Hi, kids!

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

Hard Lessons Learned.  And Ignored…  

“Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it…”

–George Santayana

Last week I shared a post pointing out the 900-pound gorilla squatting in the waterlogged living rooms of flood victims throughout the region:  The abject refusal of the Volusia County Council to take effective action on development-induced flooding – the most pressing issue of our time – now a destructive reality for thousands who cry out for strong leadership. 

Apparently, my thoughts on the subject ruffled some sensitive feathers… 

It is what it is. 

Rather than mandate that real estate developers incorporate low-impact best practices in future construction as a means of mitigating flood risks for existing residents, earlier this month, the Volusia County Council of Cowards opted for a nonsensical “…flexible and voluntary process for implementing LID and green stormwater infrastructure standards with incentives.”

If you’ve ever sandbagged your home, peeled soggy carpet off the floor, carried your soaked belongings to the curb, lived with the hum of dehumidifiers, or cut three feet of moldy drywall off your home’s studs, you might want to read that last paragraph again… 

Under the county’s skewed plan, if a developer elects to follow what should be mandatory LID industry standards, they will be eligible to choose from a lucrative list of environmentally impactful “incentives” to include higher density, increased building height, reduction in tree replacement requirements, reduced permitting fees, etc.

In my windy essay last week, I called out Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins for attempting to sucker his constituents into believing that no data exists to show Low-impact development practices help mitigate flooding. 

Bullshit.

A fact Mr. Robins conveniently ignored (to his political benefactor’s benefit) is that low-impact practices were designed by environmental scientists, hydrologists, and building industry experts to preserve natural drainage processes, reduce stormwater runoff, and help retain more rainfall onsite.

Never mind all that. 

“If there was data that would show mandatory LID practices would solve the county’s flooding concerns, Robins said “there wouldn’t be any question up here.”

“We have to pay attention to the data and the facts, and I think it’s very important,” he said. “We’ve been down this road several times and I’m ready to vote.”

That’s “Gaslighting 101,” and I pointed out that Mr. Robins’ statement was the most preposterously stupid distraction ever issued from the Volusia County Council dais (which puts it high in the running for the most idiotic and politically driven falsehood anywhere…) 

In a nonsensical response posted to the popular social media site Volusia Issues, Councilman Robins attempted to turn the tables using his patented DARVO techniques – reversing roles and attempting to embarrass me with a Gotcha! moment:

“Also Mark Barker, Holly Hill’s police chief during major flood events / natural disasters said “his city doesn’t have a faulty drainage system, either. “(The rain) just overwhelmed the system,” Barker said. Pumps couldn’t even be used in some areas because there was no dry place close enough to send the water, he said.  “Once the rain stopped, our system worked efficiently,”

Barker said.  Just like the National media, common sense, math, logic and science goes right out the window.  Anything goes for ratings.”

Ratings?   

I don’t charge a subscription for these logorrheic screeds – and I have never accepted advertising. 

In my view, given the hyper-political nature of the content, monetizing one man’s jaundiced view on the news and newsmakers of the day would distract from the goal of fostering a larger discussion of the issues we collectively face.  (That, and no one in their right mind would pay for it anyway…)

The rest of it is all true…taken directly from a News-Journal article dated May 31, 2009. 

Sixteen-years ago this week, Central Florida received unprecedented torrential rains – with the Ormond Beach/Holly Hill area of northeast Volusia recording record rainfall of 27.9 inches.

In three-days…

The event resulted in nearly $70 million in damage with 1,500 structures damaged, resulting in a presidential disaster declaration.  At the time it was the third costliest disaster in Volusia’s history behind Hurricanes Frances and Charlie. 

By comparison, last October, Hurricane Milton – which resulted in devastating flooding in many parts of Volusia County – recorded rainfall totals of 6 inches across much of the county to as much as 12+ inches in southeastern portions. 

I’m glad Danny reminded me of that special time and place so many years ago…

To this day, I consider the historic floods of 2009 as one of the highlights of my career in law enforcement and emergency management.  A time that speaks of the incredible dedication of a group of smalltown first responders facing a life-threatening emergency and the resilience of a tightknit community. 

I made a lot of mistakes over a lengthy career, but in Spring 2009, the people I had the honor of serving with were superb – conducting high-water rescues, transporting victims to safety, then expertly transitioning from emergency response to disaster recovery and relief operations.

During the sleepless days that followed, we learned many valuable lessons – like the importance of social media as a public communications platform.  In fact, our agency was recognized as being among the first in the nation to employ the then relatively new social networking site Twitter as an emergency information exchange. 

It was also the first time the City of Holly Hill hosted both a Red Cross operated shelter and a regional FEMA Disaster Recovery Center, providing support for families and businesses affected by flooding. 

I had an enormous sense of pride watching our staff expertly manage logistics and security for the Disaster Recovery Center, with officers and volunteers working seamlessly with state and federal emergency management officials, while good-naturedly ignoring the interruptions of VIP visits as every politician from Tallahassee to Washington came to get some floodwater on the spit shines and their picture taken doing it… 

Hundreds of flood victims who had lost so much were ushered inside the DRC at the city’s gymnasium where they were given a bottle of water, a word of encouragement, and a seat in the comfortably air-conditioned building while waiting their turn to meet with federal emergency officials and Small Business Administration representatives. 

Upon leaving the center, each person was issued a decontamination kit with mops, bleach, disinfectants, and other useful items to help with rehabilitating their homes.  I recall one displaced victim telling me that receiving the kit helped alleviate a feeling of hopelessness now that he had the tools to do something constructive to help his family and neighbors.

Small things that matter.

In the aftermath, the efforts of our officers, volunteers, and staff earned numerous awards and accolades from FEMA, the Florida Department of Emergency Management, and, most inspiring, from those residents and businesses affected by the disaster. 

In the aftermath, a senior FEMA site administrator announced it was the most professionally managed DRC operation he had experienced in a lengthy career in federal emergency management – something that had nothing to do with my efforts – and everything to do with the dedication of those committed professionals I had the honor of serving with. 

Remarkable people.

In my view, comparing nearly 30-inches of relentless rain in a coastal community where drainage is directly influenced by changing tidal conditions is apples/oranges to the now chronic development-induced flooding residents regularly experience across the width and breadth of Volusia County…

Once dry pastureland in West Volusia now inundated with standing water – small lakes and retention areas overflowing into surrounding residential areas historically free from flooding, impassible streets and roadways that must have been built on dry ground, existing homes once high-and-dry now threatened each time it rains – as developers continue to upend the topography and hydrology of the land.

So, what have waterlogged Volusia County residents received in return from those we elect and appoint to represent their constituents and allocate our hard-earned tax dollars?   

Years of time wasting “LID Workshops on Green Infrastructure,” useless dog-and-pony shows, and endless PowerPoints delivered verbatim by the likes of Clay Ervin, director of Growth and Resource Mismanagement, which produced nothing more than hot air.    

More, more, more expensive “studies” by outside (and out of state?) firms – coupled with millions in federal flood and infrastructure assistance siphoned off by the bureaucracy for “planning and administration.”  

Sham “programs” we were told would protect and promote tree canopies to assist natural processes and improve air quality that were quickly ignored, replaced by slash-and-burn land clearing practices that denude the land to make way for fill-and-build construction.

Over a decade of worthless jabbering about “Smart Growth” – something now recognized as strategic procrastination by various iterations of the Volusia County Council – shameless shills who kick the can down the dusty political trail, flouting the warnings of residents, while basic maintenance of stormwater utilities was ignored.  

More talk of a half-cent sales tax increase to address “stormwater and flooding” coming out of a “subcommittee” of that political insulation committee known as the Volusia Knights of the Roundtable – co-chaired by Mayor Nancy Miller of Daytona Beach Shores and At-Large Councilman (and wannabe state senator) Jake “The Snake” Johannson…

While basic Low-Impact Development “standards” are made voluntary by ordinance, with lucrative “incentives” offered to developers who agree to follow industry best practices…

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask residents who have been forced to self-engineer flood mitigation efforts in their own yards who found municipal and county “maintained” drainage systems with caved-in pipes, culverts full of dirt, trash, and vegetation, clogged storm drains, and blocked canals, all demonstrating a grossly negligent lack of maintenance, repair, and replacement.

That didn’t happen overnight.

So, where are our ever-increasing stormwater fees being spent?  Where does the money go? 

Cui bono?

What about impact fees, growth “paying for itself,” and concurrency requirements?

And why in God’s name would we vote to increase the sales tax to allow the same incompetent dullards who got us into this mess to fritter away more of our money?  

I’m damn glad Councilman Robins reminded me of what current Volusia County officials have conveniently forgotten: The hard lessons learned during heavy rain events, hurricanes, and now afternoon thunderstorms, as they tap dance around the growing threat for the lucrative benefit of their friends and political donors in the real estate development community…    

Cowards.

Good Times are Here Again!  Again… 

“Daytona Beach is finally getting a Trader Joe’s store, ending a long wait that began when the upscale California grocery chain raised hopes by opening a huge regional distribution center here in 2015.

It’s no coincidence that land is also being cleared for two Trader Joe’s competitors across the street: Sprouts Farmers Market and Fresh Market, along with a Tesla electric-car dealership.

All are part of a real estate development boom that — for better or worse — is bringing thousands of new homes and apartments as well as new retail centers, hotels, condos, healthcare facilities and aircraft-assembly plants to Volusia County.

It begs the question: Is this Daytona’s moment?”

–Business Editor Clayton Park, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Is this Daytona’s moment? Trader Joe’s, Tesla among ‘puzzle pieces’ changing area’s image,” Wednesday, May 21, 2025 (Find the rest here: https://tinyurl.com/pu7m6fwm ) 

Fire up the Halifax Area Goodtime Brass Band! 

Happy days are here again!

The skies above are clear again!

So, let’s sing a song of cheer again!

Happy days are here again!

All together shout it now!

There’s no one who can doubt it now!

So, let’s tell the world about it now, Happy Days are Here Again!

Is this our moment? 

I sure hope so…

Unfortunately, small local businesses and service workers who form the backbone of our economy aren’t enjoying the “transformational success” that we were promised a glass-and-steel insurance office or a tony shopping center would produce – somehow missing the cascade of wealth we were promised the next panacea project would deliver…

And they damn sure weren’t the recipients of millions in public funds, infrastructure, revenue guarantees, and tax breaks that those corporate welfare recipients who are patting themselves on the back received – now laughably hailed as “visionaries” – who were gifted our money to eliminate their risk by their compromised shills in city and county government.     

Don’t take my word for it. 

Ask struggling beachside merchants, the half dozen mom-and-pop eateries that close each month, or strapped Main Street entrepreneurs if they are feeling the “moment”?

In my view, trading campaign contributions for a prime spot in the suckling order at the public tit does not make one a “visionary.” 

In an artificial economy where government picks winners and losers with obscene and patently unfair incentives, “success” doesn’t lift all boats – it is a privilege afforded the elite few…

If a car dealership and a few grocery stores are truly harbingers of the “Great Renaissance” we’ve been promised over these many years – decades marked by blight, dilapidation, greed, and political obstruction – then the true heroes of that rebirth are the unsung taxpayers who funded the myriad “game-changers” with their hard-earned tax dollars and swallowed hard as massive overdevelopment was forcibly shoved down their throats.    

You’re welcome.  

Yeah.  Happy days are here again.  Again…  

Quote of the Week!

“In light of the recent talk of putting a sales tax increase for Volusia County on the ballot (again), I looked at the operating budget from the year of most recent Volusia sales tax vote (2018-2019) and the current Volusia County operating budget year (2024-2025).

2018-2019: $768,755,651

2024-2025: $1,322,153,507

A 72% increase.

Volusia County government doesn’t have a “not enough taxes” problem. It has a “too much spending” problem.”

–Joe Hannoush, Ormond Beach, writing in the Ormond Breach Observer, “Letters to the Editor,” Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Amen. Preach it, Joe…

And Another Thing!

“We see the Space Coast, up through Daytona and St. Augustine as an area that’s not been fully developed,” said Jim Harvey, the president of Brookfield Kolter. Harvey is also president of The Kolter Group, a position he has held since 2007.”

–President Jim Harvey, Brookfield Kolter Land Partners/Kolter Group, as quoted by business editor Clayton Park in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Who are the developers of New Smyrna Beach’s Deering Park Innovation Center?” Monday, May 19, 2025  

Insatiable (adjective)

1. An appetite or desire impossible to satisfy. 
2. Often used interchangeably with “greed” or “avarice.”

Sound familiar?

Everyone knew the burgeoning monstrosity that is Deering Park would inexorably change the once quaint community of New Smyrna Beach and the now habitually flooded City of Edgewater. 

However, smart people are beginning to realize the pervasive effects of this massive development won’t stop there.

Unfortunately, that certainty hasn’t stopped various elected officials from sacrificing their political souls on the altar of “progress” – even if it fundamentally alters critical environmental processes unique to Florida and destroys our quality of life forever.

In an excellent article by business editor Clayton Park writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week, we learned that the Deering Park Innovation Center – a sprawling 1,618-acre “planned unit development” that includes hundreds of homesites and commercial/industrial uses – was the brainchild of those officials’ residents elected and appointed to represent their interests:

“City officials came up with the idea for the project after conducting a pair of “leadership summits” in 2021 and 2022 to brainstorm ways to grow its local economy and create higher-paying jobs. The mostly undeveloped land south of State Road 44, west of Interstate 95, was identified as one of the areas best suited for commercial growth that could include an industrial park.”

(I was wondering how long it would take for New Smyrna officials to trot out the “high-paying jobs” trope…)

According to the report, in addition, a 6,300-acre section in the City of Edgewater will be developed as the first phase of the mixed-use project called Deering Park. 

Astonishingly, plans call for the ultimate development of 24,000-acres – including some 23,000 residential units over decades of construction – blanketing the earth from Edgewater to the Brevard County line.

It’s enormous – and it is coming – regardless of the fears expressed by existing residents who clearly see the devastating effects of Deering Park and other regionally impactful developments on their lives and communities.

It seems our ‘powers that be’ are strategically blind to the threat of development-induced flooding, reduced water quality and quantity resulting in the looming specter of “toilet-to-tap” (that’s right, drinking our own recycled human waste), the impacts on wildlife and the environment, and the continuing lack of adequate transportation and utilities infrastructure countywide.

Hard lessons forgotten…

Now, insatiable development consortiums only see dollars and cents – untapped greenspace that hasn’t been fully developed and paved over as Volusia County and beyond reaches critical mass – while they attempt to calm our fears with talk of “conservation areas” and “wetland parks,” concessions that downplay the environmental insults that await the land.   

From the “Space Coast,” to the already claustrophobic “Fun Coast,” and north to St. Augustine and beyond – we are no longer considered communities with the moral entitlement to growth management and self-determination – a basic right increasingly stripped by those shameless real estate shills in the Florida Legislature.

No longer considered special places, “beach communities” and rural boundaries with unique civic characteristics, where people live, raise families, and pursue their dreams and livelihoods.

Now, avaricious developers see us as just another unexploited money pit…

Vote like your quality of life depends upon it.

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

Hi, kids!

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

The Volusia Knights of the Roundtable – Another Bite at a Rotten Apple

“Don’t look now – but here it comes again…

And by “it” I mean the macabre spectacle of Volusia’s half-cent sales tax money grab slowly clawing its way out of the mass grave of bad ideas after voters drove a stake through its greedy heart in 2019.

Unfortunately, this comes as no surprise to those cynical observers of Volusia County politics who understand that no tax increase is ever dead – just lying in wait for its next rehashed opportunity to suck more blood out of this exsanguinated turnip.”

–Barker’s View, “Here it comes again…,” November 28, 2021

During a panel discussion at the West Volusia State of the Region event last month, DeBary Mayor Karen Chasez “dropped the bombshell” that a “committee” of elected officials are considering resurrecting Volusia’s half-cent sales tax increase – this time camouflaged as a “stormwater and flooding” solution…

You read that right.

Reporter Al Everson laid out the latest money grab in the West Volusia Beacon last week:

“There is a move afoot to put a half-cent sales tax on the 2026 ballot, but it has nothing to do with roads. It has to do with stormwater, because we believe that that is the issue that is the most pressing issue on most residents’ minds. However, a lot has been learned since the effort the other year [2019], which was defeated by the residents.”

According to the report, “Chasez recalled the 2019 referendum on the half-cent infrastructure sales tax, which was a single-issue voting event that used a mail-in ballot. The result of the issue election was clear: a decisive majority of the electorate said, “No thank you.”

Asked who specifically is talking about resurrecting the proposed add-on sales tax, Chasez said a subcommittee on flooding and stormwater by the Elected Officials Roundtable — an informal group of elected municipal leaders that meets monthly, and formed to replace the now-defunct Volusia Council of Governments — has talked about the tax as a means of dealing with drainage woes.”

Here we go again…

For the uninitiated, The Volusia Knights of the Roundtable is a political insulation committee where local mayors, managers, county officials and hangers-on cobble together the groundwork for significant public policy decisions without any external input or questions. 

The exclusive club (which meets at the Daytona “International” Airport while you are at work) is devoted to groupthink, shielding themselves behind the cowardly notion “If everyone is thinking alike, then we can’t be individually criticized.”  A closed klatch where political insiders can insinuate “suggestions” into the process without any legitimate public challenge.

In my view, it represents a ‘pseudo-government,’ the antithesis of the open and honest debate of ideas and citizen participation.  

Each time this greed-crazed idea of saddling every man, woman, and child in Volusia County with another tax increase is revived, it has been shot down by wary taxpayers who see – time-and-again – what happens when we give that monstrous bureaucracy in DeLand access to more of our hard-earned money… 

In each case, the take is tied to the gross incompetence and lack of planning that led to insufficient transportation and utilities infrastructure across Volusia County – coupled with the strategic foot-dragging that permitted massive overdevelopment without concurrency – punishing us with inaction on the consequences until we acquiesce to their demands.

This time, it appears these half-brights are lashing the increase to “flooding and stormwater” – playing on the panic of residents desperate for relief from development-induced flooding.

When the sales tax increase was forced to a vote in 2019, taxpayers were still reeling from a damning 2016 external study that found Volusia County officials had not increased impact fees on their influential benefactors in the development community for 15-years.

In the lurid scandal that ensued, we discovered the shocking truth that county officials had intentionally hidden the study from the public – including its core recommendation of “…fees almost three times higher in some categories and a change to a county ordinance the consultants deemed overly generous to developers.”

With the walls closing in, Clay Ervin, Volusia’s director of Growth and Resource Mismanagement, blatantly lied like a cheap rug in front of God and everyone – forever cementing his professional reputation as a cheap fixer for developers – when he pathetically claimed the report was a “draft” that “we felt was incorrect.”

Now, we are paying for Ervin’s sins – and his ineptitude…  

Although Ervin kept his job by proving his worth as a malleable stooge, willing to obscure and conceal the truth when the chips are down – former County Manager Jim Dineen ultimately did not survive the fallout – but the ugly fiasco proved to residents that Volusia County government cannot be trusted. 

When the tax increase was resuscitated from the ash heap of bad ideas in 2019 – a horribly bungled initiative spearheaded by the mysterious Volusia CEO Business Alliance, an elite galère of millionaires who seem to think they know what is best for us rabble outside their gilded tower of power – it became apparent those wealthy insiders ham-handedly plotted the worst possible strategy for selling a sales tax increase to an already overburdened constituency.

In my view, when that iteration of the half-cent tax grab went down in flames, it was a resounding indictment of those gutless politicians who ignored their best instincts and succumbed to the slimy motivations of a few well-heeled insiders with a profit motive, selling out their neighbors for the promise of a few crumbs of a much larger pie.

They destroyed the public’s trust in the process.

Unfortunately, our ‘powers that be’ never learn from previous mistakes – they just repackage them with a bigger bow…

What’s changed?

In my view, there is a fundamental cruelty in a government – so irretrievably detached from those it exists to serve – that essential infrastructure is withheld, low-impact solutions strategically slow walked, and the resultant damage and fear used to leverage another shameless money grab. 

