Hi, kids!

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

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

Asshole           Volusia County Council

On Tuesday, I wasted another day – 7 or 8 hours of my life that I will never get back – listening to the monotonous drone of the Volusia County Council meeting and waiting patiently for an item of interest on the published agenda to be discussed – only to have the rug pulled out from under me when our elected representatives lost their stamina and postponed the issue.

I guess when it comes to Volusia County government, the best way to avoid disappointment is to expect the unexpected – and accept the unacceptable. . . 

The meeting had an undercurrent of the “tail wagging the dog” syndrome that sees senior staff making decisions ahead of scheduled workshops and hearings by setting policy and budgetary priorities in the cloistered environment of a bureaucratic office rather than a public meeting.

In other words, it was business as usual in Deland. 

Predictably, our elected officials had a testy chin-wagging session to telegraph how they plan to raise our taxes yet again – complete with the usual handwringing and scary stories of the cataclysmic fiscal destruction that awaits Volusia County if our elected officials fail to squeeze even more blood from us desiccated turnips to support a proposed $1.1 Billion budget.

You read that right.  $1.1 Billion – and not one penny can be cut from the encrusted fat that won’t result in financial Armageddon.

Now is the time for all good citizens to accept our punishment for voting against the proposed half-cent sales tax – and pay the piper for the precious few quality-of-life improvements we asked for last year – because in Volusia County, refusing to obey the powers that be always comes with a cost.  

During what passed for the millage rate “discussion,” the gang viciously bludgeoned Chairman Jeff Brower for attempting to hold true to his personal convictions – and campaign promise – of full rollback and a 5% across-the-board spending reduction in all areas except public safety. 

When Councilwoman Heather Post even suggested that her “colleagues” use this time to carefully examine operations, leverage federal coronavirus relief funds, and look for ways to save money – she was openly scoffed at and dismissed as a lunatic.   

It was interesting to watch the strange lycanthropic transformation of Ben Johnson, Danny Robins, Billie Wheeler and The Very Reverend Fred Lowry – each of whom hold themselves out as staunch Republicans 364-days a year – then morph into something completely different when it comes time to raise our property taxes – at which point they never met a massive bureaucracy or bloated budget they didn’t love. . . 

My ass.

Then, inexplicably, our self-anointed eminence grise, the uber-weird Dr. Fred Lowry, made the left field suggestion that agenda Item 19 – the innocuously titled (but incredibly important) “Discussion and direction regarding public meeting rule ordinance” governing such things as “decorum” and “public participation” – be moved to the next meeting.

They simply kicked a properly noticed agenda item down the road, apparently because they didn’t feel like dealing with it – and to hell with us lower caste members of the booboisie who waited patiently to learn what limitations will be placed on when, where, why, and how we will be permitted to participate in our government – and under what conditions we will be unceremoniously tossed out of the chamber on our ass should we insult the Monarchy’s sensitive feelings and sense of decorum.   

I guess they had done enough damage to their political futures for one day, eh?

Look, raising taxes is as foreseeable and expected as getting hit by an uninsured motorist in Volusia County – it happens all the time – but whenever a small group of hubristic dullards start manipulating our ability to seek redress of grievances before our government – or speak out on the issues important to us – that frightens me.  

Increasingly, small-minded politicians and entrenched bureaucrats attempt to quash dissent and civic activism by cloaking their overweening censorship in “civility ordinances,” “rules of decorum,” and other asinine suppressive measures not seen since Mao Zedong’s Double Ten Directive.

It has become obvious to most that some local governments would prefer taxpayers acquiesce to symbolic “meetings” – choreographed shams where predetermined policies and expenditures are rubber-stamped – while the ‘people’s business’ is hammered out behind closed doors and shaped by insider influence, far from the prying eyes of us rubes who are expected to pay the bills and keep our pieholes shut.    

In my experience, ministerial edicts designed to enforce a subjective notion of “decorum” is usually the first sign that an elected body is in serious trouble.

The symptoms begin with the discussion of a “civility ordinance” as a means of maintaining the dignity of public meetings – which, by their very nature, should be contentious, participative, and filled with the vigorous debate of competing ideas – because the lofty decisions that come from these deliberations directly affect our lives and livelihoods.

In January, when Chairman Jeff Brower gaveled to order the first meeting of the current iteration of the Volusia County Council, our elected representatives promised an unprecedented level of transparency and public involvement. 

Remember?

It represented a demarcation from the bad old days when former Chair Ed Kelley made sport of restricting public participation – lording over anyone with the temerity to approach his elite domain with petty problems, and brusquely dismissing citizens who overstayed their begrudged three-minute audience like the Great and Powerful Oz – all while marginalizing Councilwoman Post with eyerolling histrionics whenever she refused to go along with the lockstep majority.

Unfortunately, the openness and collegiality we were promised soon dissolved into the tired old harrumphing of perennial politician’s intent on protecting the status quo while seeking to neuter Chairman Brower at every turn. 

They don’t like applause.  They don’t like signs.  They don’t like videos.  And they don’t like you.

When will they learn that good governance does not occur in a vacuum?

Good citizenship is not silent subservience to an entrenched power structure convinced of its own infallibility – and the process of crafting inclusive public policies should not be at the comfort and convenience of a few hypersensitive prima donnas perched on the dais of power.

If citizens cannot make themselves heard before their elected representatives at a public meeting – in a building paid for with their own hard-earned tax dollars – among bureaucrats and senior staff who accept public funds to serve in the public interest – then where can they be heard on matters of civic importance?

In my view, it is time those who hold high elective office understand that all political power is derived from the consent of the people. 

This continuing undemocratic effort to alienate constituents and limit meaningful public participation – especially by curtailing the use of posters and video technology to get a point across (while staff relies almost exclusively on PowerPoint presentations that are more effective than sedative hypnotics) – is contributing to the lack of trust in government and fostering a malignant cynicism that continues to erode public confidence and hamper substantive progress. 

Angel               Port Orange Councilman Chase Tramont

Clearly, Chase Tramont is not averse to hard work or civic involvement, and the Port Orange city councilman, First Step Shelter board member, and announced candidate for the Volusia County Council won some hearts-and-minds this week.

At their recent meeting, the First Step Shelter board continued to cry the Poormouth Blues when it became apparent that another fiscal year has come and gone without adequate private funding to meet the annual operating needs of that elaborate self-esteem seminar in the hinterlands west of I-95.

That left some First Step board members instinctively returning to the public teat – that ever-flowing fount of tax dollars that the “shelter” drags its leaky bucket to, time-and-again, for its lifeblood – while many private donors continue to shy away from what has been an incredibly expensive and terribly confusing bait-and-switch scenario from its inception.

Unfortunately, the First Step’s governing board never reconciled the fact that what we were sold is not what we received – and all the fancy marketing videos and “look at our progress!” social media campaigns in Mike Panaggio’s extensive repertoire cannot change that. . .

This week, The Daytona Beach News-Journal ran an informative piece by reporter Eileen Zaffiro-Kean entitled, “Shelter relying on public dollars,” which opened:

“For now and the foreseeable future, the city-owned homeless shelter for adults run by a nonprofit will continue to get the vast majority of its funding from local governments.”

“In the current budget year, $975,754 of the $1.39 million annual budget is being covered by seven Volusia County governments. The balance comes from an array of private donations and grants.”

Wow.

The First Step board members quibbled about what each contributing municipality should pay for the privilege of attaching themselves to the “shelters” true raison d’être – the legal and political insulation that allows government entities to claim a dubious level of “compliance” with federal protections against criminalizing homelessness.  

A point not lost on Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry:

“Henry pointed out that a government’s ability to stay compliant by offering the shelter’s safe zone as an option to jail is a value for cities that should be adequately paid for, even if a city isn’t referring many of its homeless to the shelter residency program.”

But just how much of our hard-earned tax dollars is that protection racket worth?

According to the First Step board, the municipalities should be ponying up an amount equal to .258% of their 2016-2017 fiscal year fund balance – with some cities paying more, and others less, while the City of Daytona Beach and Volusia County have each promised $400,000 annually for the first five-years the “shelter” is in operation. 

To his credit, Chase Tramont stood firm – proving his worth as a good steward of the public treasury – when he rightfully declared that the “shelter” should not be perpetually carried “on the back of taxpayers.”

During the meeting, Mr. Tramont argued that governments should have the ability to contribute what the individual community feels it can afford – rather than be lashed to some arbitrary formula. 

According to the News-Journal’s report, “Tramont was the sole vote against continuing to make the fund balance percent the standard funding request.”

At the end of the day, the First Step board did what most elected and appointed governing bodies in Volusia County do and opted to maintain the status quo – using the fund balance formula as a “suggestion” while accepting whatever the municipalities agree to pay.

Because, what else are they going to do? 

In my view, “beggars cannot be choosers” – meaning one must accept that which is handed to them – especially if they do not have the means to acquire it themselves.  

Whatever.

I know it is gauche to bring up not-for-profit executive salaries, but when First Step director Victoria Fahlberg was hired in 2019 – with an annual salary totaling some $75,000 in wages and benefits – she told us the “shelter” would need to raise $500,000 each year on top of local government contributions – assuring us she would be “applying for grants,” working with foundations, and putting the arm on businesses and individuals to make ends meet. 

At the time, I thought, “That’s gonna take a lot of bake sales, raffles, and walkathons. . .” 

Along the same line, Ormond Beach City Commissioner Dwight Selby reasonably suggested a financial study to determine if the “shelter” had enough money coming in to meet its monthly nut, as quoted in the News-Journal:

“A cash flow analysis is of dire importance,” said Selby, an Ormond Beach city commissioner. “We need to clarify that the cash will flow in at least at a level equal to what we’re burning.”

Now, I am not sure if that basic budgetary examination ever happened – or if the board simply decided it wasn’t necessary, so long as it could count on City Hall to keep writing checks. . .

I have often wondered how Director Fahlberg and the First Step board members must feel as they stare out the window and watch P$S Paving – a private company – haul millions-of-dollars in publicly owned fill dirt from their backyard while they continue to hold the begging bowl? 

My God.

Kudos to Mr. Tramont for holding firm to the basic principle that the First Step Shelter should be required to stand, or fall, on its own merits by consistently demonstrating value to the citizens of communities from which it receives its funding.

But for now – and the foreseeable future – be prepared to keep hand-feeding this insatiable beast from the public trough. . . 

Quote of the Week

“As soon as you get off I-95, it’s impressive all the way down (International Speedway Boulevard) until you start to get to about U.S. 1, and then,” he said with a pause. “It’s dilapidated.”

–Daytona Beach resident Richard Martinez, as quoted by Daytona Beach News-Journal reporter Mark Harper, “Public reacts to roadway proposals,” Saturday, July 17, 2021

I am a big fan of Maryam Ghyabi-White, CEO and president of Ghyabi Consulting and Management, a professional traffic engineering and transportation consultancy, who has put her time, talent, and considerable influence into developing workable solutions for our challenged beachside.

In a recent interview with The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Ms. Ghyabi-White said, “Every project I’ve done with public input has been so much better. I truly believe in it.”

She understands the inherent benefit in listening to those who use our streets and roadways before millions in scarce public funds are literally set in concrete.   

Last week, a public charrette was held at The Plaza Resort and Spa attended by approximately 100 citizens desperate for substantive change in our core tourist areas of East International Speedway Boulevard, North Atlantic Avenue, Main Street, Oakridge and Seabreeze Boulevards. 

Now that the asinine suggestion of a traffic loop-de-loop at Volusia County’s busiest beach approach at East ISB and A-1-A has been put to rest, the Florida Department of Transportation is rightfully seeking public input on improvements to the long-neglected and desperately blighted gateway to the World’s Most Famous Beach. 

According to an informative report on the helpful suggestions received during last week’s planning session in the News-Journal, reporter Mark Harper wrote:

“The latest concepts will all be more fully developed for the September meeting, where public comment will also be sought, Ghyabi-White said.

“This is not going to solve all our problems. It’s not going to make it better 90%. Perhaps 70%,” she said. “But it’s better than what we’ve got.”

One thing I really liked was the idea of a bicycle lane physically separated from vehicular traffic using the Zicla Zipper system (look it up) – which will keep the bumper of my rig a safe distance from that peloton of middle-aged cyclists, dressed cap-a-pie in spandex (ugh), who compete for space in the right lane with that shirtless 48-year-old dude still doing nollie-heelflips and frontside shuvits on his skateboard during peak traffic hours. . . 

These solutions would not have been possible without Ms. Ghyabi-White’s tireless efforts to bring stakeholders together at the same table, a collaborative effort of citizens, business owners, and government entities, that demonstrates true progress is possible when the hearts and minds of decision-makers remain open to new ideas and information. 

Here’s to new beginnings – no matter how long overdue. 

And Another Thing!

While watching the Volusia County Council meeting this week, I got a troubling sense that all is not well in the exalted Halls of Power at the Thomas C. Kelly Administrative Complex. 

I could be wrong – but I’m not. 

There was a palpable strain in the air. 

It began with that abomination in New Smyrna Beach, where the family of Kenneth Parker was forced to spend an estimated $250,000 defending their beachfront home from the threat of a forced parking lot – a paved pad and accompaniments that would have destroyed sensitive dunes and protective vegetation – an expensive push that, in the end, no one, from New Smyrna Beach officials to the Volusia County Council, seemed to give two-shits about. 

According to an informative article in The Daytona Beach News-Journal by reporter Mary Helen Moore, entitled “Off-beach parking lot plan dropped,” we learned:

“The county spent an estimated $110,000 on the plan for a parking lot, including more than $87,000 on designs, $2,600 on permitting and $20,300 on a court hearing.

“That does not include staff time. That’s checks cashed to consultants,” Coastal Director Jessica Winterwerp noted.  Staff have logged an estimated 2,525 hours on the project, including 325 from the legal department.”

My God.

It appears everyone ensconced in wingback swivel chairs in the executive offices in Deland were aware of what was going on – except those mushrooms we elected to represent our interests and steward our tax dollars.  

