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:

I thought we might have some fun this week and resurrect a little game I like to call Name that Eyesore! 

The rules are simple:   

Contestants study the image below then swing a wild-assed guess which of the hundreds of local civic carbuncles is depicted. 

C’mon, play along! 

(Cue the Final Jeopardy theme)

Is it:

1. A weed-strewn blotch on Ormond Beach’s main thoroughfare? 
2. A suburban hog wallow?
3. The Shoppes at Granada Pointe?

Any of the above would be considered theoretically correct – because it’s all those things! 

So, give yourself a hearty pat on the back and a Gold Star! 

Yep.  The photograph depicts the current condition of a vacant parcel in the virtual epicenter of Ormond’s West Granada commercial corridor where the weeds are as high as an elephant’s eye! 

What we were promised would be a tony retail complex has become a muddy unimproved parking lot – now bookended by a Wawa convenience store and a drive-thru carwash – that was once the site of hundreds of specimen oaks and hardwoods that an Ormond Beach developer was permitted to churn into a muddy moonscape in the name of “progress.” 

In total, some 2,061 old-growth trees were clear-cut and ground into splinters when the urban wildlife habitat and historic natural buffer became an environmental abattoir in 2018 – the same year Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington had the unmitigated gall to accept a Tree City USA designation from some shim-sham called the “Arbor Day Foundation.”

Remember?  I do.   

Of course, us rubes (read: Ormond Beach taxpayers) were repeatedly promised a specialty grocer, complete with posh “shoppes,” upscale retail, restaurants, a bank, and other amenities – advertised as being no different from any other commercial development on the boulevard. 

Yet, four-years on – much of the 32-acres (including 1.3 acres of “mitigated” wetlands) that were publicly sacrificed on both sides of Granada Boulevard remain vacant – with unsightly weeds, tall grass, and a washed out mudhole replacing the beautiful “reforestation” we were all promised. 

Perhaps it is time for the City of Ormond Beach to begin evaluating past performance before rubber stamping additional projects for developers with unfinished business elsewhere in the community? 

Whatever.

If you are tired of this bait-and-switch profiteering that is routinely facilitated by those developer shills on the Ormond Beach City Commission, I hope you will let your voice be heard at the ballot box. 

You can bet your sweet ass I plan to. . . 

In my view, it is time that we let these compromised perennial politicians know there is some shit we won’t eat. . .

Thanks for playing!  

Angel               Project Linus

Yesterday, my three-year old granddaughter was admitted to Halifax Hospital with chronic pulmonary issues, and, before I continue, please know she is doing well and (hopefully) will be released by the time you read this. 

When she was admitted, the wonderful nursing staff in the Betty Jane France ‘Speediatrics” Center gifted her a blanket lovingly crafted by Project Linus volunteers – a national organization who selflessly provide “…love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”

Look, I’m as crusty as they come, and I had no idea this service existed – but I was moved to tears by this incredibly compassionate gift.

From what I know, Volusia County has an active chapter of Project Linus dedicated to providing beautiful blankets to local children in need, and I could not be more thankful for their kindness. 

Please find more information here: https://www.projectlinus.org/  

On behalf of a grateful grandfather – the volunteers of Project Linus are doing God’s work – and I will forever appreciate the compassion they have shown my family. 

Thank you.  From the bottom of my heart – Thank you.   

Angel               Dr. Mary Mcleod Bethune

On Wednesday, like all Floridians, my chest filled with immense pride as the glorious marble statue of pioneering educator, civil rights activist, and trusted advisor to five U.S. presidents, Dr. Mary Mcleod Bethune, was formally enshrined at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. 

Born the fifteenth child of former slaves, Dr. Bethune rose from humble beginnings in rural South Carolina to the hallowed National Statuary Hall after a lifetime of helping others achieve the American Dream through the opportunity of higher education and basic human rights. 

According to an excellent article documenting this momentous occasion by reporter Eileen Zaffiro-Kean who traveled to our Nation’s Capitol to report for The Daytona Beach News-Journal – in addition to U.S. Senator Rick Scott, (R-FL) who as governor of Florida commissioned the statuary to represent our state in Washington – the observance was attended by some 100 local, state, and national dignitaries:

“Also in Statuary Hall to honor the 20th century champion for Black Americans were some of the most powerful elected leaders in the country: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), U.S. Rep. Val Demings (D-FL), U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL), U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) and U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL).”   

In addition, the unveiling ceremony was also attended by a local delegation led by Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry, which included Bethune-Cookman University officials and alumni, the B-CU chorus, and Ormond Beach philanthropist Nancy Lohman, Chair of the Dr. Mary Mcleod Bethune Statuary Fund Board, along with a distinguished group of six board members representing those Halifax area industries and individuals who so generously dedicated their time, talent, and resources to see this long journey to memorialize Dr. Bethune’s remarkable legacy become a reality.

Dr. Bethune’s statue is one of just two sculptures representing the State of Florida in the U.S. Capitol and the first Black person to stand in the state collection.  

As Mayor Henry said during remarks last year when Dr. Bethune’s statue was displayed at the Daytona State College News-Journal Center:

“When history records how we as a community responded to our role as custodians of this great legacy, let the record read that Daytona Beach passed the test with straight superiors.”

A special thank you to everyone involved in this wonderful and important endeavor.

Well done!

Angel               Daytona Dog Beach, Inc.

The mission of Daytona Dog Beach, Inc. is to “put paws in the sand” by promoting the added amenity of safe, controlled, and environmentally sound dog friendly beaches on the World’s Most Famous Beach.

I like that. 

Although my own beloved dogs – Nola and Benny – are ill-tempered curs like their old man who hate the thought of “socializing” with others, I know many people who enjoy spending time with their pets on the expansive dog-friendly areas of Flagler Beach.

Unfortunately, in Volusia County government, the instinctive answer to any public request is “No.” 

Because many bureaucrats in the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand abhor anything that requires a modicum of creativity – “No Way/No How!” is the pat answer to any grassroots suggestion that may improve our quality of life or enhance the beachgoing experience. 

For the uninitiated, dogs have been effectively banned from Volusia County beaches since 1987, when the greatest civic mistake ever perpetrated placed all 47-miles of shoreline under the county’s dictatorial control.

As those who have spent our lives here will attest – things have never been the same. . . 

Last spring, the Volusia County Council raised the hopes of many pet owners when they asked staff to research options for permitting dogs on identified areas of the strand in the Daytona Beach area.   

As things often go when citizens seek change to paralytic and outdated public policies, enthusiastic and well-meaning residents took time away from their busy lives to prostrate themselves before our Elected Monarchy – who sat like stone-faced gargoyles gazing down from the dais of power – before opting to maintain the tired status quo.    

Fortunately, those who support bringing a convenient dog-friendly beach closer to population centers in the Greater Daytona Beach area have continued their efforts to educate and partner with residents, visitors, and area businesses – to include a regular “Yappy Hour” at the beautiful Streamline Hotel. 

Under the leadership of Nanette McKeel Petrella, Daytona Dog Park, Inc. continues to be a force for good in our community. 

For the past two-years, this wonderful group of civically active citizens have dedicated themselves to monthly cleanups of a one-mile section of beach of between Seabreeze Boulevard and Zelda Boulevard.

According to Daytona Dog Park, Inc., the popular “People & Paws” cleanup event will take place tomorrow morning, Saturday, July 16, from 8:30am to 10:30am.  To add to the fun, dogs will be allowed to accompany their owners under a special permit issued by Volusia County!

According to Daytona Dog Park, Inc.:

“Participants are invited to join us at the cleanup, with or without their dog. Rules include that dogs are leashed, under control, vaccinated, licensed and cleaned up after. Waivers will be mandatory for all participants, those under eighteen must be accompanied by an adult. An additional waiver will be mandatory for those bringing their dog.

Participants must sign in at “Daytona Dog Beach, Inc. Clean up Station,” which will be on the beach at the University Parking Lot area. After completing waivers, instructions and cleaning supplies and dog waste bags will be provided. Participants are asked to return to the station at the end of the cleanup for weigh-in of trash. We will keep a running tab of the amount of trash collected. We will also track volunteer hours for those wishing/requiring it. A prize will be given to the participant who collects the most trash.

Daytona Dog Beach, Inc. will provide complimentary breakfast items, and water. Dogs will be provided water as well.”

If you are interested in volunteering for this most worthwhile effort, free tickets are required in advance and available here:  https://tinyurl.com/3kjwm9k4

Learn more about this wonderful organization and how you can help here: www.daytonadogbeach.org

Angel               Daytona Beach City Commission

I opined on this amazing turn of events earlier in the week – but it bears repeating. . . 

During their July 6 meeting, the Daytona Beach City Commission – after approving another 352 housing units near Municipal Stadium off LPGA Boulevard (with some 800 more on deck) – discussed a building moratorium for “New Daytona” along Boomtown Boulevard and areas west of the City’s Monument to Mediocrity at the Tomoka River pinch point.

I must admit, when a loyal member of the Barker’s View tribe made me aware of this, I initially thought they’d been drinking (I know I was) – I mean, a building moratorium? 

In Daytona Beach?

Say what?

But once I had a chance to review a video archive of the meeting – I was incredibly impressed with the sincerity and openness of the discussion into something that has been considered verboten across the width and breadth of Volusia County.

While listening in, I was surprised how little the elected officials seemed to understand about their vital role in growth management or their collective authority when approving new projects – and I think they were as confused as I was by the soporific tone of Deputy City Manager Jim Morris’ sleep-inducing explanations. . .      

I also found it interesting that Mayor Derrick Henry appeared in complete agreement with Commissioner Ken Strickland on the always contentious topic of a moratorium. 

Wow. 

Let’s face it, during this period of explosive growth, little consideration has been given to the quality or quantity of approved projects – as evidenced by the dull appearance of those zero-lot-line behemoths that continue to sprout from slash-and-burn moonscapes – with no consideration for developing a comprehensive sense of place.

While cogitating on what this bombshell notion of a moratorium might mean, I was reminded of the tragic story of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and his hellishly ambitious determination to create the Monster – and, in the end, his equally driven motivation to stop his terrible creation before it could do more damage. . . 

Regardless of the Commission’s true motivations – I am afraid it is now or never. . . 

For instance, in an excellent article by Charles Guarria writing in the Hometown News, “More warehousing, more houses, just more in Daytona,” we learned of a gargantuan 893,000 square feet of warehousing, cold storage, and retail space collocated with some 400 apartments and townhouses to be built on sixty-five acres at the northwest corner of US-92 and Tomoka Farms Road.

You read that right.

According to reports, the Daytona Beach City Commission will hold a workshop to discuss the fine points of a possible building moratorium on August 24. 

With thousands of new homes and apartments already built – and thousands more waiting to break ground (with some 9,000 units already approved on LPGA Boulevard alone) – many Halifax area residents are saying a temporary halt is too little, too late.   

Of course, at the mere mention of a slowdown, some commercial realtors are already crowing about how the measure will stifle the city’s ability to attract “jobs” and already non-existent “affordable housing.”  

Bullshit. 

The very thought of a pause to allow infrastructure to catch up with even current demands will go through the development community like an ice water enema – because anything that disrupts the boom/bust cycle of rapid growth and quick profits in favor of a measured strategy is anathema to those hauling cash out of what remains of our threatened pine scrub and aquifer recharge areas west of I-95. 

This one bears watching. . .

Quote of the Week

“I run the county.”

–Flagler County Commission Chair and King Hell Blowhard Joe Mullins describing his ‘Authoritah‘ to a Florida Highway Patrol trooper during a traffic stop for speeding on Interstate 95 in Flagler County, June 19, 2022

Last week in this space, I opined on a disturbing article in the online news outlet FlaglerLive regarding the officious assholery of Flagler County Commission Chair Joe Mullins as he tried to flex his muscles and wheedle his way out of at least two traffic citations last month after putting motorists and law enforcement officers at risk on area highways.

According to media reports, it wasn’t the first time Chairman Mullins has thrown his weight around with law enforcement. . .

This week, additional information was released by FlaglerLive and other print and electronic media, to include The Daytona Beach News-Journal, the United Kingdom’s Daily Mail, and Orlando network television affiliates, representing an international embarrassment to the citizens of Flagler County.

According to FlaglerLive:   

“Just as the trooper was telling him the citation would have to be paid within 30 days, with three options, Mullins interrupted him. The trooper did not understand at first. “I’m sorry?” the trooper asked him.

“I run the county,” Mullins tells him.

“You run the county?” the trooper asks him, clearly nonplussed for an instant–as Mullins says he’s the “chairman of the county commission,” a ceremonial role that requires him to run commission meetings, when he is there to run them (the task has on a few occasion gone to Greg Hansen, the vice chairman, in Mullins’s absences), but that does not give him any more power than other commissioners, let alone the authority to “run the county.” Doing so would be a breach of law. The actual running of the county is the responsibility of Heidi Petito, the county administrator. Commissioners only set policy and direction for Petito to follow, without administrative interference from commissioners. Not all commissioners understand or respect the boundary.”

Equally egregious, in a report by Frank Fernandez in the News-Journal, we learned that an FHP report detailing another June traffic stop on I-4 “…described Mullins as a “county commissioner” and “extremely condescending, belligerent, illogical and disrespectful,” and noted that he “flashed his business card to get out of ticket.”