Add to that the county’s construction of multi-million-dollar Taj Mahal public facilities, routine pay increases for grossly overpaid senior administrators, millions in corporate welfare giveaways, layers of “planning and administration” that siphon federal grant funds to the bureaucracy, the arrogant dismissal of our concerns, calculated procrastination, the lack of citizen input in policy decisions, routine gaslighting by elected and appointed officials, and you begin to see they are waiting us out.

In coming weeks, residents will be reminded of what happened the last time we voted to tax ourselves when the Volusia County Council approves the gross misuse of Volusia Forever and ECHO funds to construct Councilman Don Dempsey’s pet motorcross facility on 356-acres of cow pasture we purchased off State Road 44 for $4.62 million in tax generated conservation and passive outdoor recreation funds… 

Never vote to levy another tax on your family. 

Instead, demand that our elected representatives begin hacking the thick rind of fat off that bloated hog and learn to live within their already excessive means. 

Volusia County government does not need more of our hard-earned money.

With an obscene annual budget now exceeding $1.3 billion (read that again), it is clear Volusia County government now exists to feed and expand the bureaucracy.  In my view, waterlogged residents should not be expected to give the same compromised dullards who got us into this intractable mess more of our money with the expectation of a different result.

Volusia County Council of Cowards – The Sick Joke of Flood Mitigation

As I write this, outside my window at Barker’s View HQ a steady rain is falling.

It’s welcome relief.   

The first appreciable precipitation in weeks and a much-needed respite from the extended drought that has resulted in extremely dry conditions affecting everything from the increased threat of wildfires to air quality. 

Unfortunately, many Volusia County residents are suffering from Ombrophobia – an intense fear of rain – a civic anxiety disorder stemming from our collective experience with development-induced flooding. 

For damn good reason…

You don’t have to be a hydrologist to understand that development-induced flooding is the result of piss-poor planning that permits development patterns which effect the gravitational flow of water.  Due in part to “fill and build” construction – including the proliferation of impervious surfaces that alter the natural drainage, retention, and percolation of stormwater – these impacts on natural processes increase the damaging effects of runoff, making once dry areas now prone to flooding.  

In response, anxious residents who have had their lives upended by repeat inundations have packed government meetings across Volusia and Flagler Counties demanding mitigation efforts – to include temporary building moratoriums – to allow infrastructure to catch up with current demand.  

Dream on, you waterlogged rubes… 

Last week, Volusia County Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins let soggy property owners know that reducing development-induced flooding is no longer the imperative we were promised it would be.  

Now, the choice has been left to the discretion of profit-driven developers who have been gifted the lucrative option of implementing low-impact strategies, or not.

How is that possible?   

Well, in a county known nationwide for widespread flooding (and transactional politics) – where government is actively spending public funds to purchase homes that are subject to repeat inundation – the compromised Mr. Robins recently said he is “trying not to add bureaucracy and more red tape,” (for his cronies) as he voted to make low-impact development practices voluntary… 

In Danny’s world, even the thought of regulating factors that contribute to widespread flooding should be avoided if they hinder the ability of his political benefactors to haul millions-of-dollars out of once pristine recharge areas.    

In the face of unprecedented suffering, last week those rent-a-representatives on the Volusia County Council concluded by unanimous vote that not only should the most flood prone county in Florida make best practices optional – but those soulless shills also agreed to provide lucrative incentives for their puppeteers in the development community who chose to apply accepted industry standards to projects.

In perhaps the most profoundly stupid (and telling) statement ever uttered from the dais of power in DeLand, Councilman Robins said, “If there was data that would show mandatory LID practices would solve the county’s flooding concerns, Robins said “there wouldn’t be any question up here.”

“We have to pay attention to the data and the facts, and I think it’s very important,” he said. “We’ve been down this road several times and I’m ready to vote.”

To their credit, Robins’ preposterous hoaxing was too much for the Ormond Beach Observer to accept, and the newspaper countered his perverse lie with an explanation of low-impact development strategies:  

“According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, a holistic implementation of LID — which includes standards to preserve natural drainage processes or mimic them for replacement — “reduces the volume and speed of stormwater runoff and decreases costly flooding and property damage” as well as help retain more rainfall onsite.”

Rather than mandate that developers incorporate best practices to limit flooding and protect existing residents, instead our ‘powers that be’ opted for a nonsensical “…flexible and voluntary process for implementing LID and green stormwater infrastructure standards with incentives.”

Now, if a developer elects to follow what should be mandatory LID best practices, they will be eligible to choose from a Chinese menu of lucrative “incentives” in the form of more environmental impacts, to include higher density, increased building height, reduction in tree replacement requirements, and reduced building permit and land use development fees.

For simply doing the right thing by existing residents?

Think about it:  They want my family and yours to pay a higher sales tax on goods and services to address “stormwater and flooding” – while making flood mitigation voluntary for their campaign contributors in the real estate development industry?

Bullshit.   

Good luck, my fellow ombrophobes. 

With the Atlantic Hurricane Season two-weeks away, something tells me luck is all we have…

Daytona Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau – “Lies, Damned lies, and Statistics“

Perhaps it’s just my skeptical nature, but I always questioned the dubious numbers coming out of our ossified hospitality apparatus. Horribly inflated annual visitor counts that routinely reported that the Daytona Beach Resort Area was attracting nearly a million visitors a month.  

That didn’t seem possible.

Shockingly, it now appears those “statistics” were little more than a wild-ass guess… 

According to a report by Jim Abbott writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week, “Volusia County attracted 4.5 million visitors in 2024, a figure that’s down more than 50% from the 10.1 million reported in 2023, according to figures from the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

While that appears to be a startling decline, the reality is that the difference is due to new methodology used by Downs & St. Germain Research, a Tallahassee-based tourism market research firm now calculating the annual totals, said Lori Campbell Baker, executive director of the Daytona Beach Area CVB.”

The reality is somebody told a whopper.  For decades…   

In my view, this isn’t just another example of the toxic optimism that has destroyed the public trust in government and tax-supported agencies – it appears to be a complete fabrication. 

Accurate visitor analysis is important for economic development purposes, investor research, business starts, grant funds, entrepreneurial due diligence, the allocation of bed taxes, staffing decisions, marketing efforts, etc.

Only in the wacky world of Halifax area tourism would a decline of over 50% in the estimated number of visitors – and the resultant complete loss of credibility – be considered a positive.  Yet, the CVB found a way to put a happy face on it with a few pithy talking points:

“Although the year-over-year raw visitor estimates differ widely, Baker praised the Tallahassee firm for its overview of the broad impact of tourism on a destination.

“For us, what we do in terms of bringing folks into the community is really all about what they do for our community,” Baker told a crowd of hoteliers, tourism leaders and county officials. “How much are they spending in our local businesses? How are they leaving this community better than when they arrived?”

So, why the enormous disparity between what we were sold for decades and the reality as reported by our new pollster?

According to the report, the updated visitor total includes only those who intentionally spent time in the area, not “pass-through travelers.” I assume that refers to living/breathing tourists who actually rented a room and stayed a spell, as opposed to sitting on the shoulder of I-95 counting passing cars…

Now, the CVB and those hospitality dinosaurs who have controlled our tourism industry for decades are wiping egg off their face and covering their tracks – jabbering about how this massive discrepancy in visitor estimates could have occurred (for years) – while spewing astronomical numbers touting the impact of the tourism industry on our local economy.  

I don’t believe a word of it.

Given the Florida Legislature’s nascent push to redirect tourist development taxes – a move that would eliminate redundant Tourist Development Councils – those who told us things were better than they actually were (as we watched while the repeat recommendations of consultants were ignored as the core tourist product deteriorated into blight and dilapidation) are sounding the klaxon that their bed tax teat may be running dry.

According to the News-Journal, “At the same time, the tourism impact of international trade wars with allies such as Canada and efforts by the Florida legislature to re-direct tourist development tax funds require continued vigilance, said Bob Davis, president and CEO of the Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County.

“We have a very, very serious challenge,” Davis said, quoting New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra that “it ain’t over until it’s over. The Florida legislature wants to steal our precious bed tax. We all must persevere.”  

In my view, the true challenge faced by Mr. Davis and his cohorts at the CVB is how to overcome the complete lack of confidence that now permeates every data package coming out of our compromised hospitality apparatus at a time when the Daytona Beach Resort Area is struggling desperately for market relevance.   

Quote of the Week

“The Bunnell planning board on Tuesday approved the comprehensive plan change and rezoning of nearly 1,900 acres from agriculture to industrial, on land stretching from U.S. 1 to County Road 304. It is the single-largest rezoning of the kind in the city’s or county’s history and would reshape the character of both as surely as would the massive 8,000-home residential development proposed for west of the city.

Yet the planning board recommended approval on a pair of 3-1 votes without a single question, inquiry or comment.

The changes, which must be ratified by the city commission, are raising fears among neighboring residents that heavy industrial uses–like the fuel farm Palm Coast and Ormond Beach rejected–will be built there. The sudden proposal also has residents perplexed, and at times furious, over the breadth of the request and the speed of the process, with little vetting, no workshop, and limited public notice. 

Planning Board member Lynn Lafferty is one of the owners of the land. She recused herself from Tuesday’s votes but not the meeting, though her silence merely echoed that of her colleagues on the board. It was an inexplicable display of collective muteness, if not irresponsibility, raising questions about what board members know and are not saying.

–Editor Pierre Tristam, writing in FlaglerLive.com, “Without a Single Question, Bunnell Board Approves Rezoning of Nearly 1,900 Acres to Industrial, Outraging Residents,” Thursday, May 8, 2025

On Monday, to their credit, the Bunnell City Commission agreed to table further discussion of the rezoning request after residents turned out to protest a move that will fundamentally change their lives forever. 

If approved, the rezoning would amend the future land use map from “agriculture” to “agriculture community industrial” for around 459 acres, and change approximately 1,383 acres near US-1 and County Road 304 to “L-2, heavy industrial” – a rezoning many believe paves the way for the orphaned plan to put a 20-million-gallon petroleum terminal in the area…

According to an informative report by Spectrum News 13’s Devin Martin:

“We do not want a huge, big landfill coming in our backyard,” Lila Pontius, who lives 300 feet away from the proposed rezoning plan, said. “What is that going to do to our water? What is that going to do to the animals? It will change everything that we know of.”

In response, Bunnell officials said they would not move forward with the first reading of the proposal on May 28, tabling it for the time being.

Joe Parsons, community development director for city, reiterated, though, that there are currently no plans for a development on the land.

“The application in question is for rezoning only,” Parsons said. “There is no use that has been applied for or being proposed in conjunction with this application at this time.”

Bullshit. 

There’s a reason Planning board member Lafferty and her fellow property owners off 304 are seeking a rezoning to heavy industrial, and something tells me “Community Development” Director Joe Parsons knows that…   

This one bears watching, folks.    

And Another Thing!

A few years back, a smart friend of mine sent a clipping from the Tallahassee Democrat published in 1972, which contained the glaring warning “Halt Florida’s Chaotic Growth, Experts Plead.”

That chilling headline by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Mike Toner of the Miami Herald News Service, was followed by an eerily prophetic report explaining why “Florida’s growth is outstripping the efforts to plan properly for it, and, in some parts of the state, growth should stop until planning can catch up…”

In his article, Mr. Toner quoted the recommendation of two groups with competing interests – the American Institute of Architects and Florida Defenders of the Environment – who collaborated on a list of “temporary solutions,” which included:

“A halt to all major transportation programs, especially I-95 and I-75 in south Florida and I-10 in north Florida, while a comprehensive study of their environmental impact is made,” and “…a moratorium be placed on areas “of new and potential growth” where the growth is certain to affect natural resources…”

Wow.  Fifty-three years ago.

Now, the mere mention of the “M word” by a sitting elected official results in their personal and professional destruction.  A public humiliation orchestrated by the development community and executed tag-team style by their compromised “colleagues.”

A political castration that ensures they can never threaten the lucrative status quo again.

That conformity is why, when given the opportunity to do the right thing and demand mandatory development standards to protect our environment and mitigate flooding, they fold like the cheap tools they are…

In my view, there remains one fundamental democratic mechanism which, if exercised broadly, will allow waterlogged residents to prevail over the political insiders who seem intent on paving every square inch of our sensitive environment for personal enrichment:

It is the ultimate power of the ballot box.

With next year’s Volusia County Council contests beginning to take shape, some of our claustrophobic neighbors are beginning to announce their candidacy.  Fortunately, some good people have already announced they are ready to put it all on the line to affect positive change.

It appears an increasing number of “Fun Coast” residents are mad as hell, and aren’t going to take it anymore…

Earlier this week, some 80 protestors waving “Slow the Growth” and “No More Greed” signs appeared at the New Smyrna Beach City Commission meeting to oppose the massive Deering Park Innovation Center Planned Unit Development. 

Although commissioners Jason McGuirk, Valli Perrine, Brian Ashley and Mayor Fred Cleveland ignored the concerns of their constituents and voted to approve the PUD rezoning, Vice Mayor Lisa Martin voted against a project that will change the character and culture of the community in perpetuity.

Something tells me the “Deering Park Four” will ultimately pay a hefty political price for their acquiescence…

In truth, losing power and influence is the only thing that strikes fear in these self-serving shills on councils and commissions across the region who are actively shitting on our quality of life – wasting precious time with insulting diversions like incentivizing voluntary low-impact development practices – and approving additional development in the most flood prone county in Florida.

As rainclouds build on the horizon…     

That’s all for me.  Welcome to Rockville, y’all!

Hi, kids!

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

The City of Palm Coast – Lex Talionis…                         

Move over, Deltona.

There’s a new civic dumpster fire in the Metropolitan Statistical Area and it’s called the City of Palm Coast…

Embattled Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris – whose term was intentionally upended the exact second he called for a building moratorium in the face of astronomically expensive utility upgrades required to keep pace with current needs – filed an emergency lawsuit on Monday seeking the removal of quasi-Council member and developer shill Charles Gambaro.

Many in the community believe Gambaro is a plant, a useful tool with strategic alliances with former Mayor/Realtor David Alfin and other influential development interests outside City Hall.   

In his legal action, Norris requests the court declare the District 4 seat vacant and remove Gambaro from office, claiming his October 2024 appointment violated the city charter by failing to put the seat up for election last November.  

According to The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week, “Palm Coast District 4 Councilmember Cathy Heighter resigned in August, and the council appointed Gambaro 3-1 (with only four members on the panel at that point) to replace her Oct. 1. Those in favor were previous Mayor David Alfin, previous Vice Mayor Ed Danko and previous Councilman Nick Klufas. All three were voted out in November. Theresa Carli Pontieri, the only one to retain her seat after the election, supported Darryl Boyer.

According to Norris’ complaint, the city charter would have required Gambaro’s appointment to expire after the Nov. 5 election. It is Norris’ position that the city “has continued to allow Gambaro to occupy the seat beyond the term authorized by the charter.”

Interestingly, Norris is represented by Attorney Anthony Sabatini, the perennial politician who served two terms in the Florida Legislature and is currently a member of the Lake County Commission. 

It appears Mr. Sabatini is making a cottage industry of extricating “Fun Coast” mayors from sticky political wickets (a lucrative niche, always in high demand), having recently received nearly $11,000 from the citizens of Deltona to represent Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr. against allegations he violated the city’s travel policy…

Although Norris has long-held that Gambaro’s appointment was invalid, it appears this week’s filing is an eye-for-an-eye – retaliation for Gambaro’s recent attack from the dais asking the council to request Gov. Ron DeSantis remove Norris from office after the council commissioned an “independent investigation” into allegations brought by Gambaro.

A subsequent kangaroo kourt (which anointed Norris’s confrontational “colleagues” judge, jury, and executioner) found Mayor Norris guilty of asking senior staff members to resign.  In turn, Norris was sentenced in absentia to a vote of no-confidence, a public censure, and set to be referred to the Florida Commission on Ethics for reasons that have never been fully explained…

Adding to the shitstorm, during a special meeting last week to discuss the results of the investigation, onlookers were shocked when Mayor Norris dropped a veiled allegation he had been “offered a quid pro quo” by someone listed as a witness in the investigation in exchange for his favorable vote on the 2025 comprehensive plan.

Whoa.

If true, that’s something that should interest the state’s ethics apparatus – and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement…     

According to a report by Sierra Williams writing in the Palm Coast Observer last week:

“The investigation – performed by Adam Brandon of the third-party firm Lawson Huck Gonzales, PLLC – encompasses 13 witness statements, including one from Norris, and three from individuals outside the city: former councilman Ed Danko, Jeff Douglas of Douglas Property & Development and Paul Rice, director of Real Estate Development with Raydient.

Before the discussion of the investigation, Norris passed the gavel over to Pontieri and called for an emergency closed-door City Council meeting to happen 24 hours after the end of the May 1 meeting to discuss four of the witness statements in the investigation. Norris said he was offered a “quid pro quo” by one of the witnesses if he were to allow the 2025 comprehensive plan to pass as is written.”

Disturbing.

Amidst the tut-tutting and consternation of Mr. Norris’ “colleagues,” on Tuesday it was decided the mayor would pursue the matter with law enforcement, working his way from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to FDLE and beyond as necessary, including the option of filing an ethics complaint of his own.

According to a report in the Palm Coast Observer on Wednesday, the Palm Coast City Council also agreed to send the investigation into Mayor Norris’ actions “…violating the Palm Coast City Charter to the Florida Ethics Commission, but with the witness statements sworn under oath,” along with a cover letter ensuring everyone knows the council passed a vote of no confidence… 

Wait. The council’s “investigator” failed to obtain sworn statements from witnesses at the time of their interview?  Allowing “witnesses” to say whatever they want without penalty of perjury?     

Whatever.

Apparently, no one who should at Palm Coast City Hall understands the role and function of the Florida Commission on Ethics – and it has nothing to do with sorting HR complaints and charter violations…

During a February meeting, Mayor Norris said, “I move that we table this Comprehensive Plan to a date uncertain.  I know the plan, and I don’t think that our city is ready for what’s coming with this Comprehensive Plan.”

Then, in March, Norris dropped the “M” word – calling for an indefinite building moratorium – and that’s when developers, and their shills inside City Hall, began to circle the wagons…   

At the time, Mayor Norris warned, “We’re not going to keep building on something that we can’t sustain and putting it on the back of our residents. They don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve it. Nobody in this room deserves it. So either the developers are going to start doing industrial growth to bring in jobs, offset our tax base, or we’re going to stop doing houses altogether. When I propose it I will say to a date uncertain. Now, I know I’m going to get pushback– ‘we can’t stop building, we can’t stop building.’ Well, if we don’t stop building, we’re going to be broke, and we’re going to force lifetime residents of Florida, Flagler County, to flee their homes, because they cannot afford to live in this state anymore. Plain and simple. Like I said, we are at an inflection point, and we need to fix it.”

In the view of many, that represents the moment things went horribly sideways for Mayor Mike Norris and the 63% of now disenfranchised Palm Coast voters demanding stability at City Hall and protection from rampant overdevelopment.

Make no mistake, none of this melodramatic backstabbing has anything to do with progressing the City of Palm Coast, recruiting a competent city manager, finding solutions to the crushing ramifications of overdevelopment and insufficient infrastructure, or setting a strategic vision for responsible growth based on sustainability and sound public policy.

It is about retribution and sending a clear message.

In my view, this internecine warfare is what happens when internal and external forces conspire to retain the very lucrative status quo at a time when development interests are seeking an obscene and irresponsible “westward expansion” into thousands of acres west of U.S.1 – something Mayor Norris has vehemently opposed based upon his distrust of developers.

On Tuesday, the final approval of the comprehensive plan was approved 4-1 – with Mayor Norris casting the lone dissenting vote…

Volusia County School Board v. City of DeBary – The Bullying Begins

“Your aggressive, dogmatic message is reprehensible. You pretend to be protecting the interests of your constituents,” wrote attorney Ted Doran. “Your actions belie the true focus of your self-serving financial greed. When the school is built, and you have long since left your position with the city, you will be remembered for having been on the wrong side of history…. You speak of a broken trust. It is you who will have broken trust with the community.”

