparent search for The Chiseler’s permanent replacement.  

In my view, suppressive diktats designed to limit citizen involvement in government or prevent those who cannot attend meetings from hearing the concerns of their neighbors should not be unilaterally enacted by a tyrannical lard ass whose only loyalty is to his obscene publicly funded paycheck.    

Asshole           Volusia County School Board

In keeping with the disturbing theme of government sponsored censorship, this week Volusia County District Schools took the cowardly and unconstitutional step of blocking criticism from parents and taxpayers on the asinine annual transfer of principals throughout the district.

On Wednesday, Volusia County Schools posted a list of thirteen interdistrict transfers of principals on its official Facebook page, writing:

“As we celebrate the new positions and assignments of Volusia County School Administrators, we’d also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the retirees. Your contributions have shaped the future of countless students and your legacy will continue to inspire! #LeadingWithGraceAndRespect”

After some 40 comments, many from angry parents and stakeholders concerned about the destabilizing roil this annual game of musical chairs has on our challenged schools and communities – Volusia County Schools abruptly shut off public comment on the site and hid previous comments in violation of our First Amendment protections. 

A sampling of the comments (as captured and reposted by the Twitter site “Anonymous Teacher” @VPSteacher) found honest questions and admonitions: 

“It is ridiculous to keep moving these poor men and women!  How do you expect them to gain trust with the staff, children, and parents, then fix the problems while they are being shuffled around schools like a game of hot potato?”

“Why do y’all do this?  Every time we get a good principal you take them away?”

“Stop playing with our children’s education!”

Apparently, those honest critiques did not sit well with those in the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand.

In response, Volusia County Schools arbitrarily blocked citizens from expressing their viewpoint, posting a banner which states, “Volusia County Schools limited who can comment on this post.”

Free speech and civil liberties advocates have repeatedly warned government entities that blocking a citizen’s right to engage in non-threatening public discourse on an official social media site – or hiding or deleting comments critical of an elected official or the government entity – is discriminatory and unconstitutional.

As a result, I and others were unable to express our views on an issue of public concern. 

As social media expert Kristy Dalton wrote in a 2019 article in Government Technology entitled, “What Could Happen If Governments Restrict Social Followers?”:

“Courts are being more consistent in finding that government profiles on social media are public forums, and that blocking profiles is a violation of citizens’ First Amendment rights.

What if you restrict a profile with the good intention of reviewing the user’s comments on a case-by-case basis, but you don’t immediately review the comments, or you forget to? Relevant information (that doesn’t violate your social policy) might never see the light of day. 

Whenever government is in a situation where it is choosing which comments to allow and which to restrict, trouble is near.”   

Indeed. 

“Leading with grace and respect”?

My ass…

Quote of the Week

“On May 16th, the City Commission approved the rezoning of 19 commercial acres and a development order for 270 “Tymber Creek Apartment” units behind Walgreens at the SR 40 intersection. Beyond the currently allowed 164 units, the Planned Business Development can qualify for density waivers in exchange for voluntary upgrades and community benefits.

Threat #1: Adjacent subdivisions were told the existing commercial zoning could allow a big box Target store.

Threat #2: The 164 unit plan, if imposed, would construct affordable housing with minimal buffers and setbacks.

Last year, the Planning Board recommended denial of the 270 unit application by a 5-0 vote. The January City Commission hearing was twice delayed until April 18, when elected officials signaled a vote to deny. Four commissioners asked the developer to consider less density in an area where schools, roads and hospitals are already stressed.

Threat #3: Introduced by applicant attorney Mark Watts: SB102, a new state law signed by the governor on March 29, to take effect on July 1. The “Live Local Act” will allow developers to bypass local land use rules in commercial and industrial zones if 40% of the units are set aside for affordable housing. The state can exercise preemptive power in eliminating local public hearings and assigning a city’s highest allowed density and building heights, potentially 525 units for Tymber Creek. Blindsided, the commission tabled the application until May 16.

Tallahassee lobbyist Jeff Sharkey testified that the new law, providing cash subsidies to developers, was a bold “experiment” aimed at addressing a statewide need for affordable housing. Residents of adjacent Indian Springs and Moss Point, promised larger buffers and setbacks, spoke in begrudging favor of the 270 unit proposal as “a lesser of two evils.”

Commissioner Susan Persis, who had voiced an unequivocal “no” on April 18th, reversed her vote, based on private meetings with the developer and residents of Indian Springs and Moss Point, even though no new adjustments were made to a proposal that caused her “a couple of sleepless nights.” Other Zone 3 subdivisions and city residents were apparently a non-factor.

Commissioner Travis Sargent, the lone “no” vote, was troubled by impactful density overloading hospitals, roads, and schools, and refused to yield to the threats or make a decision based on “an experiment.”

Our commissioners took an oath to support, defend, and protect the laws of our city. Why abandon that oath under threat of a new law that will not take effect until July 1?”

–Former Ormond Beach City Commissioner Jeff Boyle, Letters to the Editor, Ormond Beach Observer, “Tymber Creek decision was coerced,” Monday, May 22, 2023

And Another Thing!

“Toward the end of Tuesday’s meeting, Flagler County School Board member Sally Hunt surprised her colleagues: “I was really concerned from a safety perspective at the workshop before last,” she said.

She did not explain.

She asked why the workshops couldn’t be held in board chambers, on the first floor, where evening meetings are held, and where the County Commission holds its meetings and workshops. The school board holds its workshops on the third floor, in Room 3, a large room that accommodates a rectangular seating arrangement for the board members, who can face staffers or members of the public as they sit on the other side to present.

“Historically, we always had them in a chamber room like that, so that it was more informal, staff could sit across from us at a large workshop type of table and have a discussion,” Board member Colleen Conklin said, “instead of being in a more formal setting with one or two people fitted at the podium.”

Hunt said she felt unsafe in the third-floor room at the May 2 workshop. “I like having exits. I feel safer in this space,” she said, referring to the downstairs board chambers. “I like having a deputy in the room. And I just wanted to throw that out. I’m not the only person who shares that concern of the workshops.” (A deputy is usually present at the board’s monthly evening meetings, and sometimes more than one deputy when controversies are afoot.)