At the end of the day, the Parker’s were understandably left in tears – the good citizens of New Smyrna Beach are apparently getting a simple walkover – and Director Winterwerp went back to doing whatever it is she does at the Coastal Division, whose motto should forever be:

“We’re not happy until you’re not happy.”

Then, during the “preliminary” budget presentation, it appeared that Volusia County’s Chief Financial Officer Ryan Ossowski – an appointed department head with no political accountability – had already cobbled together next years budget.

It was all cleverly spelled out on a colorful PowerPoint tableau – complete with the various allocations and millage rates already decided upon – leaving little for our elected officials to do but stop meddling in the work of professional bureaucrats and rubber-stamp their “recommendations.”

It was obvious to anyone watching that Chairman Jeff Brower and Councilwoman Heather Post would prefer to think for themselves. 

They seemed absolutely stupefied that this granular level of budgetary detail would be presented one week before a workshop to allocate millions in federal American Rescue Plan Act Transition funds.   

In my view, it epitomized Volusia County’s historic problem of senior staff directing the outcome of important issues, and effectively taking those with political accountability out of the equation, by limiting options with forgone conclusions. 

It appears the majority of those impressive mimics on the dais of power won the day on a 5-2 vote – but I doubt Ossowski and Co. have heard the last from Chairman Brower and Councilwoman Post. . .

Then, perhaps most disturbing, Councilwoman Post brought up a dangerous occurrence earlier this month, as reported by the Deltona firefighter’s union, after a city ambulance “…was denied the ability to transport a Trauma alert patient during a large motor vehicle accident” by Volusia County’s emergency services hierarchy.    

Why?

Because – who cares about your sucking chest wound, your child’s open head injury, or your mother’s stroke – the transport fell outside the arbitrary hours set by Deltona’s agreement with Volusia County. 

That’s why.

As the brave men and women of Deltona Fire Fighters Local 2913 so aptly put it:

“The time has come to revamp this outdated system that Evac ambulance uses (VCEMS) and grant the city fire departments the ability to have full transport. The Deltona fire stations in the city are strategically placed throughout the city to provide adequate coverage to the 100,000+ residents.”

Amen. 

Unfortunately, when former Port Orange Fire Chief Ken Fustin stood up for the safety of his residents and staff, proved his emotional investment, and demanded his department be permitted to transport residents in need – an act of impudence that gravely offended the delicate sensibilities of Volusia County’s Director of Public Protection Joe “Blue Falcon” Pozzo – he was summarily fired, drummed out of the corps, and had his professional reputation tarnished in the newspaper as an example to others who would raise their head.

Bullshit.

Under Ms. Post’s glare – Pozzo tap-danced in his own inimitable style – but I am not sure the Councilwoman got the answers she wanted – other than the tired old ditty, “change” is coming.

In turn, Chairman Brower asked why – with a dearth of paramedics in Volusia’s emergency medical service – 19 current vacancies – the Public Protection Division does not provide adequate facilities for these professionals to clean-up and decompress after handling calls for service?

A situation that now requires they use convenience store bathrooms for personal hygiene and pathogen decontamination – a point driven home by Mr. Brower’s disturbing visual of EMS personnel removing a dirty hypodermic syringe from a public sink before washing-up.

My God.

It was a simple request – a necessary convenience that would show first responders, who put it all on the line to protect and serve the public, that the Public Protection Division cares about their health, safety, and welfare. 

Again, Pozzo did his best soft-shoe – never seeming to grasp that recruitment and retention isn’t about throwing money at professionals – it is about strong leadership that values their contributions.  

In another weird moment, when Chairman Brower asked Growth and Resource Management Director Clay Ervin about the long overdue impact fee study – he got a song-and-dance that explained the study has not yet commenced, and ended with, “…we plan to have it ready to rock-and-roll in October.”

Say what?

Look, I like County Manager George “The Wreck” Recktenwald – and he does an admirable job protecting his department heads from the heat.

He’s an old school manager and master of that weird language known as “bureaucratese” a persuasive (and equally confusing) dialect that keeps the uninitiated (including the elected officials) guessing.   

I may be the Carnival Barker but serving as Ringmaster of this Three Ring Shitshow is a hard dollar – something Mr. Recktenwald does extremely well.

However, I can tell you from experience that elected officials do not like to be embarrassed in front of their constituents by senior staff – and they aren’t big on surprises either. . . 

Ultimately, Mr. Recktenwald runs a fine line trying to orchestrate a modicum of progress despite the political dysfunction on the dais – especially during the budget cycle – all while his department head’s attempt ham-handed end-runs on those we have elected to make the difficult decisions. 

This bears watching. . .

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

A wise and weary Halifax area philosopher once explained to me the ‘way things work’ here on Florida’s fabled Fun Coast.

The old sage concluded – with the hard-earned clarity of someone who has scratched out a living here for decades – that our incestuous artificial economy in Volusia County is based on “…the same five people passing the same nickel around…” 

Increasingly, that well-worn coin originates from the tattered pockets of struggling taxpayers in the form of “economic incentives,” tax credits, infrastructure improvements, and lucrative “job creation” refunds.

For instance, in 2014, the proposed Trader Joe’s distribution center in Daytona Beach garnered some $6.6 million in “economic incentives” from government entities – including $4.7 million from Volusia County and approximately $2 million from the City of Daytona Beach – for a warehouse serving a specialty grocery chain that will not locate a store in our area because our average annual salary is too low. . .

In 2015, Tanger Outlets received a combined $4.5 million from city and county coffers – for what The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported covered “everything from landscaping to sewer pipes” – and who can forget our collective investment in Daytona International Speedway’s One Daytona project, a combined $40 million from Volusia County and Daytona Beach taxpayers, which “…went to pay the bulk of the $53 million bill for roads, water and sewer pipes, sidewalks and retention ponds.”

In my view, it is the quintessence of corporate welfare – a dodgy system that reduces risk, creates an unlevel playing field for an influential few, and provides a competitive advantage to those with easy access to the public teat.

Then, in 2017, His Royal Highness King J. Hyatt Brown – our High Panjandrum of Political Power – gifted us rubes with the be-all and end-all ‘gamechanger of all gamechangers’ – when he announced at an invitation only gathering of our “Rich & Powerful” – that a long-neglected vacant lot on Beach Street would be the site of Brown & Brown’s new ten-story headquarters building. 

The relocation of the multi-billion-dollar insurance intermediary’s HQ was billed as the ultimate Halifax area panacea project – the providential answer to our fervent prayers – a glass-and-steel monolith with the supernatural power to transform our historically neglected downtown into an effervescent hub of tony retail, dining, and entertainment, all fueled by young, upwardly mobile, Brown & Brown executives and staffers brokering deals over a plate of chilled lemon and arugula capellini and a delightfully articulate Chablis in a Beach Street bistro.

All of this could be ours for the asking – but only if we agreed to pony up a combined $15.5 million in city, county, and state incentives – on the promise of “hundreds of jobs” paying an average of $41,300 annually. 

Otherwise, there was ominous rumblings that King J. Hyatt and his Knights of the Roundtable would uproot and move the whole kit-and-kaboodle to Atlanta, Georgia – effectively ending the behemoth’s 80-year presence in Daytona Beach on a sour note – and dooming our downtrodden downtown to decades of more dilapidation and strategic neglect. 

Remember? 

I do.  

In total, the City of Daytona Beach got down on their hands-and-knees and offered up millions-of-dollars for infrastructure improvements and property tax abatement – while Volusia County taxpayers provided some $4.5 million for infrastructure and $900,000 to help Brown & Brown qualify for an additional $4.58 million in state tax credits for new job creation – which, at the time, were reportedly worth an estimated $7,500 per job. . .

Look, my math could be off a million here or a million there, it all gets so confusing and convoluted that, after awhile, it becomes difficult to keep up with who is responsible for what, how many “new” jobs have been created and how many were shipped in from other areas, and how much money the public’s largesse ultimately created for the private beneficiary.       

Perhaps that’s the plan?

It seems our newspaper of record, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, is too busy fighting the culture wars – removing ancient statues, alienating the “unvaccinated” like social lepers, and giving national attention to some guy in Detroit who found 160 bowling balls behind his house (?) – yet precious few investigative pieces on our return on investment – the public benefit of these tax breaks, credits, and refunds.    

On Saturday, the News-Journal’s Eileen Zaffiro-Kean reported in a front-page article “Brown & Brown buys downtown buildings – 400 to 600 jobs expected to be created at three sites,” that King J. Hyatt has expanded his realm to include three office buildings formerly owned by the Ormond Beach-based Root Company. 

According to the report, Sir John Albright, President & CEO of CTO Realty Growth (formerly known as that good ol’ boys investment club Consolidated-Tomoka Land Company), “…whose company owns most of the block that fronts the east side of Ridgewood Avenue and runs between International Speedway Boulevard and Bay Street,” said the Brown & Brown purchase represents “…very good news for downtown as investors, developers and businesses will have confidence in Brown & Brown’s sizable presence and commitment to downtown.”

Now, everyone who is anyone is using extravagant descriptors like, “spectacular,” “fantastic,” “huge impact,” “ripple effect,” etc., etc.

What else are they going to say?

And why didn’t we see this Renaissance Effect before? 

I’m asking.

Because even the suggestion that Brown & Brown’s growing presence downtown may be overblown, or, God forbid, these edifices become just another 9-to-5 insurance or financial office building – one that captures employees with an internal restaurant operated by a France-based hospitality company, complete with a 24-hour self-checkout kiosk, even prepared meals that workers can bring home for dinner – is too grim to consider for Beach Street merchants who have hung on by their fingernails for decades. 

I am certain Brown & Brown’s real estate expansion is “great news” for those elite few with a chip in the game, and that mysterious Camera Stellata over at the Volusia CEO Business Alliance (which King J. Hyatt chairs and Sir John Albright is a member) – but I am still trying to figure out what it cost us – you know, We, The Little People?

One jaded observer of our local political sleight-of-hand took to Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry’s Facebook page to question the cosmic irony that the $14 million Brown & Brown paid for the three commercial buildings closely matches the $15.5 million in public “incentives” Volusia County taxpayers gifted King J. Hyatt to lessen the burden on his Beach Street “Taj Mahal.” 

Apples and Oranges!  No direct nexus, Barker – you ungrateful asshole!  You blasphemous Esplanade denier!

Perhaps, but I found it funny as hell. . . 

I also found a glimmer of hope that long-suffering Volusia County taxpayers are beginning to question ‘how things work’ in this artificial economy, where the same players pass the same nickel around, while those of us who foot the bill are asked to expect a different outcome.      

Hi, kids!

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

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

Asshole           Palm Coast City Council

The City of Palm Coast was conceived in the mind of a marketing executive, a planned unit development funded by an international telecommunications corporation, meticulously laid out for maximum transportation efficiency, with neighborhoods designed in “sections” designated by roadways starting with letters of the alphabet – such as the “R” section or the “P” section – with feeders to major thoroughfares and a main commercial corridor known as Palm Coast Parkway.    

When I was a young boy, what would become the City of Palm Coast was 22,000 acres of unspoiled pine scrub and swamp in the hinterlands of Flagler County – at the time, a largely agrarian economy with commercial farms, lumber mills, and working cattle ranches surrounding the small town of Bunnell at the intersection of US Highway 1 and State Road 100. 

It was a sportsman’s paradise, with abundant whitetail deer and world-class fishing complimented by the ‘Old Florida’ charm of its quaint coastal communities like Flagler Beach. 

Given that the project was expertly marketed to residents of the Northeast Corridor, many wondered how the inevitable clash of cultures would affect the whole of Flagler County and beyond. 

As it turns out, given the massive influx into Palm Coast that continues to this day, the original settlers and those who made their life off the land were slowly displaced by a different kind of ‘pioneer,’ and, in recent years, the area was identified as the “fastest growing metropolitan area in the country” by the US Census Bureau.      

 According to the Palm Coast History Brief:

“From their start in 1969 until International Telephone & Telegraph (Development Corporation) withdrew, the corporation provided most of the services and leadership in Palm Coast. They had planned, built, and maintained a model environmental community. In a unique private/government relationship, ITT had financed Palm Coast’s most necessary improvements. The interchange at I-95 and the Hammock Dunes bridge were funded at relatively unnoticeable cost to local taxpayers and the state. As ITT withdrew from Palm Coast, the void left by its departure was increasingly felt in the community.

Then (in 1995) the complicated and often contentious process of incorporation began. Flagler County residents’ opposition groups debated. The county authorized a feasibility study, the state legislative delegation sponsored incorporation, the Florida state government approved the referendum and (in 1999) we elected our first City Council.”   

And Frankenstein’s monster has never been the same. . .

Whenever I get too close to a sensitive topic in this space, or ruffle the feathers of our ‘powers that be,’ some thin-skinned politician will puff up like a toad and not so subtly suggest that I shut up and mind my own business – usually in the form of “that blowhard doesn’t even live here,” etc. 

My response is if you care about good governance where you live and pay taxes – you should care about good government everywhere – because turbulence in one county or municipality directly impacts the social, civic, and economic stability of other communities that comprise the mosaic of east Central Florida.   

As a rabid observer of local politics – I equate the stability of local elective bodies to that plate spinning novelty act on the old Ed Sullivan Show. 

In my estimation, all government entities in the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan statistical area (which includes Palm Coast) are just a few bad moves from total civic meltdown. 

Don’t take my word for it – tune into any “meeting” of the Deltona City Commission – or the Volusia County Council, for that matter – to confirm my weird theory. 

The grim consequences when “government” (in the loosest sense of the word) runs amok were emblazoned across the front page of The Daytona Beach News-Journal last Saturday – tragic tales of international intrigue, and how the lives of the governed can be turned upside down by the self-serving machinations of a few power-mad politicians and hangers-on desperate to maintain power.

In my view, the articles were perfectly juxtaposed. 