–Attorney Ted Doran, representing the Volusia County School Board, as quoted by reporter Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Schools lawyer accuses DeBary officials of ‘self-serving financial greed’ in school fight,” Tuesday, May 6, 2025

In my view, few things are more nauseating than when a massive taxing authority – one with an obscene budget now exceeding $1.6 billion annually – uses our money to pay a vicious mouthpiece to intimidate, bully, and harass a smaller municipality for trying desperately to determine its own destiny.  

Is this really how the Volusia County School Board treats other elected officials with a sworn and fiduciary responsibility to their constituents? 

In my view, there is a difference between an aggressive attorney employing legal maneuvers and interpreting the law in a manner favorable to their client – and the use of cheap thuggery, name-calling, and baseless accusations of public corruption against duly elected city officials as a means of steamrolling them.  

So much for well-intentioned negotiation and compromise, eh? 

According to Mr. Harper’s informative report, “In April, the School Board voted 4-1 to spend $8.4 million on two parcels totaling 25 acres at the intersection of Spring Vista Drive and South Shell Road.

DeBary City Manager Carmen Rosamonda sent the school district a cease-and-desist letter on April 28 and held a press conference a few days later to warn the district that the city will fight to stop any school from being built there.

Doran’s letter, obtained through a public-records request on May 5, challenges DeBary’s contention that a school at the Spring Vista site violates its comprehensive plan and the 2007 interlocal agreement between the school board, DeBary, Volusia County and 15 other municipalities.”

According to reports, Doran says the obstinate District intends “to proceed with the development of the property as a school.” 

What I found interesting is why Superintendent Balgobin and her lapdogs on the School Board unleashed Mr. Doran now, authorizing a scorched earth antagonistic diatribe that does nothing to foster trust or establish lines of communication. 

Instead, they almost force a protracted and incredibly expensive lawsuit that benefits who?

Oh, yeah….   

For the uninitiated, Doran was “swapped out” with Aaron Wolfe as the School Board’s front facing attorney in 2022 after board members expressed dissatisfaction with his performance during long overdue evaluations.

At the time it was reported “the swap was decided by the firm rather than the school board,” and Mr. Doran’s law firm still serves as the School Board’s contracted legal counsel.  

Interestingly, in a September 2022 News-Journal article announcing the Doran switcheroo, it was reported that now School Board Chair Jamie Haynes – the hell-bent-for-leather driving force behind constructing the school in her hometown of DeBary – was quoted:

“Jamie Haynes gave Doran the lowest score on the evaluation, a 2 out of 19, citing communication and professionalism issues.

“I have been put in situations where I was threatened and then received a text trying to skew what was said and turn it into a different type of statement. I’ve had a family member that was texted and asked to set up a meeting (between Doran and Haynes),” she said, which she believes was inappropriate.”

So, has Chair Haynes agreed to overlook Mr. Doran’s previous “professionalism issues”? 

Has she developed a newfound trust in his communication style – or is it a case where desperate times call for desperate measures – and she needs his brash style to ramrod her legacy project?

I find it equally interesting that in 2024, the school board purchased some 48-acres east of U.S. 17-92 across from the SunRail station in DeBary, reportedly paying nearly $5 million ostensibly to locate a school on the site. 

As I understand it (and I’m not sure I do), it was later determined that it would cost up to $20 million to “dewater” the site and prepare it for construction – which raises another disturbing question:  Did anyone bother to complete a due diligence investigation prior to the purchase – or is the Volusia County School Board getting us into the speculative real estate game? 

More important: Why? 

Especially at a time we were told the District is $25.8 million in the red due to declining enrollment.

Cui bono?

As usual, more questions than answers emerge from Superintendent Balgobin’s Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand.  But perhaps deflecting those annoying details explains why Mr. Doran is putting so much dust in the air so early in the fray? 

Your guess is as good as mine… 

Regardless, with a legal strategy of counteraccusations and character assassination now in play, it appears there is little left to talk about between the City of DeBary and Volusia County District Schools – a stalemate that could eventually prove far more expensive for taxpayers caught in the middle.

Quote of the Week

“First Step Shelter representatives came before the Ormond Beach City Commission on Tuesday asking to continue their partnership, worried that the city was on the cusp of pulling its support for the homeless shelter.

City officials side-eyed each other on the dais. They’d never discussed pulling funding from the shelter, they said.

“I will say that there is strong evidence that our board appointee has misspoke on my position regarding the First Step Shelter,” Commissioner Travis Sargent said. “I support the First Step Shelter. I think they do an amazing job. Yes, we may not utilize it like we could, but look at our neighboring municipalities and how they’re utilizing it, and those are less people coming into our communities.”

–Managing Editor Jarleene Almenas, writing in the Ormond Beach Observer, “Ormond Beach says support for First Step Shelter remains unchanged,” Wednesday, May 7, 2025

In February 2024, former Ormond Beach Mayor-turned-State Representative Bill Partington sought a workshop to discuss strategies and ordinances to address the burgeoning homeless issue in his community. 

At that time, Mr. Partington was quoted in the Observer, “The request for a workshop comes after the city has received various complaints about the rise of homelessness and panhandling in Ormond Beach.

“We’ve been a part of First Step (Shelter) for years, since the beginning, and I don’t feel like we’ve gotten the value out of it just because we haven’t utilized it as much as we could,” Partington said.”

When former Mayor Partington said the quiet part aloud, it resulted in a full-court press – an urgent meeting of the minds – a collaborative effort involving legal departments from DeLand to Ormond Beach as officials worked collaboratively to find solutions to persistent issues the beleaguered First Step Shelter wasn’t capable of addressing.

During a February meeting, Commissioner Travis Sargent asked Mayor Leslie, as Ormond Beach’s representative to the First Step’s government board, “As our representative on the (First Step) board, I would like to know what your thoughts are on regarding the city to continue funding this.  Is the city making good use of this facility, and also, if we’re not using, how can we better use this facility?”

Given the fact Ormond Beach taxpayers are funding First Step to the tune of $85,000 annually, I thought Mr. Sargent’s questions were on point.

Then, last month, during discussions surrounding an absurd Teflon agreement crafted to protect embattled First Step Executive Director Victoria Fahlberg – in the face of expanding lawsuits from whistleblowers whose serious allegations of mismanagement remain unanswered – Mayor Leslie  “…warned that his city commissioners have concerns about the number of homeless people in Ormond Beach, and that voting on Fahlberg’s contract now could jeopardize the roughly $85,000 Ormond Beach contributes to the shelter each year as well as the money other local governments contribute.”

Now it appears that Mr. Sargent and his colleagues are no longer concerned about the number of homeless people in their community, or the fact that Volusia County has similar concerns with First Step that has resulted in decreasing contributions over the next five-years? 

Or is it simply another opportunity for Mayor Leslie’s determined detractors on the dais to embarrass and marginalize him during a public meeting?

Per usual, when Mayor Leslie explains his direct observations and concerns, he’s lambasted by his fellow elected officials, accused of speaking for the group, and ostracized in front of First Step representatives – who spend more time trotting around explaining how wonderful they are than alleviating the “homeless problem” in Volusia County?

As a life-long resident of Ormond Beach, I can tell you that homeless people are now ubiquitous in this often-presumptuous community – seen daily on main thoroughfares and side streets, mainland and beachside, along both East and West Granada Boulevard – unfortunates who have apparently fallen through the cracks or fail to meet “referral” requirements for the First Step Shelter (whatever those are…)

On a personal note, a few weeks ago while visiting friends in a quiet and long-established Ormond Beach neighborhood, I was approached by a gentleman who lived in a wooded area near Central Park; his possessions in a bindle on his back, who was in desperate need of socks to protect his blistered feet. 

Fortunately, we were blessed to help him with a few pairs.

As I watched that man dressing his feet on the shoulder of a residential street in Ormond Beach, I thought how far we have to go to meet the needs of those less fortunate, and the fallacy of putting all our eggs in First Step’s leaky basket…

In Ormond Beach, as elsewhere, it is no longer about finding lasting solutions to civic, social, and economic issues – but establishing political dominance – a cheap power grab by established politicians to keep newcomer Jason Leslie under thumb and in his place.  

While allowing the deliberately suppressed issues at First Step to fester until the next debacle becomes known…   

And Another Thing!  

Last week, I had a great conversation with Clayton Park, the highly respected business editor of The Daytona Beach News-Journal.  In my view, Clayton is a genuinely nice guy, a wonderful musician, and a bright spot in local journalism. 

We discussed some encouraging (and long-awaited) ‘signs and wonders’ that may foretell a possible Halifax area “renaissance” in the form of some specialty grocery stores and a luxury auto dealership.

During our talk, the astute Mr. Park reminded me that in February I made a snarky remark in the News-Journal about a group of celebrities opening an extravagant “Five Star” hotel in Daytona Beach – a place where, for years, we were told didn’t have the “demographic” to support a Trader Joe’s – let alone a South Beach-style luxury resort.

You know, a swanky place where wealthy stars and global jetsetters can pay $1,132 a room night (after winging in on an Avelo flight from Wilmington…) to spend a few days playing Skee Ball at what the Daytona Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau describes as “…the iconic Daytona Beach Boardwalk! Your family will be able to spend hours upon hours at this entertainment hub, all accompanied by the ocean breeze…” 

Just days after my quote appeared in the News-Journal, I ended up with free range, pasture-raised, organic egg on my funny face when cryptic plans were unveiled that a Trader Joe’s is coming to the Tomoka Town Center off Boomtown Boulevard in Daytona Beach.   

Hey, when I’m wrong, I’m wrong.

Since this blogsite’s inception, I have explained it as one man’s jaded view on the issues of the day – a cynical look at the news and newsmakers through a bloodshot eye – neither always right nor always wrong.  An alternative to the pathological optimism of our civic “leaders” who tell us one thing while we see something completely different with our own eyes… 

Regardless, my goal has always been to stimulate a larger discussion of the issues we collectively face, often using hyperbole and a sick sense of humor to make a point – because I learn from those who disagree with me – and nothing is more enlightening (or humbling) than when I am proven wrong.

Since I have always lacked the good sense to look the other way, I knew the first time I published Barker’s View it wasn’t going to make me any friends among the Halifax areas “rich and powerful” or those malleable marionettes their campaign contributions help elect to high office.   

Who cares.

Given the deteriorating conditions in many parts of our region – the abject blight and dilapidation that gave rise to eye-opening exposés like the News-Journal’s “Tarnished Jewel” series – it seemed cruel to remain silent while the hopes of residents and small business owners were taken advantage of.  

From the “panacea” projects from Ormond Beach south we were assured would fundamentally change the DNA of a slightly down-at-the-heels resort area suffering from a lack of maintenance, vision, and investment – to the myriad “game changers” – a term so ubiquitous it became a sick joke, even among our most enthusiastic cheerleaders, as the constant “rah-rah-sis-boom-bah” left many in our community disillusioned when the promises didn’t materialize.

Something that became more infuriating when our hard-earned tax dollars were used to underwrite the for-profit projects of our uber-wealthy insiders with a chip in the game…

Remember?  I do.

Extravagant gifts like the collective $40 million in “grants” and tax incentives we gave to One Daytona (where shoppers continue to pay a privately imposed “amenity fee” on all purchases), the $4.5 million granted to Tanger Outlets, the $4.5 million Tomoka Town Center received in “government funding,” the millions in tax credits, infrastructure, and incentives taxpayers gifted to Brown & Brown to build their headquarters on Beach Street (billed as a “gamechanger on steroids” that would also “help the beachside.”)

Or the $2.5 million in incentives offered to Amazon (the largest e-commerce retailer in the known universe) to locate a robotic fulfillment center at the very attractive nexus of I-95 and I-4, the millions in tax credits and $500,000 in incentives for an untested European aircraft manufacturer, the “quarterly revenue guarantees” for start-up airlines, $7.5 million in tax breaks for a new apartment complex, etc., etc., etc.   

Unfortunately, I rarely speak to the owner of an established local mom-and-pop – one that helps form the backbone of an economy historically marked by the same five people passing the same nickel around – that has received a cash infusion from public coffers…   

Over time, failing to acknowledge the challenges we face in Volusia County while constantly “polishing the turd” has resulted in trust issues. 

An uneasy sense we have been lied to by those we elected and appointed to represent our interests – and taken advantage of when local governments use our own tax dollars to pick winners and losers – by skewing the playing field.

In my view, cynicism is the unacknowledged consequence of the strategic decision to craft an overly optimistic narrative and embellish the impacts of the latest corporate welfare scheme that ultimately leaves We, The Little People groaning an apathetic “We’ve heard it all before…”   

Look, I grew up in the Halifax area, raised a family here, and spent my entire productive life serving with a local municipal government.  Now I have three beautiful grandchildren who I sincerely hope will be able to make a happy, healthy, and productive life here on Florida’s “Fun Coast.”

No one wants our area to succeed more than I do.

I think that’s the way it’s supposed to work – leaving things better than we found them for those who come after. 

In my view, that means protecting our sensitive environment, preserving our water quality and quantity, planning for growth, reducing the impacts of development, stimulating true economic development by getting government out of the marketplace, asking government to live within its means, while focusing on adequate and safe infrastructure for existing and future residents. 

Those results don’t come from toxic positivity alone.

It takes a holistic and collaborative process where all stakeholders have substantive input (not just influential insiders with a chip in the game), where challenges are addressed in an open and honest way, and a civic vision can emerge that doesn’t rely on grandiose fabrications resulting in unrealized promises…

That’s all for me.  Happy Mother’s Day, y’all!

Hi, kids!

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

Volusia County School Board – Remain Silent, or Else… 

On April 8, Volusia County District Schools chief bean counter Todd Seis issued a dire warning to board members explaining the district is facing a $25.8 million budget deficit due, in part, to declining enrollment that has resulted in a reduction in state funding for traditional brick-and-mortar schools.

An initial report in the Ormond Beach Observer painted a grim picture:

“The school district has an operating budget of $588.1 million, but its revenues total $562.30. Without an increase in funding, or a decrease in its operating cost, the district will have to dip into its fund balance — its available reserves — of which it has $28M currently unassigned. School districts are mandated by the state to keep 5% of its budget in reserves.  

But these reserves would only cover a little over half-a-month’s worth of reoccurring expenses, Seis said. And if the district depletes its reserves below that number, the state would takeover the school district’s operation.”

The desperate suggestions for keeping the district afloat included “reducing staffing ratios,” the “consolidation” of schools, and hoping-against-hope district “experts” can find innovative ways to increase enrollment.  

During the meeting, School Board Chair Jamie Haynes went into one of her trademark monotone drones, mewling about the rigidity of state funding and claiming that most people “fail to realize” those funds are also apportioned to private and charter schools, homeschooling programs, and scholarships.

“A lot of it is categorized and we can’t move it from one category to another category, but we are supposed to be supportive of the superintendent, our chief financial officer and support them and make the decisions needed to run a financially, fiscally responsible school district where our children receive the best education that they can receive, and that means we’re going to have to take the stand to make some very tough decisions…”

Then, Board Member Krista Goodrich raised the shocking specter of “consolidating” schools. 

While Ms. Goodrich stopped short of putting individual campuses on the chopping block, the fear of the unknown left stakeholders speculating if their lives, careers, and education would be upended by “consolidation.”    

For the uninitiated, Ormond Beach residents are all too familiar with school “consolidation.” 

There, many families and city officials are still reeling from the stonewalling, lack of transparency, and baldfaced bait-and-switch they experienced from the Balgobin administration during the ham-handed merger of historic Osceola Elementary – the community’s only beachside school – with Ortona Elementary in Daytona Beach.

When the district’s three-card monte flim-flam was over, Riverview Learning Center – an alternative school for students with intense emotional and behavioral needs – now occupies the former Osceola campus…

As a result, we learned two things the hard way: “Consolidation” means one of the schools goes away and it never comes back – and Superintendent Carmen Balgobin and her senior coterie cannot be trusted.   

So, given the gravity of the current situation as presented by senior district officials, one would expect school board members to act proactively, ask tough questions, gain a street-level perspective, spend time with teachers, administrators, and stakeholders, calm fears, gather questions, and be prepared to provide substantive input during a fiscal crisis, right? 

Not in Superintendent Balgobin’s hierarchical superior-subordinate relationship she uses to effectively control the Volusia County School Board.   

In Volusia County, proactive engagement by a duly elected official is considered insubordination to Balgobin’s supreme authority over those malleable milquetoasts on the board that taxpayers have elected to look after our interests. 

In fact, in an environment dominated by pathological optimism – where conformism and control are omnipotent – acting independently or demonstrating initiative is considered “irresponsible behavior,” especially when a board member’s input isn’t “presented through proper channels,” or cleared in advance by district administrators…  

Any act of independence or creativity is considered an inexcusable breach that earns the offender a condescending lecture from Superintendent Balgobin and her elected toadies as they seek to regulate the flow of information while feigning transparency.   

When Board Member Donna Brosemer mentioned that a district employee told her Ormond Beach Elementary was being considered for closure – a revelation that prompted Ms. Brosemer to collaborate with school officials to find ways to make OBE more attractive to potential students – she was discredited as a liar and marginalized as “irresponsible.”   

Last week, to ensure no more “misinformation” leaks from district employees, Ms. Goodrich returned to the issue and announced that Brosmer’s “alarming claims” were not “rooted in fact,” before issuing a chilling warning to anyone who would dare break the district’s Code of Omertà:

“Let me be clear, I believe that any staff member that is deliberately spreading misinformation to board members needs to be held accountable, whether that means discipline, reassignment or termination,” Goodrich said. “There’s simply no place for that behavior in our district. It’s an unacceptable waste of taxpayer dollars and time to have this community chasing down conspiracy theories and fake news.”

Wow.   

Now that Ms. Goodrich has anointed herself the Grand Arbiter of Truth on the Volusia County School Board – district employees have a right to feel threatened – and you can bet your bippy it will be a chilly day in hell before anyone in Balgobin’s sphere of influence speaks freely again… 

Hope Florida Scandal – Floridian’s Deserve Better  

“We don’t have all the facts yet,” (Florida House Speaker Danny) Perez said. “At this point, all options are still on the table with Hope Florida. We have not closed the door on that. I think there is still more information to find out.”

To be very clear: The House has not done enough yet.

Sure, if the goal here was simply to slime DeSantis and his inner circle — and maybe muddy up Uthmeier’s bid for re-election or a long-rumored Casey DeSantis campaign for governor — then mission accomplished, I guess.

But if this was a sincere attempt to find answers on behalf of Florida taxpayers — and demand accountability from people entrusted with positions of great power who abuse their offices — then there is still a lot of work left to do.”

–Journalist Jason Garcia, as excerpted from his essay in Seeking Rents, “The attorney general has some explaining to do. Will anyone make him?” Sunday, April 27, 2025

What a difference a week makes, eh?  

Only in the Sunshine State can senior legislators announce to residents that our Attorney General is a criminal fraudster and money launderer who secretly funneled $10 million through a circuitous maze to fund Gov. Ron DeSantis’ war to defeat a citizen-led ballot initiative – while systematically destroying any hope First Lady Casey DeSantis may have had of succeeding her husband as governor – then shutdown the investigation seemingly overnight without explanation or logical conclusion…

According to reports, Rep. Alex Andrade, chair of the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee investigating these serious allegations, announced last week they were taking their football and going home after the Hope Florida Foundation’s lawyer, Jeff Aaron, and leaders of two nonprofits that received separate $5 million “grants” from the foundation defiantly refused to testify before the panel.

“While I’m firmly convinced that James Uthmeier and Jeff Aaron engaged in a conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud, and that several parties played a role in the misuse of $10 million in Medicaid funds, we as legislators will not be the ones making the ultimate charging decisions.  “I believe our work on this topic in this capacity as a subcommittee will be concluded,” Andrade said last week.

You read that right. 