“Why, we have other board members that feel unsafe in the workshop area?” Conklin asked. No one else answered.”

–Pierre Tristam, writing in FlaglerLive.com, “School Board’s Sally Hunt Feels Unsafe in Workshops and Asks for Permanent Deputy Security,” Friday, May 19, 2023

(Please find Mr. Tristam’s eye-opening report here: https://tinyurl.com/xpzkkbsr  )

There was a time when physical and ethical courage were required characteristics for those seeking elective public service – a willingness to endure the slings and arrows of the political and legislative process – and the strength of character to fearlessly stand for that which is right and just. 

Unfortunately, despite what We, The Little People are told each campaign season, those we elect to high office increasingly recoil from those who pay the bills, more concerned about political insulation and expediency than collaborative governance.

The fact is, Ms. Hunt had no reason to be frightened by concerned supporters of the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club who attended the School Board’s public workshop to request their elected officials keep the club open. 

Her real concern was purely political.

According to Mr. Tristam’s report, after being asked by a citizen for her support, Hunt inquired of board chair Cheryl Massaro if allowing mere serfs to address The Monarchy directly is sound precedent:

“…public comment can address the chair and the board as a whole, but not individual members. Is that different for a workshop?”

“No, it’s generally the same, they’re just talking to people,” Massaro said.

“Is that the precedent that we want to set?” Hunt asked.

“It depends,” Massaro said, “what do you want?”

“I would, you know, the public now sees me as the swing vote,” Hunt said, making air quotes around the terms. “I find that pretty annoying, if I’m being honest.” She said she would prefer that she not be singled out. Massaro turned to the audience and said: “I am asking the public not to mention any other board members’ names as they do their presentation.”

Really?

The piece also pointed out that the thin-skinned Ms. Hunt previously shutdown direct dialogue with her constituents by no longer using electronic communications for school board business – and her emails are automatically routed through Flagler County Schools administrative staff… 

In my view, at a time when we desperately need open and honest discourse with those who steward our tax dollars and enact public policy, the irrationally paranoid Sally Hunt should make good on an earlier promise and resign. 

Flagler County residents deserve better.  We all deserve better…

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

May God Bless America and all who paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedoms this Memorial Day.   

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           Ormond Beach City Commission

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others.”

–Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Tuesday, the resolve of the Ormond Beach City Commission was tested by a developer in a high-stakes game of chicken.

They blinked…  

After drawing a line in the sand with an out-of-town firm seeking to put a sprawling 300 unit multifamily apartment complex near the busy intersection of Tymber Creek Road and West Granada Boulevard – a two-year convoluted process that saw the project unanimously rejected by the Ormond Beach Planning Board in December 2022 citing concerns over density and the resultant increase in traffic at the already overburdened intersection.

Then, in their infinite wisdom, during the 2023 legislative session, Florida lawmakers passed the “great experiment” known as the Live Local Act – ostensibly designed to encourage “affordable housing” to meet our states growing need – which gives developers unprecedented concessions while neutering local government’s ability to control its community’s growth – and destiny. 

In my view, the developer, Varden Capital Properties – a real estate investment firm founded with the objective of “…acquiring undervalued real estate, repositioning the asset and creating positive returns for its investors” – seized the initiative and wielded the new law like a cudgel – essentially threatening, “Nice community you got here.  Be a shame if anything happened to it…” – suggesting if the Ormond Beach City Commission failed to approve the project at a reduced 270 units (as negotiated by worried area residents) – it could, based on the site and new regulations, result in a massive density increase if workforce housing were incorporated.   

When the City Commission tabled discussion of the project’s rezoning and development order last month, the developer’s attorney, Mark Watts, sent a clear warning.

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

“The law sets a “bad precedent” from the home rule standpoint, said attorney Mark Watts, who represented the developer at the hearing. But, it is coming, and based on the site, the developer — VCP Ormond Beach II, LLC — could build up to 525 units on the 19-acre property once the law goes into effect. At this time, the developer is asking the city for 270 units, reduced from 300, and is proposing larger buffers and setbacks to lessen impacts on the nearby neighborhoods of Moss Point and Indian Springs.

“The thing that we’re balancing is what type of multifamily will be here, because it’s not a question of if it will be here,” Watts said. “It’s what type, and how much do we want to control that process. The most control you will have is … in this process.”

However, the one card that convinced many residents the developer was bluffing is the fact Varden is not known for including affordable housing in previous projects (that I could find, anyway) – and workforce housing was not included as part of the original Tymber Creek proposal.    

In fact, most of Varden’s current “new development” projects involve “luxury class-A multifamily” complexes or, in the case of the proposed Ormond Beach project, a “market rate apartment community” with upscale furnishings and amenities not normally found in low-income housing.    

This week, when the chips were down, rather than stand strong for the dwindling quality of life of their claustrophobic constituents dealing with the vice-like crush of overdevelopment from all sides, they caved – rolled over and urinated on themselves like a frightened cur – with the majority voting to approve the rezoning and development order.   

According to a report in the Ormond Beach Observer, “Commissioner Travis Sargent said he remained troubled by the density of the proposed apartments. He voted yes for the rezoning for the project, but no for the development order.

“Our hospitals are overloaded, our roads, schools, and here we are making a decision on an experiment,” he said.”

Good for him. 

Unfortunately, to add insult, current Commissioner, and declared Mayoral candidate, Susan “Old Yellow Stain” Persis, showed the bright streak down her back when she went so far as to grovel from the dais – begging for mercy like a cowed jellyfish – “I think we’ve all probably had a couple of sleepless nights … so we just trust you, the developer, to treat Ormond Beach special, and that’s what we would really hope, and think about our residents.”

My God.

In another crushing blow to what remains of our quality of life, on Wednesday evening, the Daytona Beach City Commission reversed their previous well-thought decision to deny a sprawling 1,600 home development amid traffic concerns.

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

“It wasn’t the quality of the development between Interstate 95 and Tomoka Farms Road that led commissioners to a no vote in March. It was their worry that adding thousands of people to the vacant 415-acre site just south of Interstate 4 was going to cause severe traffic tie-ups in the already congested area where International Speedway Boulevard, Tomoka Farms Road, and Bellevue Avenue intersect.