“The trooper who spoke to Mullins warned that if he got out of the SUV, he would be arrested, according to the audio from the dash cam. According to the dispatch notes from FHP, Mullins “stated it would be a carrer [sic] ending move if I arrested him for failing to obey a lawful order.”

My God.

In the interest of saving his constituents from further embarrassment, humiliation, and distraction – it is high time for Chairman Mullins to resign his lofty position of trust and withdraw as a candidate for the Flagler County Commission. 

In my view, it is the buffoonery of self-important shitheels like Joe Mullins – whose antics play to every despicable stereotype of the entitled Fat Cat politician – that is destroying the public’s trust in our government.

By his own arrogant instincts, Chairman Mullins has lost the moral authority to lead. 

And Another Thing!

Yea!  We’re Number One!

Wait. . .

According to an informative report from Smart Growth America, you are more likely to be killed while walking in the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach metropolitan statistical area than anywhere else in the nation. 

Anywhere else in the known galaxy, for that matter. 

That grim statistic is the finding of Dangerous by Design 2022, an in-depth study by the Washington based non-profit which analyzed federal pedestrian safety data between 2016 and 2020. 

According to the report, some 140 of our neighbors died in the region during the study period – that’s 4.25 deaths per 100,000 people. 

Damn. 

While local and state government spinmeisters are working overtime this week to convince us otherwise, in my view, it appears the dangers inherent to piss-poor planning, nonsensical land use and zoning decisions, and massive overdevelopment are coming home to roost. 

It makes one wonder – now that we’ve hit rock bottom on pedestrian safety – what else have our ‘stewards of the public trust’ failed to address while allowing their political benefactors in the real estate development community to “make hay while the sun shines”?  

In the view of many, there are more civic pitfalls ahead as our greenspace is scraped and burned to make way for more, more, more – even as transportation experts like the esteemed Maryam Ghyabi publicly sound the klaxon on potential gridlock and increased dangers on LPGA Boulevard and beyond – and We, The Little People continue to hear official murmuring of ‘toilet-to-tap solutions’ to the looming water shortage. 

That’s not fearmongering.  These are legitimate and on-going discussions happening in government offices throughout Volusia County. 

Unfortunately, our fervent concerns are increasingly answered by compromised elected officials who bellow the catchall phrase “Private property rights!” – which is complete horseshit – as every private property owner who has ever tried to do anything on their slice of the pie without paying the government for the privilege will attest. . .  

Hell, in Volusia County, our ‘powers that be’ cannot even spell “Smart Growth,” let alone define it.

According to Smart Growth America:

“Smart growth means reinvesting in America’s downtowns and main streets, the economic engines of big cities and rural towns alike. Smart growth means creating homes for families of all income levels alongside one another in locations where daily needs are close by. Smart growth means diversifying our transportation system so Americans have a choice in how they get around. Smart growth means building streets that are safe for people walking, bicycling or using any sort of assistive device, as well as driving. Smart growth means protecting our open green spaces for generations to come.”

 Any of that sound familiar? 

Yeah.  It didn’t ring a bell with me either. . . 

Unfortunately, for the past decade or so, various iterations of the Volusia County Council have been dragging their well-worn heels on the idea of transportation capacity and low-impact development regulations – allowing unchecked development on top of our aquifer recharge areas (?) – then failing to even outline the concept of “smart growth” or, God forbid, tap-the-brakes to allow common-sense concurrency before shoehorning another garish “theme” community west of I-95.  

Smart Growth America believes planning and design can have a tremendous impact on traffic safety while “fostering distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place.”

For instance, the organization promotes developing within existing communities, rather than filling every acre of undeveloped land to take advantage of existing roads, bridges, utilities, and other public infrastructure – which speaks to the infill and revitalization that is desperately needed on our ignored and terribly blighted beachside. 

It all begins with community involvement, a civic atmosphere where elected officials solicit and value the perspectives of everyone with a stake in how, when, and where we grow – rather than sitting on the dais like catatonic knobs being hypnotized by some staffer’s PowerPoint – before approving more development with Pavlovian conditioning.  

This controlled growth strategy should include encouraging developers to build quality projects, ensure adequate infrastructure to manage the increased demand, and require a range of housing opportunities, all with an eye toward environmental sustainability. 

Trust me.  For all the spiffs and say-sos developers have been granted – those concessions are not too much to ask. 

In the view of many, it is time for a quantum shift in the way our ‘powers that be’ prioritize Volusia County’s myriad needs – a fair and balanced democratic system where our elected and appointed officials give as much consideration to the safety, security, and quality of life for existing residents as they do when rubber stamping the wants and whims of well-heeled speculative developers.

That change begins at the ballot box. Choose your representation wisely.

I can assure you those with a real chip in the game are working hard to ensure the status quo – and protect their place in the suckling order at the public teat.    

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

As the election season heats up, many existing residents are letting it be known that they consider ‘too much, too soon’ overdevelopment the seminal issue of our time. 

Last November, during a West Volusia town hall forum on growth management hosted by Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower, it became evident that a growing number of residents support a temporary moratorium on development until public infrastructure catches up and land use regulations amended to help conserve community resources and protect our limited water supply.

At the time, I equated a potential ‘tap of the brakes’ to a hotel that reaches maximum occupancy and hangs a “No Vacancy” sign to alert potential lodgers that the property has reached its limit. 

Because packing guests like cordwood in every nook and cranny, placing cots in hallways and ballrooms, overburdening recreational amenities, gridlocked parking lots, and overcrowding facilities is unsafe and unsanitary.

In short, people living on top of one another is not sustainable over time.   

Letting potential customers know there is no room at the inn is a short-term measure that protects the property from excess and overuse, frees staff to meet current needs, and ensures existing guests have a quality experience.

It also allows management time to plan and improve infrastructure to accommodate more customers so that expansion does not infringe on neighbors or detract from the unique character of the place that attracted visitors to begin with.

Unfortunately, our ‘powers that be’ here on Florida’s Fun Coast have failed to grasp (or manage) the myriad issues that occur when one attempts to shove ten pounds of shit into a five pound sack – a crude metaphor for the malignant growth that is rapidly metastasizing along the spine of Volusia County from Farmton to the Flagler County line – sprawl that is now threatening communities and once rural areas with high-density development and its detrimental impacts to our environment, infrastructure, and quality of life.

With evidence mounting that unchecked growth is the principal concern of residents across Volusia County, why do those we have elected to represent our interests continue to ignore the fears of their constituents?

When you consider that $1 of every $5 in recorded campaign contributions in recent Volusia County elections originated from real estate developers and the building industry – you begin to understand just how cozy (and incredibly lucrative) that symbiotic relationship has become – resulting in the approval of every want and whim of speculative developers, to include rubber stamping land use and density changes, while perpetuating a ‘hurt here/help there’ environmental mitigation strategy.   

In my view, the quid pro quo effect of these massive campaign donations to malleable candidates is exemplified in the erosion of water quality and quantity, traffic congestion, unsightly cookie cutter subdivisions, “roads to nowhere” that facilitate future development, and the continued suppression of impact fees and concurrency regulations. 

Recently, in an excellent article by Charles Guarria writing in the Hometown News, “More warehousing, more houses, just more in Daytona,” we learned of a gargantuan 893,000 square feet of warehousing, cold storage, and retail space collocated with some 400 apartments and townhouses to be built on sixty-five acres at the northwest corner of US-92 and Tomoka Farms Road.

In his informative piece, Mr. Guarria aptly described the enormous development as a “monster project.”   

In my jaded view, it is more accurately the Monster that ate our Quality of Life – and now the voracious beast is getting too big and unruly to ignore – even for those elected officials who facilitated his lycanthropic transformation. . . 

During their July 6 meeting, the Daytona Beach City Commission – after approving another 352 housing units near Municipal Stadium off LPGA Boulevard (with some 800 more on deck) – discussed a building moratorium for “New Daytona” along Boomtown Boulevard and areas west of the City’s Monument to Mediocrity at the Tomoka River pinch point.

I was surprised how little the elected officials seem to understand about their collective authority when approving new development – an almost strategic ignorance of their vital role in growth management – and I found it interesting that Mayor Derrick Henry appeared in complete agreement with Commissioner Ken Strickland on the topic of a moratorium. 

Let’s face it, during this period of explosive growth, little consideration has been given to the quality of approved projects – as evidenced by the overall lack of character and appearance of those zero-lot-line behemoths that sprout from slash-and-burn moonscapes – with no consideration for developing a comprehensive sense of place and community.

More important, with no end in sight, why is no one looking out for the interests of existing residents? 

According to reports, the Daytona Beach City Commission will hold a workshop to discuss the proposal on August 24. 

With thousands of new homes and apartments already built – and thousands more approved and waiting to break ground (some 9,000 along already overwhelmed LPGA Boulevard alone) – many Halifax area residents are saying a temporary halt is too little, too late.    

Of course, some developer shills are already crowing about how a moratorium will stifle the city’s ability to attract “jobs” and “affordable housing.”   

Bullshit. 

The very thought of a temporary slowdown to allow infrastructure to catch up with demand will go through the real estate development community like an ice water enema – because anything that disrupts the boom/bust cycle of rapid growth and quick profits in favor of a measured strategy is anathema to those hauling cash out of what remains of our threatened pine scrub and aquifer recharge areas west of I-95. 

Unfortunately, if history repeats, I don’t think those uber-wealthy insiders who are actively preparing the playing field with massive campaign contributions to likeminded candidates have anything to worry about. 

In Volusia County – greed always prevails.

During this election season, I hope you will take this unique opportunity to identify those candidates who share your values and concerns, demand answers to the tough questions regarding how we plan, prepare, regulate, and execute future growth.

Then hold their feet to the fire politically by demanding concurrency and managed development.

Regardless of where you fall on the issue of growth management, we can all agree there is a lot at stake.

It appears the City of Daytona Beach is finally coming to the realization that We, The Little People are rightly concerned about increased density, traffic congestion, and the environmental impacts of unchecked sprawl – those things we see with our own eyes – something many believe will have a drastic impact on local elections.    

This one bears watching. . .

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           Flagler County Commission Chair Joe Mullins

I care about good governance. 

If you are taking the time out of your busy day to read Barker’s View, I’ll bet you do too. 

That commitment begins by demanding that elected officials everywhere adhere to the ethical tenets of the public service, the first of which is never using one’s position or power for personal gain, advantage, or favor.   

Few things are more troubling for a police chief or sheriff than calls from Fat Cats asking that a ticket be “fixed” – which is both morally abhorrent – and a technical impossibility due to the way uniform traffic citations are adjudicated in the State of Florida. 

More than once I had a good laugh with one of my fellow officers when someone they stopped implored – “I know Chief Baker!” – to which the officer would respond, as directed, “His name is Barker – and he ordered us to write his family and friends two tickets because they should know better than to embarrass him by violating the traffic laws in this community.” 

In one instance, many years ago, I “took care” of a citation for an elderly lady – the widow of a retired police officer – by going down to the Clerk of the Court and paying her fine out of my own pocket. 

Was it the right thing to do?  I don’t know – but it seemed right at the time. . .

Last week, the excellent on-line news site FlaglerLive reported on the serial traffic violations of Flagler County Commission Chair Joe Mullins – who, on the evening of June 2, was alleged by the Florida Highway Patrol to have driven his Mercedes on I-4 at speeds over ninety miles per hour. 

In fact, two troopers were required to run him down with lights and siren to affect the stop on a dangerous section of I-4 (hell, its all dangerous. . .)

You can read about it here:  https://flaglerlive.com/178180/mullins-seminole-jail/

During the traffic stop, Chairman Mullins – who, in my jaded view, oversees the most consistently dysfunctional government in the metropolitan statistical area (and that’s saying something) – was threatened with arrest “…if he persisted with arguing after the ticket had been issued.”

According to the report, during the traffic stop, Chairman Mullins made certain the trooper knew who he was dealing with:

“After the trooper told him he was clocked at 91 on the trooper’s laser, Mullins immediately handed something other than his license. “What’s this?” the trooper asked. Mullins is then heard saying he chairs the county commission. “Yes, sir,” the trooper continues, “do you have your registration and insurance, please?”

Kudos to the FHP trooper for quickly shutting down Mullins’ douchebaggery. . .

It gets worse. 

“After completing the paperwork, the two troopers then go back to speak with Mullins, standing on the passenger side. They explain the ticket to him, but then Mullins berates them for the way he was pulled over, claiming it was not safe. One of the troopers asks him if he thought going at the speed he was going was safe.”

Wow.

According to a report, in May 2020, while riding as a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by a Flagler County deputy sheriff, Mullins “almost immediately identified himself,” then invoked the name of Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. 

That was not the first time. . . 

Following a 2017 stop in St. John’s County – before Mullins became a Flagler County Commissioner (he was elected in 2018 and is up for re-election this year) Sheriff Staly recalled to FlaglerLive:

“He wanted to know if I’d call the St. Johns County sheriff because he’d been pulled over by one of his deputies,” Staly said, his voice at this point a bit indignant at the memory. “I told him absolutely not, this is Florida, and we don’t do these kinds of things, at least not with me. So I never called Sheriff Shoar. He’s a personal friend–I talked to him today–and I don’t know what happened with that ticket.”