One told the unfolding story of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse by what one state official described as “foreign mercenaries and professional killers,” a bungled coup d’état that has further destabilized a long-deteriorating internal situation and plunged the challenged nation into chaos.   

Now, acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph is fighting to prove his legitimacy, and calling for United States assistance in stabilizing the threatened nation at a time when Haiti’s Senate and Supreme Court both lack a majority of seated members.    

Then, above the fold, was a shocking piece by News-Journal reporter Frank Fernandez entitled, “Councilman called fugitive – Sheriff says Barbosa may be wanted in Costa Rica,” which detailed an investigation by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office into whether Palm Coast Councilman Victor Barbosa is an international fugitive from justice – and a request to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for an executive investigation. 

Councilman Barbosa claims its all a big mistake.

As what passes for governance in the City of Palm Coast continues to come apart like a cheap flywheel – an aimless Banana Republic wracked by partisan rancor and upheaval – this shocking revelation has further destabilized a long-deteriorating internal situation and threatens further chaos and confusion in one of the largest municipalities in our region.    

Wow.   

To say that Palm Coast, now a monstrosity of over 94,000 residents, is a shit show of epic proportions is an understatement – an atmosphere of perpetual dysfunction that recently saw the mysterious departure of embattled Mayor Melissa Holland and former City Manager Matt Morton – leaving the rudderless ship in turmoil with just four horribly conflicted members on the torn and hopelessly deadlocked City Council. 

Now, speculation over Councilman Barbosa’s status will no doubt inflame an already terrible situation going into the special mayoral election set for July 27, a race that has taken on the characteristics of a bad Twilight Zone episode.    

In a recent editorial by former Palm Coast City Council member Robert Cuff writing in FlaglerLive, the importance of avoiding voter apathy was evident:

“It is vital for all voters concerned for the future of the city to vote for the next mayor. Without a large turnout by voters who truly appreciate smoothly functioning government and who are concerned about the future of their city, there is an excellent chance that we will be saddled with partisanship, division, and dysfunction for the next three years.”

You can find the remainder of Mr. Cuff’s opinion here: https://flaglerlive.com/165524/robert-cuff-palm-coast-future/  

On Monday, The Daytona Beach News-Journal will host a mayoral debate moderated by editor Pat Rice featuring candidates Cornelia Manfre, Alan Lowe, Doug Courtney, Carol Bacha, Kathy Austrino, and David Alfin.

If you care about good governance – and the future of Palm Coast – this is a forum you will not want to miss.

The public is invited to attend the debate which will be held at Buddy Taylor Middle School, 4500 Belle Terre Parkway.

The shenanigans begin at 6:30 p.m. and doors will open at 5 p.m.

Asshole           Ormond Beach City Commission

On Tuesday evening, the Ormond Beach City Commission gave residents an opportunity to expend some useless hot air before their elected representatives as they sought a reasonable six-month moratorium on demolition of the historic Union Church on North Beach Street. 

Six-months.

In an informative article by Brian McMillan, executive editor of the Ormond Beach Observer entitled, “Kent, Littleton, Persis stand by decision to demolish church on Beach Street,” some 100 emails and 25 speakers – including a respected former member of its own planning board – could not convince the majority of elected officials to take a brief pause in their rash dash to destroy the building.

“Many in the audience saw the 1960 church as a historic asset for the city, comparing it with The Casements and the Anderson-Price Memorial Building next door. “Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever,” said former Planning Board member and longtime community activist Rita Press.”

Ms. Press is right. 

Historically, many municipalities in Volusia County could give two-shits about, well, our “history.” 

Structures of significance and sensitive greenspace are routinely razed and exploited to pave the way (literally) for a narrow version of “progress” with little, if any, input from those of us who see these tangible connections to our past as integral to our quality of life.

It seems we live in a time and place when a convenience store is considered preferable to 100-year-old specimen hardwoods, environmental buffers, and urban wildlife habitat – gaudy “theme” communities have become more important than the wellspring of our drinking water – a shell parking lot more desirable than one of the last remaining examples of mid-century architecture in the Halifax area.  

A previous church which stood on the property served the citizens of Ormond Beach – including the community’s most famous resident, John D. Rockefeller – since 1886, and the current building anchors the city’s last remaining historic district on Lincoln Avenue. 

As of 2009, the Ormond Beach Union Church was prominently featured on the city’s “Historic Landmark List.”

So, why did it become a mold-encrusted blot on the civic landscape when the city took ownership? A dilapidated eyesore of no viable use to the citizens of Ormond Beach?

According to the Observer’s report, Judith Stein, president of the Ormond Beach Arts District, announced that the Union Church building will be named among the ‘Eleven to Save,’ a list of the state’s most threatened historic properties, by the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation at an awards ceremony next week – a distinction that will both increase public awareness and garner “assistance from the organization to identify custom solutions,” including the identification of funding sources. 

“Knowing this now, it would be even sadder if the building received this award ‘posthumously,’” Stein said.

Unfortunately, it appears the destiny of the Union Church has been written in an irrevocable agreement with a demolition contractor.   

Despite the fervent desire of many concerned residents – and the persuasive arguments of Commissioner Dwight Selby and Mayor Bill Partington – Commissioner Rob Littleton could not be swayed, calling even a short delay a “fool’s errand,” a sentiment clearly supported by Commissioner Susan Persis and the always obstinate Commissioner Troy Kent.  

Perhaps Commissioner Littleton is right – trying to communicate our thoughts and opinions to our elected officials on matters of civic importance has become a farce – a wasted effort that is infinitely frustrating for residents seeking input on the future of their community.    

With each disappointment, concerned citizens learn the terrible truth that their voices are meaningless to those we have elected to represent our interests. 

Citizens throughout Volusia County face almost insurmountable obstacles whenever they seek to make themselves heard – labeled cranks, naysayers, and paranoiacs – for having the temerity to question the motivations of an entrenched power structure with a preconceived agenda and behind-the-scenes “plan” that those of us on the outside looking in cannot begin to understand. 

Environmentalists who fight for the preservation of our dwindling greenspace are repeatedly stonewalled by this cloistered system – or have their motives questioned by powerful politicians who bend over backwards to accommodate every need and whim of speculative developers who just happen to be featured prominently on their campaign contributions list.    

Bullshit.

I find hope in the words of author and cultural anthropologist Margret Mead who said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”   

To the members of the Ormond Beach Historical Society, the Ormond Beach Arts District, Ormond MainStreet, other civic organizations, and the committed residents who are trying desperately to save this important structure from destruction and preserve our unique quality of life here in Ormond Beach – I encourage you to keep the faith.

Never quit.

And, most important, please remember this latest insult at the ballot box. 

Angel               Volusia County Clerk of the Court Laura Roth

The Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers honored Volusia County Clerk of the Circuit Court Laura Roth, as their 2020-2021 Clerk of the Year at the organization’s annual installation banquet last month.

The Clerk of the Year Award is presented to an FCCC member who has demonstrated outstanding leadership skills and a commitment to improving the ability of clerks and comptrollers to serve Floridians through professional education, legislative action, and public awareness of the office.

According to a media release by the FCCC, the award was presented by outgoing FCCC President Tara S. Green, Clay County Clerk of Court and Comptroller:

“Clerk Laura Roth has been an instrumental voice in our plans and decision-making as an association, especially so during this last year,” said Green. “She’s a fierce advocate for her constituents, and she never shies away from taking on new responsibilities or initiatives for the benefit of all Clerks. Most recently she served as Chair of the Best Practices Committee and spearheaded our efforts to implement the new Best Practices Excellence Program swiftly and with consistent and clear direction. We thank Clerk Roth for her exceptional service and are proud to present her the 2020-2021 Clerk of the Year award.”

I cannot think of a more deserving recipient for this prestigious award. 

In December 2020, during a meeting of Volusia’s new independent constitutional officers – which include Sheriff Mike Chitwood, Supervisor of Elections Lisa Lewis, Property Appraiser Larry Bartlett, and Tax Collector Will Roberts – Ms. Roth suggested that the group form a charity drive to assist the needs of hundreds of homeless students in Volusia County.

In my view, Ms. Roth sets a shining example of true leadership and a welcome concern for the needs of those she serves. 

As the official custodian of court records, Ms. Roth has championed government transparency by hosting one of the most user-friendly public websites in the State of Florida – allowing her constituents easy access to thousands of public records, literally at the stroke of a key, at www.clerk.org .  

According to her impressive bio, Ms. Roth earned her bachelor’s degree from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, and her law degree from the University of Arizona. She became the Volusia County Clerk’s office first in-house legal counsel in 2004, and was appointed the Chief Deputy Clerk, the lead administrator, in 2011.

Ms. Roth first ran for office and became the Clerk of Court for Volusia County in 2016.

Clearly, Ms. Roth and her exceptional deputies work extremely hard each day to live up their motto: “We Love Helping People.”

Congratulations to Clerk Laura Roth on this well-deserved accolade!

Quote of the Week

“Ignoring the voice of the people, not listening to your residents, is a very dangerous, dangerous thing to do. … This is an opportunity to be a hero or not.”    

–Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington, from his closing comments at Tuesday’s controversial special meeting to discuss a delay in destroying the historic Ormond Beach Union Church, as quoted in the Ormond Beach Observer, Wednesday, July 14, 2021

And Another Thing!

I enjoy being around smart people with noble intentions in their heart – that is how I learn – and those good neighbors who comprise the Bellaire Community Group never disappoint. 

Last evening, I had the distinct pleasure of taking a break from the drudgery of politics and get myself some cultcha’ when I was invited to co-host a writer’s roundtable with the extraordinary civic activist Steve Koenig. 

The entertaining hour featured local authors Jeffrey Boyle and Derek Catron – two incredibly talented creatives and gifted storytellers who graciously took questions and gave the attentive audience a glimpse into the fascinating, and intensely personal, process of composing artistic works of fiction. 

A book signing followed the program. 

For anyone new to the Halifax area – or those looking for constructive insight into the civic, social, and economic issues facing Daytona Beach and beyond – I encourage you to attend a meeting of the Bellaire Community Group, which meets the third Thursday of every month at the Schnebly Recreation Center, 1101 N. Atlantic Avenue, beginning at 6:00pm.   

The evening starts with a delicious dinner ($5 donation suggested) and includes monthly reports on crime and safety from a member of the Daytona Beach Police Department’s command staff, followed by an enlightening program featuring topical civic issues which affect our lives and livelihoods on Florida’s Fun Coast.

The meeting ends promptly at 7:30pm. 

A special thanks to Chairman Koenig and everyone who made the Bellaire Community Group’s writers roundtable such an enjoyable experience!

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

Hi, kids!

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

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

Angel             Ghost of the Orange Avenue Bridge  

“On the northeast side of the Orange Avenue Bridge, just at the bridge approach, there have been many reports of a cloaked young woman with long, dark hair over the past few decades. No one is quite sure who this young woman was, but her spirit is very active, and sometimes violent.”

—Doris “Dusty” Smith Founder & Chief Researcher, Daytona Beach Paranormal Research Group, Inc., “Encyclopedia of Haunted Places – Ghostly Locales from around the World”

Last summer, just before those of us who paid for it could use it (“…after you, my liege”), the first vehicles trundled across the “new” Tom Staed Veterans Memorial Bridge carrying our best and brightest from the Daytona Beach City Commission and Volusia County Council.

Our political elite, all resplendent in their finery, were so busy patting themselves on the back (after nearly five-years of crippling delays and public disappointments) they were willing to ignore the cosmetic punch list items that remained incomplete.    

After the umpteenth setback, the point man for this debacle, Volusia County Engineer Tad Kasbeer, had become the punchline of a very bad joke – and Mr. Kasbeer stopped making scientific wild-ass guesses in public about when the bridge would finally open.

“It’s up to the contractor to tell us when they’ll open,” a clearly annoyed Kasbeer said in May 2020.

And time marched on. . . 

So, soon after the bridge was determined to be structurally sound by the Florida Department of Transportation – it became clear the span was going to open to traffic come hell or highwater – and the surface warts and blemishes could be addressed later.

In the contractor’s defense, they weathered three hurricanes, a lightning strike, unstable ground, a toppled crane, bad engineering advice, and at least one blooper where the old “measure twice – cut once” apprentice rule was apparently ignored resulting in the height of the bridge railing being “miscalculated.”

Sorry, that should read “at least two bloopers” involving that old craftsman’s axiom.

It seems after the structure was complete, an inspection found that the slope of the bridge exceeded limits set by the Americans with Disabilities Act. . .

You read that right.

The bridge had become our own “I-4 eyesore” – a perpetual ‘pardon our progress’ behemoth, an absurd comedy of errors, beset by an embarrassing series of construction missteps (for which the contractor was ultimately fined some $2.28 million) – all while Beach Street merchants continued to grin and bear it – waiting patiently while even more customer access to their struggling businesses was detoured or blocked in keeping with “the plan.”     

It was the final insult in this farcical slapstick that left concerned onlookers scratching our heads.

Or was it?

Earlier this week, according to an article by the exceptional investigative reporter Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, nearly a year later there are still “a few loose ends” being addressed:

“Before the bridge straddling the Halifax River opened to the public on Aug. 6 last year, there were sporadic cracks in the sidewalks that line both sides of the bridge. The cracks lingered over the past year, and it was just three weeks ago that the contractor covered one small section of the narrow voids with a black sealant as a test to see how that would work.”

Wait.  Did she say Cracks?

“…narrow voids?”

“…test to see how that would work?”

Say what?

According to the News-Journal’s report, Mr. Kasbeer has assured us the “cracks” are more aesthetic than structural (thank God), but to his trained eye, the black sealant used to fill the voids takes away from the overall appearance of the structure. 

Unfortunately, nobody ‘in the know’ sounds completely convinced the goo will ultimately solve the problem.

Hey, what do you want for ~$45 million? 

So, what is the explanation for all this? 

Is the span really cursed by a poltergeist?

Look, I don’t put much stock in the “supernatural.” 