So the developer worked with a traffic engineer and city and county officials to come up with a plan to reconfigure and improve traffic at that busy nexus near I-95 onramps and offramps. Commissioners liked the suggestions, and they liked the developer’s pledge to pay for the $1.7 million worth of improvements.”

Wow.  A paltry $1.7 million in “improvements” was all it took? 

I’m asking. 

Because anyone who has sat in bone-crushing traffic on (insert Halifax area thoroughfare here) staring at the exposed bones of yet another sticks-and-glue apartment complex being erected on every square inch of vacant space – or been trapped east or west of that still unfunded Monument to Mediocrity at the LPGA Boulevard pinch point – wants to know why area elected officials continue to shove ten-pounds of shit in a five-pound bag and call it “progress.”?

With the ominous threat of already approved projects like the massive Avalon Park still looming on the horizon – residents deserve to know the end game – an honest explanation beyond the constant refrain, “Hey, our hands are tied…”

Good luck, neighbors. 

When it comes to balancing the needs of existing residents and the wants of insatiable developers – those of us who pay the bills and are forced to suffer in silence lose. 

Every.  Damn.  Time.  

Angel               DeLand’s NorthWest Square

Over the past 25-years, many communities around the country have made an economic comeback using the walkable urbanism concept and focusing on repurposing existing structures incorporating an eclectic mix of retail, specialty restaurants, housing, arts, and entertainment.

Sadly, that proven idea hasn’t caught on in these parts…

In my view, far too often our redevelopment mavens walk away from the time consuming and expensive proposition of reclaiming, renovating, renewing, and revitalizing blighted buildings in favor of allowing speculative developers to clear more pine scrub and build more, more, more – or showering “panacea projects” with publicly funded incentives and hoping against hope that the latest “gamechanger” has a trickledown effect on the surrounding area. 

Sound familiar?

Last year, the City of DeLand approved a rezoning allowing the century old former Trinity United Methodist Church building to be transformed into a multi-use food hall and community marketplace known as NorthWest Square.  The project is the brainchild of Deland residents Chris and Jessica Levings, who purchased the property on W. Wisconsin Avenue last August.

This week, the Levings and their business partners announced that renovations to the building are underway with plans to open early next year. 

In an informative article by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, we learned a few of the spaces proposed vendors:

“A few familiar faces have already secured space in Northwest Square.

Levings said they were relieved to have one of the main priorities, a tap room and wine bar, covered, thanks to Bill Budzinski, owner of The Elusive Grape.

Desert Sage owner Lorna Owens will be selling specialty teas and candles, and Adele Gerbracht and Judi Bradford will run the artist co-op.”

That’s exciting – and represents the kind of private investment in existing structures and established neighborhoods that is so desperately needed in many areas of Volusia County. 

Kudos to the City of DeLand, the Levings, and their partners for this visionary mixed-use project. 

Perhaps it is time for municipalities (especially east of the Palmetto Curtain) to ease onerous fees, restrictions, and roadblocks to innovation and redevelopment to encourage entrepreneurial investment in vacant buildings and established neighborhoods without artificially skewing the playing field in a free and open marketplace. 

Good things happen when government gets out of the way…  

Quote of the Week         

Daytona Beach, Florida

Median home price: $256,550

“Though a home by the Great American Race costs nearly twice what it might have a few years ago, compared to a lot of Florida, it’s still insanely cheap. That means you’ll have plenty of money left to buy a giant F-350 and cruise along one of the only drive-on beaches in the country. The city is slowly moving away from its spring break image, so you won’t have to deal with as many drunk college students invading the shores each March. Plus, with Orlando just a short drive away, Daytona offers the perfect place for a beach escape with easy access to big-city amenities.”

–Thrillist Contributor Matt Meltzer, “American Beach Towns You Can Actually Afford to Move To,” April 15, 2023

WTF!

(For the uninitiated, that means, “Welcome to Florida…”)

Earlier this week, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported on a story originally published on the online travel and lifestyle website Thrillist naming Daytona Beach as one of the most “insanely cheap” beach towns in the nation. 

Drawing on all the Halifax areas worst stereotypes – from giant trucks to drunk college students and seasonal special events – Mr. Meltzer made it clear that residents of this civic, social, and economic wasteland are just a short drive away from civilization…  

It was immediately clear to denizens of Florida’s “Fun Coast” that Mr. Meltzer was off on his estimation of Daytona Beach’s median home price.  In an informative article by Brenno Carillo writing in the News-Journal, we learned from a local realtor that the actual average price for a three bedroom/two bath cracker box is now closer to $330,000.

For historical perspective – two years ago – Realtor.com listed the Daytona Beach Resort Area as the third most affordable region, with the median home price in Volusia County estimated at $280,000. 

The sad reality is, with the dearth of affordable housing in Volusia County now estimated at 16,000 dwelling units, and 28% of families considered Asset Limited/Income Constrained/Employed (ALICE) – including 14% living below the federal poverty line – many low-income working families have been shut out of the local housing market. 

It seems those elusive “high paying jobs” that adorn every application for corporate welfare schemes and state budget appropriations just haven’t materialized at the rate promised by our “economic development” types who continue to swoon over the low-hanging fruit of industrial warehouse scutwork promising $15.00 an hour…

As a result, while our area is touted as “insanely cheap” – perhaps for out-of-state retirees looking for a new life in the sun – in Volusia County, almost 1 in 3 working families are concerned about food insufficiency, access to quality health care, lack of savings, struggling to meet monthly living expenses, and suffering the constant stress of financial instability.   

That’s not a positive…

Recently, the United Way of Volusia and Flagler Counties issued their first report on the gap between wages and basic living expenses since 2021. 

According to the News-Journal: 

“ALICE arrived at a household survival budget of $67,896 for a family of four (including a preschooler) in Volusia County, and $26,892 for a single adult.

Those figures for Flagler County were higher: $70,524 for a family of four and $28,296 for a single adult.”

Amid that distressing reality, this week, US News & World Report published their dubious “Best Places to Live” list which placed Daytona Beach in the top 50 this year. 

For the record, Green Bay, Wisconsin took the cake…

According to reports, the ranking employs a subjective methodology “…using government and other data: quality of life, value, job market, and desirability.”