Sheriff Staly’s personal example speaks to the unquestioned professional ethics and steadfast devotion to the finest standards of the law enforcement profession he brings to Flagler County.   

In my view, Flagler County residents can be rightly proud of Sheriff Rick Staly. 

Frankly, Mr. Mullins should be ashamed of himself for putting a man of integrity in such a terrible position.

Incredibly, Chairman Mullin was also stopped and cited by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper on June 19 after he was found driving a red Ferrari on I-95 in Palm Coast at 92 miles per hour. . .

Apparently, Mr. Mullins keeps a form letter tucked away addressed to the “Honorable Magistrate Judge” that he routinely trots out whenever it becomes necessary to mewl for mercy from the court after putting motorists and law enforcement officers at substantial risk on area highways.

Always “…asking for lenience as I am gladly to pay in full the amount owed (you know, like us little people are expected to do?) but would like the assessed points and my record not to be noted if possible.”  

(I am assuming this grammatical nightmare was translated from the original Mandarin?) 

Whatever.

Folks, in my view, these incidents epitomize the arrogance of power in action – and it is time for Flagler County voters to take notice. 

It is one thing for a public official to make a mistake – and most people can forgive what they see themselves doing – but the repetitive nature of Mr. Mullins’ infractions and questionable interactions with law enforcement is, in my view, over the top.    

As a reader of FlagerLive so eloquently commented:

“I don’t know why the voters in Flagler County keep re-electing this pompous asshole.”

Me neither. . . 

Angel               Volusia School Board Members Jamie Haynes and Anita Burnette  

“The Volusia County School Board hasn’t evaluated its attorney for 40-years.”

That shocking lede began a recent report by the Ormond Beach Observer’s Associate Editor Jarleene Almenas explaining the recent efforts of the Volusia County School Board to find an appropriate “tool” for evaluating the performance of board attorney “Teflon Ted” Doran.

During a meeting last month, School Board Vice Chair Jamie Haynes, along with members Linda Cuthbert and Anita Burnette (Ruben Colon and Carl Persis were absent), discussed a long-anticipated method for reviewing Mr. Doran’s performance based on examples of evaluations used by other districts from around the state. 

According to Mr. Doran, none of those proven templates applied to his position. . .

The district’s in-house attorney, Kevin Pendley, advised the board that because Mr. Doran is an independent contractor (currently serving under the protection of a five-year agreement) only Clay County’s method for evaluating outside counsel matched their needs.   

According to the Observer’s report, “If I were to sit down with one of the board members, I could explain each of these different criteria for evaluation, and I could explain why it does or doesn’t apply,” Doran said. “I think that out of all these, there’s definitely one that could be created.”

Spoken like a true lawyer, eh?    

I’ll just bet Mr. Doran could stretch this process out for another forty years – or at least until after the election. . . 

In her usual role as guardian of the stagnant status quo, Ms. Cuthbert did her level best to protect Doran’s tick-like tenure – despite a long-standing (and historically ignored) district policy discovered by Ms. Burnette that requires an annual vote to retain the attorney each July – by ensuring no such vote would be taken.

At every turn, Cuthbert did her best to drag her heels and question the process – finally making the inane argument that voting on the final product then using the tool to evaluate Mr. Doran at their meeting on July 26 (you know, doing their job) would take too much time. . .   

My God.

To her credit, Vice Chair Jamie Haynes and Ms. Burnette stayed the course – with Haynes noting that the question of evaluating Mr. Doran’s performance had been brought up several times in recent months and the issue was finally up for discussion at the “ninth-hour.”

“Doran said he wasn’t concerned about an evaluation — only that he wanted to know the criteria of the evaluation in advance.”

“Somebody needs to be asking what the financial impact of the evaluation will be, because I can tell you that a lot of these criteria that I see [on these forms], I don’t spend time of them, and you don’t pay me,” Doran said. “If you tell me that’s what you’re going to evaluate me on, I’m going to do everything A-plus. There won’t be one category that you will be able to say that I did not complete with 100%.”

Say what? 

In turn, the whip-smart Volusia United Educators President Elizabeth Albert addressed the board and made it clear that “accountability is for everyone.”  

Whether you agree with Ms. Albert or not – she can bring the heat. 

During her remarks, Ms. Albert asked the cogent question, “Who else in the district gets to select their own evaluation tool?” 

In discussing the disparity between employee evaluations and the fact the district’s attorney has not received a review in “four decades,” Ms. Albert stated:

“Do we think that’s appropriate?  I don’t. When I hear comments made like, ‘I’m going to do an A-plus job,’ I’m led to wonder, ‘What kind of job is happening right now?’ When we talk about a financial consequence to actually do an A-plus job, that sounds to me like a threat, and it encourages me to perhaps put in a public information request to find out about billable hours, because now, I’m really curious.”

“What’s the fear?  Again, we’re all held accountable.” 

I think Ms. Albert is on to something. . . 

At the end of the day, Vice Chair Haynes and Ms. Burnette are to be commended for their perseverance in setting a reasonable timeframe for implementation of an objective tool for reviewing Mr. Doran’s strengths and growth areas. 

Because that is what transparent government organizations and taxing districts do when they are accountable to those who pay the bills – rather than entrenched insiders in the Ivory Tower of Power.

In my view, the real question is why it took four decades for the various iterations of the Volusia County School Board to find an objective way of evaluating the performance of one of the highest compensated positions, follow its own policies, and level the playing field for teachers, staff, students, and taxpayers? 

Quote of the Week

“Set your watch – I’m going on the record right now:

The much-ballyhooed “Tony Grippa Beachside Redevelopment Committee” will have absolutely no substantive impact on the future stability and revitalization of our long-suffering beachside and core tourist areas.

I hope I’m wrong.  But I’m not.”

–Mark “Barkstradamus” Barker, writing in Barker’s View, “Angels & Assholes,” July 17, 2017  

Look, I hate to be an arrogant “I told you so” asshole (that’s not true, I relish it) – and I’m certainly not some prescient “seer” or political clairvoyant.

But when I’m right, dammit, I’m right. . .   

I came upon this jewel in the dusty archives this week and just had to share it with you – along with another prognostication on the fate of “low-impact development initiatives” and environmental protections that are being booted down the political trail by developer loyalists on the Volusia County Council. 

Now that time has proven me right on the abysmal state of infill and revitalization efforts on much of the beachside, I’m going to don my glittering swami hat, perch cross-legged on a pillar of pillows, slip into a cataleptic trance, and foretell the future as it relates to Volusia County’s recent proposal for a Frankensteinian reanimation of the do-nothing Environmental Resources Advisory and Political Insulation Committee as part of the Old Guard’s patented procrastination strategy to stymie still undefined “low-impact development” initiatives.

Here goes. . .

“Ommmmmmmm Mani Padme Hummmmm…Volusia County’s much-ballyhooed Environmental Resources Advisory Committee will have absolutely no substantive impact on malignant growth, our overburdened transportation and utilities infrastructure, or the implementation of environmental protection regulations whatsoever…Ommmmmmmmm.” 

(Damn.  These preternatural predictions always give me a headache. . .) 

Don’t get me wrong, the committee will make suggestions for lukewarm amendments to land use regulations, environmental protections discussed, and recommendations will be made to our ‘powers that be’ – then the process will dissolve as follows:

The Volusia County Council will:

1. Accept and Endorse the Committee Report.
2. Set date for Council Workshop to further discuss.
3. Establish a cumbersome timetable for implementation – then forget about it. 

Again, I hope I am wrong. 

But I’m not. . .

As I have previously pontificated: Elections have consequences. 

Vote like your quality of life depends on it.

And Another Thing!

As regular readers of these silly screeds know, I am a registered No Party Affiliate.  Which means both sides of the partisan divide are clamoring for my vote, while bashing moderates as fence-straddling deserters in the raging culture wars. . . 

For many years, like my father and grandfather before me, I was a staunch card-carrying Republican. 

Let’s face it, as a pasty-faced over-sixty Anglo-Saxon protestant supporter of the Second Amendment who served the bulk of my adult life in law enforcement – if I don’t fit the GOP’s “demographic” – I’m not sure who does. . . 

Several years ago, I had a sincere concern over a series of policy decisions in Washington that resulted in a Republican led government shutdown.  I was confused (and incensed by the accompanying Congressional buffoonery) so I wrote a letter to the Republican Party of Florida seeking answers. 

My question was ignored.  Crickets.    

Because I am a cynical asshole, I assumed some staffer at the Florida GOP offices in Tallahassee opened my letter – and when a check didn’t fall out on their desk – simply placed my correspondence in File 13 and moved on to the next. . . 

Whatever. 

The Democratic Party clearly wasn’t an option as, in my centrist view, they have also become completely batshit on the issues important to me.  So, later that week, I changed my voter registration to “NPA” and never looked back. 

Besides, I always found both Republican and Democratic affiliates, clubs, committees, and assemblies to be bastions of gamesmanship, snobbery, backslapping clubbiness, and shameless ass-kissing – typically ruled with an iron hand by some arrogant party boss who always seems angry about something – even when their party is in power. 

And, yes, I’m still confused – because there are always more questions than answers. . .

Now, I purge my political frustrations, poke fun at the absurdities of local government and those who practice it and hope to further the discussion with an alternative opinion in this space, keeping my focus on the candidates, governance, and myriad issues we face – not the party.   

After all, most local races are by definition “non-partisan,” right?

Right. . .

This week I was reminded of all the reasons I left Big Party politics behind when I read an informative article by reporter Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal entitled, “Legal threats, calls for resignations: Volusia Republican primary endorsements rankle some.” 

As I understand it (and I’m not sure I do), last week the Republican Executive Committee of Volusia County – who bills itself as the only officially sanctioned apparatus for the horribly fragmented Fun Coast GOP – held what some have described as an “emergency meeting” to endorse a slate of “establishment” candidates to be placed on a “voters guide” that will be mailed to voters ahead of the August primary. 

Not one of the “grassroots” candidates for the Volusia County Council seats supported by Chairman Jeff Brower made the cut.

Not one.

That started an internecine shitstorm between local Republican factions – with allegations of chicanery and deception – which culminated in ugly swipes, legal threats, and hard feelings. 

In my view, at the end of the day, the whole bruhaha was one big nothingburger with cheese. . . 

We, The Little People – those who are trying to protect our quality of life, preserve what remains of our natural resources, or raise a family on a warehouse workers wage – no longer care about intraparty bickering and bitchery. 

Our concerns are far too dire for more treachery and diversion – and we demand and deserve purposeful leadership, strategic vision, and innovation – not more of the same.   

Whenever I speak with John and Jane Q. Public on barstools, grocery aisles, and barber chairs, I get the impression they already have an internal “voters’ guide” in mind – one that has everything to do with the substantive issues that affect their lives and livelihoods – not the wants and whims of political suckfish with a chip in the game. 

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

“…politicians don’t beg for money; they sell a service: namely, use of government’s coercive power to achieve for interest groups what these groups cannot or will not achieve peacefully on the market. A politician seeking office gets his funds by begging no more than an accountant or an architect gets his funds by begging. Like the accountant and architect, the politician offers a quid pro quo in exchange for campaign contributions. The difference, of course, is that the quid pro quo supplied by the accountant or architect—unlike that supplied by most politicians—isn’t a promise to reduce the liberties or confiscate the wealth of innocent third parties.”

–Dr. Donald J. Boudreaux, a senior fellow with the F.A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.  Boudreaux is also an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute.

They say money can’t buy happiness.

But, as history proves, in Volusia County, it can buy an election for those hand-select candidates intent on preserving the status quo for uber-wealthy insiders by perpetuating the transactional politics that shunt public funds to the for-profit projects of those with a chip in the game.

Unfortunately, the quality of representation we are left with doesn’t seem to matter. . .

Don’t take my word for it.

I encourage everyone to review campaign finance reports and see which candidates for public office in Volusia County are being underwritten by big money developers, insurance executives, government contractors and others. You can find those reports here: https://www.voterfocus.com/CampaignFinance/candidate_pr.php?c=volusia

One side of Volusia’s increasingly divided electorate (let’s call them the Republican Executive Committee of Volusia County) who traditionally support what is commonly described as “establishment” candidates, do not see anything wrong with this perfectly legal “arrangement” – while others (let’s call them long-suffering Volusia County Taxpayers) aligned with “grassroots” candidates who are denied the competitive benefit of this massive individual and corporate largesse believe the practice skews the playing the field. 

Because it does. 

I suppose how you view that Faustian bargain depends upon which side your bread is buttered on. 

At the risk of offending, I’m just going to come out and say it – I am less than impressed with the bulk of this year’s crop of local office seekers – and don’t get me started on the quality of incumbents seeking reelection. 

Jesus.

The only difference being, when retread politicians seek another bite at the apple, you know in advance exactly what you are getting.

Look, I am not painting the entire field with the same brush, there are some standouts in various races across the political spectrum, but as we head into the August primary, I’m just not “feeling” it. 

Maybe it’s just a case of early season malaise – who knows? 

I simply don’t see a lot of originality or imagination among the pack – just more partisan polarization, mediocrity, and “Us vs. Them” rhetoric dominating the discussion.  In fact, one wonders why so much money is being showered on certain candidates if everyone in the field is of one mind on the seminal issues of our time?