When I was a small boy, my mountain granny, an old soul from the dark hills and hollows of southern Appalachia, explained to me, “It’s not dead people you have to worry about – it’s the live one’s that will get you every time. . .”

She was right.    

Interestingly, a recent Google search led me to a fascinating märchen by Doris “Dusty” Smith, founder of something called the Daytona Beach Paranormal Research Group, a spooky yarn about a mysterious shrouded phantasm who haunts the approach to the Orange Avenue bridge.

According to the campfire tale, “No one is quite sure who this young woman was, but her spirit is very active, and sometimes violent.”

I got to thinking – perhaps this ethereal specter is not malevolent at all – just the righteously pissed-off lost spirit of the long-suffering Volusia County taxpayer? 

A troubled soul, forever doomed to wander the ramparts of the bridge – cloaked in the shame, embarrassment, and outrage our elected and appointed officials seem incapable of – inescapably trapped on a weird astral plane marked by bureaucratic ineptitude, unaccountability, and waste. 

An otherworldly reminder to those of us who are expected to pay the bills and suffer in silence that our role will forever be to stoke the insatiable furnace of these do-nothing bureaucracies and accept gross mediocrity as our destiny.   

Sound plausible? 

Hell, even a dubious ghost story makes more sense than the ‘he said/she said’ finger-pointing and lame excuses proffered by contractors and government entities as to why our long overdue Veteran’s Memorial Bridge remains substandard five-years on. 

Rock on, ghost girl. 

We need your haunting reminder of the grim fate that awaits when we keep electing and appointing the same dullards to positions of power and expecting a different result.

Angel               Beach Clean-Up Volunteers   

When I was a wayward child, I loved fireworks. 

On our frequent family trips to visit my grandparents in East Tennessee, we would pass those garish roadside stands that dotted old highway 221 in South Carolina – wooden open-air markets with names like “Pyro Joe’s Fireworks & Peaches” painted with kitschy scenes advertising Black Cat firecrackers, Atomic Howlers, Sonic Screechers, and Volcanic Fizz-Bangs.

A twelve-year-old boys dream. . .    

For the rest of the trip, I would sit in the backseat meticulously inspecting my pyrotechnic treasure trove – waiting for that moment I could borrow my dad’s Zippo and let ‘em blast among the big black walnut trees that shaded the backyard.  

Poppers and boom-booms, flying saucer-like things gloriously spewing showers of fire as they arced through the night sky – the rockets’ red glare the whizzers bursting in air.

It was magnificent! 

Right up until my goofy little sister would invariably step on a hot sparkler wire – hopping around and screeching like she had been branded by Beelzebub’s own iron – then, my fun was over as quickly as it began. . .  

As I approach 61-years-old next month – now the quintessential ‘crotchety old bastard’ – I am no longer a fan of fireworks.

My two shell-shocked dogs will second that emotion.

But we suffer in silence. Even a cantankerous crank like me can tolerate anything for a few days – and I didn’t want to spoil the fun on our nation’s 245th birthday – but what I cannot abide is personal irresponsibility, especially when it endangers wildlife and disrespects our most precious natural asset.    

As in years past, last weekend’s Independence Day holiday saw thousands of revelers take to Volusia County beaches to celebrate with heavy artillery (loosely termed “fireworks”) of all calibers and types. 

Unfortunately, when the party was over, some careless beachgoers left tons of debris behind. 

Just walked off and left the smoldering mess for someone else to worry about. 

It happens every year. 

Who does that?

Most of us who call this salty piece of paradise home were disgusted by the sight – a job which always seems insurmountable in the light of day.        

I was reminded of a quote by the great Fred Rogers who once said his mother reacted to disturbing news by telling him, ‘Look for the helpers.  You will always find people who are helping.’

It’s true. 

On Monday morning, dedicated volunteers from all walks of life assembled along the width and breadth of our coastline to assist waste management contractors and Volusia County employees with the monumental task of collecting and disposing of trailer loads of trash – dangerous debris which poses a threat to sea life and shorebirds that can ingest or become entangled in it.

In addition, these selfless citizens smoothed divots and trenches in the sand that can be deathtraps for endangered sea turtles. 

A special thanks to the groups, individuals, elected officials, and beach management personnel from throughout Volusia County and beyond – the helpers – who so graciously donated their time to help clean our beautiful beach and protect this sensitive environment.

Once again, you have filled my beat-up old heart and restored my faith in the basic goodness of Fun Coast residents.    

Quote of the Week

“This week I got the unfortunate privilege of being the target of Barker’s Angels and rearends. Barker appears to be a wannabe reporter or columnist that could not procure gainful employment with a legitimate news organization so he made up his own little space.

On one hand he touts his humility as a member of the Peanut gallery, in the next paragraph he brags about taking the News Journal to task.

If one were to assess what Barker really thinks of himself, it would be a safe bet that he thinks pretty highly of himself.

Barker try’s to defend and deflect from his unwarranted attacks on elected officials by insisting that they are getting down in the mud with him which is really a deflection from the fact that he doesn’t like to be challenged, so he uses this fake humble persona to try to make the target appear petty for addressing his diatribe. Barker seems to delight in his comments being controversial, as if he is stirring up some huge clandestine hornet’s nest, further making my point that he is eat up with his own self importance.

Barker seems to have the world view that it’s us against them or in other words the rich against the poor, and that the wealthy and powerful are all out to get people in the “Peanut gallery” as he puts it, a world view that I find narrow and paranoid.

Barker has tried to paint suspicion around my intentions as a city commissioner because I attended a meeting with what he appears to suggest are the wealthy oligarchs of Volusia county. This gesture on my part was the act of a neophyte in his opinion, and points out that no other elected official was there. It’s a good thing that guilty by association isn’t a flogging offense because Barker would have me tied to the whipping post.

I feel that it is in the best interest of my constituents that I know what’s going on in our community. I have attended many events since I have taken office and this is just one of the many. If that means that I must suffer the fate of criticism from wannabe reporters that don’t even live in my district and have never held public office, so be it.

If my constituents are happy with the job I am doing, that’s all I need to worry about, but Barker doesn’t live in my zone, he doesn’t even live in Daytona Beach, so if I appear to be a bit insensitive to his personal observation, he’ll just have to get over it. But I found his indictment of my accepting an invitation to the welcoming of our new city manager unwarranted and unsolicited.

I have no problem with criticism when it is justified, but making predictions or indictments based on conjecture and paranoia don’t pass the smell test. If someone wants to make themselves look more important by criticizing an elected official, then at least have something of substance to criticize them on. Trying to create suspicion based on some false perception of something as harmless as an invitation to a welcoming of a city employee is the work of a neophyte.

My intentions and world view doesn’t change with the direction of the political winds, and I am not easily manipulated. So my advice to Barker is to chill, and if you want to criticize me in the future, feel free, but know this, I won’t resist the temptation to get down in the mud as you call it, if I think the charge is unfounded, petty, or silly. Just my view.”

–District 4 Daytona Beach City Commissioner Stacy Cantu, writing on Facebook, Friday, July 2, 2021

I like freshman Daytona Beach City Commissioner Stacy Cantu.

She’s got spunk. 

And clearly a good judge of character. . .

But Chill?  Nah.

Regrettably, I am everything she claimed: Brash, opinionated, crude, a vainglorious and egomaniacal blowhard who enjoys kicking the hornet’s nest of local politics, prying open backroom doors, and pointing out where those who are actually in the arena stumbled. 

A crass critic of the status quo – a wary observer of the issues and newsmakers of the day.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I will accept Ms. Cantu’s pleonastic flogging in the spirit in which it was offered.

The fact of the matter is – it does not matter who, or what, I am.

Because my decisions do not affect the lives and livelihoods of 70,000 residents and countless small business owners who eke out a living in the City of Daytona Beach – or the thousands more in the Halifax area who depend upon a level social, civic, and economic playing field.

During my many years in government, I knew more than a few who assumed elected leadership positions and subscribed to the “A lion doesn’t explain themselves to a sheep” philosophy, which means they do and say whatever they want, when they want.

Damn the perceptions. 

The potential downside to that extraordinary level of self-confidence and sense of infallibility often comes during times of crisis, when hubristic elected officials are left adrift as staff, gadflies, and constituents come to realize their input is neither welcome nor considered. 

It can be hard to watch.   

In my experience, smart elected officials use criticism, disapproval, even unwarranted blame, to their strategic advantage, and realize early that the slings and arrows of harsh criticism comes with the territory. 

Being a good listener is a universal quality of exceptional servant-leaders – a learned skill that requires they develop some hard bark – and the humility to not take themselves too seriously. 

They know that listening to detractors and civic naysayers provides a unique educational opportunity that many of their thin-skinned colleagues miss – a window into the thoughts and opinions of those they serve – a practice that builds trust as citizens realize their voices are being heard.   

I hope my previous assessment of Commissioner Cantu’s appearance at a private soiree held by our “Rich & Powerful” to “welcome” Daytona Beach City Manager Deric Feacher to the ways and means of how things are done here on the Fun Coast is wrong. 

In my view, Commissioner Cantu’s grit is refreshing – and she has real potential to help foster the positive transformation everyone in the Halifax area has waited patiently for. 

My hope is that she will remain focused on the myriad issues facing her challenged community – and remember that it is not windy magpies like me that she must concern herself with.

Rather, the real threat to Commissioner Cantu’s political effectiveness and longevity – and that of her colleagues on the dais of power – remains with the legions of long-suffering Daytona Beach residents who have become so disillusioned that they no longer complain out loud to politicians who seem to take their marching orders from a few insiders with a chip in the game.

Instead, they make their voice heard at the ballot box.

If memory serves, I think that is how she came to this important seat in the first place. . .  

And Another Thing!

In 1854, Abraham Lincoln wrote the “…object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all, or cannot so well do, for themselves, in their separate and individual capacities.”

In my view, this includes providing for the protection of life and property by ensuring compliance with codes governing the construction and maintenance of buildings and facilities where we live, work, and learn – laws that are typically passed in the horrific aftermath of fires, floods, and failures that take human life in often predictable incidents that ‘should have, could have, would have,’ been addressed long before tragedy struck.   

During my working life, I was once a guest at the Hyatt Regency Kansas City – a beautiful downtown hotel and convention center that had an eerie feel of familiarity to it. 

While having a cocktail on a mezzanine overlooking the lobby, I realized that this was the site of the 1981 collapse of two overhead walkways that took the lives of 114 people and injured 216 more – at the time, the deadliest non-deliberate structural failure in American history. 

I later spoke with a Kansas City police officer who had been a first responder and his vivid recollections of that warm July evening when a tea dance turned to tragedy were the stuff of nightmares. . .    

After an exhaustive investigation, it was concluded that the cause of the collapse was a lack of communication between architects, engineers, and the materials manufacturer following a simple design change.

The original structural engineer later remarked, “Any first-year engineering student could figure it out, if only it had been checked.”

Damn.

Earlier this week in the beachside community of Surfside, the catastrophic results of what happens when greed, poor maintenance practices, and lackadaisical government oversight combine, as the teetering ruins of the disastrous Champlain Towers South condominium were demolished to make safe the grim chore of recovering the remains of victims. 

Trust me – when the finger-pointing is done – there will be enough internal and external blame to go around – cold comfort for the loved ones of the 159 souls reported missing and now presumed dead. 

Following the unfathomable disaster in Surfside, many Volusia County residents became rightfully concerned about the age and condition of our own beachside construction – after all, we face the same corrosive environmental conditions here – and, in my view, the same bureaucratic mediocrity. . .

For instance, the intrepid civic activist Paul Zimmerman, president of Florida’s premiere beach driving and access advocacy, Sons of the Beach, recently took to social media to post disturbing photographs he took three-years ago of what appear to be crumbling concrete support columns in the underground garage of the Hard Rock Daytona – a hotel that was built on the bones of the former Desert Inn Resort – which once held the dubious distinction as one of the dirtiest hotels in America.

In February 2018, Mr. Zimmerman first brought the photos to light as the newly renovated hotel raced to meet a completion deadline which would ensure 410’ linear feet of traffic-free beach behind the property. 

At the time, in a News-Journal article by former reporter Dustin Wyatt, Abbas Abdulhussein, CEO of Summit Hospitality Management Group, assured everyone, “There were some cosmetic failings, which we repaired,” he said. “The building’s not going anywhere.”  

Earlier this month, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported that Paulita Kundid, the owner of the two-story Sea Dunes, which sits in the shadow of the Protogroup’s towering Daytona Grande hotel, filed a short-lived code enforcement complaint concerning the unsightly condition of rusted and corroded reinforcing steel supporting what will be the foundation of the North Tower. 

According to the News-Journal’s report, the code enforcement investigation was closed the following day when it was determined the area is an “active construction site”:

“The inspector observed rust on the rebar, but since it is an active construction site, with a current building permit, any inspection, violation or monitoring of the project falls under the jurisdiction of the city’s building department,” Susan Cerbone, city spokeswoman, said by email. “The contractor, as well as the owner Alexey Petrovich Lysich, are well aware that before they go vertical on the north tower, a structural certification needs to be performed by an engineer and submitted to the city.”   

Let’s hope so. . .

Last week, Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower proactively reached out to Governor Ron DeSantis detailing his efforts to stiffen inspection requirements for beachside structures:

“We inspect our own bridges every two years but there are no requirements to re-inspect multilevel beachside structures – at any time after construction – in the Florida Building Code or by County Ordinance. In Volusia, most of the condominiums, hotels, and motels are within the city limits of our municipalities but there are also a number in unincorporated Volusia County. 

This is a potential hazard, as we have all seen, that I hope we can come together on as local governments.

Since the Florida legislature is not in session it will likely be faster to take precautions at the local level. That is also our responsibility. I am asking for a discussion to be placed on our July agenda so the Council can start creating a plan that is reasonable and productive for the safety of employees, residents, and guests who use these structures in unincorporated Volusia County. I have also brought this up to our Roundtable of Volusia County Elected Officials.”