The report cites beach driving, “arts and entertainment” (?), and Daytona International Speedway among our most desirable draws. 

Look, call me a skeptic – but I prefer to believe that which I see with my own eyes – rather than rely on “government data” regurgitated by an online magazine, tired pap and fluff that provides elected officials another layer of political insulation by glossing over the serious quality of life issues they continue to kick down the dusty political trail…

As a casual observer of our life and times here on this salty piece of land, I keep an eye on how Volusia County is perceived by those our hospitality gurus spend handsomely to attract.  While I am not some marketing and research expert paid to tell the Daytona Beach Convention and Visitor’s Bureau what they want to hear – my unsophisticated analysis of anecdotal reviews finds the beauty and accessibility of our drivable beaches remains our most popular draw. 

Just about everything else – from chain restaurants to “things to do” – receives low marks. 

But that has never stopped our ‘powers that be’ from patting each other on the back – the same tired names touting our slow crawl along the latest “road to recovery” from (insert most recent economic setback here) – or touting the next “gamechanger” we are told will deliver our core tourist area from years of blight and stagnation.   

Whatever.

Rather than rely on sensationalized horseshit or arbitrary lists – as a lifelong resident of the Halifax area, I always tell out-of-state friends and family considering a move to our area to come for a long visit and see all we have to offer before making the leap.

There are many civic attributes we can be proud of in coastal Central Florida.

I have spent my life here, raised a family, and I love all the wonderful things the Halifax area has to offer.  That is why I never put much stock in our perennial placement on those “other” online lists that are not as kind…

In my view, for decades, our civic “leaders” have ignored the expensive recommendations of their own highly paid consultants and purposely avoided setting a comprehensive vision for our region – an authentic and marketable identity beyond “Wide. Open. Fun.” and the stagnant status quo – something existing residents, and the thousands of families flooding into Volusia County, can embrace.

And Another Thing!

“An expert is somebody who is more than 50 miles from home, has no responsibility for implementing the advice he gives, and shows slides…”

–Edwin Meese

For a terrible period of my professional life, I worked for a Ph.D – a Doctor of Philosophy. 

One thing I learned from that harrowing experience is that a quick way to pay ten Ph.D’s is to hire one Ph.D – because they have a way of propagating…   

For instance, if you hire a Ph.D to paint your house, he or she will invariably subcontract with another to scientifically analyze the molecular structure and bonding capabilities of various tints and coatings – while another studies the surface, considers paintbrush bristles, handles, and poles – while another provides their learned opinion on masking tape adhesion coefficients, and another advises the first on the nap and pile of various rollers – all while others conduct suitability studies and provide a list of painters who will actually do the work, as yet another produces a white paper explaining your freshly painted home’s influence on regional real estate values, etc., etc., etc.

Just don’t ask your original Ph.D to maintain your lawn and take out the trash – that takes another set of agriculture, horticultural, and logistics “experts” to facilitate more empirical research, visioning sessions, and roundtable engagements to develop “parallel consensus through objective data analysis to facilitate changes in organizational culture that facilitates regular lawn maintenance and household refuse management.”    

This carping about the “synthesis of known and unknown factors” and hypercritical nitpicking will continue, ad infinitum, until cost estimates have doubled…

I’m kidding.  But not by much. 

With all due respect to my friends who have earned advanced degrees, I was reminded of that inside joke earlier this week when I read that the Volusia County Council paid $6,000 to Dr. Herb Marlow of Analytica, a “strategic planning” firm which, “…incorporates powerful facilitation and engagement techniques to ensure a tangible link between the underlying data and the desired direction sought by the client,” to “facilitate” a goal setting session.

I know.  I don’t get it, either – but I think that’s the point…

As I understand it (and I’m not sure I do), seven ostensibly smart elected officials required the services of a third-party vendor from Newberry, Florida to set a list of simple goals – each painstakingly framed in a way that no one on the dais, or in the Halls of Power at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building – could ever be held responsible for failing to meet those dubious objectives.

Apparently, the public session was preceded by one-on-one discussions with council members while Dr. Marlow jotted down a list of “goals and objectives.”

According to a report by Al Everson in the West Volusia Beacon:

“Cutting the size of government, reducing regulations, eliminating redundancies and saving tax dollars were among goals voiced by members of the Volusia County Council in a planning workshop May 10.”

Sounds great!

But before you get your hopes up about limiting government, improved transportation infrastructure, water quality, overdevelopment, objective performance evaluations for senior administrators, or a comprehensive beach management plan as the dunes continue to crumble – here is a list of a few of the future “accomplishments” you and I can look forward to from Volusia County government:

Create a more efficient regulatory framework.

Increase the efficiency and effectiveness of government operations, particularly public safety, and economic development.

Develop and implement a plan for expanded recreation and sports tourism activities.

Continue and enhance fiscal stewardship.

Foster and support a solution-oriented culture.

Function as a highly effective Council with demonstrated impact. 

(As opposed to a horribly dysfunctional and ineffectual shit show – a murky place where public policy is cobbled together behind closed doors – and things happen despite the elected body’s abysmal leadership and oversight, not because of it?)

Interesting…

Under the “goal” of increasing the “efficiency and effectiveness of government operations, particularly public safety, and economic development,” suggested implementation actions included:

“Identify where Volusia services or practices are duplicating those of another agency and then determine the need to continue the service/practice.”

Always a sound objective for organizations who possess an authentic capacity for self-assessment and a willingness to address duplication and other inefficiencies.  Unfortunately, upsetting the bureaucratic applecart has never been Volusia County’s strong suit…  

“Identify and then modify processes so that services are provided more efficiently and more effectively.”

Hey, great idea!  A process (one would hope) that is a daily, hourly, constant, comprehensive, and continuing responsibility of the County Manager’s office.

“Further delegate decision-making authority on appropriate decisions to staff or PRLDC.”

Is that possible in Volusia County government, where plausible deniability is the operative ethic for senior management? 

“Develop public safety training facilities.” 

Clearly, Dr. Marlow forgot to meet with Sheriff Mike Chitwood, because I think he has already accomplished that with little, if any, involvement of the Volusia County Council.

“Development checklists.”

This bloated bureaucracy with an operating budget now exceeding $1.1 billion needs an expert to tell them to develop checklists?   