I’m being facetious. . .  

The West Volusia Beacon recently reported on a forum for Volusia County Council candidates hosted by the DeLeon Springs Community Association:

“As some 60 or 70 people watched and listened, candidates wasted no time decrying the seemingly out-of-control growth and development in Volusia County.”   

It would appear to anyone watching that at least the candidates for the at-large seat are all on the same page. . .

That’s where the nuance of the political stump speech comes in. 

For instance, at-large candidate Doug Pettit (a “grassroots” favorite supported by Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower) said:

“The No. 1 issue for me is overdevelopment,” at-large County Council candidate Doug Pettit said. “We didn’t get here overnight… This is years of bad decisions.”

While the “establishment” darling, Jake Johansson, couched the same issue another way:

“We need to address our infrastructure — the care of our roads,” he said. “I believe infrastructure is our No. 1 issue.”

Wow.  Two “Number One” issues on either side of the same coin. . .

How does Mr. Pettit plan to stop overdevelopment and reverse “years of bad decisions”? 

Because that is a legal impossibility here in the Sunshine State – and a campaign promise tailormade to frustrate residents seeking moderation and common-sense protections. 

Is Mr. Johansson playing on our collective fear – crowing about our overstressed transportation “infrastructure” as a means of ameliorating public concerns so the bulldozers can continue to roar? 

Will he promise “infrastructure improvements” then rubber stamp every land use and density amendment that comes before him without any consideration for the low-impact regulations many residents are desperately seeking?

And how do they plan to pay for it all? 

I’m asking.  Because, at present, Mr. Johansson has a war chest stuffed with $96,499 (for a Volusia County Council race?) while Mr. Pettit, his closest competitor, has collected a modest $23,854 going into the primary. . .

The stakes are high, and based upon the source and magnitude of Mr. Johansson’s campaign contributions, the common perception is that he aligns with more of the same. . . 

Am I wrong?  

Whatever.  

Good luck trying to decipher the gradient tones and hidden meanings of campaign speeches as things heat up – because that lack of specificity is what allows successful candidates to crow “that’s not what I said!” when their constituents cry foul.  

Personally, of the four at-large candidates quoted in the Beacon article, I thought Sherrise Boyd had the most honest and authentic take:

“The No. 1 problem in our county is a lack of faith in government,” she said. “The main issue is that we are not working together now… If we don’t come together… then what are we going to do?”

Amen.  And spot on.   

The traditional Silly Season that normally begins after the political peloton has been winnowed to serious contenders has started early – at least on social media. Unlike the candidate’s oblique soundbites, the wild accusations, counteraccusations, distortions, threats, and gross misrepresentations that are flying from all sides are unambiguous.

Putting chaff in the air to disorient, destabilize, and deflect attention from the genuine issues is known as the “Art of Distraction” – and it is the oldest tactic in the political playbook.

Unfortunately, things have quickly turned from political to personal – especially in hotly contested Volusia County Council races. . .

Trust me.  There is a lot at stake for those with a real chip in the game, but I can assure you some of our ‘Rich & Powerful’ are quietly concerned about the tone and tenor this early in the campaign season – a new low, even for the fetid shit-trench of Volusia County politics. 

Sadly, this “whatever it takes” no-holds-barred environment now includes ad hominem attacks on anyone with an opposing viewpoint as some highly skilled “establishment” and “grassroots” champions fritter away their political gravitas screaming insults on social media like demented dunk-tank clowns.   

This calculated deflection is a double-edged sword, and some have forgotten that these tactics can project fear rather than confidence – and that is the one unforgivable mistake in modern political campaigns. 

Most disappointing, mudslinging always narrows the discussion to various likeminded echo chambers as the fringe elements drown out substantive discourse.     

In my experience, this squalid horseshit has come to define even non-partisan local races and can be disconcerting to those unfamiliar with the up-close-and-personal nature of Volusia County political knife fights – and it is a prime reason why many smart people choose to remain out of the fray further limiting the pool – leaving We, The Little People with a perpetual Sophie’s Choice each election day.

Regardless, as the nut-cutting hour draws close, some very important people are getting nervous. 

While some camps are betting that Volusia County voters are of the opinion Chairman Brower has lost focus and squandered the chance he was given to find consensus and bring substantive change – others believe that voters are royally pissed off that Volusia’s stodgy Old Guard arrogantly ignored their previous mandate and blocked Mr. Brower at every opportunity. 

Time will tell.  But one thing is certain:

As Chairman Brower’s 2020 victory over an entrenched and incredibly well-financed “establishment” candidate proved – votes beat money every time – and even those incredibly influential insiders who have spent a shit-ton of money to perpetuate the strategic stagnation of the status quo are worried by these rapidly changing dynamics. 

They should be.

Recent history proves that when Volusia County voters tune out the demagoguery and look past the glossy mailers – remove the ring from our nose and become informed voters concerned about our collective quality of life and a level economic playing field – we can fundamentally change the tired status quo and return representation to all residents of Volusia County, not just those with the wherewithal to pay to play. 

Elections have consequences. Caveat emptor.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies: For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

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               St. Johns River Water Management District

There was a time when anyone who saw the SJRWMD listed as an “Angel” in this space would have me strapped into a straitjacket and committed to a state facility for the congenitally stupid.

Maybe I’m going soft in the head, but I’ll take “progress” on the environmental front when and where I can find it. . .

Way back in the “bad old days,” this blogsite cut its editorial teeth on The Debacle in DeBary – a nasty tale of bullies, thieves, grifters, and opportunistic leeches who set their greedy sights on 102 sensitive acres known as the Gemini Springs Addition. 

To make a very long and filthy story short, some career bureaucrats at DeBary City Hall hired the then Chairman of the SJRWMD – who also happened to own an Orlando-area environmental consulting firm which saw dozens of clients successfully receive permits from the very board he oversaw – to serve as a consultant in a scheme that would have allowed DeBary to acquire the property from the district, then ramrod a massive Transportation Oriented Development near the SunRail station adjacent to the threatened Gemini Springs complex.   

The backdoor scheme was so sleazy that it resulted a shitstorm of epic proportions when former News-Journal environmental reporter Dinah Voyles Pulver doggedly exposed the shim-sham to the light of day. 

In my view, Ms. Pulver should have received the Pulitzer Prize for her investigative reporting.

Several years ago, the SJRWMD finally settled the sordid matter by transferring the land to Volusia County with the understanding it would be held in conservation and protected from development “in perpetuity.” 

In government parlance, the word “perpetuity” can mean “about 10-years or until no one is looking” – and many were uncomfortable with a solution that left the proverbial henhouse in the hands of elected foxes whose political campaigns are bought and paid for by developers.

Whatever.

Upon learning of the transfer, I suggested that the Gemini Springs Addition be placed in the care of a private entity such as the Nature Conservancy – whose first core value is “Integrity above reproach” – a concept that clearly has no correlation to Volusia County government. . .

No one listened.

I was reminded of this ugly period in Volusia County’s sordid history last week when – somehow/by accident – an incredibly controversial item silently appeared on the SJRWMD consent agenda which would have authorized the “surplusing” of some 18,000 acres of conservation land in Central and North Florida.

These ‘throwaway’ conservation properties included 3,000 acres right here in Volusia County. . . 

You read that right. 

In turn, the real heroes of this story – the local environmentalists who sounded the klaxon and spoke out against the ill-thought move – caused the SJRWMD to take a second look, and the item was rescinded.  Fortunately, the outcry resulted in a plan to study the process for identifying surplus properties over the next six-months. 

The valid concerns of residents and environmentalists were also shared by some members of the Volusia County Council who reached out to the SJRWMD.  As a result, at a recent public meeting, County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald reported that “…if there’s any effort in the future (for the sale of surplus land) that they’ll involve all stakeholders.”

Even better, in a June 17 Twitter post, SJRWMD Chair Rob Bradley confirmed:

“The @SJRWMD Board has no intention of considering the sale of district lands.  We are excited about potential land acquisition opportunities in certain ecologically valuable areas in our river basin. Florida forever!”

In my experience, it is the rare regulatory agency that possesses the transparency and clarity of purpose to listen to their constituents and partner agencies – then publicly reverse course and take steps to ensure a mistake is not repeated. 

Kudos to everyone involved. 

It’s been a while, but I think this is what good governance looks like. . .      

Angel               Ponce Inlet Town Manager Jeaneen Witt

We live in an unfortunate era where bigger is always perceived as better.  But in my experience, great things often come from small beginnings. 

I spent my working life in service to the good citizens of Holly Hill – the “City with a Heart” – a tightknit slice of Old Florida on the banks of the Halifax River.   

While I clawed my way up the ladder to become the poster boy for the Peter Principle in Public Service, some of my former colleagues have gone on to make a high mark in service to communities throughout the Halifax area and beyond.     

During three-decades with the City of Holly Hill, I had the opportunity to work with some incredible professionals, to include the incomparable Joe Forte, who rose like fine cream – going from firefighter to his current role as one of the finest city managers anywhere – and Kurt Swartzlander, Holly Hill’s former award-winning finance director who was recently named City Manager of Daytona Beach Shores. 

Early in her stellar career, Jeaneen Witt – a proud United States Air Force veteran – served as Holly Hill’s City Clerk before moving on to roles of increasing responsibility in the beautiful community of Ponce Inlet. 

During her 20-year tenure, Jeaneen served in a variety of roles, to include Assistant Town Manager, before being appointed Town Manager in 2010.  In addition to being a talented chief executive who has stewarded the town through many difficult challenges, she happens to be one of the nicest people I know.    

Last week, it was reported that Ms. Witt will be retiring effective October 22, 2022. 

According to an excellent report by Brenno Carillo writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal:

“It has been an honor to serve this community in this role,” Witt wrote in her resignation letter. “We have accomplished great things together that are visible throughout the town and there are some exciting projects ahead, for which the town is in its best financial position to accomplish.”

To ensure a seamless transition, the Ponce Inlet Town Council has already begun the difficult task of finding a suitable replacement. 

According to the report, Ponce Inlet Mayor Lois Paritsky reassured residents, “…their town government is robust and redundant,” and that “…there will be no disruption in the high level of services that our staff provides to our residents every day.”

Kudos to Jeaneen Witt on the culmination of an outstanding career in service to the grateful citizens of Ponce Inlet. 

Given her wealth of knowledge in multiple disciplines, dedication to excellence in public service, and personal care for those she serves, my hope is that Ms. Witt will find a way to continue to contribute to the community during her well-deserved retirement.

Congratulations, Jeaneen! 

Well done!

Asshole           Flagler Beach City Commission

Where does the buck stop in Flagler Beach?

In a Council/Manager form of government, the manager is given extraordinary powers over every aspect of government services. 

For instance, the executive has complete autonomy to hire and fire employees, set internal policies, direct the operations of all departments, and control financial, purchasing, and budgetary processes across the scope of the government. 

In turn, We, The Little People elect the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker to serve on a council or commission – like a corporate board of directors – who appoint a chief executive with strong managerial and organizational skills to run the day-to-day operations and enact public policy.

Most do an exceptional job serving multiple masters while bringing economic and civic progress to their communities.

The ‘system’ also insulates career civil servants, the frontline professionals who deliver essential services to the community, from the often politically motivated nature of elected officials who are normally prohibited by charter from directing or interfering with operations.

That’s important.

Usually, the chief executive’s safeguards include a prohibitive “Golden Parachute” – a massive severance package that is triggered whenever a chief executive is dismissed “without cause” – and what constitutes “cause” is often narrowly defined in both employment agreements and the law.

Regardless, elected officials have an ethical responsibility to their constituents to ensure oversight and accountability, then act decisively to protect the public’s trust when the warning signs of dysfunction and mismanagement become evident. 

From experience I can tell you when that process breaks down, dreadful things happen.      

In my view, after the travesty in Flagler Beach last week, some highly compensated heads at the top of the municipal administration should be launched out of City Hall like a Saturn 5 – beginning with City Manager William Whitson.

Last Thursday, the Flagler Beach City Commission was clued into the fact taxpayers lost out on a $739,000 capital improvement grant from the Flagler County Tourist Development Council after the city’s administration missed the program’s application deadline.

Inconceivably, they ignored an extension as well. . . 

In short, Mr. Whitson simply ‘missed the boat.’   

According to a disturbing article in FlaglerLive!:

“The failure of the city administration to meet the deadline is a mirror image of its failure to secure in time a contracted booking with its usual fireworks vendor for the July 4 display. Flagler Beach will have no fireworks this year, and potentially for the next several years, as it rebuilds its pier.” (See: “Flagler Beach Could Have Had Its July 4 Fireworks Had It Not Waited Until April 24 to Book the Show,” here: https://flaglerlive.com/175810/fireworks-booking/ )

It’s not as consequential as missing out on hundreds of thousands of dollars of grant funding. But it reflects equally on an administration that appears to be less in control of basic managerial steps, despite recurring reminders.

“Our last meeting there was a representative here from TDC reminding us about the grant process, and then we had a meeting with TDC. Did we apply for the $700,000 grant?” Commissioner Eric Cooley asked Whitson Thursday evening during the meeting.

“No, it just wasn’t enough time for me to apply,” Whitson said.