On Wednesday, during an informative appearance on WNDB’s Marc Bernier Show, Chairman Brower indicated that he is already receiving “mind your own business” pushback from certain camps. . .

Frightening. 

I hope you will join me in supporting Chairman Brower’s lifesaving push for heightened inspection requirements for aging high-rise properties during the Volusia County Council’s discussion on July 20th. 

Let it never again be said, “If it had only been checked.”

This one is important. 

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

“I need money

I need love

I need a Cadillac

To give me a shove

And get me out of this up-tight

Midnight

Into some limelight… Again

Yeah ’cause I know

My ego

Ain’t my amigo

Anymore…”

–Terry Allen, My Amigo, from the album Lubbock (on everything), 1979

Since retiring from municipal service, I have staggered through life like a demented Diogenes, my dim lamp in hand, always searching for an open and honest politician who puts their long-suffering constituents before their craven self-interests and those of the powerful forces who control them.    

Good luck with that, Barker. . .

I have learned a few things along the way. Such as the fact politicians seek high office for myriad reasons.

But the truth is, no one of sound mind enters that dark and bloody arena without a hunger for power and influence. 

Some find themselves drawn to elective service for purely altruistic reasons – a burning desire to effect positive change in their community, state, or nation – motivated by a pure, unadulterated sense of civic duty and a willingness to devote their time and talents to improving the quality of life of their neighbors. 

I think most neophyte politicians – those bright-eyed newcomers who, in their naivety, still believe they can be all things to all people without crossing lines – begin with the innocent notion that politics is a noble pursuit, an honorable means to a fair and just end. 

During my three-decades in government service, I had the pleasure of working with some genuinely good people who sought elective office for all the right reasons – open to constructive criticism, focused on the rules of quality governance and their fiduciary responsibility, always fighting against the forces of bureaucratic mediocrity, willing to put ego aside and practice the art of negotiation, never compromising their personal ethics or sense of fairness.

Fortunately, there are many of these selfless elected officials who work tirelessly on boards, councils, commissions, and committees throughout Volusia County.

Trust me.  That is not an easy proposition in an environment where well-heeled factions work hard – and spend exorbitant sums of money – to influence public policy to their advantage – and many local candidates are hand-selected by the fusty upper crust of various partisan fishing camps (and those they report to behind the scenes), chosen exclusively for their malleability, in a place where any grassroot candidate faces an uphill battle, often from their own party infrastructure. 

Don’t take my word for it, ask Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower how beating the Darling of the Donor Class by simply holding firm to his principles and running on a noble platform of serving the needs of We, The Little People has worked out for him?

I have also seen my share of well-meaning elected officials slowly succumb to the heady lies of their own inflated self-importance and surrender to the trappings and perquisites of office, finally becoming everything they despised upon entering politics, consumed by their own ego, as they are granted temporary membership in that very exclusive club – where important people fawn over them and laugh at their jokes – right up until the moment they are no longer of use to them.

That process typically starts when a D List politician develops an overweening sense of infallibility – convinced that those of us who point fingers and challenge their warped version of our grim reality have no right to criticize how the sausage is made.

Sound familiar?

So, they bleat and coo, posture, and preen – all while telling us commoners to ignore that little man behind the curtain – driven by the arrogance of power, immersing themselves in the ceremonial aspects of their “public service” – presenting puffy proclamations, rubbing elbows with the elite, and posing for pictures with “celebrity politicians” – while thousands of their constituents continue to live below the poverty line, work dead-end jobs, and suffer in silence while blight and dilapidation grips forgotten areas of the community and malignant sprawl threatens our sensitive green places and drinking water supply.

Then, rather than maintain laser focus on problem solving and developing a sustainable civic vision – they waste valuable time squabbling with their harshest critic (me), clowning for their supporters, painting a surreal picture of prosperity, and subliminally warning those who blow the whistle on this lopsided, incestuous, oligarchical system to keep their nose out of what should be the people’s business.

In my view, it is this abject arrogance that has brought us to this dim place in our history – and why many grassroots activists in the Halifax area are so passionate about changing the political culture and leveling the playing field. 

I am often accused of opining on issues that do not occur where I vote – marginalized by the narrowminded argument, “He doesn’t even live (insert city, district, or zone here),” dismissed as a malevolent outside agitator, even as they crow about spending millions in federal dollars, or approving massive developments that affect the lives of tens-of-thousands who live outside the jurisdictional boundaries of the community in question. 

Many ask why I bother. 

After all, what is there to be gained from constantly going against the grain, pushing back against an entrenched culture that has proven, time-and-again, that it abhors constructive criticism and outside input, then works overtime to demonize and dismiss anyone who points out the absurdities of government and politics here on the Fun Coast?

Because it is important that our local government not be the exclusive playground of what The Daytona Beach News-Journal has called our “Rich & Powerful” and those cowardly marionettes who serve them from the dais of power. 

That’s why. 

The fact is, if you care about good governance in the place you live, work, and pay taxes, you should care about good governance everywhere – because in the mosaic of communities that make up Volusia County – we are wholly interdependent, with more in common than not. 

Dysfunctional politics begets defective policy – and, perhaps worse, perpetuates the lack of vision and defined civic direction that has turned the World’s Most Famous Beach and beyond into a social, civic, and economic cautionary tale. . .    

Now is the time for civic minded people to begin the mental and physical process of considering a run for office in 2022 and 2024. 

Why bother?  Because its important. 

It is a sacred call to service that should not be taken lightly – especially when political contests here on Florida’s Fun Coast have taken on the characteristics of an industrial meatgrinder. 

But for those intrepid few with a fire in belly – with the courage to put ego and selfish motives aside and wield the enormous power and influence of high office to make a true difference in the life of your community – the opportunity to effect substantive change where we live, work, learn, and play is worthy of the effort and sacrifice.   

Hi, kids!

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

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

Asshole           Volusia County School Board

I am not the most financially savvy guy you know.

In fact, my wife and I have one of those classic “spender vs. saver” relationships – where Patti looks to the long-term viability of the household while I indulge every hedonistic impulse.

However, even a profligate wastrel like me knows that when funds are low and debts are high, it is time to tighten the ol’ belt, patch financial leaks and ooze, and, most important, stop spending money. 

In my experience, many governmental organizations and taxing districts have a hard time grasping this basic economic concept because the assets and resources they are tasked with stewarding are not their own – an environment where public funds are viewed as a gift from the mythical money tree, manna from heaven, the byproduct of a dyspeptic goose that continuously lays golden eggs – all while strapped taxpayers are forced to ante up, or else.

By all accounts, Volusia County District Schools are facing a serious financial crisis. 

With a $992.1 million budget (you read that right) our hapless School Board continues to cry the poormouth blues while failing to staunch the small cuts and gaping lacerations that threaten to exsanguinate district coffers. 

For instance, the School Board recently announced that they plan to use federal coronavirus relief funds (a completely unsustainable source) to cover an estimated $46 million deficit for the next fiscal year – while simultaneously gifting Superintendent Scott Fritz with a wholly unwarranted $10,000 performance bonus for his role in developing a “strategic plan” – a trifling list of run-of-the-mill “goals” facilitated by an outside contractor.

What was the number one strategic objective on the much-anticipated list of “measurable, attainable, smart goals with key performance indicators” established for Volusia County schools – those ambitious targets that were carefully crafted by the best minds our money can buy following nine-months of burning the midnight oil?

Engage all students in high levels of learning every day.

You also read that right. 

As opposed to what?  Circling the wagons, showering senior executives with lucrative bonuses, denying learning opportunities, and allowing students to wallow in abject mediocrity every day? 

If Superintendent Fritz makes good on these unremarkable aims – where success or failure is left to the eye of the beholder – he is eligible for additional annual bonuses equaling 10% of his $205,000 base salary – for a potential personal windfall of $20,500 each year. . . 

In a district where teacher salaries (you know, those who are actually in the classroom, struggling mightily to engage students in high levels of learning each day?) are ranked in the lower third of school districts statewide, while executive compensation ranks among the highest in Florida. 

My God.

Did I mention that the school board failed to set new “goals or standards” for Dr. Fritz for the current year? 

Because no one in the Ivory Tower of Power is held responsible for anything. . .

Every bloated bureaucracy knows that once it starts down that slippery slope of setting high standards or holding people accountable – those pesky constituents who pay the bills start expecting things – and that never ends well.

Perhaps more disturbing, last week, with only days to spare before his contract expired, the Volusia County School Board gifted their longtime attorney, Ted Doran, with a new three-year contract and a whopping 25% pay increase, bringing Doran’s lucrative hourly rate from $195 to $245. 

According to Doran, we are getting a bargain, because his standard fee for private clients is $400 an hour. . .

Which begs the logical question – why is Mr. Doran wasting his valuable time shepherding around these buffoons when he could be farting through silk for the rest of his life if he just paid more attention to his day job? 

Perhaps my odd curiosity was answered in an informative piece by education reporter Cassidy Alexander writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, cleverly entitled, “Volusia School Board attorney gets raise, new 3-year contract”:

“Last fiscal year, Doran and his firm were paid between $400,000 and $450,000 total for work with the school district (the final numbers are not yet available). The majority is for other legal services they provided to the district. The district contracts with six to eight outside law firms for various legal services and specializations.”

Whoa. 

Kudos to educator and board member Carl Persis, who pointed out the painfully obvious when he suggested that taking up the expensive issue of entering negotiations with just one week to spare on Mr. Doran’s contract seemed “forced.”

“I feel like right now we’re being forced into something,” Persis said. “Let’s not feel like we’re held hostage in this and make a poor decision.”

To allow the board an opportunity to seek alternatives after 19-years under Mr. Doran’s counsel, Mr. Persis rightfully moved for a one-year contract. 

His commonsense effort fell victim to the abject absurdity that has perpetually plagued the Volusia County School Board.     

Ultimately, most of our elected “hostages” on the dais succumbed to a weird form of political Stockholm Syndrome and approved a three-year deal on a 4-1 vote – with Mr. Persis casting the lone “No.” 

According to the News-Journal’s report, “Board members expressed frustration at the timing of the discussion, and board chair (Linda) Cuthbert apologized for not realizing when Doran’s contract was up.”

Wait.  Are you telling us not one of our elected representatives – not even the chair – “realized” that Mr. Doran’s contract was up for renegotiation? 

Say what?

Perhaps it is this lackadaisical approach to awarding lucrative contracts for goods and services that has contributed to the current financial quagmire the district finds itself in – a distinct lack of urgency or organizational discipline that allows our elected officials to conveniently forget when their attorney’s contract is up for consideration – one of only two positions the board hires, directs, and supervises. 

What a damnable embarrassment. 

Angel               Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor

By any metric, it has been a difficult week here in Volusia County.

On Monday morning, a Volusia County employee identified as Tim Swiger, 52, a tradesworker in the Facilities Management Division, died tragically in a motor vehicle accident involving a Votran bus.

The horrific crash injured 14 others.

By all accounts, Mr. Swiger was a gifted carpenter who specialized in cabinetry, framing, and special projects – a much-admired craftsman who took great pride in the quality of his public service. 

In a recent evaluation, Mr. Swiger’s division director commended his personal dedication and commitment to seeing a job done well, “Tim takes pride in his work and enjoys what he does. He goes above and beyond to help others and is a true asset to his division.”

That evening, Phil Vanderhoof, a homeless person who became a beloved fixture in the community – known far and wide for his remarkable talent for knife sharpening – passed away at Halifax Health Port Orange.

Mr. Vanderhoof was fondly remembered in hundreds of messages of condolence on social media this week – a fitting memorial for a simple man who left such an indelible impression on the many who knew Phil and relied on his skill.     

Then, the legendary professor, political scientist, and statesman Dr. T. Wayne Bailey died during the early morning hours of Tuesday. 

He was 86.

Professor Bailey was world-renowned for his keen insight into all strata of governance and politics – and his learned opinions were frequently quoted in local, national, and international news articles and scholarly writings – but he will most be remembered for the fatherly mentorship and devotion to the holistic education of Stetson University students.

It was this depth of care and positive influence on the lives of so many that will remain his enduring legacy.   

In addition, Dr. Bailey had a direct role in shaping modern Volusia County government as one of the founding fathers of the county’s original home-rule charter.  He also chaired the first two Charter Review Commissions before serving as a member of the commissions in 1995, 2006, and 2016. 

I did not always agree with Dr. Bailey politically, but I invariably learned something new and important whenever he weighed in – perpetually impressed with his ability to disagree with those who thought different from him without being disagreeable. 

The mark of a gentleman – and a scholar.   

According to an article in The Daytona Beach News-Journal announcing Dr. Bailey’s passing:

“There are few people I know who receive the regard given to Stetson University Professor Emeritus T. Wayne Bailey,” said Stetson University Provost and Executive Vice President Noel Painter. “The impact of his 53-year career at Stetson has produced ripples across the country, with Stetson students pursuing meaningful careers in the fields of law and public service due to his mentorship, teaching and sage advice.”

These remarkable gentlemen, each from different walks of life, will be widely missed and long remembered by all who were touched by their lives and contributions. 

The traumatic line-of-duty shooting of 26-year-old Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor has galvanized our community in such a profound way, uniting us in the common goal of supporting this young man’s recovery, while expressing our sincere appreciation for all those brave souls who serve and protect. 

In ways large and small, the community has expressed just how much the dedicated men and women of law enforcement mean to us – and we continue to honor the sacrifice of Officer Raynor and his family by donating food, money, and resources, holding prayer vigils, establishing fundraisers, and participating in heartfelt tributes.    

I know those we send in harms way to protect my family and yours are thankful for the gratitude shown by many of our local and state elected officials this week – some of whom spoke from the heart, dropping the ‘politically correct’ façade to authentically express their outrage – and their deeply held admiration for Officer Raynor and his brothers and sisters in blue.

An openness which resulted in withering criticism from some misguided groups and individuals with a larger, more divisive, agenda. 