“Standardize processes and practices where reasonable, yadda, yadda, yadda…” 

Wait.  I’m no egghead, but isn’t that an exact duplication of goal #2?

Whatever…

Look, you get it.  These are the kind of simplistic/commonsense management and leadership objectives one should already expect from County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald – the highest paid public administrator in all the realm – along with his bevy of assistant county managers, deputy directors, senior department heads, etc., etc., etc. – each commanding six-figure salaries and all the perquisites of their high (and horribly redundant) offices.

Now, in keeping with Volusia’s typical “fox in the henhouse” strategy that invalidates all of this – “The Wreck” will “meet with staff” and produce a plan for achieving the Council’s malleable goals – and a method for tracking them. 

But who will hold them accountable? 

No one.  That’s who. 

Unlike the county’s consultant, I am not an educated man – but I will bet you a donut that subjective terms like “effectiveness and efficiency” have a different meaning for me than they do for you – and I’m almost positive these concepts will have an even broader meaning to Mr. Recktenwald and his staff.   

Because when it comes to hacking the thick rind of fat off a bloated hog, that is rarely a job best left to the hog… 

None of that matters.  All the right terms were bandied about.

Mission accomplished.

Now that our elected dullards have spent thousands of our tax dollars on another useless naval gazing exercise they can check the “goal setting” box, pat themselves on the back, and stumble into budget season doing what they do best – generating hot air and protecting the status quo while the serious issues that affect the lives and livelihoods of We, The Little People are wholly ignored.

In my view, the first goal of Volusia County government should be to earn the trust of those it exists to serve.  And our elected officials shouldn’t need a guy from out-of-town with an impressive sheepskin, nice suit, and a briefcase to help them understand that…

That’s all for me.  Have a great Welcome to Rockville 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           Palm Coast Realtor/Mayor David Alfin

Central Floridians are horribly divided over the myriad civic, social, environmental, and economic issues we face – but the one thing that universally unites us is our wholesale rejection of the horseshit spewed by self-serving politicians with financial ties to the real estate development industry who preach the virtues of explosive growth.   

Now, add Palm Coast Realtor/Mayor David Alfin to the lengthy list of cheap shills holding high office who continue to piss down our back and tell us it’s raining…

Last week, in an informative article by Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, we learned that Palm Coast recently surpassed The Lost City of Deltona as the largest municipality by population in Volusia and Flagler Counties. 

“Alfin, the city’s mayor since 2021, intends to capitalize on Palm Coast’s population feat.

“I’ll spare no amount of energy to make sure everybody knows it. It’s good for the community,” he said.

More than that, though, Alfin is stoked about what appears to be another growth surge. The first homes are being built in new developments west of U.S. 1, including Sawmill Branch near Matanzas Woods Parkway, and Reverie, a couple of miles to the south.”

Meanwhile, current Palm Coast residents are lamenting the fact that city government seems unwilling or unable to maintain the woefully inadequate existing municipal infrastructure – but rather than tap the brakes and take a conservative approach to future growth – Mayor Alfin (a resident since 2012) is calling for more, more, more.

“Alfin said that’s only a part of an even larger future-growth exercise the city is undertaking: plotting out the buildout of the city’s land.

“We’re master-planning a doubling of the geographic footprint of the city, 40,000 acres,” Alfin said. “We call it the frontier project or initiative. There is no other swath of land this size that exists on the east side of Florida that can be master-planned.”

Last month, the city’s Planning and Land Development Regulation Board approved the massive “Palm Coast Park” – another “development of regional impact,” which will blanket an area of 4,677 acres with 6,454 cracker boxes – an increase of 3,600 “dwelling units” since the project was initially approved way back in 2004.

My God.

With powerful state Rep. Paul Renner of Palm Coast serving as Speaker of the House, last week, the Florida legislature passed a budget containing some $54 million in public funds to accommodate future growth in Flagler County, with $25 million allocated for extending Matanzas Woods Parkway to the west “…into largely vacant land that’s primed for development.”

Now, existing residents of the region want to know who is looking out for our quality of life? 

(No one.  That’s who…)

In my view, so long as the public teat remains patent and speculative developers are given carte blanche by craven politicians with a chip in the game, we can expect this malignancy to metastasize until the last of our greenspace is paved over, traffic is gridlocked, and we are drinking our own recycled sewage.   

As one long-suffering Palm Coast taxpayer recently wrote on social media:

“Controlled growth is great but not if you aren’t dealing with infrastructure needs and lack of good shopping. Seems like a love for the almighty dollar, with no interest in quality of life for those who you are enticing to move there or the current residents. Not to mention decimation of natural habitat to overbuild subdivisions. I wish more compassion was used when making these decisions. Growth without thoughtful planning is greed.”

Let that sink in: “Growth without thoughtful planning is greed…”

Angel               The Hapless Residents of Jungle Den Villas

I’ve thought a lot this week about the outdated concept of fairness.

How the “rules” apply to some, but not all, depending upon one’s perceived power and access to policymakers and the legislative process. 

From decisions regarding the appropriation of public funds, and who receives those lucrative corporate welfare schemes that skew the marketplace, to the routine administration of codes and ordinances, this inequitable “whoever has the gold makes the rules” environment our compromised elected officials have embraced can have lasting impacts on the lives and livelihoods of those up here in the cheap seats who have little, if any, influence. 

Recently, a small condominium association in the riverside hamlet of Astor ran afoul of Volusia County’s confusing permitting requirements after voting to take down a decaying oak in a communal area of the Jungle Den Villas.

Now, the residents are facing a draconian $20,000 penalty…

According to an article by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, the association’s president Tony Adams reported that the residents hired a tree service and obtained an arborist’s report before proceeding.

They thought that met the requirements to remove the compromised tree:

“The tree was dangerous. It was decaying, and the root system was damaging the dock and seawall, according to a document from a tree specialist. Adams said the tree had dropped limbs on the dock.

Then came the notice from Volusia County. The association was in violation of the county’s tree laws and could face more than $20,000 in replacement costs. It would either have to plant more trees or pay up.

The county’s tree regulations outline such hefty costs for people who, mistakenly or otherwise, run afoul of permitting requirements.”