There was a pause, the kind of silence that evokes pins not only dropping but stinging.”

Wow.

To make matters worse, last year, Flagler County Tourism Director Amy Lukasik publicly and privately reminded city officials of the application requirements – to include offers of help.

Another contributing factor is that the City of Flagler Beach failed to identify an eligible “shelf ready” capital improvement project – such as the proposed replacement of the city’s iconic pier or reconstruction of the boardwalk – neither of which have been designed.

According to the report, Flagler Beach attorney Scott Spradley, who chaired the city’s unfortunate Fourth of July fireworks committee, said after the meeting:

“My concern as I heard the city manager acknowledge he failed to meet the TDC Grant filing deadline was ‘here we go again,’” Spradley said. “This is why there will be no 4th of July fireworks in Flagler Beach. That was another failure by the city administration to make timely arrangements. I don’t like the pattern. Plus, each of these failures results in a black eye to the City Commission but undeservedly so in my opinion. The City Commission issues orders and is only as good as the capability of the city administration to carry out those orders. Lately, those orders are not being carried out. This is a problem from my view as a resident, a business owner and a concerned member of the Flagler Beach community.”

You read that right – Mr. Spradley used the terms “failed” or “failure(s)” three times. . .

Now, the Flagler Beach City Commission has a duty to act.

Unfortunately, the abysmal lack of accountability in local government is not limited to the quaint beachfront community of Flagler Beach.

The organizational culture of many local governments abjures the timeless concepts of accountability commensurate with responsibility – never admitting mistakes – communicating with constituents in ambiguous sound bites, official claptrap that allows senior elected and appointed officials to take credit for successes then sidestep blame when errors occur.

In this case, the blame is self-evident, and the taxpayers of Flagler Beach deserve an apology – and accountability.  

Quote of the Week

“The developers are Winter Park real estate investors Andre Vidrine and Stephen Whitley doing business under the name Daytona Land Partners LLC.

“We are fortunate to have purchased this property, both from a strategic location as well as working with one of our preferred governmental agencies, the City of Daytona Beach,” wrote Vidrine in a text message responding to an inquiry by The Daytona Beach News-Journal. “The staff, along with Mayor and Commissioners, are firm but fair and are well respected in our network.”

Vidrine declined to offer details regarding the project. He did, however, say, “We are conservative businessmen if that helps to answer, but not answer the question.”

His response was to an inquiry from The News-Journal asking whether the industrial park was being developed as an entirely “spec” project, meaning they can eventually fill it with tenants, or being built with commitments in advance.

Vidrine said he was bound by a confidentiality agreement from commenting more on the project.”

–Winter Park “real estate investor” Andre Vidrine, as quoted by Business Editor Clayton Park writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Who will be the tenants in new Daytona industrial park in LPGA area?” Thursday, June 30, 2022

Now we can start another round of the Fun Coast’s favorite pastime – “Daytona Beach Jeopardy” – where long-suffering residents swing a wild-assed guess at what is coming to the site of the latest clear-cut moonscape near Boomtown Boulevard.

As part of our disastrous ‘cart before the horse’ growth strategy, it appears a Winter Park developer is working with the East Volusia faction of their “fair and well-respected” network at the City of Daytona Beach to build something called the “Daytona Commerce Center I and II” at the northeast corner of the Mason Avenue Extension and Dunn Avenue. 

Wait? 

You mean another massive commercial/industrial complex generating umpteen trips per hour is being permitted near the LPGA Boulevard corridor and its Monument to Mediocrity at the Tomoka River pinch point? 

An already congested and dangerous stretch of roadway that transportation experts tell us will soon gridlock – even as those dullards at the County of Volusia drag their well-worn heels on plans by the Florida Department of Transportation to improve capacity and safety between U.S. 92 and Williamson Boulevard?   

You want Barker’s Recipe for Civic Disaster?  Build first – infrastructure later. . .            

According to the report, the 60,000 square foot industrial park will provide space for either light manufacturing or a warehouse operation. 

“I’ll take Another Industrial Warehouse for $200, Alex.” 

Of course, us rubes cannot know exactly what we are getting in this latest grab-bag project because of inane “confidentiality agreements” that developers use to keep us – and our elected representatives – strategically out-of-the-loop until last minute. 

In my view, this statutorily protected secrecy is more about keeping civic meddling to a minimum – and neutering an elected official’s ability to ask questions – than protecting a developer’s competitive advantage. . .

Whatever.

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

Perhaps it is time for Volusia County District Schools to begin the process of building “Forklift 101” and “How to lubricate automated robotics” – or better yet – “Feeding an asset limited and income constricted family on $15 dollars an hour” – into the curriculum? 

And Another Thing!

“Sign, sign, everywhere a sign

Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind

Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?”

–From “Signs” by The 5 Man Electrical Band, 1971

Ain’t that the damn truth. . .

The only campaign sign that would ever cement my vote came from my friend and perennial New Orleans mayoral candidate, Manny Chevrolet Bruno, who just happens to have the best slogan in politics:

“Vote Manny Chevrolet – A Troubled Man for Troubled Times.”

I will never run for public office, but if I did, that’s a tagline I would steal.  (If only for the practice. . .)

Each election cycle, Manny’s satirical grassroots candidacy brings more attention to the myriad challenges facing that beautiful historic city than he ever could if elected.

While tooling around in the Lone Eagle this week, during interminable waits at various intersections, I noted these election year nuisances sprouting like noxious weeds in yards, commercial properties, and vacant lots – appearing overnight on private property and in the public right-of-way, propagating exponentially, multiplying and clustering – becoming so ubiquitous that voters quickly ignore them as they become overwhelmed, burned out, and disengaged.

Maybe that’s the plan? 

Driving east on Granada Boulevard here in God’s Country, I even spied a gaudy sign touting the candidacy of an incredibly well-financed candidate for the Ormond Beach City Commission attached to the side of the tony Gaslamp Shoppes. . .

Look, I’m not even sure that’s legal here in the Fingerbowl District – but who gives a shit, right? 

I found it unsightly and out of place – but so am I. . . 

During my travels, I noted that one candidate for local office was affixing a sign to only one side of those double-sided wooden frames – which prompted the subliminal question, “Does this person get the most out of available assets, or simply buy more. . .?”

I’m weird that way.

This time of the year candidates or their surrogates will sweep through a neighborhood like a herd of sweat-soaked turtles leaving those obnoxious signs to mark their turf.

Subtlety and aesthetics be damned.

When speaking with my neighbors, some tell me they know the candidate whose name appears in front of their home personally – I suspect others simply acquiesce because they do not want to offend – merely trying to close the door and return to the peace and quiet of their lives.     

You rarely see that level of cordiality here at the Olde Barker Place.

Trust me.  I intentionally make this arrogantly shabby cracker box so unhospitable that even the most hardened political shill thinks twice before approaching with a glossy leaflet in hand (yes, the “GO AWAY” doormat means you, Mr./Ms. Candidate) and as a confirmed recluse, I never answer the doorbell.

Yeah.  You do you.  I’m not into “interacting.”   

Especially when it comes to making nice with the smiling visage of some retread politician who proves repeatedly – in thought, word, and deed – that they could give two-shits about what my neighbors and I think once they have been re-elected.

I hate to be rude (no I don’t) but turnabout is fair play. . .

So, the next time a candidate for political office shows up on your doorstep, take the opportunity to ask the hard the questions (because, if elected, you will never see them again) regarding their stance on the issues important to your family and livelihood. 

Then demand the hard answers that go beyond some pithy marketing slogan on a campaign tchotchke or a canned response at a pretentious partisan hobnob. (Politicians endorsing politicians? Really?) 

I guarantee – even if you masquerade as an informed voter – you won’t be bothered by a pesky political knock at the door again. . . 

That’s all for me.  Have a great weekend and a happy Independence Day, y’all! 

I was introduced to the preeminent traffic engineer and transportation planner, Maryam Ghyabi, by the late great Big John.  He had a knack for bringing disparate people together on neutral ground then watching as they put differences aside to discover common ground on the critical issues we face.

That cup of coffee resulted in the most unlikely friendship in Volusia County. 

While there are many things we disagree on – and Ms. Ghyabi’s politics are not mine – the fact is, she is one of the smartest people I know. 

Some are all too quick to marginalize Ms. Ghyabi by dismissing her educated solutions as “pro development” because she happens to be the influential homebuilder Mori Hosseini’s sister. 

In my view, that unfortunate bias overlooks her significant regional contributions to finding transportation solutions through diverse public/private consortiums that address current needs and plan for our future – such as her successful stewardship of projects on Oakridge Boulevard and the East International Speedway Boulevard gateway in Daytona Beach. 

In addition to speaking the indecipherable bureaucratic language of transportation (trust me, there are more LOPPs, CMPs, ADTs, TIPs, CACs, TCCs, and TRIPs than you can shake a stick at) she possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the intricacies of every major transportation initiative in Volusia County – and how the planning, engineering, and funding of these incredibly complex (and expensive) projects come together to improve mobility and traffic safety. 

Most important, she cares about Volusia County.    

So, when Maryam Ghyabi speaks about our growing transportation infrastructure challenges, I listen. 

Our elected officials in the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand should too. . .

On Sunday, in an informative editorial in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Ms. Ghyabi outlined the importance of community input and intergovernmental cooperation in improving LPGA Boulevard between U.S. 92 and Williamson Boulevard – an already congested section that traverses the epicenter of commercial and residential development in ‘New Daytona’ – and a major regional thoroughfare that would serve as a primary evacuation route for points east in the event of an emergency.    

These improvements would include a solution to that Monument to Mediocrity that is the two-lane pinch point across the Tomoka River – a visible and visceral reminder of the absurdity of allowing massive development west of I-95 before adequate transportation infrastructure was in place to accommodate current and future demands.

The disturbing fact is – these current and future needs weren’t even considered when the various developments were approved.

Prove me wrong?

According to an analysis, between 2015 and 2019 there were a total of 514 traffic crashes on the 6.2 mile stretch of LPGA Boulevard – to include 139 involving injuries and five fatalities. In addition, estimates show that traffic volume on LPGA Boulevard will double in coming years, leading to gridlock conditions if improvements are not made:

“Therefore, in order to accommodate existing and future travel demand and improve safety on LPGA Boulevard, the Florida Department of Transportation has initiated a Project Development and Environment (PD& E) study from U.S. 92 to Williamson Boulevard, in collaboration with the City of Daytona Beach, River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization and Volusia County.”

While Ms. Ghyabi praised Daytona Beach City Manager Deric Feacher for working collegially to support local and state efforts to improve conditions on LPGA Boulevard – her editorial subtly “encouraged” Volusia County officials to “…embrace the spirit of the coalition and engage with their constituents to understand their needs.”

Sounds like someone in DeLand is stonewalling. . .   

Historically, playing nice with the municipalities and “engaging with their constituents” has never been a high priority for Volusia County – and our children and grandchildren (in the unlikely event they choose to remain here) will live with the fallout of this bureaucratic arrogance for decades.

For instance, this disastrous ‘cart before the horse’ growth management strategy is just one of the many reasons – collectively referred to as “the trust issue” – why the half-cent sales tax initiative (ostensibly earmarked for transportation infrastructure) was roundly rejected by Volusia County voters who no longer have confidence in our elected and appointed officials to steward public funds in the public interest. 

In the view of many, shoveling even more of our hard-earned tax dollars into the maw of the same bloated and detached bureaucracy is the textbook definition of insanity:  Doing the same thing while expecting a different result. 

For years, we have watched while those dullards on the dais of power in DeLand and the larger municipalities have puled about the coming disaster that is now our overstressed transportation system – even as they rubberstamped more, more, more development across the width and breadth of Volusia County.

It represents the antithesis of concurrency or effective growth management, and now this political cowardice, bureaucratic inaction, and refusal to prioritize has come home to roost.

Now, after years of official procrastination, some $10 million has been allocated for the planning, development, and environmental study of scientific methods to improve volume, safety, and accessibility on LPGA Boulevard.

With thousands of zero-lot-line cracker boxes already complete – and more land being cleared for development on LPGA Boulevard every day – it is now or never. 

Both the LPGA Boulevard modifications and Tomoka River Bridge projects are currently listed on the River to Sea Transportation Planning Organizations list of prioritized projects, and according to FDOT, the PD&E study will take twenty-two months to complete.

That proves the importance of government entities working in coordination – because nothing about regionally significant transportation projects happens fast – as the bulldozers clear-cutting for more subdivisions continue to roar. . .

In my view, this isn’t about facilitating more malignant growth (look around, that horse has left the barn), but it may represent our last/best opportunity to cure the sins of the past – at least until We, The Little People elect political leaders with the moral courage to ensure the safety and welfare of existing residents and our environment while effectively preparing for future growth.   

Throughout Volusia County, residents are faced with the natural consequences of gross obstructionism, an inability to think strategically, and refusal to plan for future demands – and it is time for the tail to stop wagging the dog at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration complex.  

As this important study moves forward, Volusia County residents should let their voices be heard and demand that our elected officials pull their heads out of the sand and direct their foot-dragging bureaucrats to stop quibbling over trivialities before FDOT takes these scarce dollars off the table and moves forward with other equally pressing projects around the state.    