My hope is you will seek out a meaningful way to support Officer Raynor in the days and weeks to come – it is important – and your love and encouragement mean everything to those precious few who sacrifice so much in service to our community. 

A GoFundMe account has been established to assist Officer Raynor and his family during this difficult time.  Please find it here: https://tinyurl.com/5k3t4kks

Also, the Daytona Beach Police Department is offering double-sided yard signs for a $20 donation with all proceeds going to the Raynor family.  For more information, please contact Sergeant Lissette Deschamps at (386) 671-5367 or DeschampsL@DBPD.us or Eva Ziehl at (386) 671-5408 or ZiehlEwa@dbpd.us.

Tomorrow morning the Daytona Unity Walk will honor Officer Raynor, while helping heal and bond the community.  The walk begins at the City Island parking lot (near Jackie Robinson Ball Park, 105 East Orange Avenue) at 9:00am. 

Participants will traverse the Veterans Memorial Bridge before returning to City Island for an event offering free food, music, and presenters. 

Daytona Strong – Raynor Strong.

Angel               Civic Activist & Change Agent Sherrise Boyd

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of participating in the popular public affairs forum Live with Boyd! a production of the extraordinary Daytona Beach civic activist Sherrise Boyd.    

In my view, Ms. Boyd, a former mayoral candidate for the City of Daytona Beach, is emerging as a true change agent who possesses the bona fides, innate curiosity, and depth of character to make a true difference in the future of the Halifax area. 

In addition, Sherrise brings her educational accomplishments and extensive public service experience to her role as Chief Executive Officer of Boyd Consulting, a local branding, marketing, and lobbying consultancy offering a wide range of administrative and operational services to government, non-profits, and the private sector. 

The multitalented Ms. Boyd also produces Breakfast with Boyd, a weekly dialog offered across a variety of social media platforms, which introduces viewers to various area politicians, business leaders, environmental activists, and civic influencers.  

In other words, Ms. Boyd is everything a tired old blowhard like me is not – and I find it refreshing that a creative with her impressive professional attributes and inquisitive mind is using her voice to elevate the discussion – working hard to effect positive change in Volusia County and beyond.

I sincerely appreciate that Ms. Boyd included me early on her important journey.   

Whenever someone is kind enough to ask me to speak on a topic of community concern – or take part in a larger conversation on the social, civic, and economic issues we collectively face – I do my best to help. 

The Great Mystery of our Time is why anyone would be interested in listening to my goofy thoughts, but I appreciate the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone, and I always gain valuable insight from interacting with civically active people with different views and perspectives.

For anyone interested (and if you are, you probably need a hobby worse than I do) I will be contributing to the discussion at the following civic and professional organizations soon:

On Thursday, July 15, 2021, at 6:00pm, I will join the Bellaire Community Group at the Schnebly Recreation Center, 1101 North Atlantic Avenue, Daytona Beach, for a roundtable discussion with area writers, to include the exceptional Derek Catron, former managing editor of The Daytona Beach News-Journal and a talented novelist, who has published two incredibly well-received works, Trail Angel and Angel Falls.  (For more information, please find Derek’s work here: http://derekcatron.com/)

Also on the dais will be former Ormond Beach City Commissioner, longtime community activist, (my high school civics teacher, so blame him), and award-winning author Jeffrey Boyle, whose novels Nam Story and Hidden Truths can be found on Amazon.  (See more at http://jeffboyleormondwriter.com/ )

I am embarrassed to mention my name in the same breath with these talented authors – which is a gross affront to real writers and journalists everywhere – and I have no doubt these gifted artists risk being expelled from the guild for having agreed to sit next to me – yet here we are. . . 

The event is open to the public and I hope you can join us. 

In addition, I have been extended a most generous invitation to luncheon and speak with the New Smyrna Beach Board of Realtors on August 26 at 11:30am, at the beautiful waterfront Brannon Center. 

Now, I have no earthly idea what to say to a roomful of distinguished realtors and business leaders – but I shall do my best.    

If you are a member of this prestigious professional organization, I look forward to meeting you!   

Quote of the Week

“The 800 members of Daytona Dog Beach, Inc. are disappointed and angry with the Volusia County Council’s June 22nd vote, based on an inaccurate/incomplete report by their staff, which ignored the voices of residents and taxpayers asking for compromise to allow expansion of leashed dog friendly beach options.

For longtime resident members, it confirmed their long-held cynicism that their county leaders don’t value their voices. Instead, they listen to those who pull their strings and take away the simple pleasures and freedoms residents once enjoyed growing up along the beaches.”

— Nanette McKeel Petrella, president of Daytona Dog Beach, Inc., as excerpted from her Letter to the Editor in the Ormond Beach Observer, “Volusia ignored our proposal,” Monday, June 28, 2021

“…their county leaders don’t value their voices. Instead, they listen to those who pull their strings…”

Anyone else see a disturbing trend here?

For years, the Volusia County Council has suffered from what has become colloquially known as “The Trust Issue.”

Many look to this loss of public confidence as the foremost reason the half-cent sales tax money grab went down in flames – and why smart people know it will fail again, so long as the same greed-crazed hands remain on the tiller – and I don’t mean our elected officials, those wooden bowsprits on that ship of fools in DeLand, who serve as mere placeholders for the influential few with a chip in the game.  

The 800 members of Daytona Dog Beach, Inc. – and the thousands more who carve out a life on this salty piece of land – are growing tired of being ignored and dismissed by our ‘powers that be’ – sick of watching helplessly as those who make a valiant effort to represent our interests are marginalized and pilloried by those do-nothing obstructionists whose gut reaction is always the path of least resistance. 

In Volusia County, trying something – anything – new, fun, or marginally innovative to accommodate the needs of long-suffering taxpayers is considered verboten in a place where lockstep conformity is valued over anything remotely inventive or original.

The 2022 election cannot get here soon enough. . .

And Another Thing! 

Most sitting politicians are smart enough to consider the source and ignore the slings, arrows, and petty criticisms from up here in the peanut gallery.    

Others cannot resist getting down in the mud and wallowing around with me – trying desperately to spin the narrative or defend the indefensible – adding to the suspicion and speculation that fuels my often-controversial opinions in the first place. 

Last week, I took The Daytona Beach News-Journal to task after they were caught out by their friends and benefactors among the Halifax area’s “Rich & Powerful” – those privileged few who, for far too long, have controlled everything but the ebb and flow of the Atlantic tide here on Florida’s Fun Coast. 

Awkwardly, a News-Journal reporter and photographer were initially denied entry to an elegant private soiree at the tony One Daytona last week – a very exclusive affair organized as a reception for Daytona Beach’s new City Manager Deric Feacher and “50 of Daytona Beach’s most influential leaders,” which apparently included invitations to members of the Volusia County Council and other area elected officials.

What?  You didn’t get an invite, but your elected representative did? 

Me neither. 

Why is that? 

See how these uncomfortable questions beget questions from us unwashed rubes left standing outside, staring at the inner workings through that greasy opaque pane that separates us from the anointed ones? 

Once inside, reporter Eileen Zaffiro-Kean discovered that the only elected official in attendance was freshman Daytona Beach City Commissioner Stacy Cantu – who, after explaining she did not feel the need to explain herself on social media – explained that she went because she received an invitation, the event was to “…welcome our new city manager,” and the hotel where the ‘reception’ was held happened to be in her zone. . . 

She also felt the need to explain, “I don’t rub elbows, I associate with people. Just saying.”

Clear enough?  I didn’t think so. . .

In my jaded view it was a rookie mistake – a classic example of a neophyte politician’s inability to read a room – and I said so. 

Rather than stop while she was ahead, Ms. Cantu went on to justify her presence by clarifying, “I wasn’t aware being (an) elected official that I needed permission from anyone to attend events that I’m invited to.  Hmmm, that’s a new one.”

In my view, her disturbing lack of situational awareness aside, Commissioner Cantu is right.

She can do whatever she wants. 

So long as the letter and spirit of Florida’s Sunshine Law are followed – and the suspicions, concerns, and perceptions of her constituents no longer matter.      

Trust me.  There is a reason her more experienced colleagues on the dais of power in Daytona Beach and Volusia County were not in that space:

Because the optics sucked. Just sayin’. . .

After jotting down my thoughts, I was taken to the woodshed by a few of Commissioner Cantu’s most ardent supporters – all of whom are bright, civically active residents who rightfully look to her as a breath of fresh air after years of civic stagnation – an elected representative who dutifully questions the who, what, when, where, why, and how much of things and works hard to make public policy decisions in the best interests of her constituents. 

I admire Ms. Cantu’s hands-on representation.  But only time will tell if I am right or wrong. 

I hope I am wrong.

Call me a cynical asshole, but I know how things work in the Halifax area – and who works them. 

So do you.

Perhaps that is why when Commissioner Cantu tells us – just six-months into her term – not to be “paranoid” of her personal and political associations, it raises the wary eyebrows of those who have seen more than one “for the people” politician transform into everything they hated after being taken into the maw of “The System.”  

My sincere hope is that Commissioner Cantu is everything her desperate constituents hope she is – and more – a true champion of the long-suffering citizens and small business owners of Daytona Beach who are rightfully suspicious of anyone who promises substantive change in an environment where the status quo reigns supreme. 

Through hard-earned experience, I never hitch my wagon to a politician for the same reason I do not touch a hot stove twice. 

Here on the ever-shifting sands of the Fun Coast, blind loyalty is tailormade for disappointment. 

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

If you have four or five reasonably functioning senses – do not let anyone sell you on their distorted version of reality. 

In the lucrative world of politics, there will always be self-serving elected officials, and the powerbrokers who own the paper on their political souls, who try and convince us that what we see, hear, and think isn’t true by painting an alternative reality that they can control.   

For instance, last month, The Daytona Beach News-Journal published an editorial which arrogantly lectured Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower for having the cheek to live up to those campaign promises that resonated with voters – while encouraging him to stop fighting, rollover, and accept the status quo – to embrace the stagnant “go along and get along” good ‘ol boy system that has served all the right last names for years. 

“There are people whispering in Brower’s ear (or thundering on Facebook) who suggest it’s all a pleasant-seeming front. That each of his colleagues — with the occasional exception of (District 4 Councilwoman) Post — are controlled by a dark cabal of the wealthy and powerful. That the true agenda is to scrape Volusia County residents (and their cars) off the beaches, drain them dry through taxes and fees, destroy the environment and otherwise crush the county’s 500,000-plus residents into a state of miserable submission while throwing the door open for marching hordes of monied, retired invaders.”

The newspaper used several contrived examples to drive the point home, one claiming that the Brower-supported purchase of environmentally sensitive land along the Ormond Scenic Loop & Trail resulted from the “emotional blackmail” of elected officials – rather than the hard work of civic activists, the political leverage embodied in the 70,000 citizens who signed a petition supporting the purchase, and thousands more who plastered the community with banners, signs, and bumper stickers.

The piece continued by gaslighting already suspicious Volusia County residents who have been continuously told, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”

In my view, the piece played on our well-founded fears, and asked that citizens question their own thoughts and opinions – to doubt their perceptions and distrust the empirical evidence they have seen and heard with their own faculties – using the illusory truth effect, where a lie repeated often enough is accepted as truth. 

“In fact, all opposition seems to be considered as a sign that the forces of darkness are aligned against the chairman. Even as we write this, we can imagine the howls of inchoate fury that will rage across social media Sunday morning. Clearly, they will say, The News-Journal is in on it.

To which we’d reply: If we are, we’re not doing a very good job. In fact, the Evil Committee of Evil To Destroy Volusia County seems to be the most inept band of scoundrels ever to plot destruction.”

So, what happens when The Daytona Beach News-Journal – which long-ago assumed the position as a cheap propaganda organ for our “wealthy & powerful” – is openly embarrassed by its own manipulative influencers?

When the grim perception of backroom deals and the undue influence of the uber-wealthy few we have all been told does not exist proves true? 

When our newspaper of record makes us out to be rubes and fools in a shameless smokescreen to hide the truth about ‘the way things work’ here on Florida’s Fun Coast?

Last week, our worst fears were realized during an exclusive cocktail party at the publicly funded One Daytona shopping and entertainment complex, which is wholly owned by Daytona International Speedway, where “50 of Daytona Beach’s most influential leaders” apparently attempted to carve out some private time with new Daytona Beach City Manager Deric Feacher.

During this swellegant soiree, the crème de la crème of the Halifax areas civic, social, and business elite noshed on hors d’oeuvres while subliminally explaining to Mr. Feacher which side his bread is buttered on. . .

The exclusive guest list included some heavy hitters, to include NASCAR Executive Vice Chair Lesa France Kennedy and His Royal Highness King J. Hyatt Brown – along with a host of lesser ‘movers & shakers’ all seeking to set the tone for Mr. Feacher’s tenure. 

The fête contrasted in the most extraordinary way with a townhall hosted at the Dickerson Center earlier this month – demonstrating the stark social and economic divisions that still plague the fractured Halifax area – a dynamic that has given an influential few far too much access, for far too long.   

During that community meeting, some 200 residents enjoyed a simple sacked meal while getting acquainted with their new city manager, who willingly answered their questions, and did his best to assuage the lingering fear and trepidation after nearly 20-years of being dismissed and ignored by those untouchables at City Hall.   

According to a report by the intrepid Eileen Zaffiro-Keen writing in the News-Journal, Mr. Feacher promised the assembled residents that he would never do anything “illegal, immoral or unethical,” and “…vowed to steer clear of any “under-the-table deals” and clandestine conversations.”

“It’s not going to happen,” he said.”

He also explained how he made all department heads reapply for their jobs – rightfully observing, “Some of them have been working slow for a long time,” he said, adding that’s no longer acceptable.”

I found Mr. Feacher’s personal dedication to avoiding even the appearance of impropriety a refreshing change from our abysmal past.   

Interestingly, when Zaffiro-Keen and a News-Journal photographer attempted to enter the exclusive “gathering” at One Daytona last week, both were initially denied entry. 