No subpoenas.  No saber rattling.  Just, “Welp, okay.  Guess that’s it folks…”

Then, in an uber-weird twist, State Attorney Jack Campbell, a Democrat with responsibility for prosecuting crimes in Tallahassee’s Leon County, played the blind umpire routine this week, claiming he isn’t investigating the burgeoning controversy surrounding a suspected “conspiracy” involving the misuse of public funds that implicates the most powerful offices in the state capital.   

Really?

In a report published in the Tallahassee Democrat last week, Mr. Campbell explained, “As for (an) investigation, the only source of information I have received is from members of the press,” Campbell added. “The Florida Legislature has many good lawyers including some former prosecutors. I am sure they would refer any evidence of crimes to me if they found them.”

So, I guess that leaves anxious Floridians – who are rightfully concerned that our chief law enforcement officer and others may have engaged in a criminal conspiracy – to hope that the FBI and United States Department of Justice will pick up the mantle and rightfully investigate potential public corruption at the highest levels of Florida government?

Unfortunately, it was also reported last week that a “…spokesperson for federal prosecutors in Tallahassee was equally noncommittal.”

Yeah.  I know.  It doesn’t instill trust when senior state legislators dump a steaming pile of shit in the middle of South Monroe Street, wallow around in it on the frontpage of every news outlet in the state, then fold up the tent and go home with the stench still lingering in the humid air…       

Is this an intra-party contretemps gone horribly awry? 

A politically motivated witch hunt, fueled by defamatory allegations ginned up to smear the DeSantis’ and Attorney General James Uthmeier to prepare the battlefield for next year’s gubernatorial race? 

Or are things truly as filthy as they appear? 

In my view, this half-assed hybrid investigation/political smear campaign by a House subcommittee may well have exposed criminal acts committed at the highest levels of Florida government, to include the misuse of public funds for political purposes.   

If so, our elected and appointed officials in state and federal government have an ethical, moral, and fiduciary obligation to leave no stone unturned, lance the boil of public corruption, and allow the disinfecting light of day to shine in Tallahassee. 

Given the grave allegations brought by senior legislators – accusations that have cast doubt on the credibility of Florida’s Governor and Attorney General – in the absence of a thorough investigation both the Florida House and Senate are now in danger of losing their last shreds of integrity and believability. 

It’s that serious.    

Floridians deserve to know the truth.  We deserve better…  

Quote of the Week

“Paul Trombino, one of the last two finalists for the Palm Coast city manager job, withdrew his candidacy this morning, less than 24 hours after the Palm Coast City Council made clear in a series of split votes that he doesn’t have the council’s full confidence or enthusiasm. That leaves one man standing: Richard Hough. The council did not feel any differently about him. Three other finalists had dropped out before they were interviewed.

“I can confirm that Paul dropped out,” Brittany Kershaw, the city’s communications director, said in late morning today. Doug Thomas of SGR, the recruiting firm a previous city council hired to lead the search for a city manager, “talked to Lauren and Renina this morning and let them know that Mr. Trombino had removed himself from consideration.” Lauren Johnston is the acting city manager. Renina Fuller is the director of human resources.”

–Editor Pierre Tristam, FlaglerLive.com, as excerpted from “Yet Another City Manager Candidate Drops Out After Palm Coast Council’s Debacle, Leaving Last One Standing in Uncertainty,” Wednesday, April 30, 2025

And then there was one…

On Wednesday, the horribly dysfunctional Palm Coast City Council learned that another city manager finalist ran like a scalded dog following a series of clumsy votes the day before that made it clear neither of the two remaining finalists have the confidence of council members.

Tragic. Like watching a train wreck, over-and-over-and-over again.

According to reports, later today, the council will meet again – not to discuss the languishing manager search, which remains the most pressing issue facing their anxious community – but to hear the verdict in the outside investigation of Mayor Mike Norris. 

Last week, Mayor Norris was sentenced in absentia to a vote of no confidence, public censure, and a referral to the Florida Commission on Ethics (?), after an external inquiry found him guilty of pushing the limits of his role while seeking fundamental change in a terribly broken city government.

This afternoon, the Palm Coast City Council will have an opportunity to publicly humiliate Norris a second time, reinforcing to everyone watching why all but one clearly masochistic candidate for the city manager position has fled the building…  

Unfortunately, the City of Palm Coast continues to reap the whirlwind of petty politics – the raging tumult and suspicion that naturally results when personal agendas, outside influence, and insatiable greed prevail over community stewardship.  

The beleaguered community is now faced with an inescapable dilemma, one compounded by a fractured elected/appointed City Council, a weak interim manager who is looking more like a viable option all the time, and an ineffective senior staff in desperate need of strong leadership.

In my view, the Palm Coast City Council have no one to blame but themselves, and their behind-the-scenes handlers with a profit motive who continue to fan the flames of chaos…

And Another Thing!

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

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

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

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

–Boss Mori Hosseini, chairman and CEO of ICI Homes, as quoted by reporter Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “How David beat Goliath: Spruce Creek conservationists block I-95 interchange – for now,” February 7, 2024  

Per usual, our “High Panjandrum of Political Power” Mori Hosseini was right and environmental activists seeking to protect the sensitive waters of the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve were wrong.

I never doubted him for a minute…

This week, a panel of judges from the Fifth District Court of Appeal ruled without uttering a peep beyond “Per curiam. Affirmed” (which, I think, is Latin for “Nice try, rubes”) permitting the Florida Department of Transportation to proceed with the controversial ecological disaster-in-the-making at I-95 and Pioneer Trail.

Look, I’m not a soothsayer.  Just another experiential learner who has touched too many hot stoves – but it was clear from the beginning that Mr. Hosseini would not be denied…

In 2022, Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower publicly called for an investigation into the Florida Department of Transportation’s decision to ignore serious environmental concerns surrounding the interchange and its interface with a protected waterway.

His efforts were immediately ridiculed by his “colleagues” on the Volusia County Council and wholly ignored in Tallahassee.    

Then, in October 2023, a small group of intrepid environmentalists and concerned residents – armed with the facts – valiantly defended the sensitive Spruce Creek watershed from the threat of the proposed interchange by challenging a contentious stormwater permit issued by the oxymoronic St. Johns River Water Management District.

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

Despite all odds, area environmentalists Bryon White, Derek LaMontagne, and a handful of local witnesses – which included biologist and Stetson University Professor Wendy Anderson, Professor Hyun Jung Cho of Bethune-Cookman University, and Chairman Brower – presented a commonsense argument challenging the public benefit of the stormwater permit.

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

After considering the evidence, an administrative law judge ruled that the SJRWMD’s stormwater permit should be revoked and determined its issuance was “not in the public interest.”

Of course, those who make the rules around here disagreed, the decision was appealed, and now we know ‘the rest of the story…’

For his efforts to oppose the interchange, Chairman Brower was publicly gibbetted – branded a liar, his motives questioned, and his work to protect our environment labeled a “political stunt” – during a sustained tag team mauling by Volusia’s Old Guard.   

The faux indignation was comical to watch as those marionettes on the dais danced feverishly to distance themselves from Brower’s opposition and ingratiate themselves with Mr. Hosseini – but many of their constituents saw it for what it was – one more example of the pernicious influence of “Big Money” donors on public policy here in the Kingdom of the Damned…

In my view, “Fun Coast” residents come by these jaded suspicions honestly, especially in an era where all the right last names legally stuff hundreds of thousands of dollars into the war chests of hand select candidates each election cycle, then wait for these lucrative “coincidences” happen.

Like when funding for a $92 million interchange gets moved to the top of a very long list, while truly dangerous roadways – like that two-lane Monument to Mediocrity that is the Tomoka River bridge on LPGA Boulevard – continue to languish on the books…   

Perhaps our ‘powers that be’ should understand these expedited solutions – things that never happen when we demand answers to widespread flooding and quality of life issues associated with overdevelopment – are why the perception of favoritism persists here on Florida’s “Fun Coast.”  

In 2018, I penned a blog on the topic entitled “The Faustian Bargain,” my rambling take on the disturbing corollary between Volusia County politics and the legendary bluesman, Robert Johnson, who grew up dirt poor in the hardscrabble Mississippi Delta.  

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

It’s a tale as old as time, really.

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

Unfortunately, it appears folklore has become reality…

For years, I have wrestled with the ethical questions surrounding Florida’s normalization of transactional politics – asking myself which side of this strategic assignation is more culpable – the “John” or the prostitute? 

Now, it appears those considerations no longer matter here in the Biggest Whorehouse in the World…

As a result, many believe these massive campaign contributions represent a legal return on investment in a system that permits a privileged few to obtain direct access to the public teat in the form of preferential tax breaks, “corporate welfare,” infrastructure beneficial to for-profit projects, and even direct subsidies for their private endeavors.

It’s easy to point fingers, but that’s not Mr. Hosseini’s fault. 

If that’s the way the ‘system’ functions, he would be a fool not to use it to his advantage.

And Mori Hosseini is nobody’s fool…

In fact, I consider him a true American success story.  An example of what this country offers for those willing to chase a dream, work hard, and persevere; and he has repeatedly denied receiving favoritism from Gov. Ron DeSantis – or anyone else.

In a 2023 article in the News-Journal, Mr. Hosseini said, “I have never, ever in my life gone to any governor and asked for anything. Not a governor, not a speaker of the house, not a Senate president, nothing about me. Nothing about my projects.”

Maybe not. Perhaps my jaded perspective has been skewed by repetitive “coincidences” that always seem to favor those with a chip in the game…

In politics, perception is reality, and in my view, so long as our campaign finance system allows for it, these incredibly influential individuals who drive public policy in Volusia County and beyond will continue to provide a financial advantage to those candidates willing to return the favor by placing the “donor class” at the nexus of public funds and private interests.

Call it ‘business as usual,’ but many are beginning to despise the stench of insider access in a pay-to-play environment that undermines the foundational principles of our democracy because it is patently unfair and detrimental to the future of our state.   

I don’t make the rules.  Neither do you. 

But those who do understand which side their bread is buttered on, and their strategic stalling on solutions to overdevelopment and approving environmental atrocities like what is about to befall the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve, will continue until a majority of voters decide they’ve had enough.

Perhaps then we will begin electing honorable servant-leaders who understand that political power originates with the will of We, The Little People – not the almighty dollar – and return a sense of fairness and equality to the playing field…   

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 news and newsmakers of the day who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life or detracted from it in some significant way…

It’s been an eventful week…

The Volusia County School Board – who recently announced they are $25.8 million in the hole due to declining enrollment – mysteriously brushed aside the adamant objections (and legal threats) of the City of DeBary and voted 4-1 to spend $8.4 million to purchase property for a new school in that community, because, “It’s about the kids,” and all…

School Board member Donna Brosemer rightfully voted against the measure in keeping with the city’s wish to determine its own future – and to avoid a protracted lawsuit as DeBary fights to protect its comprehensive plan.

Meanwhile, Jeep enthusiasts were allowed to park and drive along a long-closed section of beach behind the Hard Rock this week as part of Jeep Beach 2025 festivities – yet the rest of us rubes are being told it will literally take an act of Congress to return the tradition between Auditorium Boulevard and International Speedway Boulevard?

Why is that? 

Let’s revisit some of the other issues that continue to simmer here on Florida’s fabled “Fun Coast” and beyond:

Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris – “Sentence First, Verdict Afterward!”

“As the camel falls to its knees, more knives are drawn…”

–Old Bedouin Proverb

I don’t know Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris, but I know a precious few like him.

Those who didn’t conform, or refused to kowtow to influential insiders, and quickly found themselves on the outside.  The outcasts who couldn’t be pounded into the round hole of lockstep compliance and were cut adrift, marginalized, and ultimately burned at the stake for their independence.

Watching the life altering personal and political destruction of those who enter politics to serve their constituents rather than toe the line is almost a pastime around these parts…  

So, here on the fetid ash heap of history lies the smoldering political remains of Mayor Mike Norris.

A maverick with poor “people skills” and sharp elbows who dared challenge the ossified status quo, struggled to release his community from the mercenary grip of developers, and tried desperately to hold entrenched bureaucrats inside City Hall accountable.

For the sin of refusing to go along and get along, those malleable marionettes on the dais of power crushed Norris and all he stood for.

Let that be a hard lesson to any elected official here on Florida’s “Fun Coast” who dares to mention a “development moratorium,” or derail the out-of-control freight train of greed-crazed overdevelopment that is destroying our environment, infrastructure capacity, and our collective quality of life.

Last month, within days of Mayor Norris’ proposal to pause approvals for new residential development in the face of astronomically expensive utility upgrades to meet current needs, the appointed City Council member Charles Gambaro (a developers shill who hasn’t been elected to anything) along with others working in clear concert began the process of publicly castrating Mr. Norris.

Based on a complaint by Gambaro that accused Norris of unilaterally asking for the resignation of Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston and Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo – bolstered by allegations from delicate flowers inside City Hall who began blubbering about Norris’ coarse language – the Council commissioned an independent “investigation” by an outside law firm.

On Monday, the Palm Coast City Council received the damning “investigative report” – and before any semblance of due process – the following day, with Mayor Norris absent, Gambaro sensed blood in the water and initially moved to ask Governor Ron DeSantis to reverse the will of Palm Coast voters and remove Norris from office. 

In turn, another unelected appointee, Councilman David Sullivan, tapped the brakes and instead suggested the council forward a complaint to the Florida Commission on Ethics.  

According to a report in FlaglerLive!, during the meeting Mr. Norris’ colleagues “…each spoke in turn with that strange mixture of eloquence and disgust, and with the occasional lapse, almost inevitable in those circumstances, into defensive self-righteousness. They rejected public suggestions – by Norris or by his supporters – that he alone has advocated for residents, or that he alone had raised alarms about development or developers.

They repeatedly described Norris as acting in his own self-interest and against the interests of the city, though as that last segment of their meeting lengthened, it risked turning into a public flogging in absentia.”

Interesting…

Ultimately, the council took a vote of no-confidence, issued a public censure, and agreed to refer Norris to the Commission on Ethics.

For clarification, the Commission on Ethics is charged with investigating and administrating complaints of unlawful compensation, the solicitation or acceptance of “gifts,” financial reporting requirements, and the misuse of public office that would secure a special privilege, benefit, or exemption for the elected/appointed official or others.

To my knowledge, Norris hasn’t been accused of any of those things.

So, I’m not sure why Gambaro and his bloodthirsty cronies want the Ethics Commission to pause efforts to ferret out corruption in Florida government (a full-time job which should have them working in shifts) so they can sort through Palm Coast HR complaints? 

Since when did the “Mean man talk ugly to me” indiscretion become a matter for the Florida Commission on Ethics?

Whatever.

To lend an air of legitimacy to this ridiculous Kangaroo Kourt, Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri (clearly thinking strategically) cautioned that the call to remove Norris should probably wait until the attorney who conducted the “investigation” (which appears to consist of little more than a series of written memos from hypersensitive senior bureaucrats) can formally present his findings in a public forum.  

“My hesitancy with doing it now, prior to the investigator coming forth and presenting the findings is he’s also supposed to present recommendations of how we move forward,” Pontieri said.

But, like any good mob beatdown, it appears they couldn’t wait to put the boots to Norris and appease their fawning overseers snickering from the sidelines…   

According to a report in the Ormond Beach Observer, “When a resident also mentioned that the discussion shouldn’t be had until Norris was present, (Councilman Ty) Miller said Norris chose not to attend the meeting.

“His job is to be here, and he chose not to. That says all that needs to be said. He could be here, rebutting this, talking about it. He’s not.”

I guess it’s no fun when the piñata refuses to participate, eh?

Maybe Mayor Norris is a curmudgeonly asshole who needs a lesson in office diplomacy, personal deportment, and an admonition to demonstrate courtesy when dealing with staff; or perhaps he comes from a place where treating well-compensated senior bureaucrats with kid gloves wasn’t a prized trait.

Or maybe he lacks basic social skills and needs a Dale Carnegie course (I have some of those same qualities myself…) 

Regardless, I’m not sure the clumsy fuming of an overzealous newly elected mayor pushing the limits of his role while seeking fundamental change in a historically dysfunctional government is grounds to disenfranchise the majority of Palm Coast voters. 

In my view, the disturbing fact this butchery began within days of Norris calling for a building moratorium – a controversial move which drew vehement resistance from nervous developers and their shills inside City Hall – is a weird “coincidence” ripe for independent investigation.

When pompous politicians become judge, jury, and executioner – publicly decapitating their political foes and destroying anyone who stands against the very lucrative status quo – We, The Little People get a frightening glimpse at the lengths our malleable elected officials will go to remove impediments for their political benefactors.   

Unfortunately, Palm Coast residents are now forced to endure this latest theater of the absurd while progress on the pressing issues of overdevelopment, overwhelmed infrastructure, and the crushing debt that has resulted takes a backseat to this crude attack on our foundational democratic principles and the basic concept of fairness.

First Step Shelter – Who Protects Volusia County Taxpayers?

Earlier this month, the governing board of the First Step Shelter voted 4-2 to ignore expanding lawsuits and disregard still unanswered allegations of fraud, fiduciary malfeasance, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation to provide a protective Teflon coating for beleaguered Executive Director Victoria Fahlberg. 

For many watchers, the timing seemed odd – and cast further doubt on who the board exists to protect – amid mounting questions regarding the form, function, and leadership of the enigmatic program.

Earlier this month, The Daytona Beach News-Journal gained access to the personnel files of whistleblowers – former employees who have, in my view, been the subject of a well-choreographed campaign to besmirch their character and reputation as an example of what happens when one speaks ill of the Queen.

According to reports, the files contained “notes” from Director Fahlberg that painted one whistleblower as disrespectful, insubordinate, and “hostile,” another as a pilferer who was criminally charged with stealing food from the shelter. It appeared the life altering criminal complaint was a cruel strongarm tactic used by Fahlberg to get the lawsuit dropped. 

Although the whistleblower was later acquitted following a jury trial, the damage was done, compounded by the smears and marginalization brought by board members during public discussion of the allegations.  

In my view, you don’t need an advanced degree in personnel management to understand how terribly mishandled this ugly internal tumult has become, allowing a series of bush league mistakes, gaslighting, and inexplicable personal attacks by bullying board members to result in expensive litigation against both First Step and the City of Daytona Beach. 

Rather than say enough-is-enough, instead the First Step board used the clearly conflicted Daytona Beach city attorney Ben Gross to negotiate a shield for Director Fahlberg which, among other protections, ensures a lump sum severance payment equal to 20 weeks of salary if she is terminated “without cause,” and indemnification against “…any tort, professional liability claim or demand or other legal action, whether groundless or otherwise,” arising from the performance of her duties, and the ability to request independent legal representation at the shelter’s expense.

To their credit, Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry and Ormond Beach Mayor Jason Leslie voted against the horribly ill-timed agreement. 

Last year, Mayor Henry expressed concern about the deteriorating situation at First Step, saying “There are things at the shelter that rise to a deep level of concern.  The situation we’re in is because of leadership.”

He’s right.

Before the vote, Mayor Leslie suggested tabling Fahlberg’s contract until October when budgets are set, claiming the measure could jeopardize the City of Ormond Beach’s continuing support – which amounts to $85,000 annually – and that of other concerned municipalities.

“I can’t stress this enough: I think we’re on thin ice.  We could be in jeopardy of losing tens of thousands of dollars,” Leslie said.

The valid concerns of Henry and Leslie come on the heels of funding reductions by the Volusia County Council, who, in January, agreed to a decreasing contribution plan in which First Step will receive $400,000 this year, $300,000 next year, and then $200,000 for the last three years of the agreement.

At the time, Chairman Jeff Brower said, “I don’t think we should just ignore the whistleblowers.  There’s whistleblower laws for a reason, and I think there’s serious issues that are brought forward, and I think they need to be dealt with.”

In my view, it is time for the Daytona Beach City Commission – who has fiscal (and political) liability for the debacle at First Step – to listen to the concerns of Mayor Henry and take action to bring new and innovative blood to the governing board and salvage the remaining support of stakeholders and donors before the next embarrassing (and expensive) gaff…

Animal Activist and Hometown Hero Debbie Darino

Kudos to the intrepid Debbie Darino for her tireless efforts to end animal abuse and hold those who commit these heinous acts accountable to the fullest extent of the law. 