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.

Angels & Assholes is on hiatus this week – a short ‘pause for the cause’ – before the political silly season heats up in earnest. Sometimes it’s fun to take a look back with the clarity of 20-20 hindsight and see what has changed, and what remains the same, as we (hopefully) learn from history so we aren’t doomed to repeat it. (Yeah, right. . .)

This Angels & Assholes appeared one year ago – June 25, 2021.

I am still unemployed – whiling away the hours sipping Gin and cogitating on what passes for the news and newsmakers here on Florida’s Fun Coast. Then jotting my often confused thoughts down hoping to stimulate a larger discussion of the issues we collectively face.

And, I still miss my former profession and those brave and wonderful souls I had the privilege of serving with. . .that hasn’t changed, and I have resigned myself to the fact it never will.

In Deltona, John Peters is still the “Interim” City Manager.

The Volusia County Council is still practicing its official policy of refusing to listen to the needs and concerns of constituents, Ken Strickland is now a sitting City Commissioner in the City of Daytona Beach, and County Councilman The Very Rev. “Dr.” Fred Lowry is a declared candidate for the Volusia County School Board.

Finally, our debt for the courageous service and ultimate sacrifice of 26-year old Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor can never be repaid. Never forget.

Angel               City of Holly Hill 

Theologians can point to my life as evidence of divine intervention – the empirical proof of God’s mercy and direct intercession in the lives of sinners, drunks, and fools – which makes me triple-sanctified. . .

Do you have a better explanation?

The fact is, my life has been blessed in innumerable ways, thanks to my fortunate association with “The City with a Heart.”

On March 28, 1983, I walked through the doors of the Holly Hill Police Department for the first time to take the Oath of Office from then Chief John P. Finn – a lifelong mentor and friend who somehow saw faint promise in a 22-year-old kid with little life experience and no educational accomplishments beyond a high school diploma. 

Some 38-years later – my tangible connection to this wonderful community will come to a quiet end today.   

Following my retirement as Chief of Police in 2014, Chief Stephen Aldrich graciously allowed me to remain with the department in a part-time reserve status, which kept my Florida law enforcement certification active, provided a much-needed psychological buffer to losing my professional identity, and an opportunity to put my emergency management training and experience to use during severe weather events and other occasions when an extra set of hands proved helpful.

In turn, I served when and where I could – well compensated by the sheer pleasure of working shoulder-to-shoulder with my brothers and sisters in blue – a way of giving back to the citizens who have given me so much, a life I could never have imagined all those years ago when I was given the opportunity to do what I loved with a remarkable group of talented and dedicated people, providing an important service to a community who genuinely appreciated the effort.

I can say this now:  I would have paid them for the privilege.   

Like any career, or life worth living, it was not without its humps and bumps, but I was fortunate to work for leaders with the courage to allow me to make mistakes and learn from them – a humbling exercise that taught me taking responsibility for personal and organizational shortcomings is not always fatal – that people can forgive what they see themselves doing – and that honesty alone builds trust.

I was gifted the opportunity to work in that magnificent coquina building on Ridgewood Avenue – a place that became a sanctuary from the storms of life, a refuge where I felt the love and respect of friends and colleagues – a mighty structure that next year will have anchored the municipal government for 80-years. 

Most important, I was given the chance to serve with some extraordinary people who would later become family – devoted public servants who taught me the enduring strength of friendships forged in fire – and the deep satisfaction that comes from dedicating one’s life to cause greater than our own self-interests.    

Two-weeks ago, I submitted my resignation from part-time status with the Holly Hill Police Department effective today.     

Seven-years into retirement – it was time.  

After all, at some point, “old has-beens” like me take up too much space in the modern world of law enforcement – time waits for no one – and all good things eventually come an end. 

I recently completed firearms qualification leading to the issuance of a credential which authorizes retired police officers to carry the lifesaving tool of their trade under HR 218, known as the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act. 

The identification number on my randomly issued card was 00008.

No doubt sensing my sadness and trepidation in severing formal ties with the department I have loved so well, for so long, a young police sergeant who I have watched grow into a gifted leader reminded me of the biblical significance of the number 8 – a symbol of “New beginnings.”

Wow. Heaven sent? 

To the outstanding elected and appointed leadership, the incomparable City Manager Joe Forte, Chief Aldrich and his remarkable staff, my former colleagues in Volusia County law enforcement, and the wonderful citizens of Holly Hill – Thank You!

What a fantastic ride. . .

My hope is that I have at least one more great adventure, one exciting “new beginning,” left in me before I take up the rocking chair in earnest – but no matter what life has in store – nothing will compare with the greatest privilege of my life in service to that beautiful community. 

Heaven sent, indeed. 

Asshole           City of Deltona

Respect and communication is a two-way street.

Earlier this month, during an emotionally charged melodramatic performance worthy of an Academy Award, Deltona’s Interim City Manager John Peters III, cemented his role with public accusations that several elected officials insinuated themselves into the day-to-day operations of city government. 

These were serious allegations that constituted violations of the city charter and most certainly had a chilling effect on any elected official seeking to keep an eye on the inner sanctum at City Hall.   

To drive the point home in the newspaper, he threatened to take his football and go home.

Given that the City of Deltona has now had three chief executives in less than a year-and-a-half, perhaps an extra set of eyes was warranted – someone elected by the taxpayers to ensure that things did not go off the rails as they had under the tumultuous reign of the tyrannical Jane Shang.

While Mr. Peters commands the respect of many in the community, I felt his very public threat to resign and return to the relative comfort of his role as Deltona’s Director of Public Works could be perceived as a cheap powerplay – one designed to virtually eliminate external oversight and neuter the people’s representatives – in a place that desperately needs strong checks and balances.

Earlier this week, in an informative article by The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Wild West Volusia correspondent Katie Kustura, we learned that Circuit Judge Randell H. Rowe III was giving serious consideration to finding the City of Deltona in contempt of court for its failure to live up to the terms of an April settlement agreement with a resident whose home was flooded with raw sewage in 2018, after the city’s wastewater system was found “to be in a state of continued disrepair.”

According to reports, on April 19, the city entered an agreement with the homeowner for approximately $250,000 – which assistant city attorney B. Scott George said he would “strongly advise the commission to approve” at a meeting later that month.

Ultimately, the matter did not appear on the commission agenda until Monday. . .

According to an order filed June 9, Judge Rowe said “…the city has shown “willful disregard” and “gross indifference” to the court’s orders as this was the third issuance of a show-cause order in the case.”

Further, “Rowe wrote that the goings-on with the case led him to believe that, prior to his most recent order, the “mayor and commissioners may not have been told about this settlement agreement.”

Whoa. 

Commissioners Dana McCool and David Sosa – two of the elected officials publicly gibbeted by Peters – ran on a personal commitment to champion the interests of long-neglected residents.

Now, both watchdogs are walking on eggshells, even as the City of Deltona is under threat of criminal sanctions handed down by a righteously pissed off Judge Rowe.    

In my view, the fact Sosa, McCool, and their colleagues were not made aware of the terms of the agreement until Peters sent them a belated email on the matter speaks volumes to the continuing pact of secrecy amongst the upper echelon at City Hall.

At the end of the day, Mr. Peters was left uncomfortably staring at his shoes when the hard questions were asked – while City Attorney Marsha Segal-George tap-danced around the issue of who dropped the ball and when with a weird “not my job” argument, yammering about insurance companies and blaming Deltona’s notorious personnel turnover – all while the elected officials looked on like a befuddled troupe of out-of-the-loop bumpkins. 

In my experience, one ignores a court order at their own peril – and I am not sure the good citizens of Deltona received a clear explanation as to how their hapless ‘powers that be’ got into hot water with Judge Rowe. 

At the end of the day, the elected officials voted unanimously to approve the settlement agreement.   

In the meantime, Peters is now trying to get his staff off their ass to develop a game plan for fixing the decades old engineering problems that have led to a citizen’s home being inundated with a virtual tsunami of human waste – multiple times – without previous mitigation.   

My God.

According to the perpetually perplexed Mayor Heidi Herzberg, “It’s a new day.” 

Is it? 

Or just another variation on the same tired theme that has left the largest city in Volusia County in this seemingly endless and utterly dysfunctional quagmire.    

Asshole           Volusia County Council

Once again, our ‘powers that be’ heard your fervent pleas on an important issue of public concern and opted to do what they do best:

Absolutely nothing. . .

After getting everyone’s hopes up by directing county staff to research and present various options that would expand where dogs are permitted on Volusia County beaches – then mechanically “listening” to residents who took time away from their lives to present their views on both sides of the issue – the entire expensive exercise became a horrible waste of everyone’s time when At-Large Councilman Ben Johnson moved to maintain the status quo – a parliamentary action that was instinctively seconded by his dutiful mentee Councilman Danny Robins.

As has become the fashion, the idea went down in flames on a 5-1 vote with Chairman Jeff Brower, once again, in the minority (it would have been 6-1, but Council member Dr. Fred Lowry left the building to nurse a sore knee).

Unfortunately, Chairman Brower’s common-sense suggestion to allow leashed and permitted dogs in a small section of beach convenient to Halifax area residents (University Boulevard to Zelda Boulevard) on a limited trial basis – rather than maintaining the onerous requirement that District 4 taxpayers and beyond drive their pets to either Smyrna Dunes Park or Lighthouse Point Park – north and south of Ponce Inlet – was pooh-poohed (pun intended) by our elected officials in favor of sitting on their thumbs.

Why?

Because your elected officials do not trust you to clean-up after your dog. 

Remember those glad-handing political hacks who asked for your trust and begged for your sacred vote during their last election? 

Well, they are firmly convinced that responsible dog owners should be punished for the sins of those irresponsible few who leave steaming piles of dogshit in the sand – rather than the other way around.    

Because trying something – anything – new, fun, or marginally innovative to accommodate the needs of beachgoers and pet owners is considered verboten in a place where lockstep conformity is valued over anything remotely inventive or original. 

Because here on the Fun Coast, the tail wags the dog (another weak pun intended) – and public policy decisions regarding beach management and access issues will always be based upon the amount of “extra work” it requires from our exalted executives, beach management poohbahs, paid pooper scoopers, beach specialists, environmental gurus, turtle whisperers, waste managers, toll takers, etc., etc., more, more, ad infinitum – a massive and obstinate bureaucracy where the word “NO” has become the operative, and immediate, response.   

Because creative adaptation to changing needs is no longer considered a virtue on the Volusia County Council.

Look, no one asked that roving packs of wild curs be given unfettered access to all 47 miles of Volusia County beaches – just a reasonable accommodation for the 99.999% of residents living north of Ponce Inlet who want a convenient dog friendly section of beach. 

Get used to it, rubes.  We’re screwed. 

And our little dogs, too. . .   

Pay your taxes and shut your pie hole, John Q. – No one in a position of power at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center gives two-shits what you think.

My hope is you will remember this latest insult at the ballot box next year.

I damn sure will.  

Angel               Daytona Beach Police Department   

On Wednesday evening, 26-year-old Daytona Beach police officer Jason Raynor was gravely wounded during an encounter with a cowardly piece of human waste while investigating a suspicious incident on Kingston Avenue. 

This horrific incident serves as a reminder that while we go about our daily lives and sleep comfortably at night – brave men and women stand a thin line between peace and chaos, defending justice and the rule of law against civil and social anarchy – protecting us from the ever-present evil in the world and the predatory criminals who prey upon the weak and vulnerable.    

Unfortunately, the sacrifices of these brave souls often become an afterthought, or worse, our law enforcement officers are forced into the role of societal scapegoat – a punching bag to absorb the anger and frustration that result from our collective civic, moral, and cultural failures – villainized by fringe elements whose perverse cries of “defund the police” have been brought into the mainstream by pandering politicians and cowardly bureaucrats who kowtow to radical activists and charlatans – blunting the tip of the spear in an effort to appease craven opportunists who seek to divide us.

A topsy-turvy Twilight Zone where everything our officers do from the mundane to the extraordinary – including instantaneous life-and-death decisions – are recorded by jeering mobs, then painstakingly analyzed by an out-of-touch media and mercenary lawyers, picked apart frame-by-frame, with every perceived misstep used to further the current sport of destroying the lives and careers of those we have asked to do the unthinkable in our defense.

Disgusting.     

As a result, many law enforcement officers rightfully feel abused and abandoned by those they have sworn an oath to serve and protect – and the gulf between us and those we ask to go into harms way grows wider – all while highly trained and experienced officers continue to flee the police service in droves.

Who could blame them? 

In my view, this exodus from my beloved profession will continue so long as the protected find it fashionable to beat and muzzle the sheepdog, even as the flock sleeps safe and sound under the cloak of protection these heroes provide at such great personal and professional risk.   

Am I venting?  You bet your sweet ass I am – and anyone who is not moved to rage by this violent attack on one of the best our community has to offer should remember this young man took a bullet to the head while defending you and your family from a similar fate. 

As a career law enforcement officer, it was heartening to see hundreds of my brothers and sisters from throughout the region descend on Daytona Beach to assist in the search for the suspect – acting in the finest traditions of the service – demonstrating the strength, amity, and camaraderie inherent to those who are called to this special profession. 