According to Volusia County’s malleable zoning laws, while single-family and two-family residences are, under certain conditions, exempt from tree-permitting requirements – multifamily properties are not.  And under certain circumstances, obtaining an arborist’s assessment is sufficient – while in other cases a permit is required.   

Understand?  Me neither…

In an email to the News-Journal, Volusia County’s Growth and Resource Mismanagement Director Clay Ervin said the goal “…is to mitigate the impact of the tree removal,” and that his office is willing to work with property owners to address violations.

Remedies may include replanting trees or paying into something called a “tree fund.”

Based upon a convoluted mathematical formula that only a government bureaucrat could cypher – the “cost per cross-sectional square inch” of the felled oak – without replanting trees or other mitigation efforts, puts the Jungle Den Villas on the hook for thousands of dollars in replacement costs. 

For a lone rotting laurel oak?

So, what’s got Barker the Bitcher’s knickers in a twist? 

Over the past five-years, I have watched in horror as the land was raped with slash-and-burn  efficiency across the width and breadth of Volusia County – with developers churning wide swaths of pristine old-growth forests, sensitive pine scrub, and wildlife habitat into a mire of black muck and splinters – all to make way for the next sprawling aesthetic and environmental insult of zero-lot-line wood frame cracker boxes “starting in the $300’s.”   

I have been shocked by the sight of wetlands being filled in an asinine “hurt here/help there” mitigation strategy, and watched claustrophobic wildlife slaughtered on area roadways as they tried to escape the incursion on their dwindling habitat.

In 2018, Ormond Beach residents were aghast when an influential real estate developer destroyed 2,061 specimen hardwoods that comprised a pristine natural buffer and wildlife corridor between an established residential area and busy West Granada Boulevard, all to accommodate another convenience store and drive-thru car wash…

Unfortunately, the fervent cries of shaken residents were ignored when Ormond Beach’s elected officials made it clear they didn’t give two-shits that the very landscape and character of the community was under assault.

At the time, former Ormond Beach Commissioner and civic activist Jeff Boyle’s efforts to voice the public’s outrage were reported by the News-Journal:

“With obvious heavy hearts, we join thousands of Ormond residents who mourn the senseless devastation on West Granada Boulevard,” Boyle said at Tuesday night’s City Commission meeting. “None of us were prepared for the massive deforestation or to be told by this commission developer property rights required you to vote yes.”

“In what became a pointed discussion, Boyle alleged commissioners granted the developer special exceptions and failed to limit the project’s size. Ormond’s 27-year designation as a tree city now is a “joke,” he said, adding: “Each citizen lost something priceless.”

I was reminded of Mr. Boyle’s heartfelt sentiments on Arbor Day 2023 when I passed a new clear-cut gash on West Granada Boulevard and found the only thing left standing on the now denuded lot was a godawful cellular tower camouflaged to look like, you guessed it, a tree… 

In my view, now that the political souls of key legislators, the Volusia County Council, and many municipal elected officials have been purchased by the strategic campaign contributions of real estate developers and the sutlers who feed themselves on the crumbs they leave behind, don’t expect anything to change.

As the bulldozers continue to roar – so-called “Growth and Resource Management” bureaucrats will salve the consciences of their elected bosses by bullying the voiceless ‘little people’ – heaping fines and fees on defenseless residents who make honest mistakes and run afoul of confusing permitting requirements while crowing “Look at us!  We’re protecting trees!” – even as the wholesale destruction of what remains of our wild places is sacrificed on the almighty altar of greed…  

Thanks to the residents of Jungle Den Villas – and The Daytona Beach News-Journal – for bringing this absurdity to light. 

Quote of the Week

“Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University landed $15 million to build a new, 45,000 square-foot Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF, at its research park. It “will be designed with large, complex industry and Department of Defense projects in mind, providing for opportunities to collaborate with industry, various government agencies and strengthen the ability for students to work on obtaining security clearances,” according to the request.

ERAU also got $5 million for equipment at its research park.”

–Reporter Mark Harper, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “$155 million in state budget to accommodate growth, quality of life in Volusia, Flagler,” Thursday, May 4, 2023

Dear fellow Florida taxpayers:

Once again, it is my honor to welcome each of you as members of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s prestigious Jack R. Hunt Society in grateful recognition of your generous $20 million gift from Florida’s 2023-2024 state budget. 

Unfortunately, there will not be any official acknowledgement of our significant contribution – no gala reception or gilded awards dinner – no backslapping by our “Rich & Powerful,” and no haughty ego massage with “The Strapped Florida Taxpayer Research Facility” adorning a new building on campus.    

In keeping with tradition, any formal recognition for our collective donation to the private university will rightfully be lavished on our High Panjandrum of Political Power Mori Hossieni, the omnipotent Chairman of the ERAU Board of Trustees, whose undisputed political influence extends far beyond his personal fiefdom at Embry-Riddle.     

Call me crazy, but I still subscribe to the antiquated concept that the public treasure should be used for a public purpose – with only incidental benefit to private for-profit interests.

I’m fairly sure I read that somewhere during my lengthy career in public service… 

Fortunately for the university, Mr. Hosseini’s combination of political power and paternalistic oversight has seen our Harvard of the Sky on the receiving end of a flood of public funds as politicians desperately seek to remain in Mr. Hosseini’s good graces. 

Look, I realize the political realities of those lawmakers who carry the water for their powerful campaign donors – and I also understand the ability of our “imaginative” elected officials to stretch the definition of a “public purpose” to the nth degree.

However, given the serious issues facing Floridians, in my jaded view, this year’s taxpayer funded tithe for a $15,000,000 SCIF – and $5,000,000 in “high speed computational design equipment and stations” to further underwrite ERAU’s Research Park – seems over the top. 

In February, freshman Rep. Chase Tramont of Port Orange sponsored a pair of appropriation requests for Rodney Cruise, the figurehead Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. 

Perhaps by design, I found Rep. Tramont’s funding applications short on substantive information – devoid of any documented support for the public expenditure, such as public hearings seeking input, letters of support, or major organizational backing – and no independent third-party study to determine need.  

Just a box checked on the state provided form attesting that the collective $20,000,000 requests will “…be used directly for services to citizens.”  

Bullshit. 