Thanks to her excellent work, in 2018 the state legislature passed “Ponce’s Law,” which provides harsher penalties for those convicted of animal cruelty and gives judges the authority to order the abusers have no further contact with animals. In addition, Debbie led efforts to establish an animal abuse registry in Volusia County and is currently working on new laws that would form a statewide database.

Locally, Ms. Darino serves as founder and president of the Ponce Animal Foundation, a non-profit animal advocacy which helps pet owners cover veterinary costs, and aids with pets of domestic violence victims and those affected by natural disasters. 

Recently, Ms. Darino was rightfully honored for her work by Gov. Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis during the 2025 Florida Heros recognition event in Tallahassee.   

Congratulations to Debbie Darino for assisting pets in need, and for her bold efforts to hold accountable and enhance penalties for those monsters who abuse innocent animals.   

For information on how you can help, please visit https://theponceanimalfoundation.org/

Quote of the Week

“Avelo Airlines is scrapping its twice-weekly nonstop flights at Daytona Beach International Airport to two destinations, including one route just launched at the beginning of this month.

The self-described ultra low-cost carrier will end its Thursday and Sunday service to and from Concord, North Carolina, after its last incoming and outgoing flights on Thursday, April 24.

Also slated for cancelation is Avelo’s Friday and Monday service to Hartford, Connecticut. The last incoming and outgoing flights at Daytona Beach airport will be on Monday, April 28.

“It’s always disappointing when an airline decides to change or discontinue some of its routes… but in this case we are not actually losing service to (those) specific markets,” said Joanne Magley, the director of air service, marketing and customer experience at the Volusia County-run Daytona Beach airport.

Magley noted that Breeze Airways, another ultra low-cost carrier, offers twice-weekly nonstop flights to Hartford, while Avelo still offers twice-weekly nonstop flights to nearby New Haven, Connecticut, which is a half-hour drive away.”

–Business Editor Clayton Park, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, as excerpted from his report, “Avelo cuts flights to these cities from Daytona International. Here’s why,” Monday, April 21, 2025

(By Tuesday, Avelo threw us a bone and announced they will be returning twice-weekly “seasonal” service to Wilmington, Delaware on May 22…)  

Two years ago, leery Volusia County taxpayers watched as the majority of the Volusia County Council once again ignored the lessons of history, threw caution to the wind, and entered another unequal “partnership,” this time with the then unknown “ultra-low-cost air carrier,” Avelo Airlines.

To their credit, Councilmen Danny Robins and Don Dempsey voted against making another bad bet, while At-Large Councilman Jake Johansson had something better to do that day and was absent from the meeting altogether…  

It was another example of how elected officials can be sold a pig in a poke – asked to appropriate our hard-earned tax dollars to support some enigmatic private entity, one cloaked in secrecy until the corporate welfare demand is approved.

Then, some “economic development” shill theatrically sweeps back the velvet curtain for the ‘Grand Reveal’ – in this case, a small airline who initially agreed to serve one “premiere destination:”

New Haven… 

In exchange, Volusia County officials agreed to shove $1 million into a brown paper bag with Avelo’s name on it as a “minimum revenue guarantee” – an asinine taxpayer funded bailout should the carrier fail to meet quarterly estimates – and waived landing, terminal, and ground-handling fees for the first two years, something we were told is a standard spiff for all new airlines willing to try their luck at DAB.

In its first three months of operation, Avelo used $226,000 in county guarantees to cover revenue shortfalls…  

What?  Nobody at Volusia County government offered to cover the monthly nut for your small business that employs residents and forms the backbone of our local economy? 

Hard cheese, rube.  Just pay your taxes and keep your piehole shut…  

For reasons known only to our elected dullards, the majority of our self-described “small government/fiscal conservatives” on the Volusia County Council convinced themselves that – despite our painful experience with JetBlue, Silver Airways, Sunwing, etc. – repeatedly risking public funds to cover the operating and start-up costs of an unproven airline with just 24-months experience in a highly competitive industry was fiscally responsible.

That’s why this unwelcome reduction in routes shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone…

By any metric, it is patently unfair when government insinuates itself into the marketplace – picking winners and losers (or, in the case of enticing airlines to DAB, repeatedly pissing away good money after bad), voting in the blind, ensuring ludicrous minimum revenue guarantees, building private infrastructure, gifting tax breaks, purchasing property for commercial enterprises, and lavishing public funds on private for-profit entities.   

In my view, this latest predictable failure should be engraved on the walls of the Volusia County Council chambers in DeLand as a lasting reminder of the risks inherent to corporate welfare schemes and those lopsided “public/private partnerships” grifts, which ultimately leave taxpayers holding the empty bag…  

And Another Thing!

“The Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald reported that the DeSantis administration — without seeking permission from legislators — directed $10 million in money from a Medicaid legal settlement to the Hope Florida Foundation. Then that Foundation gave $10 million to political committees controlled by (Florida Attorney General James) Uthmeier and the Florida Chamber of Commerce that were fighting the marijuana amendment DeSantis vowed to defeat last year.

Let’s be clear: Under no circumstance would it be appropriate for public money to be spent on political campaigns. But now GOP legislators are saying it may have been more than simply inappropriate; it may have been illegal.

State Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, said the money-moving “looks like criminal fraud by some of those involved.” And House Speaker Daniel Perez said the transaction “looks as if it could be illegal.”

Roger Stone, the often hyperbolic ally of Donald Trump, went so far as to predict that both DeSantises and A.G. Uthmeier “are going to prison.”

–Editorialist Scott Maxwell, writing in the Orlando Sentinel, “DeSantis Hope Florida scandal looks like real trouble,” Tuesday, April 15, 2025

The “smell test” is defined as an informal method of determining whether something is authentic, credible, morally acceptable, or ethical using a commonsense evaluation based upon the appearance of impropriety, reputation and past practice, or suspected conflicts of interests. 

Sound familiar?  

Once elected to high office and fawned over by senior staff, wealthy insiders, and backslapping hangers-on who laugh at their jokes – the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker quickly become convinced of their own infallibility – and enamored by the fact people are forced to listen as they drone on from the dais of power during what passes for the policymaking process.

In time, these malleable egotists become confident they are the smartest person in any room.

As a result, I have a theory that in the absence of oversight and accountability, politicians at all levels of government will eventually succumb to these mistaken feelings of superiority – a sense the rules no longer apply – and conveniently forget the purpose and origin of the money they have a fiduciary responsibility for safeguarding.      

That’s when dreadful things happen… 

Last week, the Hope Florida Doesn’t Follow the Money controversy continued to rage as the Florida’s republican controlled House continues down the labyrinth of money trails in an attempt to determine how $10 million in public funds originating from a Medicaid overbilling settlement ended up with a political group that helped Gov. Ron DeSantis fight a recreational marijuana amendment last year.

If I understand it (and I’m not sure I do) after government healthcare contractor Centene entered a $67 million settlement with the state of Florida – funds which, by law, are required to be deposited in the state’s general fund – $10 million was mysteriously sent to Hope Florida, a non-profit created and controlled by First Lady Casey DeSantis. 

Subsequently, it appears Hope Florida transferred millions of dollars to two political groups – who then funneled the money to a political committee overseen by James Uthmeier, then DeSantis’ Chief of Staff – which supported the Governor’s efforts to crush Amendment 3, the citizen lead ballot initiative that would have authorized the legalization of marijuana in Florida.

In November 2024, despite DeSantis’ campaign to defeat it, Amendment 3 gained 55.9% of the vote, but fell short of the 60% required for passage…

With apologies to Henry Clay, in a move that now shines and stinks like rotten mackerel in the moonlight, earlier this year, Gov. DeSantis appointed Mr. Uthmeier as Florida’s Attorney General…

According to Florida’s House leadership, if proven true, the use of public funds for political purposes represents a “criminal fraud.”  For his part, Gov. DeSantis has trashed the investigation as a “total flop” and “baseless smears,” labeled fellow republicans leading the inquiry as “liberal leftists,” (?) although mounting evidence tends to contradict those assertions…   

Last week, Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, who is leading the Hope Florida investigation said he believes Attorney General Uthmeier – now the state’s chief law enforcement officer – committed “money laundering” while serving as Gov. DeSantis’ Chief of Staff. 

Ugly.

In my view, this burgeoning scandal is a shocking example of what happens when our elected representatives and senior bureaucrats get “innovative” when using public funds to underwrite personal agendas. 

That’s when things can cross the line from ‘creative financing’ to misuse of public funds…

Speaking of things that smell funny, earlier this month Volusia County taxpayers got a whiff of the shit when our imaginative Community Services Director Dr. Quackenbush Burbaugh took a huge career gamble and quibbled the intent of tax dollars earmarked for environmental conservation and ecological, cultural, historical, and passive outdoor recreation amenities to grossly overpay for 356-acres of cow pasture off State Road 44.

Why?

To obsequiously facilitate the pet project of Councilman Don Dempsey, who wants Volusia County to build a commercial motocross facility to further his hobby…

Ignoring the fact the track will be built inside Florida’s dwindling wildlife corridor – or that the vast majority of taxpayers will never experience the thrill of hitting the whoop-de-doos they purchased at breakneck speed – Mr. Dempsey has made it clear he wants us to fund it, and the quick to please Dr. Burbaugh found a parcel of land with enough identified wetlands to incumber tax supported Volusia Forever funds earmarked for the purchase of conservation lands.

The remainder of this weird hybrid financing scheme originates from Volusia ECHO funds, which have historically been used for eco-friendly outdoor activities, cultural pursuits, and recreational opportunities available to the widest demographic of residents.   

Earlier this week, a concerned Volusia County resident reached out to me and vented, “From Day 1 this has been the sleaziest attempt to deceive the public on the intended use of Volusia Forever and ECHO funds.”  

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

In the view of many, nothing about this concocted flim-flam passes the smell test… 

Given the enthusiastic interest of motorcyclists to locate a motocross track in Volusia County, no one doubts it would be a welcome and commercially viable enterprise. 

However, in my view, a commercial motocross facility should be pursued in a free and fair marketplace – where entrepreneurial investors take educated risks based upon an anticipated return on investment – rather than a slimy bureaucratic scheme where our tax dollars are used to underwrite the for-profit motives of a private entity – and further the hobby project of an elected official who forgot who he was elected to serve…

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 news and newsmakers of the day who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life or detracted from it in some significant way…

Volusia County Council of Cowards

“In a closed society where everybody’s guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity.”

–Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

The descriptor “self-serving” is defined as “serving one’s own interests, especially without concern for the needs or interests of others,” and “habitually seeking one’s own advantage, especially at the expense of others.”

In short, it is the antithesis of selfless public service.

On Tuesday, those sneak thieves on the Volusia County Council of Cowards essentially pilfered $4.62 million of your tax dollars in an elaborate ruse – public funds earmarked for conservation and ecological, cultural, historical, and outdoor recreation amenities – were used to grossly overpay for 356-acres of denuded cow pasture which is located within Florida’s dwindling wildlife corridor.

Why?

Because District 1 Councilman Don Dempsey is hell-bent on constructing a commercial motorcross facility to further his family’s hobby, and he’s doing it at our expense.  To be clear, this isn’t a place to ride motorcycles on ATV trails or operate off-highway vehicles in a publicly owned wilderness. 

Last year, the for-profit facility was described by the county’s Chicago-based motor sports consultant as having two full-sized competitive motocross tracks, a minimum of 50 RV slips with electric and water hookups, 750 general parking spaces, concession and bathroom facilities and a training facility or pro shop.

It also comes with an estimated price tag of “up to $10.2 million” – or, as Councilman Dempsey has described it, “…a top-notch facility.  We’re not looking for just a field to go out and ride.”

I guess not…  Only the best when its someone else’s money, right?

This week, Councilman Dempsey got all his heart desired (and then some) after Volusia’s highly creative Community Services Director Dr. Quackenbush Burbaugh enthusiastically searched out the best spot in the county (or at least the one with fewest surrounding homes to pushback and complain) – then pulled the old switcheroo – cobbling together a slimy hybrid scheme to use both Volusia Forever and ECHO funds by identifying some wetlands on the property to facilitate Dempsey’s Folly. 

To give the shim-sham an air of legitimacy, Councilman Dempsey thundered away like Atticus Finch – reciting the minutia of state statutes, shoehorning the facility into ballot language, and quibbling that dirt bikes qualify as “resource-based outdoor recreation” under Florida Department of Environmental Destruction guidelines — which, ipso facto, must mean that a for-profit commercial motorcross facility is exactly what over 70% of Volusia County taxpayers voted for when they opted to reauthorize Volusia Forever and ECHO…  

Bullshit.  

Per usual, it was immediately apparent to many watching that the entire sketch had been orchestrated in advance – choreographed with such precision it appeared scripted. 

A kabuki that saw each elected marionette playing their appointed role, and Councilman Danny “Gaslight” Robins using one of his weird stream-of-consciousness soliloquies to convince us there is little difference between the environmental devastation of beach walkovers, nature observation trails, or ecotours, and the braaaap-braaaap roar of a commercial motorcross track…

To ensure all available cons and ploys were in play, the cast of characters alluded they were doing us a favor – raising the specter of the property being purchased by a developer and blanketed with another cookie cutter subdivision if we didn’t capitulate to the purchase.

Except, no real estate developer in their right mind would pay what you and I just did… 

In my view, after listening to public participation both for and against the initiative, there is clearly sufficient interest to sustain a motorcross track and training facility in Volusia County – and those families involved in the hobby are rightfully passionate about the sport and its positive impacts on youth. 

In my view, a smart commercial motor sports company should take advantage of that.  I just don’t think Volusia County taxpayers should pay for it…

Unfortunately, that point is moot now that our elected dullards openly violated the very mission of Volusia County Land Management’s stewardship of conservation lands (which happens to fall under Dr. Burbaugh’s purview) which will soon share the same parcel as a commercial motorcross facility – something Mr. Dempsey forgot to mention during his verbose legal justification:

“With the passage of the Volusia Forever referendum in November of 2020, Volusia County will be adding to these protected Conservation Lands.  These lands have been and will be acquired for conservation purposes, while allowing passive recreation by the residents of Volusia County and others wishing to visit them.  Compatible passive recreation includes hiking, biking, bird watching and wildlife observation…”

Now we understand why the ECHO component of the ruse was so important… 

Find the rest of Volusia’s conveniently forgotten land management goals here: https://tinyurl.com/yc2b47kp

Now, our elected representatives will be provided a list of options for expediting Mr. Dempsey’s self-serving project – which could include Volusia County taxpayers getting into the motorcross industry by building and operating the facility (you read that right), forming a “public-private” partnership with a commercial motor sports company, or leasing our land to a third party who would construct and operate a track.

The purchase passed on a unanimous vote…

The only thing clear is that you and I now own 356-acres of pastureland, public confidence in the Volusia Forever and ECHO programs is forever shattered, and the only people who know how much Dempsey’s Folly will ultimately cost Volusia County taxpayers are a few unaccountable senior bureaucrats with firm marching orders to expedite this ridiculous sham with all haste.

It is what it is, y’all. This time there really is no one looking out for us in DeLand. 

In addition, during Tuesday’s meeting, council members once again considered a request by struggling Main Street merchants – intrepid entrepreneurs who have invested their blood, sweat, tears, and money into the revitalization of our core tourist area – to reestablish beach driving from International Speedway Boulevard to Auditorium Boulevard as a last/best hope of reinvigorating the blighted area.

Unfortunately, their request didn’t receive the same enthusiastic reception as Dempsey’s taxpayer funded pet project…

In fact, the very notion was all but publicly shit on by our ‘powers that be’…

A year after the discussion was summarily dismissed by the council on a 4-2 vote with Councilman David “No Show” Santiago absent; Councilman Troy Kent used a parliamentary move that would allow him to bring back the discussion by originally voting with the majority to kill the measure.

During this week’s meeting, Kent’s initial motion to merely reach out to Volusia’s legislative delegation and gauge support for undoing the asinine handiwork of a previous council who, in 1996, effectively killed beach driving in the Main Street area to facilitate some perverse notion of “economic development,” damn near died for lack of a second… 

I mean crickets, y’all.

To his credit, Chairman Jeff Brower (who championed the initiative last year) passed the gavel to Vice Chair Matt Reinhart and seconded Kent’s rather benign motion. 

In typical fashion, the county’s all-powerful senior staff rolled out their battery-operated automaton, County Attorney Paolo Soria, who seems programmed to stand at the podium and repeat in robotic monotone “Does. Not. Com-pute.  Does. Not. Com-pute.” to anything Chairman Brower suggests for improving the beach experience and the commercial viability of our core tourist area.

In turn, Mr. Soria recited all the legal roadblocks, legislative hurdles, “contractual obligations,” and other myriad impediments – both real and bureaucratically concocted – that make returning the tradition and access of beach driving insurmountable…

Ultimately, in a rushed end to the discussion (thanks to the subjective time limitation placed on council meetings?) the council begrudgingly agreed to reach out to the City of Daytona Beach, and contact obstinate hoteliers along the stretch that have already made clear they don’t want to upset their private beach setting, before considering the arduous task of reversing the disastrous course that has contributed to blight, stagnation, and hopelessness in our core tourist area and beyond. 

Which means the discussion of reopening beach driving should come back sometime around the return of the Comet Kohoutek…    

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the idea is D.O.A.  

You are welcome to disagree – and I understand the ‘never say die’ enthusiasm of valiant beachside merchants – but you know I’m right.  

For reasons known only to him, Bob Davis, CEO and President for Life of the fossilized Lodging and Hospitality Association of Volusia County, doesn’t want it.  In an interview with WKMG-6 this week, we learned:

“We’re not a sleepy town anymore. It’s not 1980. We’re okay with the laws right now. It’s worked beautifully,” said Bob Davis, president of the Volusia Lodging and Hospitality Association. He believes the beach should stay clear for visitors who want a peaceful experience.”

Uncle Bob is right about one thing. 

The whole of the Halifax areas beachside is definitely not what it was in 1980 – when the “World’s Most Famous Beach” was an incredibly popular tourist destination – a place full of life, far different than the one that now mostly hibernates between special events.

If anything holds true with our ossified Halifax Area hospitality “guru’s” – it is that doing the same thing over and over and over again while expecting a different result never gets old…

Volusia School Board Member Donna Brosemer – Upsetting the Apple Cart

It is becoming apparent that many elected representatives have succumbed to the bureaucratic mentality that elective boards, councils, and commissions should operate in homogenized conformity – where groupthink, the ability to ‘get along and go along,’ and irrational optimism are omnipotent – while dissent, debate, or conflict among the “team” is to be avoided at all costs.

After all, if everyone is thinking alike, how can individual members of the “in-group” be criticized?

That’s why the independence and strategic vision of freethinkers who challenge the stagnant status quo always makes their “colleagues” nervous…   

During the April 8 meeting, District 4 representative Donna Brosemer did something unheard of when she confronted Superintendent Balgobin on the community consequences of the district’s quiet plans to respond to a reported $25.8 million budget deficit – and the building rumors those plans include putting historic Ormond Beach Elementary School on “the chopping block.”

“It’s safe to say that Ormond Beach parents are not going to take kindly to the loss of yet another of their elementary schools, having lost Osceola so recently, and they would be some of the most likely parents to go to the conversion option that appears that’s going to pass this year,” Brosemer said.

If approved by the Florida Legislature, the “conversion option” would allow parents to request that a public school become a charter.

Throwing off the bureaucratic yoke and seizing the initiative in the face of the latest fiscal crisis, Ms. Brosemer explained she had spoken to the principal of OBE and developed a plan to increase enrollment by turning the school into an “arts magnet school.”

Needless to say, Ms. Brosemer’s resourcefulness upset the board’s delicate apple cart…

According to a report by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer last week:

“Balgobin denied that any conversations on closing schools have taken place.

“I don’t know where the narrative came from, what schools were going to be closing, because I have not even discussed that with staff,” she said.

“It came from my discussion with staff,” Brosemer replied.

“My staff discussed that with you and shared with you the schools that will be closing?” Balgobin pressed.