Please join me and my family in prayer for this dedicated public servant, someone who so willingly risked his own life to protect ours – and for the safety of all law enforcement officers, who, time-and-again, selflessly face the forces of evil to safeguard all that we hold dear.     

Quote of the Week

“The promotion and management of our tourism and our events has been in the hands of bed tax funded entities for far too long. As a tourist destination Daytona Beach must take control of marketing itself. Create a tourism and events Department. Hire professional tourism marketers that will implement 21st century techniques and away from the same old tired 20th century ways of “we have always done it this way.”

The Speedway, the promoter, our elected officials, and our paid bureaucrats failed miserably with managing the truck event. Leaving it up to the DBPD to manage and control the attendees. Our DBPD are law enforcement that are here to protect and serve our residents not events Manager’s.

The Speedway and the promoter made money, while residents paid $175,000 in overtime for policing of the event as police officers had vacation time canceled. This doesn’t include the inconvenience to Daytona Beach residents. We control our own destiny Daytona. Demand better.”

–Ken Strickland, civic activist, and former Daytona Beach mayoral candidate, in response to the Barker’s View op/ed “Daytona Beach: If Not Now, When?” writing on Facebook’s “East/West Volusia Forum,” Monday, June 21, 2021

And Another Thing!

It is said that to experience the human emotion of shame, one must first have standards.

On Tuesday, during the latest preposterous production of that théâtre de l’absurde known as the Volusia County Council, several important civic and religious leaders made a very convincing case for the resignation of our self-anointed éminence grise, District 5 Council member The Very Reverend Dr. Fred Lowry. 

Of course, Crazy Fred just sat at his perch on the dais, lost defiantly in his own bizarre thoughts, slowly shifting a lozenge around in his mouth, totally unfazed by the storm of criticism raging in the gallery – clearly refusing to give those ungrateful bastards he represents the satisfaction.

Strange. 

Following a now infamous sermon at his Deltona church in May, Dr. Lowry was appropriately taken to task by the Orland Sentinel for his macabre thoughts on Hollywood’s alleged connection to satanic rituals involving the exsanguination of children to produce a hallucinogenic youth serum, the outright denial of the Coronavirus pandemic, and other uber-weird and hyper-political conspiracy theories taken literally from the lunatic fringe. 

Look, as a blowhard blogger I understand better than most the importance of our First Amendment protections ensuring free speech – the inalienable right to form individual opinions, no matter how outlandish or repellant – and publicly express our thoughts on the issues of the day.

It is the foundational principle of our democratic system. 

However, I also believe those who are elected to represent the interests of all residents of Volusia County, have an obligation to speak the truth, to hold themselves accountable – a responsibility to instill public confidence in both the process and their important role in it – and have the decency to step aside when they lose the sacred trust of their constituents.

Much of the ruckus over Dr. Lowry’s odd proselytizing has dissolved into typical partisan opportunism, with area democrats exploiting a clear political misstep, while stodgy republican operatives continue to defend their weakest link and remain sore over the fact their Darling of the Donor Class was soundly trounced by a plebian like Chairman Jeff Brower in the last election.   

Clearly, many residents on all sides of the political spectrum remain concerned that these deranged beliefs – when voiced by a sitting member of the Volusia County Council who places the respected title “Doctor” before his name – have compromised his ability to effectively represent the broad and varied interests of residents and visitors.

At best, it was a damnable embarrassment.  

Unfortunately, when it came time to protect the institution – to step down from the dais of power and return to the sanctity of his ambo at the Deltona Lakes Baptist Church, a place where he is free to preach anything his conscience, and congregation, will permit – he refused to do the honorable thing.

In a terse email to The Daytona Beach News-Journal following the contentious meeting, Dr. Lowry smugly responded to his critics: “I will not be resigning. That is all.”

Did anyone expect anything different?

In my view, Fred Lowry may well be meshuga – but he isn’t going anywhere – not unless and until the voters have their fill of this pompous ass.   

As a Stalwart of the Status Quo and senior presiding member of Volusia County’s “Old Guard,” Dr. Lowry continues to play an important role – defending the crumbling ramparts of this dysfunctional citadel that shelters the forces of mediocrity in DeLand – a dull tool of those influential interests who seek to marginalize Chairman Brower and torpedo his vision of addressing the needs and wants of average taxpayers, not just the whims of the self-serving few with a chip in the game.  

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

______________________________________

Thanks for taking a look back. Angels & Assholes will return for your listening and dancing pleasure next Friday.

With little fanfare, earlier this month Gannett – the parent company of what remains of our hometown newspaper, The Daytona Beach News-Journal – announced an “evolutionary” change that will drastically cut daily opinion pages across its 45-state, 250-title megamedia portfolio.

The reduction in editorial content comes on the heels of a recent restructuring that split Gannett into two domestic business units – Gannett Media and Digital Marketing Solutions – which senior leadership hopes will drive “sustainable revenue and cash flow growth,” as the massive media conglomerate moves toward its goal of becoming a “…subscription-led and digitally-focused media and marketing solutions company…”

That’s corporate-speak for the transition from a newsgathering organization to a ‘heavy on pap, fluff, and advertising/light on local “news”’ online format as newsprint and independent journalism rapidly goes the way of the buggy whip. . .  

I’m no expert – but as a voracious consumer of what passes for “the news” in this foul year 2022 – I worry about the future of print media here on this salty spit of land we call home.

While much of our daily newspaper is now filled with homogenized and regionalized USA Today style crapola – liberally peppered with Gannett’s frequent salvos from the frontlines of the partisan culture wars – we are fortunate to have some of the best local reporters in the business working hard on both sides of the Palmetto Curtain to bring us all the Volusia County news that is fit to print. 

So why are these gifted reporters and investigative journalists being squeezed out of the Local section by dreck from the Tallahassee Democrat, Florida Today, or some syndicated “news service”? 

My fellow News-Journal readers knew something was up last November when former editor Pat Rice sadly announced the departure of opinion editor Krys Fluker as she left for greener pastures at the Orlando Sentinel.

Then came the semi-retirement of the incomparable News-Journal fixture Mark Lane, who cut back to a once-a-week column last month.  Now, his always excellent Footnote piece is the first thing I turn to in the Sunday edition.   

Instead of filling these editorial voids, last week, we learned that the News-Journal has brought on restaurant and dining writer Caroline Hebert (which a staff report reminded all of us stunted dullard’s who have never been north of Bunnell or west of Deleon Springs is pronounced “A-bear”) whose beat will include Volusia and Flagler counties’ “…rich and varied culinary scenes…” 

Wait.  Say what? 

Look, I want to be among the first to welcome Ms. Hebert to our sandy slice of heaven – and I wish her well as she launches on her gastronomic adventure – navigating the “rich and varied” epicurean delights here on Florida’s fabled Fun Coast – which she might find slightly ‘different’ than the eclectic offerings in her hometown of New Orleans.

I mean, beyond exploring the subtle differences in our corndogs and chicken wings – reporting on the number of failed health inspections and restaurant closings should keep a professional food journalist busy for, oh, a day or two. 

I’m kidding, of course.    

We have some of the best family owned and operated restaurants anywhere – and although our hoity-toity ‘fine dining’ options are limited, we have a few – along with enough casual chain restaurants, great fresh seafood offerings, steakhouses, food trucks, craft breweries, pub grub, international fare, donut shops, sandwich counters, and established neighborhood favorites to satisfy the tastes of locals and visitors alike.   

In announcing Ms. Hebert’s arrival, the News-Journal asked that locals email her with your dining suggestions at chebert@news-jrnl.com.

Gannett’s renewed focus on “empowering communities to thrive” through increased focus on advertising products and local business features is admirable – but who will ensure government accountability by investigating and reporting on the critical issues we face? 

I am certainly not a “journalist.”

At best a dilettante polemicist, at worst, a blowhard with internet access. . .

In my view, independent journalism and community-focused editorial content is important to the checks and balances that ensure our elected officials – and those who seek high office – will act in the public interest, rather than feathering the nests of their political benefactors. 

With the passing of Big John and Mark Bernier we lost two important voices.  Their hyper-local radio forums provided a much-needed salon for the discussion of the issues and politics that affect our lives and livelihoods. 

Admittedly, social media can be a daunting place to make your views heard in the politically charged static that often dissolves into ad hominem attacks rather than a competition of differing ideas.  While Facebook and the Twitterverse may be ‘everyman’s soapbox,’ it is not for the squeamish.    

In most cases, the only winners of these vitriolic online wars are the craven politicians (and those who run interference for them) who understand that when We, The Little People are bickering amongst ourselves – no one is watching them. . . 

This election cycle, after you take a moment to direct our new food reporter to your favorite bistro, consider sharing your thoughts in an editorial comment or letter to the editor of a local news outlet like The Daytona Beach News-Journal, West Volusia Beacon, Hometown News, Ask Flagler, Ormond Beach Observer, or FlaglerLive! – then attend a candidate forum, look them in the eye, and let your unique opinions on the issues be heard. 

Look beyond the tripe and hype of the ‘glossy mailer.’

I guarantee the election season is the only time those who are desperately groveling for your sacred vote will be listening. . . 

In my view, we desperately need more community voices to ask the thought-provoking questions, engage in the authentic debate of competing ideas, and offer the honest criticism that ensures political accountability in a place that desperately needs all three. 

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:

DISCLAIMER:

Remember when you were a kid and saw those colorful movie posters outside a cinema that were emblazoned with the glaring teaser: Absolutely no one will be seated during the last five-minutes of the film!” – which meant, you were a little scared of what you might see – but you were definitely going to watch the movie. . .

Last week I was taken to the woodshed on social media by a reader who worked herself into a froth over something I wrote, a swipe which culminated in the exasperated question, “How much more of this tired, trite nonsense must we all put up with?”

The fact is – you don’t have to “put up” with anything! 

Stop/turnback/ walk out of the theater right now – if you are offended by an alternative opinion to your own views on the myriad issues of the day, just stop reading! 

You won’t hurt my feelings.  Promise. 

I assure you, absolutely everyone who reads these screeds will eventually be pissed-off over my goofy take on the news and newsmakers of the day – if not this week, then next – but it will happen.  I guarantee that if you care even a smidge about the state of governance here on Florida’s Fun Coast, you will feel something after reading these screeds – rage, encouragement, discouragement, laughter, sadness, hope, futility – sometimes all at once. 

Because that is the raw nature of our current civic affairs. 

Look, I’m not twisting anyone’s arm to read this “tired, trite nonsense” (which is an incredibly accurate descriptor).  I write this blog more as a cathartic salve for my own frustrations, rather than the entertainment or edification of a larger audience. 

So long as we have a right to free expression in this country, I will continue to vent my spleen on the political condition where I live and pay taxes – and my only hope is that these hyper-cynical views will be used by smart readers who “get it” to further a more logical discussion of these important issues in our community than I am capable of.  

Now, dear readers – consider yourself forewarned.  The concession stand is in the lobby.

On with the shitshow. . .if you dare.

Asshole           Volusia County Council

Who saw this one coming? 

On Tuesday, another “Special Meeting” of the Volusia County Council was held to discuss growth management, zoning amendments, and planning regulations.

Yeah, right. . .   

Unfortunately, this important, and much-anticipated, meeting was sparsely attended – by our elected officials that is. 

Conversely, concerned residents turned out in force to speak out on all sides of what many consider the seminal issue of our time.     

For reasons that were never made completely clear – “Dr.” Fred Lowry, Billie Wheeler, and Heather Post had more important things to do – leaving a thin quorum which required an announcement from a highly compensated county attorney that should any sitting member need to use the restroom – a recess would need to be called to facilitate the trip. . .   

It quickly became apparent this was not a public meeting.  It was another farcical production of that timewasting kabuki dance that passes for the “people’s business” in Volusia County. 

You see, it is easier to mewl and coo that decisions should not be reached when large swaths of the county do not have a representative at the table – when those lame duck, politically unaccountable “representatives” are conveniently absent from the table. . .

(Giving Ms. Post the benefit of the doubt, she has been on injured reserve for weeks following a nasty fall in a county owned building.) 

In my cynical view, the Old Guard’s tried-and-true strategy of protecting the status quo by kicking the can down the road became evident early when Councilman Ben Johnson and his ventriloquist dummy, Councilman Danny Robins, cautioned that nothing happens with a sense of urgency in Volusia County government, stressing the importance of more procrastination before anything of substance is ultimately voted down on a 5-2 vote. 

To that end, Councilman Johnson explained in his patented cornpone, “I’m not comfortable doing anything that will be railroaded through.  I don’t want to just do something to do something. And if we do some things too fast, we’re putting ourselves in major liability.”

To his credit, Chairman Jeff Brower did his best to convey the urgency of communicating a comprehensive growth management strategy to concerned residents.    

In an informative article in The Daytona Beach News-Journal by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean entitled, “Volusia’s rapid growth concerns,” Brower was quoted:

“We’re not known for railroading. We’re known for dragging things out,” Brower said. “We don’t have an infinite amount of time. I’m asking that we don’t put it off another year without taking action.”

“Brower was reacting in part to a report from staff members saying they were awaiting the outcome of a grant application for money that would be used to look at implementing low-impact development in Volusia County. Staff said it would take until May 2023 to complete that review of low-impact development, but everything else could be studied in the meantime.”

Wow.