As always, when it comes to the nexus of public funds and private interests, there are more questions than answers…

For instance, now that you and I have funded a 45,000 square foot Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility at ERAU – is Skunk Works coming to Daytona Beach – or is this a weird “build it and they will come” folly with taxpayers covering the overhead? 

And why should Florida residents purchase design equipment for a private research park “…to grow entrepreneurial opportunities” for Embry-Riddle? 

I am not sure using public funds to eliminate risk is the way the whole “entrepreneurial” thing works…

In my view, there are many potential positives that can emerge from expanded research and development opportunities at ERAU – especially in partnership with private corporations that market innovative technologies to the Department of Defense – but the citizens of the State of Florida should not be expected to pay for it. 

And Another Thing!

“Winners:

“Bloggers” — Certain comms people may hurl the phrase derogatorily, but those pundits and journalists won this year’s great war over words even without buying ink by the barrel. A defamation bill championed by the Governor died with a whimper as chambers struggled to align over such matters as anonymous sourcing. Traditional media advocates like the Florida Press Association led the fight against the bill and were helped by groups on the right like Americans For Prosperity, and the left like Equality Florida. The state’s largest editorial boards uniformly deriding the legislation may have helped — though considering the Legislature’s makeup and the bill’s press-hounded sponsors, maybe not. Regardless, it’s the independently owned media outlets living primarily in a virtual space that faced the greatest threat. Another win? Sen. Jason Brodeur’s other anti-media bill, one requiring any blog covering state government register and report monthly on its finances, never got out of the gate. And considering how quickly figures like DeSantis distanced themselves, that bill appears both dead and buried.”

–Publisher Peter Schorsch, Florida Politics, “Winners and losers emerging from the 2023 Legislative Session,” Sunday, May 7, 2023

When it comes to state sanctioned censorship as a means of controlling the narrative and protecting the sensitive sensibilities of the “Ruling Class” from critique and examination – there are no “winners.” 

I’m not talking about the worst days of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge – I am referring to the Florida legislature…

Although most of the oppressive measures put forth in the 2023 Florida legislative session designed to quash free speech failed – the message was received, loud and clear.

If you are reading this, I assume you are an independent thinker, the politically feared “informed voter,” who challenges the official narrative and considers alternative views before forming your own opinions on the issues. 

There is also a segment of Barker’s View readers who currently hold high office – dedicated elected and appointed officials who accept public funds to serve in the public interest – smart servant-leaders who don’t take everything as a personal affront, use pointed criticism to their advantage, and consider the content of blogsites and the ‘everyman’s soapbox’ of social media a good barometer of public opinion.

Unfortunately, some thin-skinned political hacks who have bought into the trappings of office and succumbed to the ego-driven sense of infallibility that comes when “staff” laughs at their jokes – hypersensitive politicians who bitch and fume over We, The Little Peoples often irreverent view of their sanctimonious (and self-serving) machinations – become more insular, circle the wagons, and work to muzzle anyone who disagree with them using the formidable power of government and the legislative process.

This year, two state lawmakers filed bills designed to crush our inalienable right to free expression under the guise of reining in the “media” – a reaction to the equally reprehensible “cancel culture” that has weaponized political correctness and made social pariahs out of anyone who voices a controversial opinion which the fringe element finds objectionable. 

In March, Governor Ron DeSantis quickly distanced himself from a widely criticized bill filed by Sen. Jason Brodeur that would have required bloggers who criticize the governor, members of his Cabinet, or state legislators to register with the state. 

Another bill filled by Pensacola’s Rep. Alex Andrade sought to lower the bar on Florida’s defamation law, opening the door for politicians to file crippling lawsuits against anyone who dared to openly criticize their official actions and motivations. 

Make no mistake, these suppressive measures were not limited to blowhard bloggers like me and would have jeopardized the free expression of conservative pundits, newspaper editorialists, and every Joe and Jane Lunchpail who vents their political spleen on social media.  

Although neither of these asinine measures passed, by simply showing us helots the whip, Florida lawmakers sent a frightening message that political dissent will be dealt with in the harshest of terms. 

In my view, this has nothing to do with accountability – or improving journalistic standards – and everything to do with punishment and suppression. 

Fortunately, not everyone was onboard with this power-hungry assault on our First Amendment freedoms.

In a letter to Florida lawmakers, U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, who represents the 7^th District of Florida (which includes parts of southern Volusia County) criticized the proposed legislation, saying “This bill is encouraging the state to violate its citizens’ fundamental rights as Americans, and is not only unpatriotic, but it is not representative of the free state of Florida.”

First Amendment Foundation executive director Bobby Block said earlier this year, “I believe it will introduce a whole new Wild West of litigation,” Block said. “This is about intimidating free speech, chilling free speech and silencing critics.”

And earlier this week, in an op/ed published in the West Volusia Beacon, Al Everson wrote:

“Turning thin skins into profit is a new business model for the legislators and their wealthy pals. The only bright spot in the whole thing is that it is clearly unconstitutional. That has not stopped the Legislature in the past.”

He’s right – and many fear this creep toward state sponsored censorship is far from over…

In an informative article by Douglas Soule that appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat this week, those fears were confirmed:

“Rep. Alex Andrade, R Pensacola, the House bill sponsor, said the legislation would be brought back next year. He said the criticisms, which he called incorrect, had nothing to do with bill not going the distance.

“I could not care less about platforms or media outlets criticizing it,” he said a couple weeks before session ended. “I really just care about getting a good product in the right posture that I’m comfortable putting my name on. And that just takes more time than we have left in session.”

How horribly arrogant – and completely clueless. 

Frightening…

I encourage everyone who values the foundational freedoms of our democracy to remain vigilant to these future threats – and demand accountability at the ballot box from any craven politician who seeks to limit our ability to actively participate in our government – and vehemently remind those who hold themselves out for high office that all political power is derived from the will of the people. 

____________________________

Community Event:

Volusia County Council District 4 Representative Troy Kent will meet with constituents from 5:00pm to 6:00pm Monday, May 15, in the Ormond Beach Regional Library auditorium, 30 S. Beach Street. 

According to reports, the Q&A is part of Mr. Kent’s quarterly “District Dialogue 4 Residents” series.