Brosemer said staff informed her the closures were “two to three years out.”

“Well, I’m not going to put anyone on the spot, but this is what I can assert and tell you — I have not had that discussion with any staff members,” Balgobin said.

Brosemer said she wouldn’t have brought it up if it hadn’t been said to her.

Balgobin said she’s heard from principals say “conversation are taking place that we’re cutting, closing schools.” Again, she said those discussions have not taken place at the district level.

Board members also admonished Brosemer for seemingly making a decision to turn OBE into a arts magnet school on her own.”

Yeah.  It’s Brosemer’s fault… 

This is typically where the elected followers try to silence, besmirch, and marginalize the outspoken offender by beating them into the round hole of lockstep conformity.

That is exactly what happened to Donna Brosemer.

According to the Observer, School Board member Krista Goodrich explained that she was “confused” after having “conversations about a gazillion ideas,” yet closing Ormond Beach Elementary wasn’t one of them. 

I found the tone of the exchange telling.

“Brosemer countered that the notion they function as a board “is correct in one regard, but it’s also completely misleading in another.”

We all bring our own talents, our own perspectives, and if we’re just here to rubber stamp each other or to rubber stamp the superintendent or anybody else, then we’re not doing our jobs,” she said.

Goodrich said that it was “curious” to her that Brosemer brought up these statements at the regular board meeting, and not during the workshop where they were discussing the budget.

“It makes it feel pretty intentional when we had plenty of opportunities to bring up a lot of these questions earlier today,” she said. “Yes, we do all bring something to the table, but when you approach things in a way that isn’t having a discussion, it’s at the end when it’s just statements, that’s not working together — that’s not operating as a team, that’s not looking for solutions.”

Brosemer said she didn’t need to do it Goodrich’s way.

“I didn’t say you had to do it my way,” Goodrich said. “I’m allowed to share my opinion as well.  So that’s what’s devastating — is you could have brought it up this morning. We could have had great conversations about it, asked questions, got answers, but that wasn’t done that way.”

In turn, School Board Chair Jamie Haynes piled-on, lecturing Brosemer that members cannot tell staff members what to do, and that any plan for turning around struggling schools will come from the Superintendent and her bloated staff. 

Only then can the board ensure political insulation by voting on whatever self-serving ‘plan’ is cobbled together in the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand and “brought to” them on a platter…

“Whatever plan Dr. Balgobin and her staff comes up with will be brought to us, and we will vote on it, and whatever the vote is at the time … at that point it becomes the decision of the board and we each have to own the decision when we make that vote.”

Proving that Haynes, and the rest of her lockstep “colleagues,” are either kowtowed or blatantly ignorant of the fact the school board sets policy – and Balgobin implements it. 

The Superintendent works for them, not the other way around.

Without filtering her thoughts through the district’s public misinformation apparatus, Ms. Brosemer said just that in a cogent essay that appeared in the Ormond Beach Observer this week:

“Current conditions are the result of current policies. Boards make policies. Administrators implement them.

It’s past time to ditch the stock answers — “we’re already doing that,” “we don’t have enough time/staff/money,” or above all, “that’s not how it works.”

Boards are not props. We drive progress with new ideas. Bureaucrats implement them. That is exactly how it works.”

(Find the rest here: https://tinyurl.com/3cj32ucd )

Thanks to Ms. Brosemer’s bold action and willingness to speak out, Volusia County taxpayers are beginning to see how innovation, critical thinking, and independent representation is stifled by mediocrity and stagnant conformism, and why Volusia County District Schools continue to stumble from one crisis to the next…

Quote of the Week  

“The important facts about developers are simple. They do not live here. They will not be here to sit in traffic. The next storm will not affect them.

They were not here when the county created the rural transition. Developers come late to the show. They make strategic campaign contributions, pave the land, and leave.

County staff get the message. They recommend approval, or they find new jobs. Easy choice, really, since their homes will not be buried in developer dung.

This time, there was pushback from the locals. That just means the county rolls it to a future meeting, where hopefully the crowd diminishes. If not, well, roll again, rinse and repeat.

Eventually, those pesky locals will go away. And you know what the County Council is thinking — promises made, promises broken.”

–Columnist Tanner Andrews, as excerpted from his essay in the West Volusia Beacon, “What were they thinking? Drowning in development, stuck in traffic, or maybe both,” regarding plans to destroy the quaint community of Osteen with development, Tuesday, April 8, 2025

With a lack of infrastructure, concurrency, and devastating development-induced flooding effecting homes across the width and breadth of Volusia County – and another active Hurricane Season just around the corner – I found it an odd time for our political dignitaries to rejoice in more, more, more malignant sprawl… 

But last week that’s exactly what our elected elite from Volusia County and various municipal governments did when they gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of Deering Park Phase One – the decades in the making monstrosity that could ultimately see 23,000 “residential units” on the 70,000-acre track that stretches from Edgewater and New Smyrna Beach to just north of Titusville in Brevard, County.

Apparently, Phase One will be constructed in the City of Underwater west of Interstate 95 and will include 1,747 homes along with “…a mix of residential, commercial and green spaces, as well as amenities.” 

According to a report by reporter Brenno Carillo writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Sean Stefan, Deering Park’s project director, said “Deering Park will be unlike any other master-planned community in Florida,” (yes it will), and “It will provide this region with homes for every phase of life in a wide variety of neighborhoods with extensive services and expansive employment centers, all surrounded by one of the largest contiguous conservation and recreation areas in the state.”

What?  You live in Volusia County – the most flood-prone location in the state – and you’re worried about how a massive ‘city within a city’ will exacerbate development-induced runoff and flooding in your neighborhood? 

Well, don’t you worry about it, rube.   

After decades of planning and preparation for Deering Park, environmental consultants and project engineers working for the developer are apparently just getting around to digging little holes on the property to assess how water will react – you know, now that they are ready to break ground and all…

The News-Journal reported, “According to Deering Park’s land manager, Robbie Lee Jr., project engineers have already begun using the area to conduct studies on miniature land models that will help shine a light on how stormwater interacts and moves with the soil.”

“They dug this out to take measurements,” Lee said as he indicated the small area being used for studies. “They are looking at the ebbs and flows of the water — how the water moves horizontally and not just vertically.”

Great. 

Feel better? 

Me neither.  But I’ll bet those “miniature models” made a cool prop for all those malleable politicians gathered in their finery to celebrate the next big thing… 

And Another Thing!

Sometimes the truth stings. 

That’s why it is often referred to as a bitter pill – something hard to swallow.  Perhaps that is why we live in a time of gross ‘disinformation’ and manipulation on all fronts…

A disturbing era when politicians at all levels of government openly lie, gaslight their constituents, become insular, secretive, and opaque; trying desperately to create an alternate reality that masks their collusions, agendas, and associations.  In turn, they expect We, The Little People to accept the steaming crock of shit we’ve been handed as fact, and our ‘powers that be’ begin to feel infallible when apathy replaces civic interest and activism.  

In my view, the stench of lies, especially those that serve the interests of influential insiders who fund their political aspirations, dishonor and pervert the once noble calling of public service – and destroy the public’s trust in a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.  

I crow a lot in this space about the importance of trust – especially our faith in the motives of those we elect and appoint to serve our best interests – and the foundational need for public confidence in the democratic processes and essential services of governance that have a direct impact on our lives and livelihoods.   

Here’s one example why.

Last week, beleaguered Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris spoke the uncomfortable truth during the annual State of the City Address – which, regardless of jurisdiction, is typically little more than a rah-rah session compiled by “staff” to tout the bureaucracy’s pseudo-accomplishments and deflect attention from the serious issues we collectively face.

Frankly, I found it refreshing when Mayor Norris described the City of Palm Coast as “challenged,” and reiterated that he wants the future of the city controlled by its residents – not developers. 

“We are still under the mercy of the swamp builders,” Norris told his neighbors. “We are facing a mounting debt, failed planning and economic development and growth to support the existing revenues. You know the ones that are footing the tax bills: us, the taxpayers of Palm Coast. And the answer from the swamp builders and landholders is urban sprawl.”

I don’t care where you live here on Florida’s fabled “Fun Coast,” that should sound chillingly familiar.

If that didn’t resonate, this will:

“The mere mention of a moratorium on residential housing a couple of weeks ago at City Hall was met by a blockade of our City Hall by elements of the Flagler County Homebuilders Association. Let that sink in: Our City Hall was blockaded by the building industry.

“That was quite astonishing and shows you who actually runs our city.”

For the uninitiated, Mayor Norris recently received a down-and-dirty lesson in what happens when one attempts to upset the status quo and take emergency measures in the face of the largest utility rate hike in the city’s history, as officials seek to finance a shocking $615 million capital improvement plan to upgrade utilities to keep pace with current needs. 

When Mayor Norris suggested a moratorium on new residential construction, and rightfully claimed “developers have been taking advantage of this city far too long,” it became immediately clear his bread was never going to land jelly-side up again…

Within minutes of uttering the “M” word, developer shills set upon Mayor Norris, circling the wagons, telling scary stories about the apocalyptic ramifications of even suggesting a temporary moratorium in the face of hundreds-of-millions in utilities infrastructure shortfalls.

(That should sound familiar to waterlogged residents of Volusia County…) 

Just four days later, things took a predictable turn for Mayor Norris when the appointed ‘developer’s darling’ Councilman Charlies Gambaro went on the attack – accusing Norris of violations of the city charter and state ethics codes.

Norris’ crime?

Seeking the resignation of Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston and Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo in a closed-door meeting…

Naturally, others in City Hall began to draw knives, sending complaints to Human Resources, with some municipal employees describing Norris as “inappropriate,” “demeaning, “intrusive” and “rude.” 

Now, Mayor Norris is being formally brought to heel, the subject of an official investigation by an outside law firm.  After all, as every compromised politician knows – if you can’t silence a watchdog – you can damn sure pull his teeth…

During his State of the City Address, Norris addressed the distracting controversy, “We have organizations within our community encouraging city employees to file trumped up HR charges to force a duly elected mayor out of office. Backed by politicians that were soundly defeated in November.”

“These are the headwinds that I have faced the few two months of being in office. It’s challenging to say the least.

“In closing, I’ll leave you with this: Our city’s theme for today’s State of the City is ‘charting a new course.’ Are we as a community going to allow the same people that have failed our community for more than four years to chart that course for us?

Or are we gonna do it?

“It takes cooperation, and it’s not more residential housing without meaningful economic development in our community.”

I’ve said this before, but as Palm Coast goes, so go other areas in Volusia and Flagler Counties that continue to see massive overdevelopment and the resultant infrastructure shortfalls that naturally result from a ‘shove ten-pounds of shit in a five-pound bag’ growth management strategy…

In my view, Mayor Norris is experiencing the tragic personal and political destruction that occurs whenever an elected official stands by claustrophobic existing residents and pushes back against malignant growth until infrastructure requirements can catch up to current and future needs.

That’s all for me.  Have a great Jeep Beach 2025, y’all!   

Hi, kids!

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

City of Ormond Beach – Welcome to the Weirdness

I guess it’s the Ormond Beach City Commission’s turn in the barrel, eh? 

Unfortunately, it comes to all communities eventually.

Differences of opinion, outside influences, or simmering personality clashes between those huge egos that are drawn to politics finally boil over, factions form, and what was once a working elected body lycanthropically transforms into a snarling, dysfunctional shitshow.

Examples of this syndrome include the Lost City of Deltona, Palm Coast, or the decade old Debacle in DeBary, which ultimately saw the city’s demonstrably weird mayor cashiered following a Kangaroo Kourt that continues to serve as a cautionary tale for area municipalities.  

A better illustration is the continuous thuggery that County Chair Jeff Brower has suffered for the past six years at the hands of two iterations of the Volusia County Council – a near constant bullying, blocking, and marginalization as the “Old Guard” attempts to beat him into the round hole of lockstep conformity.

Most recently, there was an unfortunate incident where the Volusia County Council failed to respond to a racial slur uttered from the podium during public comments.  In the aftermath, each elected official present cited the fact they were distracted or did not hear the offensive term at the time it was uttered.

Except At-Large Councilman Jake the Snake Johansson…

Not one to miss a meanspirited opportunity to paint Chairman Brower in a bad light, Johansson – who heard the repulsive epithet and later admitted his own moral cowardice, stating “I should have said something” – turned the tables and slammed Brower for not “stopping it immediately.”

Incredibly, Johansson doubled down in an open letter read in his absence at last week’s Volusia County Council meeting, which read, in part: “I will be working with the chairman during meetings to ensure we respond appropriately in the future and will ensure to become more active in voicing my opinion when issues are not addressed in a timely manner.”

Shameless…

In February, the Ormond Beach City Commission fell victim to similar infighting when Vice Mayor Lori Tolland, Zone 3 Commissioner Kristin Deaton, and Zone 2 Commissioner Travis Sargent put the boots to Mayor Jason Leslie for his participation in the seemingly normal mayoral duty of escorting a reporter to highlight several community amenities.

The mayor’s unforgivable transgression of painting his community in a positive light without clearing it through an unelected staff member resulted in a sustained attack from Deaton and Tolland – who went as far as suggesting a city ordinance to quash the free and open exchange of information between elected officials and their constituents – prohibiting individual elected officials from speaking to residents without majority approval.

Bullshit.

This petty bruhaha resulted in embarrassing media coverage, a critical essay in RedTapeFlorida.com, a rebuttal by former Ormond Beach Commissioner Jeff Boyle, disturbing revelations about how the city’s “public information” apparatus operates and concerned murmurings by residents confused by the backbiting. 

Now, Mayor Leslie has apparently gone a step too far when he had the temerity to visit a valuable civic resource, Barracks of Hope – the successful transitional housing program of Halifax Urban Ministries serving homeless military veterans – which resulted in even more questions from his “colleagues” on the dais.

According to a report last week by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer:

“On March 12, the Ormond Beach City Commission were all copied on an email from Halifax Urban Ministries’ interim executive director Donna Dooley.

Dooley thanked Mayor Jason Leslie for visiting the faith-based nonprofit’s Barracks of Hope, a homeless shelter for veterans in Daytona Beach. She also mentioned that the shelter’s program manager “noted the possibility of available funds from the city of Ormond.”

“Could you please advise us on the next steps? We are very interested in continuing our partnership with Ormond Beach,” Dooley wrote.

City Commissioner Travis Sargent brought the email up at the commission’s meeting on April 1, asking the mayor to elaborate on what was discussed during his tour.

“I don’t know that we have available funds to donate to anyone,” Sargent said.”

And so, it began…

Mayor Leslie explained he viewed Barracks of Hope as another potential resource to address homelessness, something the commission might want staff to research, so police officers and those performing outreach would have another tool. 

Apparently, there was confusion as to whether Mayor Leslie suggested to HUM administrators that there may be city funds available to assist Barracks of Hope.  Regardless, there is an established appropriation process in place for donations to non-profits (like the $85,000 Ormond Beach pisses away each year on the enigmatic First Step Shelter) – and not something Mr. Leslie could snap his fingers and authorize on his own.

Something tells me Commissioner Sargent knows that… 

One thing is certain, in Volusia County politics, you’re either part of the clubbish “in-crowd” or you aren’t.  

During last year’s election cycle, Mayor Leslie – a newcomer to local politics – took on popular perennial politician Commissioner Susan Persis.  The disparity in campaign contributions told observers all they needed to know about who our “movers and shakers” supported.

Before the general election, Persis collected contributions totaling $106,427.53 (for an Ormond Beach mayoral race?) more than double Mr. Leslie’s largely self-funded $42,797.  

All the right last names were represented in the Persis war chest, along with the various entities and LLCs under their control.  That included heavy hitters in the Halifax area’s aggressive development community, and everyone who is anyone in what passes for Volusia County’s social, civic, and political nobility…

But the harsh reality of politics is that votes beat money every time.

Last November, Mayor Leslie soundly defeated Susan Persis with nearly 54% of the vote, proving that many in Ormond Beach are seeking substantive change as we watch our beautiful community transmogrify into something unrecognizable, with looming threats to our quality of life now closing from all sides… 

Perhaps the loud and clear message behind Mayor Leslie’s victory over an entrenched insider is something the remainder of the commission should consider? 

In my view, it is time for Ormond Beach’s elected officials to learn the lessons of other local governments who have been derailed by distracting power struggles, stop the spiteful sniping on the dais, and get back to the pressing issues facing our community. 

Belvedere Terminal’s Palm Coast Project Withers in the Sunshine

Well, that didn’t take long…

Just days after Belvedere Terminals joined with Palm Coast and Flagler County officials to officially announce it was considering a 78-acre site off Peavy Grade for a planned 12.6-million-gallon fuel distribution site, residents let their elected officials know just how they feel about it, and any political support it appeared to have quickly faded.    

Last week, Flagler County officials pulled a proposed agenda item considering a $10 million grant agreement with the Florida Department of Commerce that would have been used to acquire the property and fund certain infrastructure improvements related to the fuel terminal while the City of Palm Coast sought a site analysis to determine suitability.

The Peavy Grade site is adjacent to a Palm Coast water treatment facility, several potable water wells, and two subdivisions, which prompted concerns similar to those expressed by Ormond Beach residents when their community was threatened.

According to a report in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Palm Coast resident Angela Dawson said, “It sounds as bad to me as a nuclear waste site. …homes will be devalued, and what about a mass casualty event? You’re putting our lives at risk, now and into the future.

Another resident, Wayne Bruce, said, “This is gallons of diesel fuel you’re talking about. …” we need to study the risks. I’m very concerned about what’s going to happen to our beautiful city.”

Diesel fuel would be just one of several products such as gasoline, ethanol, propane and other sources of energy that would go through the terminal.”

In an effort to protect the best interests of her constituents, Palm Coast Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri was quoted by FlaglerLive! last week expressing her valid fears:

“One of my concerns is, we’re going to pick this land and the county is going to buy it and own the land, and the company is going to go belly-up,” Pontieri said. (Belvedere’s CEO, Edwin Cothron, filed for bankruptcy in 1998 and 2012.) “If it does go belly up we certainly don’t want a wasteland, particularly next to residential development.”

According to the report, even Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris – who championed the project as an economic boon and strategic fuel supply in an emergency – acknowledged the site is not suitable, “Maybe they can try something further down in the county. I don’t know. If it’s safe in the county that’s a big bonus to the tax base, but I don’t think the citizens of Palm Coast have an appetite for it. But that’ll be between the county and Belvedere.”

In an all to familiar twist, Palm Coast and Flagler County residents also learned last week that their elected and appointed officials engaged in secret closed door meetings with Belvedere in late February and early March, keeping things quiet under a weird state provision that exempts certain economic development projects from public disclosure – which means you and I can be kept in the dark while the particulars are “worked out,” (wink, wink).   

In my view, regardless of the project, that’s not transparency – its collusion – and the reaction of vulnerable Palm Coast residents is what happens when people realize they’ve been kept in the dark and fed bullshit…

By last Friday, Mayor Norris, apparently sensitive to public pressure and the reluctance of his “colleagues” formally pulled his support for the fuel terminal. 

For now, it appears the brief discussion of the Peavy Grade location is over. 

So, the frightening saga of a massive bulk fuel terminal looking for a home continues – and the speculation is making residents in southern Flagler County nervous for the same reasons the citizens of Ormond Beach and Palm Coast roundly rejected the project in their backyard. 

In my view, if you live anywhere along the Florida East Coast Railroad in Flagler, Volusia, or Brevard Counties and value your quality of life, this one bears watching…

Volusia County District Schools – Financial Apocalypse?  Here we go again…

From the “what else is new?” column…

With an astronomical annual budget now north of $1.5 billion, on Tuesday, strapped taxpayers, students, and staff learned that Volusia County District Schools is facing yet another Financial Armageddon.      

You know, another chorus of the Poormouth Blues: “difficult decisions,” “program adjustments,” “closing schools,” “reevaluating staff ratios,” and the frightening refrain “gonna try and retain teachers.” 