I don’t make this shit up.  You read that right. 

“Organizers of Tuesday’s event said they intended the gathering to be private. But they invited County Council members, and having two or more elected officials from the same government body at an event means the public has to be allowed to attend under Florida’s Sunshine Law.”

I’ll bet they did – because when the conclave was exposed to the light-of-day – it had all the earmarks of just another slimy attempt at undue influence by all the right last names. . .    

After all, why wouldn’t Eileen be permitted inside?

She works for a media outlet that buys printers ink by the barrel and is well-versed on the local issues – which makes her incredibly influential – and she has a stellar reputation for reporting the news of the day in a fair and unvarnished way.

So why keep her out?

I’ll let you answer that disturbing question for yourself. . .

Ultimately, “organizers” of this intimate affair must have realized the appalling optics of denying the working press access, and, ultimately, Zaffiro-Kean and her photographer were allowed inside.

According to reports, only one elected official, freshman Daytona Beach City Commissioner Stacy Cantu, was found rubbing elbows inside the reception – no doubt enjoying the fawning and perquisites that come with high office – completely clueless to the ugly image her attendance presents to long-suffering constituents.

Let’s chalk it up to a ‘rookie mistake,’ eh? 

Whatever.  

In one moment, the damage to the well-crafted narrative was complete – and We, The Little People will never again be deluded into believing that a powerful few aren’t working hard, behind closed doors, to feather their own nest, control public policy, and maintain their suckling order at the public teat – while the great unwashed hordes suffer the civic and economic stagnation that always results from an unlevel playing field. 

One Daytona?  Hardly. . .

Photo Credit: NOT The Daytona Beach News-Journal

Just months before his death in 2015, at the conclusion of his 70^th birthday celebration in beautiful Beaufort, South Carolina, the magnificent novelist Pat Conroy explained to his legions of loyal readers, “I have written books because I thought if I explained my own life somehow, I could explain some of your life to you.” 

While I have nothing in common with one of the greatest literary virtuosos of our time, I understand his desire to use his own experiences to inform others, to stir a sense of introspection and consideration of what ‘community’ means, to use the written word to show our kinship and connectedness – especially during a time where everything in popular culture seeks to divide us.   

Here on Florida’s fabled Fun Coast, our lifestyles and economics may differ – but our shared experience cannot be ignored – anymore than closing the drawbridge at some gated community in Ormond Beach can shield those trapped inside from the ugly realities of the Halifax areas schizophrenic search for a civic identity.   

Whether we want to admit it – from Ormond Beach to Ponce Inlet – we are all in this fetid mess together. . . 

Some years ago, I published a blogpost entitled, “Daytona Beach: A Tale of Two Cities,” a crude study of our civic dichotomy – a look at the distinct halves of the same whole – the two markedly different communities that comprise Daytona Beach.

It was written at a time when the concept of Latitudes at Margaritaville – that faux-beach community in the palmettos and pine scrub west of I-95 brought to life by Canadian developer Minto Group – was being marketed to tens-of-thousands of 55-and-over Parrot Heads, and the mega-convenience store/destination Buc-ees was still on the drawing board. 

At the time, Minto’s overenthusiastic Senior Vice President Bill Bullock squalled, “How could you not be ecstatic?  On both the east and west of the interstate you’ve got incredible things happening – and they’re all complementary uses – it’s putting Daytona back on the map!”

As things progressed and the hype reached its crescendo, as is my habit, I turned my attention away from the crowd marveling at the “progress” on Boomtown Boulevard and looked over my shoulder at what remains of our core tourist area on Beachside – and our blighted established neighborhoods, such as Midtown, Downtown, and beyond.

Then I asked the darker question, “What will become of the rest of us now that the real money is moving west.  Are we not all part of the same “Daytona Beach Resort Area?”

Unfortunately, the answer to that grim query is now crystal clear to anyone paying attention – and we remain horrible conflicted on just who, and what, we want to be – never more evident than in the woozy aftermath of the disastrous Truck Meet 2021 – a wide open debauch that may have been the final straw in a long series of obscene insults foisted upon area residents by quick-buck promotors and the stuck-on-stupid leadership of our challenged hospitality industry. 

In my view, it has become equally clear that those entities we have relied on to craft a marketable product – such as the Halifax Area Advertising Authority, that good ‘ol boys travel club over at Team Volusia, the Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce, or the redundant Volusia County Division of Economic Development (who are still advertising the exciting prospect that “One Daytona will be located directly across from the Daytona International Speedway,” a project that opened in 2017. . .) – have proven incapable of creating an appropriate image that complements the best strand of beach on the eastern seaboard.

For instance, on its website, “Team Volusia” still refuses to enact a key suggestion of the $100,000 2011 Volusia County Tourism Study by even acknowledging “hospitality and tourism” under its “Key Industries” section (although it does highlight our booming “motion picture/video production” trade.  Am I missing something?).

Even News-Journal editor Pat Rice, gave a nod to the supreme importance of tourism in his Sunday editorial on the extent of the Daytona Beach Resort Area’s horribly split personality:  

“Unfortunately, our No. 1 industry – tourism – pays low wages. Daytona Beach’s per capita annual income in 2019 was $24,360, and a quarter of the community lives in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.”

Tragic.

In February 2020, the HAAA previewed a calamitous “new” advertising campaign – “Think You Know Daytona Beach?” – to replace the equally disastrous “Wide.  Open.  Fun.” debacle, a marketing ploy which continues to play on all the double-entendres and worst perceptions potential visitors have come to associate with the Fun Coast: “Endless Parties,” “Kids Getting Wild,” “Hitting the Clubs,” “Going Topless,” “All Day Beach Bashes,” and “Just a bunch of kids making pour decisions.” 

My God. . . 

According to a report by Jim Abbott writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, last week, the rudderless HAAA Board of Directors “decided to consider (?)” seating yet another committee to address the “destination’s long-term marketing vision.”

Bullshit. 

How many more bites at this rotten apple are we expected to give the demonstrably clueless HAAA – or any of the other redundant and unimaginative “advertising authorities” and self-serving “economic development” shills that, for decades, have failed to craft a sustainable image to promote our “No. 1 industry”?

Perhaps it’s time for the taxpayers of Volusia County to let our elected officials know that we are tired of throwing good money after bad supporting these farcical shams and repetitious “party town” marketing ploys – and demand a collaborative approach that encourages civic engagement and values community input in developing a comprehensive strategic vision for the future of the Halifax area, one that capitalizes on our many attributes – to write a story that explains to visitors the very best of our lives here – rather than catering to the prurient interests of fast-buck artists with a profit motive. 

If not now, when?

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           Daytona International Speedway & Truck Meet 2021

“The last Dictate of the Judgement, concerning the Good or Bad, that may follow on any Action, is not properly the whole Cause, but the last Part of it, and yet may be said to produce the Effect necessarily, in such Manner as the last Feather may be said to break a Horses Back, when there were so many laid on before as there want but that one to do it.”

— Thomas Hobbs, 1684

In the aftermath of the DIS sponsored Truck Meet 2021, one former area law enforcement official made the astute observation on social media, “This event is the trashiest spectacle of shit-faced miscreants I have yet experienced. Whatever money we make off of it isn’t enough.”

Other beachside locals have described it as the “worst event ever seen,” (that is saying something, considering most long-time residents are hardened veterans of some truly noxious events).

It appears this may have been the straw that broke that swayback camels back. . .

Now, as the dust settles and the glaring echoes of train horns fade, there remains more questions than answers. 

One thing is certain, those old fogeys at the helm of the Daytona Beach lodging, hospitality, and tourism industry seem incapable of experiential learning – the ability to gain understanding from past mistakes – then use that hard-earned knowledge to their strategic advantage. 

If they had the capacity for heuristic reflection, perhaps someone in a position of influence would say “enough is enough,” finally realizing that this level of mass mayhem is irreparably damaging our product.   

Perhaps its time to change that?

Earlier this week, in a piece entitled “Daytona’s Definition of Insanity,” I jotted down some thoughts on the pros and cons of a hospitality industry based on binge tourism, an event driven boom/bust market that prospers when the carnival comes to town and eats beans in between, rather than develop a sustainable year-round draw punctuated with the well-managed traditional events Daytona Beach is famous for.   

Interestingly, others felt that this annual truck bacchanalia should continue – but only if it can be better organized and more effectively controlled. 

History has proven that it cannot. 

For years, the Halifax area has hosted various custom truck meets that began as little more than a social media flash mob – with thousands of lifted pickup trucks descending on Daytona Beach, burning rubber on Atlantic Avenue and racing down neighborhood streets, blasting obnoxious train horns, and “rolling coal,” spewing dense clouds of acrid black diesel smoke into the humid spring air, all while rowdy young boys and girls try desperately to see and be seen, drinking beer, cruising the strip, everyone doing their best to perpetuate the anything goes atmosphere our tourist officials spent lavishly to cultivate:

Wide.  Open.  Fun. 

A carefully crafted image of an off-the-rails “party town” – a place where the rules are different and visitors are free to ‘do whatcha wanna’ without concern or consequence – a return to the bad old days when the term “came on vacation, left on probation” became the unofficial slogan of the Daytona Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau. 

Unfortunately, no one in the moribund Halifax area hospitality hierarchy seems interested in finding a reasonable balance – I mean, why consider the source, so long as they can disingenuously commiserate with traumatized residents – then crow about sold out room nights and bed-tax increases in the newspaper, eh?    

It’s not like we weren’t warned. 

Our exalted ‘powers that be’ hire experts to give educated advice, develop a unique “brand,” then sell it to the masses in select markets around the country.    

So, why won’t anyone listen to them?

Early last year, as the specter of the Coronavirus pandemic loomed, the Halifax Area Advertising Authority held a workshop to discuss alternatives to the widely panned Wide. Open. Fun. campaign created by The Brandon Agency, the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (?) based marketing firm that brought the controversial slogan to life in November 2017. 

According to a February 2020 article by reporter Jim Abbott writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, at that confab a Brandon executive made the painfully obvious observation that The Worlds Most Famous Beach suffers from a deteriorating image problem: 

“Compared with 15 other regional markets that included St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Cocoa Beach and Panama City Beach, Daytona Beach ranked third in familiarity, but ranked 10th in favorability, said Andy Kovan, one of the Brandon executives at the workshop.”

“Survey comments focused on the area’s “a reputation of being more of a Spring Break/party destination more than a family destination.” Another characterized it as “full of trashy bars and people.”

“We have a perception issue and it’s a big one,” Kovan told the board members, “and we’ve chosen to ignore it in a lot of the advertising. In the new ad, “people who have a perception problem, we’re going after them in a way that we never have before.”  

Was that not clear enough?

How about the highly touted 2018 Beachside Redevelopment Committee chaired by former Brown & Brown executive Tony Grippa – a Blue Ribbon think tank comprised of our best and brightest minds – the crème de la crème of our social, civic, business, and political elite – who, after months of deliberation, came up with the simple suggestion:

“Expand the opportunities to make the beach a year-round destination for all visitors.”

Among the panel’s other wholly ignored recommendations was improving “…the perception of the entire region, with a focus on a variety of residential, recreational, cultural and entertainment opportunities in the area.”

Yet, nobody who should seems to give two-shits. 

Why is that?   

Certainly not those elected and appointed officials who commissioned these expensive studies in the first place – especially after they have served their true purpose as a time-buying political insulation ploy, putting time and distance between them and a horrifying News-Journal exposé on “Daytona’s troubled beachside.”

Now, the Grippa report collects mold in a musty records morgue somewhere in DeLand – bookending the 2011 Tourism Study – the results of a $100,000 comprehensive analysis ordered by the Volusia County Council – which concluded our beachside “tourism product” was a serious impediment to attracting visitors and economic development, finding, more ominously, “…there is no “plan” for who is leading the effort and how these challenges can be improved.”

What’s changed a decade later? 

(Stop asking questions, Barker.  You are making some very important people uncomfortable. . .) 

Good.   

I’m just a little confused.

If we have repeatedly been warned by numerous high-priced marketing gurus – expensive out-of-town “experts” with a nice suit and briefcase – that the Daytona Beach Resort Area is widely perceived as a down-at-the-heels, anything goes, trash strewn honky tonk, then why are stalwarts like Daytona International Speedway and the Convention & Visitors Bureau (the event was listed on their website) still tacitly promoting these horribly corrosive three-day/two-night beer-soaked debauches that advance the very image everyone tells us must change if we want to survive as a tourist destination?    

Perhaps the problem goes back to the Halifax area’s acute dissociative identity disorder – which manifests as our historic inability to decide who and what we are – let alone determine what we aspire to be. 

Trust me – you will get a wide variety of answers to those questions depending upon who you ask. . . 

Are we a “family-oriented destination” – or a kick-out-the-jams beer, boobs, and bikes party scene centered on the World Center of Racing? 

Many believe we are a throwback to another time, where a few uber-wealthy insiders pass the same nickel around and the rest of us scramble and scrape for crumbs – where ingenuity and a level playing field has been replaced by a thriving “Good ‘Ol Boys” network that permeates politics to gain an unfair advantage and stifles entrepreneurial investment outside tightly controlled alliances.

A divided community of haves and have-nots struggling to find an elusive identity, while the blight and dilapidation of the beachside contrasts with the malignant growth and boomtown atmosphere to the west, as our elected and appointed officials prove, time-and-again, how reluctant they are to change the stagnant status quo.

A neglected diamond-in-the-rough that, to those of us with the right set of eyes, still possesses all the facets to shine brightly. 

Regardless, everyone agrees we remain a cautionary tale to the tourist mecca of Central Florida’s I-4 corridor – an ominous warning of the fate that awaits those who fail to protect and promote that which makes them unique in a vast sea of vacation destinations.   