If you are concerned about the Volusia County Council’s comprehensive vision for our future (I know, but I can hope, right?) I urge you to attend.

Besides, it might be the only time you can speak with a sitting council member without one of County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald’s senior staff playing chaperone…     

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

As usual – I’m confused. 

Not surprised.  Confused…

Last week, in an article by Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal entitled, “$155 million in state budget to accommodate growth, quality of life in Volusia, Flagler,” we learned:

“Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University landed $15 million to build a new, 45,000 square-foot Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF, at its research park. It “will be designed with large, complex industry and Department of Defense projects in mind, providing for opportunities to collaborate with industry, various government agencies and strengthen the ability for students to work on obtaining security clearances,” according to the request.

ERAU also got $5 million for equipment at its research park.”

Interesting. 

Look, it’s no secret that Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – our “Harvard of the Skies” – is the personal fiefdom of our High Panjandrum of Political Power, Mori Hosseini – the powerful chairman of ICI Homes – or that his undisputed political influence ranges far from the confines of the ERAU campus to the halls of power in Tallahassee and beyond.   

In February, first-year Rep. Chase Tramont of Port Orange filed an appropriations project request on behalf of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University seeking $15,000,000 for construction of a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF).

You read that right. 

According to Rep. Tramont’s barebones request, he listed the most appropriate state agency to administrate the funds as the “Department of Education” – but stated that the DOE had not been contacted at the time of the request?

He also listed the “Requestor” of the appropriation as Rodney Cruise, the figurehead Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – and the “Contact for questions about specific technical or financial details about the project,” as Jeremy Ernest, ERAU’s Vice President for Research and Doctoral Programs.

In answer to the question, “What type of organization is the entity that will receive the funds?” – Rep. Tramont checked “Non Profit 501(c) (4)” (the Internal Revenue Code for a “social welfare or community organization”?) – rather than “University or College.” 

When the appropriation request asked, “What is the specific purpose or goal that will be achieved by the funds being requested?” Rep. Tramont explained:

“The SCIF, containing an aluminium (sic) barrier, will block radio frequency and electromagnetic frequency interference to protect both classified and sensitive information. The facility will allow companies and agencies the ability to complete highly confidential and classified projects. This secured facility will also provide access to taxiway sierra. The taxiway access gives faculty and students unique opportunities to work on highly classified, confidential, and sensitive projects.”

The questions continued…

“For Fixed Capital Costs requested in Question 13, what type of ownership will the facility be under when complete?”

Answer: “Non Profit 501 (c) 3.” (Say what?)

“Is there any documented show of support for the requested project in the community including public hearings, letters of support, major organizational backing, or other expressions of support?”

Answer: “No.”

“Has the need for the funds been documented by a study, completed by an independent 3rd party, for the area to be served?” 

Answer: “No.”

“Will the requested funds be used directly for services to citizens?”

Answer: “Yes.”

“What are the activities and services that will be provided to meet the purpose of the funds?”

Answer: “The addition of the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility will strengthen the student and workforce experience by offering opportunities to work on sensitive projects. Students can obtain DoD Top Secret Security Clearance through these initiatives which strengthens their credentials post-graduation, entering industry.”

The “benefit or outcome” of the expenditure is listed as “Improve Quality of Education,” with the metrics for measuring success listed as:

“Create shared facilities and resources that enable collaborations and major proposals to our select areas of research.”

“This will be measured by the number of internships, opportunities for students, and high paying jobs created.”

(You can read Rep. Tramont’s appropriations request for yourself here: https://tinyurl.com/mruv7sxm and you can find a list of his 2022 campaign contributors here: https://tinyurl.com/2fskdhsk )

So, is Skunk Works coming to Daytona Beach, or is this a weird “build it and they will come” folly? 

Regardless, I’m not sure that’s the way any of this works – or why in the hell you and I are paying for it… 

A SCIF isn’t designed to “strengthen the student experence…” – it is an accredited facility built to strict U.S. government standards set by the Director of National Intelligence to prevent visual, auditory, or electronic eavesdropping or the interception of highly sensitive electronic information. 

All aspects of the building materials, construction, access, and operation of a SCIF are held to exact security standards because they serve to facilitate the secure handling of our nation’s most sensitive compartmented information (SCI).

Typically, an organization must have a U.S. government sponsor to get a SCIF accredited – and only government employees and contractors with the appropriate security clearances are allowed to enter the facility.   

Now, I realize the political realities of lawmakers who carry the water and keep themselves in Mr. Hosseini’s good graces.  And I also understand the ability of our “imaginative” elected officials to stretch the definition of a “public purpose” to the nth degree. 

I don’t know about you, but in my jaded view, using state tax dollars to build an incredibly expensive 45,000 square foot SCIF at ERAU seems like a stretch…

As always, when it comes to the nexus of public funds and private interests, there are more questions than answers.

What is the benefit of researching and developing advanced aerospace programs in the confines of a highly secure facility, then rolling out the final product onto the taxiway of one of the busiest airports by operations in Florida? 

I’m no mastermind in the ways of espionage, but it seems all a potential foreign adversary would have to do is post up at the Daytona Beach Racing and Card Club with their Kodak Instamatic.    

You know, real “Cloak and Dagger” shit…

While I realize that Rep. Chase “Secret Squirrel” Tramont did not contact the Florida Department of Education prior to filing a $15 million appropriations request for that agency to administrate – but I wonder if anyone involved bothered to contact the U.S. Department of Defense to determine if they are willing to partner with ERAU in conducting classified research on the busy ramp at Daytona “International” Airport? 

Look, I understand why there was no independent third-party study or public hearings to determine need – that’s not the way things are done here on Florida’s “Fun Coast” – but why didn’t any government organization, defense contractor, or Mr. Hosseini’s minion, ERAU President P. Barry Butler, bother to show their commitment to such an expensive and complex project by jotting out so much as a simple letter of support? 

In my uneducated view, something stinks over at Skunk Works South…    

Call me a skinflint, but with the myriad infrastructure, property insurance, environmental, housing, and growth issues facing Floridians, if ERAU has a direct need for a $15 million secret facility to further advanced research with corporations that develop and market products and processes to the Department of Defense – then the university, and its private partners who will financially benefit, should pay for it.