Go figure…

During a workshop earlier this week, the Volusia County School Board got the annual bad news from Chief Financial Officer Todd Seis that the district currently has a $25.8 million deficit in its general operating fund. Per usual, the district’s senior staff is blaming the Florida Legislature/declining enrollment/school choice/etc. for its perpetual inability to live within its steadily escalating budget. 

During her 2024 campaign for the district 4 School Board seat, Donna Brosemer – whose fiscal conservatism and no-nonsense observations led her to victory over perennial politician Carl Persis last November – wrote in an essay published in the Ormond Beach Observer:

“I got curious recently and decided to look at where we were 10 years ago, especially given all the very loud chest-pounding over population growth. To my surprise, while our general population may be growing, our student population is not. We can’t say the same for the school district budget.

In 2014, we had approximately 61,000 students. Our budget was $777 million.

In 2024, we have approximately 61,000 students. Our budget is $1.4 billion.

My math says that’s a budget increase of approximately 80% in 10 years, with no increase in students.”

(Current estimates show an enrollment of 57,100 for the 2024-25 academic year.)

She also discussed the various windfalls and COVID relief funds that have benefitted the district over the past few years and suggests anyone looking on would think Volusia County Schools are “rolling in dough.”

Read the remainder of Ms. Brosemer’s insightful op/ed here: https://tinyurl.com/mr3at849

During Tuesday’s discussion, District 2 School Board Member Krista Goodrich attempted to calm the waters, explaining “There’s no cause for panic or fear right now. We want to hear from the community, hear from our stakeholders about ways that we can increase our enrollments, ways that we can make our schools more efficient and optimize the size of them.” 

Which is unusual, because Superintendent Carmen Balgobin and her senior “cabinet” have historically been less than receptive to the concerns and suggestions of those most effected by “program adjustments,” school closings, and other broadbrush financial decisions to meet the latest economic catastrophe du jour that have a negative impact on the educational experience of students…   

Hell, don’t take my word for it. 

Ask the City of Ormond Beach how responsive the administration was to retain the now defunct Osceola Elementary rather than convert it to the Riverview Learning Center, an alternative education program for troubled students, that was sprung on residents.

During a 2021 community meeting to address mounting concerns, confused residents heard the same refrain from their neighbors: “I honestly am appalled that everybody was blindsided by the decision with zero input,” and “People living directly next to Osceola had zero idea that this was happening.”

Quickly followed by former School Board member Persis, staring at his shoes and blubbering – “Was it anyone’s intent to keep it from you?  No. Was it anything shady, underhanded? No, I guarantee you that…”

Right.

Confidence inspiring, eh?

In my experience, no one in the Ivory Tower of Power in DeLand has ever given two-shits about stakeholder input on “…ways we can make our schools more efficient;” and the Volusia County School Board has never been known for their stewardship of our hard-earned tax dollars.

For instance, in November 2023, taxpayers watched in stunned silence as Superintendent Balgobin dispatched her redundant deputy superintendent, and an equally unnecessary “Interim Chief Operating Officer,” to prostrate themselves before the Volusia County Council and beg the county to pay for school resource deputies at multiple middle schools. 

It was a pathetic example of how not to sell a funding proposal important to protecting the physical safety of children and staff…   

As you may recall, Balgobin’s hapless emissaries were horribly unprepared – equipped only with a slapdash slideshow and a misguided notion that the Volusia County Council would simply rubber stamp their ask. 

To their credit, the Volusia County Council did something they almost never do – stood on principle – and sent the district representatives away emptyhanded with an admonition to get their facts in order the next time they come grubbing for money.

Then, one year ago, Volusia County taxpayers, students, teachers, and staff learned (by email) that despite repeated concerns – the district had inexplicably continued to use temporary federal emergency relief funds for recurring personnel expenses – knowing well the federal teat would run dry on a date certain…

Why would anyone with a fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers do that?

Again, in keeping with the worst traditions of what passes for fiscal stewardship, the finger pointing and obfuscation began with Superintendent Balgobin and Chief Bean Counter Seis claiming they “inherited” the problem and other financial issues from their predecessors…    

As the emergency relief revenue drew to a predictable close, we were told teachers were in danger of being “displaced,” popular electives eliminated, and core subjects diluted amidst growing fears of overcrowded classrooms.

I could go on. And on, and on…

It was “Armageddon” all over again.

Now, the shameless ‘budgeting by fearmongering’ continues…

But why? 

Cui Bono?

As President Elizabeth Albert of Volusia United Educators, the union representing teachers and instructional staff, explained on Tuesday “We understand that the legislature is not doing their part to fund public schools appropriately. However, as it was pointed out in the discussion today, every year we have an initial discussion about the budget where essentially the sky is falling and there’s no money. But we always end up in the black.”

I agree with Board Member Goodrich – with a budget now in excess of $1.5 billion – it is time for the Volusia County School Board to make the tough decisions required of them and stop this tiresome “Chicken Little” routine that marks each budget discussion.

In my view, a good start would be taking a hard look at Superintendent Balgobin’s top-heavy administration, hacking the thick rind of fat off that bloated bureaucracy, then reinvest those funds in the classroom where students learn.

Quote of the Week

“Palm Coast is down to two.

The only candidate with city manager experience has dropped out of contention to be the next city manager of Palm Coast. Sonia Alves-Viveiros informed the city, through a consultant, on April 7 that she had withdrawn.

Alves-Viveiros had been the No. 4-ranked choice out of five.

Less than a week ago, the top-ranked candidate dropped out of contention: William Lee Smith has been hired as the city manager in Nome, Alaska. (That’s about 4,218 miles away.)

The news was reported to the City of Palm Coast on April 1 by Doug Thomas, executive vice president over recruitment and leadership development for SGR, the firm the city has hired to guide its city manager search.

Thomas also reported that another candidate, Michael Reese, also dropped out “to focus his energies on another opportunity,” Thomas wrote. He had been ranked fifth at the City Council’s March 11 meeting.”

–Editor Brian McMillan, writing in the Palm Coast Observer, “Another candidate drops out of city manager search; Palm Coast has two remaining choices,” Monday, April 7, 2025  

It’s no secret. 

The City of Palm Coast has trouble attracting quality leadership – elected or appointed – and the unfortunate results are becoming too obvious to ignore…

According to reports, the top-rated applicant for the vacant Palm Coast city manager position, William “Lee” Smith, formerly of Port Wentworth, Georgia, announced last week that he was taking the job in Nome, Alaska – a community of approximately 3,700 located less than a 150 miles from the Arctic Circle on the Bering Sea – with a climate marked by “long, very cold winters, and short, cool summers…”

According to an article by Diane Haecker writing in the Nome Nugget last month, during his interview with the common council, “Smith also noted that Nome is at the precipice of major growth that may come with the Port of Nome expansion and stressed that his strength lies in preparation for changes of that nature and planning for increased housing needs and economic development strategies. He described his leadership style as “management by walking around,” knowing the departments and effectively communicating.”

Trust me, planning for change and preparation for growth is something the entirety of Florida’s “Fun Coast” could benefit from, and it appears Palm Coast may have lost a true asset in Mr. Smith.

As residents of The Lost City of Deltona and now Palm Coast can attest, instability and dysfunction have profound civic consequences.  According to the Observer’s report, “Thirty-eight candidates applied for the Palm Coast position.

Meanwhile, in similarly sized Palm Bay, 114 candidates applied for the position of city manager, which most recently paid about $260,000…” 

In an odd twist, Palm Bay recently hired former Palm Coast City Manager Matt Morton, who fled City Hall amidst political turmoil in 2021. Now, the tumultuous Palm Coast City Council are left with few (as in two) options.

By Monday, things deteriorated when Sonia Alves-Viveiros informed Palm Coast officials through their headhunter that she was withdrawing from consideration citing a “lack of stability” on the city council.  

She isn’t wrong…

According to reports, the remaining candidates are Paul Trombino and Richard Hough, neither of which have served as a city manager before.  

Unfortunately, it now appears any candidate worth their salt would rather work in a Bangladeshi coal mine than suffer through the external influence, self-serving agendas, and political intrigue that have so horribly compromised Palm Coast governance…

And Another Thing!

In July 2024, those self-described “fiscal conservatives” on the Volusia County Council once again dipped into voter approved ECHO funds – adding approximately $10 million in “direct county expenditures” (read: “It’s our piggybank and we take what we want”) – to include $3.5 million for Councilman Don Dempsey’s self-indulgent motocross facility…

In my view, shoehorning the pet projects of council members while supplanting recurring repair and replacement expenditures for existing infrastructure with funds earmarked for new grants by wrapping it in bureaucratese and shoving it down our throats is not a compliant use of these tax dollars.

It’s bait-and-switch sneak thievery…

Most responsible governments (without a slimy tax supported slush fund at their disposal) properly budget for asset repair and replacement obligations each year. In Volusia County, senior staff simply craft a narrative that fits within the ballot language that was used to convince voters to renew the ECHO and Forever programs.   

Rather than justify the expenditure in a competitive process with other public and non-profit applicants, the County of Volusia simply reaches into the pot of money using an obscure 2020 resolution passed by the Volusia County Council authorizing the ballot initiative and permitting the council to use ECHO funds for “direct county expenditure for County government projects or by grants-in-aid awards.”

I’ve said this before, but when I voted to extend the ECHO and Forever programs, I had no idea that those dollars would ultimately be used for “cultural and historic” amenities like repairing long neglected beach ramps, walkovers, and docks, renovating public restrooms and parking lots at county facilities, or building a multi-million-dollar motocross facility to eliminate overhead for a yet to be identified for-profit motorsports contractor.  

In my view, the premeditated shim-sham Director of Community Services Director Dr. Brad Burbaugh is pulling on unsuspecting Volusia County taxpayers to misappropriate Volusia Forever funds – tax dollars earmarked for the purchase of conservation land to protect Volusia County’s biodiversity – should be stopped. 

Now.

At their September 2024 meeting – without being told the site was being purchased for Dempsey’s motocross facility – the Volusia Forever Advisory Committee was merely asked to use suitability criteria to determine if wetlands located on the property being considered off State Road 44 made the parcel eligible for further consideration.  

According to a sparse application filed by the property owner, when asked to “Briefly explain why this parcel(s) should be considered as eligible for purchase in the Volusia Forever Land Acquisition Program,” the company simply responded:

“You called us to buy it.”

You read that right. 

It is now chillingly apparent that Dr. Burbaugh went property shopping with our money to find a suitable location for Councilman Dempsey’s motocross track – then used carefully crafted smoke-and-mirrors to sneak it past the appropriations requirements of Volusia Forever…   

That’s wrong.

Trust in government is essential in a functioning democracy, and public confidence in those we elect and appoint to represent our best interests forms the foundation of good governance.  

If this cheap deception is permitted, it will cement the “business as usual” skepticism that has destroyed public trust in county government, and it will become perfectly acceptable for senior staff to quibble resolutions, twist ballot language, and stretch programmatic intent to shoehorn anything and everything they wish.

Including the pet personal projects of sitting politicians or their influential cronies…

In my view, those machinations are what destroyed the credibility of the Volusia ECHO and Forever programs before – and why the Volusia County Council still suffers from the stigma of the “trust issue” that has left us the disheveled civic laughingstock for the remainder of Central Florida. 

The ECHO and Forever funding for the incongruous purchase of land for “conservation and outdoor motorized recreation” – along with the long-delayed discussion of permitting driving on the now closed section of the beach from International Speedway Boulevard to Auditorium Boulevard in Daytona Beach – will come before the Volusia County Council next Tuesday.

The fun begins at 4:00pm in the Volusia County Council Chambers in DeLand.

You might want to be there for this one… 

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 news and newsmakers of the day who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life or detracted from it in some significant way…

Belvedere Terminals – A Case Study in Confusion and Incompetence

It’s someone else’s problem now. 

Great…

I hate to be a turd in the proverbial punchbowl – and the good people of Ormond Beach and beyond who fought hard against the Belvedere Terminals facility on Hull Road have every right to celebrate this rare and important win – but I believe if you seek good governance in your own hometown, you should want good governance everywhere.

When it comes to the fumbling machinations of government, sometimes I wonder if the right hand really knows what the left is doing – or if the disconnect between the bureaucracy and the elected officials is so wide that things happen in spite of our representatives, not because of them?

For instance, during the summer of 2023, Ormond Beach residents were stupefied by an article in The Daytona Beach News-Journal reporting plans to build a 20-million-gallon bulk fuel storage farm as part of a hub-and-spur distribution network that would have seen dangerous petroleum products delivered by rail, stored in massive above ground tanks, and distributed by a steady 24/7 stream of tanker trucks on two-lane Hull Road.

It was a massive blow to public confidence as the community was galvanized by the stark realization that our elected officials in Volusia County and Ormond Beach were just as clueless as the rest of us frightened rubes – made to look like flummoxed fools by their senior staff – without any repercussions or accountability. 

As the news swept the region, concerned residents appeared in the Volusia County Council chambers and packed Ormond Beach City Commission meetings as residents mobilized to express their growing outrage against what many rightfully saw as a direct threat to our environment, property values, physical safety, and quality of life.

Of course, our elected officials wrung their hands and fretted over what could be done to oppose the project as residents demanded to know why city and county officials failed to warn them of the clear and present danger. 

In the absence of a strategic response, stern letters were written, and fingers were pointed, but no one seemed to know how to extricate the community from the situation.

Then taxpayers learned the deck had been statutorily stacked against them in favor of a bulk fuel supplier with no experience building or operating terminals and Grupo México – the foreign company with a history of environmental concerns who owns the Florida East Coast Railroad.

What followed was a textbook example of how government reacts when it gets caught flatfooted – and we all knew it wouldn’t be long before some government entity started throwing our money at the problem…   

When the grim news came that there was little, if anything, anyone could do to stop the terminal if Belvedere pushed the issue, rather than find a way to legally prevent the facility in the most inappropriate place on the Eastern Seaboard – or stop corporate “property rights” from trumping public safety – in 2024, the Florida legislature allocated $10 million in public funds to “incentivize” the project, so long as it was located anywhere but Ormond Beach…

There was speculation that some of Volusia County’s heaviest political hitters were involved behind the scenes, and some suggested the facility would ultimately be moved to a location near Oak Hill.  Then came a plan for the citizens of Ormond Beach to share some $100,000 in legal expenses with a company located near the site – and the cowardly rejection of a moratorium by the Volusia County Council amid the specter of a Bert J. Harris Act suit.

Then, an eerie quiet as Belvedere Terminals went silent…  

Last week, news broke that the massive fuel depot will be built on a 78-acre site off Palm Coast’s Peavy Grade – immediately adjacent to the city’s Water Treatment Plant 3 on U.S. 1. – which, according to a city website, contains some twenty potable water wells… 

According to a report in FlaglerLive!:

“The $75 million to $80 million capital investment locally will result in a half dozen fuel tanks with a total capacity of 300,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel storage, or 12.6 million gallons–the equivalent of 17 water towers like Palm Coast’s off I-95.

A 125-car train will deliver the fuel to the facility, emptying the fuel into the storage tanks about once a week. (The locomotive will be run by CSX engineers on Florida East Coast’s rail line, but the train cars, designed at the latest safety standards, will be owned by the company). From there, tank truck will distribute the fuel to stations in Flagler, Volusia and St. Johns counties, leaving the plant at the rate of one every four hours, 24 hours a day. Not including the truck drivers, the plant is expected to employ 30 to 40 people, most of them engineers, at an average salary of $100,000.

Local property tax revenue is expected to reach $800,000 a year, according to Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito.”

Having learned something from the pushback in Ormond Beach, Flagler County officials appear to be taking a different tack – “We’re just giving you what you asked for…”

In a press release last week, Acting Palm Coast City Manager Lauren Johnston said, “This land is already zoned industrial in Flagler County.  We’ve heard from our community that economic vitality is a top priority, as it will help us diversify our tax base. This project will help us start to balance our tax base more evenly and minimize the burden on residential homeowners.”

It appears that without any input from affected residents, Petito and Johnston have teamed to sprinkle sparkle dust on the project and get in front of any resistance – in the process sounding like enthusiastic mouthpieces for an untested fuel distribution company who seeks to put 12.6 million gallons of petroleum within a few thousand feet of a drinking water source.

In my view, that’s a risky position, especially given the mercurial nature of their elected bosses.

For instance, by Tuesday, Palm Coast Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri was questioning the proposed location of the fuel terminal – just 1.7 miles from the Sawmill Branch development and adjacent to KB Home’s Somerset subdivision – suggesting that Belvedere Terminals pay for a site selection survey to determine suitability.

That didn’t sit well with Mayor Mike Norris, who touted the tax revenue and strategic value of having a ready supply of fuel in the event of an emergency.  According to a piece in the Palm Coast Observer this week:

“…those developers knew full well that was an industrial site,” Norris said. In fact, the developers requested a zoning modification in 2020, enabling homes to be built closer to the industrial land.

Norris feels convinced that the fuel terminal will be safe.

“The technology and all the regulatory agencies that go into approving these sites are still in place,” he said, noting that, in Jacksonville, KB Home is also building homes next to a fuel storage site.

The good outweighs the bad, in Norris’ mind. “We have to diversify our tax base.”

Feel better?  Me neither…

According to the report, “The audience applauded Pontieri for challenging Belvedere and Norris.”

Interesting… 

After our elected officials in Volusia County and Ormond Beach finish patting themselves on the back for the “innovative” solution of throwing $10+ million of our tax dollars at the problem, let’s wait and see what they do to prevent anything like this from happening again.  

With those shameless development shills Volusia County Councilmen Danny “Gaslight” Robins and David “No Show” Santiago mysteriously intent on tapping the brakes before instituting protections for the Hull Road property – let’s see the urgency with which the bureaucracy moves to protect current and future residents in Ormond Beach and beyond now that the immediate threat has become someone else’s problem…

Dempsey’s Folly Hits the Fast Track  

Waterlogged residents across the width and breadth of Volusia County who have agonized over how to protect their homes from the devastating effects of recurrent flooding – citizens who repeatedly present themselves before the Volusia County Council, then watch helplessly as the strategic foot-dragging continues – have been frustrated by how painfully slow the gears grind in the hallowed halls of power in DeLand. 

That’s why many were shocked to learn earlier this week that District 1 Councilman Donnie “Braaap-Braaap” Dempsey is on the fast-track to get his shiny new play toy approved – a multi-million-dollar publicly funded motocross facility.

Councilman Dempsey’s pet project advanced at the speed of a Husqvarna FC450 and came to a funding vote just over a year after it was initially proposed…

In a weird hybrid misuse of both Volusia Forever and Volusia ECHO funds, Director of Community Services Brad Burbaugh tapped his top hat with a magic wand and pulled a plan out of his backside to use $4,628,000 from the tax supported programs to purchase 356-acres off State Road 44 to accommodate Dempsey’s motocross facility.

To grease the wheels, a portion of wetlands on the property were cleverly designated a “conservation area” – a convenient means of skirting the fine line of the Volusia Forever’s mission of protecting the county’s natural biodiversity – not facilitate a commercial motocross track…

According to this week’s Volusia County Council agenda item, on July 11, 2024, “…the ECHO advisory committee reviewed the ECHO direct county expenditure (DCE) plan inclusive of $3.5 million for a motocross facility.” 

According to the July 2024 ECHO Advisory Committee’s agenda, the motocross facility was listed on a PowerPoint presentation entitled “ECHO Direct County Expenditure Updated Plan” – but I couldn’t locate an application or score sheet attached…

The agenda item also stated that at their September 13, 2024, meeting the Volusia Forever Advisory Committee “…used the Site Ranking Criteria (attached) to determine this property was eligible for further consideration.”

Except the Volusia Forever Advisory Committee was never told that part of the property purchased would be used for a motocross facility… 

Why is that?

According to a sparse application filed by the seller, Volusia 44 Properties, LLC, when asked to “Briefly explain why this parcel(s) should be considered as eligible for purchase in the Volusia Forever Land Acquisition Program,” the company simply responded:

“You called us to buy it.”

That’s brief alright, but we’re buying it anyway.  Paying over $4 million for cattle pasture to accommodate Dempsey’s Folly…

Yeah.  I know. I wish they would call me, too…

What? 