In my view, the strong opinions held by those on both sides of the “special events” issue provides a unique opportunity for Daytona Beach’s bright new City Manager, Deric Feacher, to start a productive dialog with stakeholders, listen to constituents, conduct an independent cost/benefit analysis of both sanctioned and “pop-up” events, then create a means for residents and the business community to inform their elected officials – and our seemingly stuck-on-stupid hospitality industry – of those things we will, and will not, tolerate in the place we live, work, learn, and play.   

I know, I know – don’t hold your breath, right? 

If history repeats (and it always does for those who refuse to learn from it) once this latest hangover passes, I suspect the Halifax area’s addiction to a quick buck regardless of the destructive cost will continue.

For now, gird your loins, folks – Trucktoberfest 2021 is just around the corner. . . 

Angel               Rev. Larry Edwards & First Lady Gwen Azama-Edwards

If we are lucky, true angels will be placed in our path that positively impact the trajectory of our lives in ways large and small – generous souls who seek to guide and encourage us, asking nothing in return – providing that strong shoulder to lean on, or a swift kick in the backside just when we need it most.

The Rev. Larry Edwards has been a blessing in my life.

During my professional life as Chief of Police for a diverse community, Rev. Edwards served as a spiritual, social, and civic mentor, always encouraging me to do the right thing, for the right reason, regardless of political pressure.    

Given his vast experience serving as chaplain for the Daytona Beach Police Department and good work with the State Attorney’s Office – standing at the nexus of law enforcement and the needs of the community – Rev. Edwards developed a strong reputation for resolving conflicts using street-level diplomacy, and the ability to disentangle seemingly intractable problems in hotspots from Daytona Beach to Virginia Beach, Dallas, Miami Beach, Columbus, and Myrtle Beach. 

Given the universal respect Rev. Edwards commands, before my retirement in 2014, he graciously helped me form a multidenominational executive advisory committee comprised of area clergy to provide advice and support to the members of my agency as we worked to improve police-community relations.   

That special relationship is what first brought a wayward sinner like me into the openhearted sanctuary of St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church in Holly Hill, a place where a white police officer was welcomed with a warm embrace, made to feel at home, and could worship shoulder-to-shoulder with a predominantly African American congregation while building the kind of trust that only comes from a true sense of friendship. 

I value those experiences to this day.     

For over 20-years, Rev. Larry Edwards and his beautiful wife, First Lady Gwen Azama-Edwards, tended to the spiritual needs of their devoted flock with pastoral care and a message of God’s love for his children. 

Earlier this month, Rev. Edwards gave his last sermon from the pulpit at St. John’s as he said goodbye to the church he served so well, for so long.

But his “retirement” would not last long.

On Monday, Rev. Edwards accepted an appointed by Pastor Victor Gooden of New Life Church Ministries to serve in the important role of Pastor of Evangelism effective immediately.   

In addition, Minister Gwen Azama-Edwards will complete her ordination under Pastor Gooden’s tutelage. 

Kudos and hearty congratulations to my dear friends on this exciting new chapter in their spiritual lives in service to a grateful community!   

Quote of the Week

“Mayor Henry, Members of the Commission, and Manager Feacher:

As a resident of the Woodland Avenue Daytona Beach, I cannot express strongly enough my outrage at what occurred in our city last weekend. The reckless behavior and total lawlessness and disrespect for our city shown by these vandals was both frightening and sickening. 

These were not tourist, they were vandals.

The maddening thing is that it was totally predictable, and the entire administration left the citizens you all were either elected to, or hired to, protect exposed to danger.  You had to know, or should have known, what was going to happen…we had last year to predict what this year would bring. Yet you did nothing other than handout the pink Ps… truly a pitiful response to an invasion of lawbreaking not seen since the days of BCR and possibly worse. 

The Commission found time to outlaw kids flying kites and skateboarding in Riverfront Park but took a nap on this obvious danger to your residents

Social media is full of videos depicting all types of lawlessness including a shooting for all to see around the world on what you allowed to occur in Daytona Beach….are you proud?…harsh?  I don’t think so. If all of you resigned in mass it would not be too drastic a reaction to what you are doing to the town you are all supposed to be serving.

Why was the Speedway not forced to apply for a special event permit? Did anyone really think the “event” was going to be contained to the track? Does the possibility of bringing money into the city a justification to allow any behavior in your view?  Do you not see yet the long-term damages these types of events cause the city?  Now we want to revisit the process of actually considering a return of this destructive invasion of vandals?

Insanity to even consider it!

Heads up to you who are still sleeping. There has been an escalation in lawlessness in recent events each one more volatile than the last. Your lack of leadership has left your police department in a position of having a policy of appeasement rather than enforcement. Sending a message now to the entire world that anything goes in Daytona Beach….  Show some courage and leadership or step down.”

–Paul Zimmerman, president of Sons of the Beach and longtime area resident, in an open letter to Daytona Beach city officials, Tuesday, June 15, 2021

And Another Thing!

On Wednesday evening during the regular meeting of the Daytona Beach City Commission, the elected and appointed officials did something truly admirable.  

The City Commission voted unanimously to restore the time-honored democratic tradition of providing citizens a voice in the governance of their community when they rightfully returned public participation as a regular part of the business meeting.

The vote included extending a speaker’s time to a full three-minutes and featuring citizen remarks on the city’s public access broadcast. 

It is my long-held belief that all substantive civic progress stems from a robust debate and the open competition of ideas – a thoughtful consideration of innovative concepts – a meaningful civic outlet for dissent and discussion. 

Rarely are good public policy decisions made in a vacuum – especially true when elected officials emotionally distance themselves from their constituents by building a hubristic wall of arrogance and infallibility – a strategy that invariably results in festering animosity on both sides of the dais.

This was truly an important moment as City Manager Feacher begins the process of slowly draining the mote, opening the fortified portcullis, and letting sunlight shine brightly in the dank inner sanctum at City Hall after nearly 20-years of effective darkness. 

Then, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young gave a comprehensive overview of the unmitigated havoc that descended on the community last weekend in the form of Truck Meet 2021 – an anarchic shit show that taxed officers and staff to their operational, physical, and emotional limits.

And he rightfully wants it to go away. 

It was a story of organizational courage that highlighted Chief Young’s extraordinary leadership skills – and exemplified his pride and affection for the community he serves.   

His efforts and professionalism during the latest Siege of Daytona spoke for themselves – but his impassioned words and complete transparency earned him the respect and admiration of grateful citizens and elected officials. 

Then, with Mayor Derrick Henry moderating, the elected officials engaged in a sober and thoughtful discussion of an event that is, by any metric, a growing threat to public safety – and rapidly destroying the city’s international reputation – something we have been forewarned is crippling our ability to draw visitors in support of our most important industry.

In my view, it was a positive meeting – one the elected officials, and the good citizens of Daytona Beach, can be proud of. 

To paraphrase the immortal words of Neil Armstrong:

It was one small step for the Daytona Beach City Commission – one giant leap for the long-suffering citizens of the Halifax area. 

For the first time in memory, in a David and Goliath moment, the City of Daytona Beach boldly stood firm and let the leadership of Daytona International Speedway (who, for decades, have wielded unconditional influence over civic affairs) know that there is some shit we won’t eat.

While Mayor Henry called DIS “partners” with the city – not “enemies” – it was clear Daytona Beach officials put them on notice.   

The residents of east Volusia will no longer tolerate being set upon by thousands of out-of-control renegades, literally and figuratively pissing on our streets, front lawns, and community standards, terrorizing our neighborhoods, viciously brawling in front of our children, driving destructively on our beach, and leaving (accurately) tons of trash behind – as some out-of-town promoter sidesteps any financial responsibility – then rides away with a fat wad of cash.   

All while the next storm builds. . .

With community emotions running high, during Wednesday night’s meeting, Mayor Henry made it clear that those tone-deaf corporate money-grubbers at DIS have not yet made a formal decision on whether they will sponsor this, and similar, bleed-over events in the future.

With residents, government, and business owners looking for assurance, why the suspense?

Perhaps that tells us all we need to know about the Speedway’s ultimate commitment to the health and safety of our community? 

In my view, the Daytona Beach City Commission, Chief Young, and City Manager Deric Feacher deserve our respect for standing up to those untouchables in the Daytona International Speedway’s executive suite, holding them to account for their irresponsible sponsorship of an event that they knew, or should have known, would inflict such an indelible wound on The Worlds Most Famous Beach and beyond.

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

Another year, another headline.

This morning’s front page/above the fold banner in The Daytona Beach News-Journal screamed:

“Daytona Truck Meet Snarls A-1-A”

For the sake of brevity, I won’t get into the myriad Facebook comments describing the anecdotal evidence supplied by beachside residents this weekend – or the equally passionate competing views from those who enjoyed the event and see it as another temporary boon for our struggling hospitality industry.

Suffice it to say, the weekend was different depending upon which side of the brew-soaked truck bed you were sitting in. . .     

(It didn’t bother me. I’m not the smartest guy you know, but I’ve learned the valuable lesson of touching a hot stove twice – so, I got the hell out of dodge for the weekend.)

Let’s just say that (once again) the frayed nerves of area residents remain raw in the aftermath of the latest influx of rowdy (insert motorized conveyance here) enthusiasts who turned our streets into a congested dragstrip, and our beachside neighborhoods into Party Central, as the Daytona Beach Resort Area hosted three days/two nights of gridlocked debauchery. 

Look, I am not a stick-in-the-mud ‘you damn kids get off my lawn‘ badge carrying member of the Fun Police – but this situation has gotten out-of-control and simply cannot be healthy for the civic and economic viability of our community.     

Since at least 2013, the Halifax area has hosted various lifted truck meets – another evolving “special event” that began as little more than a social media flash mob – with thousands of custom pickup trucks descending on Daytona Beach, burning rubber on Atlantic Avenue and neighborhood streets, blasting obnoxious train horns, and “rolling coal,” spewing dense clouds of acrid black diesel smoke into the humid spring air, all while rowdy young boys and girls try desperately to see and be seen, drinking beer, cruising the strip, everyone doing their best to perpetuate the anything goes atmosphere our tourist gurus have spent lavishly to cultivate:

Wide.  Open.  Fun.     

In an example of history repeating itself, by Sunday afternoon, Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry issued one of his loquacious manifestos sidestepping any responsibility (…I take each complaint, inconvenience, and exposure to contemptuous activities associated with the event to heart. However, the most apparent misunderstanding among our residents is the erroneous belief that this event is sanctioned, sponsored, or benefits the city. The event takes place at the Speedway and has a promoter; none of its activities are approved or encouraged by the City of Daytona Beach. . .)

All while promising to do better next time (…While complaints came from every corner of our city, our beachside community experienced the bulk of the inappropriate behaviors.   We accept that this event must be revisited, and I will be fully engaged in ensuring that its current status does not become a standard…)

My ass.

(Note to Mayor Henry: This “inappropriate behavior” became the Daytona Beach Resort Area’s Gold Standard decades ago.  Our ‘powers that be’ invited it.  They cultivated it.  And now that Frankenstein’s monster is destroying our quality of life, we have no one to blame but you. . .)

Unfortunately, a few frustrated residents continued with the wrongheaded notion that the Daytona Beach Police Department are somehow to blame – they are not.

In fact, they do an incredible job under difficult and dangerous circumstances – standing firm in the face of an often-untenable situation where a relative handful of officers and event staff manage to control and make safe tens-of-thousands of residents, visitors, and vehicles in what can be a powder keg.    

The idea that the Daytona Beach Visitors & Convention Bureau can feature the Truck Meet 2021 event on their official website – with the influential Daytona International Speedway and One Daytona playing official host – then, once we have the participants corralled on the beachside – demand that law enforcement set upon them like a Comanche war party and issue hundreds of traffic citations, or take draconian action on nuisance violations, as a means of dissuading these invited visitors from returning to our area seems inherently wrong to me.   

After all, we, the long-suffering residents of the Halifax area, either knew or should have known what was coming – just like our “hospitality gurus” did – even though, in our feast or famine binge tourism economy, one that is now totally reliant on special events for its very survival – we are told to expect a different outcome, time-after-time-after-time. . . 

(Spoiler Alert:  Stop reading now if you are physically nauseated by the tired and horribly redundant “we need a civic vision and identity” pitch. You have been warned. . .)

In my view, it is time for our Halifax area’s crippled brain trust – which includes those political deaf-mutes over at the Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce – to establish a true civic vision for our desperately challenged core tourist area and beyond, reimagine a “brand” which builds on our most important natural asset, The Worlds Most Famous Beach, a real multi-faceted placemaking philosophy that moves beyond the fast buck “special events” mentality, and the itinerant resort town grifters who profit from it, and transform Daytona Beach into a sustainable year-round destination.   

Having lived in the Halifax area virtually all my life, I have seen the devastating effects of this Boom/Bust cycle, the recurring economic expansion and contraction that has reduced some of the most valuable real estate on the Eastern Seaboard to overgrown vacant lots and empty strip centers – and reduced a World Class vacation mecca into a dilapidated shell of its former draw. 

This transformative change cannot happen in the leadership vacuum of the status quo. 

Clearly, the tired Old Guard of the Halifax area hospitality industry – the same clueless “visionaries” who have, time-and-again, proven they lack the imagination and basic marketing skills to capitalize on the best-known beach on the planet – have now eaten this apple to its rotten core. 

Now, it is time to demand action – and a change in direction.   

Despite Mayor Henry’s patented abdication, where he sheepishly looks at his shoes and promises to do better ‘next time’ – the shell-shocked residents of Daytona Beach who pay the bills and suffer in silence – have clearly had their fill of these raging debacles that benefit a relative few while impacting the quality of life of so many. 

We have all heard Einstein’s theory that “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result” – so when are “we” going to do something about it? 

When will We, The Little People, demand that our elected and appointed officials – and those uber-wealthy insiders they take their marching orders from – stop paying hypocritical lip service and fundamentally change the destructive cycle of these horribly corrosive repeat events that continue to destroy “the brand”?     

___________________________________________________

Please join Barker’s View this afternoon on GovStuff Live! with Big John beginning at 4:00pm!

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