“Awaiting the outcome” of a grant application?  To pay for another study? 

Really?

Does anyone see a trend developing here?  I damn sure hope so.

During the “special” meeting, much hot air was generated over the importance of slowing down the process – “pumping the brakes” on an intentionally sluggish, protracted, and ineffectual shim-sham that has yet to produce so much as a definition of what the terms “low-impact development” and “smart growth” mean – let alone how to codify those concepts into planning and development regulations.   

Instead, there was much talk of slowing the train, pulling the reigns, (insert foot-dragging euphemism here) – accompanied by grumbling from a few “landowners” who could clearly give two-shits about preserving what remains of our sensitive environment – so long as they can do whatever they want on their slice of their pie – and to hell with yours. 

Others (who couldn’t be bothered to take their hats off at the podium, because decorum only applies to voices which disagree with the Gang of Four) qualified their remarks by touting their Volusia County pedigree (“My family arrived in La Florida with Hernando de Soto, bought a two-acre ranchette from Mr. Haney and Arnold Ziffel, and we been living our own humid version of Yellowstone ever since…”) – while another pooh-poohed the notion of symbiotic ecosystems by erroneously stating that what happens on his land doesn’t affect what happens on mine.

One went so far as to mock the ongoing development-fueled atrocity in the Mosquito Lagoon when he crowed, “I don’t like being told what to do with my property,” adding that he doesn’t want to “pay more taxes because someone wants to see the bottom of the Indian River.”

Bullshit.

My guess is these “landowners” have yet to come to the realization they don’t “own” anything – they lease it from the government.  Don’t believe me?  Stop paying property taxes and see how much of your slice of heaven you actually “own.”

I have no idea what these guys have been told – or by whom.

These self-styled land barons should understand that these proposed low-impact development policies, environmental protections, and zoning regulations are also designed to protect their properties from the malignant sprawl and slash-and-burn clear-cutting that is inching closer to our remaining rural and agricultural areas every day. . .   

Regardless of where you come down on growth, it was refreshing to see a robust citizen turnout – and to know there remains a wide range of emotions and viewpoints regarding development and environmental protections.   

But at the end of the day, absolutely nothing was accomplished on Tuesday.   

In my view, much of the meeting appeared painfully orchestrated in advance – a textbook example of how to interminably prolong issues of public concern (or at least push them past the election) – effectively stopping any substantive discussion in favor of passing the buck on growth management off to yet another contrived political insulation committee. 

Specifically, the Volusia County Council plans to waste even more time forming another iteration of the Environmental Resources Advisory Committee to prioritize and make recommendations on issues that should rightfully be debated and voted on by our politically accountable elected representatives.  

Anyone remember the “recommendations” of the first Environmental Resources Advisory Council that was disbanded in 2004? The Smart Growth summits of 2003 and 2004?  Or Clay Ervin’s Great Smart Growth PowerPoint of November 2008, with its ominous conclusion, “Where do we go from here…”  How about the good advice of the blue-ribbon Beachside Redevelopment Task Force? The Smart Growth Policy Review Committee of 2013-2014”? Oh, how about the Smart Growth Policy Review Committee of 2015-2016”? Or the last Green Ribbon Panel? 

How about the results of the long-anticipated “Impact Fee Study” Mr. Ervin has been promising for, oh, over a year?

No? 

Me neither. . .   

Because that’s how things are strategically lost in the shuffle here on the Fun Coast.

“Pump the brakes,” my ass. . .

Frankly, the outcome of this horseshit “special meeting” appeared blatantly choreographed by those do-nothing marionettes Councilman Ben Johnson (who actually found a way to lobby for clear-cutting?) and his sycophantic toady, Danny Robins – along with their backroom enablers County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald and Growth Facilitator Clay Ervin.   

Many of my worried neighbors across the width and breadth of Volusia County are beginning to throw around terms like “ego,” “mediocrity,” and “incompetence” when discussing these bought and paid for handmaidens of the “Rich & Powerful” – and this “special” meeting is a prime example why the political tide is about to change for these dull tools who do the bidding of an influential few.    

One smart friend described it as “creepy” – saying once you see it, you cannot “unsee” it – like the weird optical illusion it is. . .   

Don’t take my word for it, watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7Uqw5mD_FQ

Depending upon the outcome of this election – I believe we are going to see some high-ranking, incredibly well-paid, bureaucrats on the unemployment line next year as We, The Little People seek a clean slate and a bold new direction.

That decision begins and ends at the ballot box. 

Please remember, your vote counts just as much as the Fat Cats who shovel $1,000 donations into the campaign coffers of those flexible lickspittles who protect their benefactors place in the public teats suckling order.   

In my view, in the face of the most prolific period of malignant sprawl and clear-cut environmental destruction in the history of Volusia County, this stalling and quibbling is a slap in the face to residents, environmentalists, and investors seeking some semblance of political stability and leadership.

Once again, these antics have exposed the extent to which “pay to play” politics has penetrated this bloated bureaucracy – a pernicious chancre on the heart of Volusia County government – that has destroyed the public’s trust.   

As the bulldozers continue to roar. . .

As a member of the public said in his closing remarks before the “special” meeting was clumsily adjourned, “If we don’t change the status quo, we’re doomed.”  

He’s right.

Vote like your quality of life depends upon it. 

Asshole           Ormond Beach “Planning” Board

Guess what? 

Those acquiescent rubber stamps on the Ormond Beach “Planning” Board unanimously approved a request to erect a multi-story apartment complex at the former Regal Theater site on an already congested Williamson Boulevard. 

Who didn’t see that coming, eh?

But what about the low-impact businesses we were expecting – the pharmacy, the RV storage, the drive-thru, the car wash?  What about the increased density and traffic? 

Screw you, rube.  Stow your stupid questions – stop standing in the way of “progress.”  

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

“The Ormond Beach Planning Board unanimously recommended approval for a Planned Business Development amendment on Thursday, June 9, to allow the construction of an apartment complex with a maximum of 312 units at 215 Williamson Boulevard, the site of the shuttered Regal Cinemas.”

Regardless of where you fall on the issue of Ormond’s “cram ten-pounds of shit in a five-pound bag while ignoring the giants gathering on your border” growth management strategy, you got to love how these shills convince themselves to believe what they are told – rather than what the rest of us see with our own eyes.

For instance, “City staff also outlined that the traffic analysis determined the apartment complex would reduce average daily trips by 1,850 and 51 peak hour trips, as the movie theater generated 3,912 average daily trips and the apartments are projected to generate 2,062 average daily trips.”

“This is an infill project that we’ve all been looking for,” Planning Board member GG Galloway said.”

You read that right. . .

While board member Al Jorczak sold the massive complex (with rental rates ranging from $1,600 to $2,400 per month) as alternative housing for well-heeled residents of Or-mond’s fingerbowl district:

“Whereas some of our more affluent people are moving out of their homes and they don’t want the maintenance expenses, having an upscale development like this would be something that would be fairly attractive to them,” Jorczak said.”

You read that right, too. . . 

Meanwhile, I guess those struggling families trying to keep a roof over their children’s heads in this artificial economy – and existing residents who are sitting through three light cycles at the intersection of Granada Boulevard and (you name the intersection) can suck shit through a straw?

Because in Ormond Beach, developers eventually get what they want – even if they have to pull a bait-and-switch end run on worried citizens who now have zero representation at City Hall.

My God. . .

Folks, this issue will come before the Ormond Beach City Commission on July 19 – well before the August 23 primary election – which includes Commissioners Troy Kent and Rob Littleton, both of whom are now running for the Volusia County Council District 4 seat. 

Please pay attention to how Kent and Littleton come down on this amendment – and don’t expect a political leopard to ever change his spots. . . 

Quote of the Week

“What a complete and total crock of shit! This project has been renamed MULTIPLE times to sneak one passed the residents of Flagler County. Almost 400 homes in the most fragile and important ecosystems in Flagler County. We are allowing developers to absolutely destroy and strip these natural treasures. This commission is bought and sold by the developers with Chairman Mullins offering them an everything goes pass.  People need to wake up before we become South Florida. Unfreaking real.”

–“Smart Growth” writing anonymously in FlaglerLive! in response to the informative article, “The Gardens, Now Veranda Bay, Clears Last Hurdle Before Construction of First 56 of 334 Homes,” Monday, June 6, 2022

Crock of shit, indeed. . . 

Something tells me We, The Little People across the region are mad as hell and no longer willing to have malignant sprawl shoved down our throats by a passel of greedy speculative developers hiding behind the “property rights” dodge – which now means they get to do whatever they want on their land – even if it forever impacts existing residents. 

This swelling anger is no longer limited to committed environmentalists or a handful of dirt worshiping tree-huggers who oppose all development. Now, people are awakening to the growing threat and fear is taking hold with average citizens who see the debilitating affects of unmitigated sprawl on their quality of life firsthand.

Again, change begins at the ballot box – vote your conscience. 

And Another Thing!

Those who serve in law enforcement have a unique window on the darker side – frequently sorting out the entanglements of people on the worst day of their lives – dealing with the ravages of substance abuse – and observing the horrible cycle of madness, violence, ancillary crimes, and human destruction it brings. 

In Holly Hill, many years ago we had one ‘frequent flyer’ – the term for those who are no stranger to the criminal justice system by virtue of their tragic lifestyle – his name long forgotten.  An elderly gentleman, tall, thin, and frail – another bindlestiff who became a fixture in the Halifax area riding his rickety bicycle around town and sleeping where and when he could.   

Officers on patrol looked out for him as best we could – ensuring he had a semi-regular meal – and someone to talk with other than the demons in his own mind. . . 

I once found him sleeping in a gutter (literally) on a street near Hollyland Park, his body covered with so many ants I thought he was dead. 

At that time, there were few options available for obtaining adequate shelter and services for the homeless (a problem we still face) and he had burned many bridges with the few area social service organizations of the day. 

Following one of his many arrests for minor crimes, we discovered that this dirty and disheveled man was a military veteran – a former United States Air Force officer, in fact.

Unfortunately, like so many veterans, he had long-ago fallen through the cracks of a horribly flawed system.     

Over time, the courts became a revolving door for him, more a means of emergency shelter, medical care, and sustenance for one of the forgotten heroes who, by choice or circumstance, live on the streets, secreted in the underbrush on the periphery of society – out of our sight and out of their mind – one of those lost souls who fall somewhere between pitiful victim and reviled nuisance. 

This American hero’s heartbreaking life came to an equally tragic end when he was found bludgeoned to death in a neighboring community.  I have long forgotten the details of one man’s sad death – but the sense of utter hopelessness I felt remains fresh in my mind. 

Fortunately, in 2013, the legendary former Volusia County and Circuit Court Judge David Beck, a US Army veteran, founded the first Veterans Court – “…an initiative in the 7th Judicial Circuit designed to focus on the distinctive needs of veterans in the criminal justice system.”

“Military veterans are unique in that they undergo vigorous physical training emphasizing survival, endurance, and courage. They are also molded to respect authority, serve selflessly, and abide by the codes of duty, honor, and patriotism. Although these are admirable traits, these characteristics have the potential for extreme emotional and mental strain for those leaving military service and reintegrating to civilian life.

The military acknowledges that veterans have distinctive needs and that many veterans require treatment to deal with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), substance abuse issues, mental health issues, and suicidal thoughts. The courts have also recognized these needs and in 2008 the country’s first Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) was implemented in Buffalo, New York. Since then more programs have been implemented throughout the country, including several in Florida.”

Although Judge Beck passed away in 2017, his legacy of service lives on in the “Judge David B. Beck Veterans Court,” which continues to provide substance abuse and mental health services, peer mentoring, and alternatives to traditional judicial outcomes to support the unique needs of veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, Reserves, or National Guard; including current or former Department of Defense Contractors, and current or former military member of a foreign allied country who have been charged with an eligible crime. 

I can assure you the many benefits to our community are measured in lives saved. 

This month, our friends at the famous Main Street Station are sponsoring a fun raffle in support of the Judge David B. Beck Volusia County Veterans Court!

Donations are $5.00 per ticket – or five for $20.00 – for a chance to win a “Booze Wagon” – I’m talking a regular Radio Flyer, folks – chockfull of premium liquors, with all proceeds going to support the Veterans Court “Giving Beck Fund”! 

It’s a party in a little red wagon!

Now, even if you don’t enjoy the occasional adult beverage, I will just bet you know someone who does (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) and this incredible selection of top shelf liquors would make a wonderful gift for anyone planning an event or stocking a home bar.    

Tickets can be purchased at Main Street Station, 316 Main Street, Daytona Beach. 

While you are there, please say hello to the always friendly and civically active Phaedra Lee and Steve Stinson while enjoying some of the best live music anywhere!    

The drawing will be held on Sunday, June 26, 2022.  You need not be present to win. 

I hope you will join me in supporting this outstanding cause! 

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

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Thank you for reading Barker’s View! 

Angels & Assholes will take a break next week to rest and recharge before the political shitshow starts in earnest! 

Feel free to peruse the voluminous archives at the bottom of this page – and, as always, whether we agree or disagree on the issues. please continue to further the discussion.  It’s important – now, more than ever.

Get involved.  Get informed.  Vote!    

Angels & Assholes will return on Friday, July 1!