You thought Volusia County officials would focus Volusia ECHO and Volusia Forever funds on a comprehensive conservation effort after earning the horrific distinction of being the most flood prone county in Florida? 

You thought our elected dullards should use ECHO/Forever funds for the synergistic purchase of wetlands, recharge areas, and ecologically sensitive locations to help control widespread development-induced flooding – or, at the very least – consider passive outdoor recreation activities that everyone who pays for them can enjoy? 

Nah. 

Councilman Dempsey needs a state-of-the-art motocross facility, and, by God, he’s going to get one, even if Dr. Quackenbush Burbaugh has to use every tool in his trick bag to make it happen…

Without much fanfare (or public input), last year, Volusia County officials authorized Hunden Strategic Partners to conduct a feasibility study for what Dempsey called “a top-notch facility,” or at least the best our money can buy. 

While hydrologic and stormwater management studies continue to drag on ad infinitum, the county’s motocross consultant was Johnny on the spot, completing the “feasibility” analysis in no time… 

According to a 2024 report in the News-Journal, “The feasibility study looked at a facility with two full-sized competitive motocross tracks, a minimum of 50 RV slips with electric and water hookups, 750 general parking spaces, concession and bathroom facilities and a training facility or pro shop.”

The consultant also reported that construction of the facility was estimated to cost about $10.2 million… 

Disturbingly, Volusia County has yet to specify where that money is coming from, if county personnel will operate the facility, or if there will be a “public/private” partnership with a private/for profit motorsports company. 

During the public comment portion of the meeting, I enjoyed local environmental activist Cat Pante’s forward thinking solution that Forever and ECHO funds now earmarked for Dempsey’s Folly be reallocated to purchase the Hull Road property once eyed by Belvedere Terminals and use it to turn the area into a park with unique public amenities.  

During Tuesday’s Volusia County Council meeting, Mr. Dempsey appeared to be calling in from the dark side of the moon when the County’s historically unreliable communications system in the council chamber – which has the pitch, tone, and consistency of Alexander Graham Bell’s harmonic telegraph – once again malfunctioned.  

After putting more wax on the frayed string between the rusty tomato cans (and the clerk serving as intermediary) the audience learned that Dempsey wanted the agenda item authorizing the expenditure postponed until the next meeting – no doubt so he can be present to wallow in the adoration of his small but influential motocross constituency… 

And that, friends and neighbors, is how efficiently things can be accomplished in Volusia County government; unless, of course, it involves development-induced flooding, limiting malignant sprawl, or reducing the size and scope of the morbidly bloated bureaucracy.    

Unfortunately, their concerns and priorities truly are different than ours…  

Quote of the Week  

“This is proof, council, that we can set up a common sense program with reasonable expectations for our community members to do, and it can work,” Kent said. “This was a 36-year ban. This is a big deal, and this is part of why I ran for this seat — to start to give the beach back to the residents of Volusia County, and this program is not only giving it back to the residents, but to our visitors as well.”

–District 4 Volusia County Councilman Troy Kent, as quoted by the Ormond Beach Observer, “Volusia County Council makes dog beach permanent in Ormond,” Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Look, “commonsense” and the “Volusia County Council” are not things I normally read in the same sentence, but after Tuesday’s vote to make Ormond’s dog beach a fixture, I have to agree with Councilman Troy Kent.

Kudos to Daytona Dog Beach, Inc., its intrepid president Nannette Petrella, and the organizations enthusiastic membership for proving the possibility of guiding a recalcitrant government to do the right thing – for the right reasons – by showing extraordinary leadership, stewardship, and perseverance.

In addition, a big thank you to Halifax area philanthropists Nancy and Lowell Lohman – pet-lovers and all-around good eggs – who early in the process eliminated the “cost argument” by pledging $100,000 to underwrite the pilot program. 

Due in no small part to Volusia County Councilman Kent’s efforts, this week five members of the Volusia County Council (with Johansson and Dempsey absent) voted to make Ormond Beach’s dog-friendly beach a permanent amenity for residents and visitors.

To their credit, the program was universally supported by those elected officials present, and during the discussion, Councilman Danny Robins graciously provided Ms. Petrella with a letter of support:

“Since day one yourself, volunteers, and the Daytona Dog Beach organization has shown tremendous dedication and have proven to be an exemplary model of how a true partnership should be,” Robins wrote. 

My hope is the Ormond Beach site will prove the value of expanding the popular program to other Volusia County beaches in the future.  According to a report by Jarleene Almenas writing in the Ormond Beach Observer this week, that may be a possibility:

“Council Chair Jeff Brower said the reason the pilot was a success was because of Daytona Dog Beach and the Lohmans. He’s recently received requests for expanding other areas of the beach to dogs.

“We’ll see what the future holds,” Brower said.”

Great news, and a shining example of Margret Meads promise that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can still change our small corner of the world for the better. 

And Another Thing!

As a veteran political voyeur and a dilletante editorialist, I always have more than enough material for these weekly screeds, and regular readers know that beating dead mules has become a perverse pastime of mine. 

In fact, flogging civic issues, repeatedly harping on civic missteps, tilting at windmills, and causing discomfiture in the various political fishing camps around these parts has become my purpose in retirement.   

But some weeks it can be hard to fit it all in…

For instance, this week, former Ormond Beach City Commissioner Jeff Boyle wrote a well-thought editorial in The Daytona Beach News-Journal rekindling the tempest in a teapot between Ormond Beach Mayor Jason Leslie and his “colleagues,” something many in City Hall would prefer quietly went away.

I disagree with Mr. Boyle’s position – and I support Mayor Leslie’s right to speak to his constituents without washing his thoughts through the city’s public information apparatus – so, I wanted nothing more than to respond with a pithy quip (which, for me, takes between 800-1,200 words…) – but I didn’t.

Let it go, Barker.   I’ve said my piece.    

For now… 

Then, on Tuesday, I read an interesting article in the News-Journal that took us down the haunted memory lane that is the ongoing debacle at First Step Shelter – a shitshow of epic proportion that has now resulted in an expanding lawsuit against First Step and the City of Daytona Beach.   

My best/worst instinct was to take those members of the First Step’s governing board who still refuse to thoroughly investigate the whistleblower complaints (allegations that remain shrouded in secrecy) to the woodshed.  

Not going to rehash that sordid mess this week, either. 

But the uncomfortable facts uncovered in an exposé by reporter Zaffiro-Kean this week entitled “Daytona Beach’s Main Street hasn’t thrived for decades. That could finally be changing,” made it hard to keep my hyper-opinionated piehole shut, because this uncomfortable truth slaps me across the eyes with the same sting each time I read it:

 “Main Street has been in the middle of a community redevelopment area since 1982. That designation has provided the city nearly $150 million in property tax revenue over the past 43 years that has been available for revitalizing the core beachside area.

There are demands on that money throughout the redevelopment area, including bond debts that at one point tallied nearly $68 million. But some still question why the core tourist area of the beachside isn’t doing better by now.”

Read that again.

$150 million over the transom… 

Where?  For what?  How was the money spent? 

Qui bono?

In 2017, Eileen Zaffiro-Kean wrote the News-Journal’s infamous Tarnished Jewel series – a critical analysis that took us on a wild ride through the mean streets of the “Main Street Community Redevelopment Area” – a place that came to epitomize the historic lack of vision, poor leadership, and ineffective representation of a long and distinguished cavalcade of local elected and appointed officials throughout the Halifax area.

In my view, the work was worthy of the Pulitzer Prize.

Most important, the series brought into view the misjudgment of some prominent business and property owners who were convinced that throwing more tax dollars and lucrative “incentives” at developers was the answer to the myriad problems on the beachside, despite the lessons of the past.

Whenever public money is used to further private interests, regardless of the guise, that nexus is ripe for abuse. 

History teaches that when vast sums of money are entrusted to Halifax area politicians, a sizable portion will invariably find its way into the pockets of their cronies and political allies – and the rest will be used for “panacea projects” and even larger debt – that’s when money seems to fall through the cracks like beach sand through a sieve, making it infinitely more difficult to follow.

In the Tarnished Jewel series, we learned that former officials were unable to adequately account for millions of dollars the city borrowed relative to the Main Street CRA – and according to the report, much of the remaining revenues would go to paying off bonds for “improvements” related to the Ocean Walk, “e-zone,” and other projects east of A-1-A.

We also became aware that redevelopment officials purchased residential and commercial properties in the CRA for hundreds of thousands over appraised value – then sold the lots for pennies on the dollar – and taxpayers became convinced that there was no one minding the switch…

In this week’s article, we learned that the City of Daytona Beach plans to keep trying more of the same as it desperately tries to breathe life into Main Street.

“To improve Main Street, the city will try to buy more property it can help redevelop, encourage housing development, add lighting, install more security cameras, invest in new planters and pavers, continue offering facade improvement grants, and hold more events.”

I found that plan eerily similar to what was reported in 2017:

“Plans have come and gone to get a water taxi, marina and riverfront hotel on the west end of Main Street. On the east end, there have been failed efforts to create everything from a vastly expanded pier to an Olympic training village.

The “Take Part” studies of the 1980s, the second of which cost $380,000, were aimed at reviving the beachside core tourist area, and once again making Main Street a charming place to stroll from business to business.

The city spent $318,000 more for a 2011 plan to create a Main Street area entertainment zone, or “e-zone,” that has attracted more dust than developers.

The city has given out more than $713,000 in property improvement grants to dozens of businesses and homeowners in the Main Street area since 2006. Many of those grants went to absentee landlords or businesses that now stand empty.

The city paid for a Main Street overhaul complete with new sidewalks and planters about 25 years ago. Those sidewalks are now stained with the excesses of Bike Weeks past.”

In my view, perhaps it is time for Daytona Beach officials to come to the realization that there are some things the municipal government does extremely well.  Unfortunately, the difficult revitalization of a dying tourist area by artificially propping up a struggling commercial corridor isn’t one of them… 

Trust me.  I spent my adult life in municipal government, and the fits, starts, and difficulties of eliminating blight in established communities is not unique to Daytona Beach.

Look, I’m more of a complainer than a “doer” – it’s just my Wa. 

I figure my grumbles and gripes balance out the “happy talk” we hear from government mouthpieces who keep trying to pick up a turd by the clean end…

So, I bitch and moan about intractable problems rather than offer workable solutions.  But in my view, now is the time for city officials to consider hiring an outside professional with expertise in placemaking. 

Get the bureaucracy out of the mix and engage a comprehensive planning and design firm with the demonstrated ability to form a collective vision and develop a unique and attractive streetscape. 

An entity with a proven portfolio of developing vibrant public spaces that attract people – then implement the plan with input from those merchants who have already invested in Main Street to stimulate authentic economic development on our struggling beachside.   

Doing the same thing over-and-over while expecting a different result is the definition of insanity, and civic improvements don’t happen by chance.  They begin with positive change.  

“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”

–Margaret Wheatley

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 news and newsmakers of the day who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life or detracted from it in some significant way…

Volusia County Council of Cowards – Silence Implies Consent

Qui tacet consentire videtur

Acquiescence is defined as agreement or consent via silence or without objection, suggesting that when someone remains silent when they have the opportunity to protest, their silence implies concurrence.

During the public comment portion of the Volusia County Council meeting earlier this week, a bigoted and hate filled provocateur used his three minutes to utter a disgusting racial slur.   

It was gratuitous, goading, and reprehensible – in other words, it incited all the feelings of moral outrage that most feel when our most closely held principles are suddenly violated – and it was clearly orchestrated to push the limits of protected speech in a public forum.

In my view, it was a racist bully spouting hate speech while hiding behind the Constitution of the United States, adding nothing to the public discourse, and weakening the most fundamental element of a healthy and functioning democracy. 

So, why didn’t our elected officials exercise their own First Amendment right to free and unfettered speech to immediately and passionately renounce these vile comments, stand for that which is right, and reinforce that Volusia County does not condone, excuse, or ignore hateful and divisive epithets? 

That’s a question many in Volusia County are asking this week.  

In a disturbing article by Sheldon Gardner writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, I wasn’t shocked to learn that the speaker’s reprehensible remarks “…took Volusia County Council members by surprise.”

Sure they did…

According to the report, Chairman Jeff Brower claimed he was “distracted” and wasn’t sure what was said, “I was writing something down when that guy was speaking because I tend to ignore him,” Brower said.”

Although Brower claimed the comment was “repulsive” and “clearly not relevant to county business,” he didn’t confront the speaker at the time.  Instead, Brower told the News-Journal he “…planned to meet with the county attorney to talk about what the council can do in the future.

“At the very least, I’m going to ask people, ‘Please don’t use racial epithets,'” Brower said.”

In addition, the News-Journal reported, “Councilman Jake Johansson said he regretted not speaking up.

“I should have said something,” Johansson said.

But he said the chairman is responsible for running the meeting.

He should have stopped that immediately,” Johansson said.

Some councilmen told the News-Journal they weren’t sure if they heard what they thought they heard.

“The sum total was I really didn’t quite hear it. … I was divided in my attention,” District 1 Councilman Don Dempsey said.

District 2 Councilman Matt Reinhart said he wasn’t sure that the man said a racial slur.

“I wish I would have heard it more clearly… I would have said something. I wasn’t certain,” he said.

Reinhart said he planned to ask about the comment later in the meeting but forgot to bring it up. He said he plans to bring it up at the next council meeting.

District 3 Councilman Danny Robins didn’t respond to messages from the News-Journal.”

Bullshit.

Shameless cowards…

According to the News-Journal’s report, Florida First Amendment Foundation’s executive director Bobby Block “…told the News-Journal that while the First Amendment protects hate speech, it also protects people’s right to counter and challenge hate speech.

“Racist remarks and hateful speech are always jarring no matter where they come from,” he said. “But I’m going to respond in the way that the Supreme Court has responded on issues when it comes to hate speech, and that is the best way to deal with hate speech is to counter it with good speech.”

In my view, countering evil with good and standing for the rights and dignity of everyone isn’t just a legal best practice – it is a moral imperative – especially for those holding high office and the public trust.

In my view, when their moral courage was put to the test, our elected officials instinctively quibbled and quavered – feigning ignorance and distraction (when the video clearly shows differently) – with Councilman “Jake the Snake” Johansson (who wants to be our next state senator?) deflecting his own craven spinelessness while lecturing what Chairman Brower coulda, shoulda, woulda, done…

Sickening.  

Now, we can expect a knee-jerk reaction from Chairman Brower and the others as they run to County Attorney Michael Dyer, asking him to erase the bright yellow stain down their backs, by further limiting legitimate public input at Volusia County Council meetings using “civility ordinances” and “rules for public participation.”

Some have suggested that the council’s failure to respond to this outrage is prima facie evidence they really don’t listen to citizen comments. 

Maybe so. 

But we’re not talking about ignoring the fervent pleas of a flood victim here, and everyone sees through their distracted ignorance routine for what it is…   

In my view, our elected officials were paralyzed with fear of breaking their own arbitrary rule that requires they sit like stone-faced gargoyles during public comments – never acknowledging or interacting with their constituents who take time out of their busy lives to approach the podium and participate in their government – a chilling lockstep conformity that maintains bureaucratic secrecy with silence, providing yet another layer of political insulation, even in the face of hateful epithets…  

Rather than reacting, they flinched.

That’s frightening.  And plays right into the hands of those who seek to destroy our way of life.

Moral courage is how we react to evil in the moment – taking a stand against injustice regardless of risk or reward, without the benefit of hindsight, a prepared response from a public affairs expert, or a political scapegoat.

Sadly, now Volusia County residents know all they need to about how those we have elected to represent our interests will respond when our most precious values are under attack by the forces of evil.

“Let not anyone pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject.”

— John Stuart Mill, 1867

Halifax Area Tourism – Here We Go Again…

A sure sign that an elected official has been caught flat-footed is their mindless reaction to a random or unpredictable situation. 

A self-protective reflex, the instinctive need to “do something” – running around like Chicken Little trying to get ahead of “the narrative” – avoiding political backlash by quickly adopting a “we’re on top of it” posture before the sky falls…

A prime example emerged last week when Volusia County Councilman Matt Reinhart called on his “colleagues” to have staff research “options” for controlling large crowds on the beach after two men were shot during an “unsanctioned Beach Day event” earlier this month.

“I do not want activity like this to be welcomed (It’s not), and I do not want activity like this to hurt our tourist industry (That’s not what’s hurting our tourist industry), especially in that Daytona Beach area,” Reinhart said. “We’re trying to revitalize that (No, you’re not). These types of activities don’t revitalize it. These scare people.”

Sound familiar?  It should. 

After all, local law enforcement officials have already found workable solutions to invasion-style events.  

In 2022, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood and area police executives effectively dealt with “pop up” takeovers by supporting a law that allows the sheriff to designate a specific area where law enforcement shows zero tolerance for all violations, with fines doubled, and vehicles of offenders impounded for up to 72 hours.

Then, in April 2023, Sheriff Chitwood sent “cease-and-desist” letters to two promoters of “invasion” events citing the fact the parties put an “unreasonable strain on the already burdened law enforcement, medical, firefighter and beach safety resources of Volusia County,” and threatening to recoup costs of securing the events from organizers.

It worked.

The fact is, as long as citizens have the constitutional right to peaceably assemble and enjoy a day at the beach, all government agencies can do is plan accordingly, monitor the situation, and respond as necessary to keep the peace.

Something area law enforcement does very well. 

In my view, the Daytona Beach Police Department has proven to be one of the most effective crowd control and event management agencies in the nation.  Recognized experts in securing largescale regional events and a department that has set the gold standard for safety, courtesy, and hospitality.

Despite best efforts, sometimes things go awry – like the Bike Week melee that erupted between two rival motorcycle gangs at a New Smyrna Beach gas station where multiple gunshots wounded two and struck a passing vehicle. 

So, do we shut down Bike Week and Biketoberfest? 

Should we kill the golden goose of special events like we did Spring Break in the ‘90’s? 

Then what? 

Does the Volusia County Council, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce (or anyone else) have a viable plan for revitalizing our beachside and restoring its economic viability?  

With council members discussing “crowd-control options,” “curfews,” and “fines to incentivize better behavior (?),” some who depend upon throngs of visitors to our core tourist area are worried about what draconian “options” Volusia County has in mind.  As one beachside merchant put it in the wake of Councilman Reinhart’s “henny-penny” routine, the county is now “…trying to (use a) sledgehammer when a scalpel would suffice.  Volusia County is lost in the weeds of its own design.”

In an excellent article by Jim Abbott in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week entitled, “Daytona Beach spring break from beach blanket bingo and MTV to ‘Spring Family Beach Break’,” we received an interesting history lesson on the rise and fall of the once insanely popular annual event.  

The article quoted former News-Journal reporter Ron Hurtibise, the associate producer of the 2016 film “Spring Broke,” a documentary highlighting the evolution of spring break in Daytona Beach, who explained:

“It was an exciting time in the town, a time when many, many corporations came down to promote to the kids,” he said. “I’ve never seen any set up like that on the beach, before or since. I thought it was a good thing. It convinced me that the town was going to grow, along with Orlando and Tampa, to become a bigger city. I learned that was just an illusion.”

Read that again.

Perhaps there is a valuable lesson in Mr. Hurtibise’ unique perspective for our ossified ‘hospitality gurus’ who seem stuck on stupid when it comes to constantly “rebranding” the Halifax area while turning up their noses at events that have been traditional draws for the World’s Most Famous Beach.

Earlier this week, we learned that the Halifax Area Advertising Authority is underwriting one of our area’s premiere events, the annual National Cheerleaders Association and National Dance Alliance championships, to the tune of $135,000 in tourist tax dollars.

In addition, the HAAA has agreed to a $112,500 annual sponsorship (augmented by a lucrative assistance package) for Varsity Brands, which owns the NCA and NDA, as it “negotiates” with the cheerleading giant to keep the championships in Daytona Beach.

The Daytona Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau swung a wild-ass guesstimate of an areawide fiscal impact for the event of “$40-$60 million” for area businesses.

According to the News-Journal, a sticking point for Varsity Brands is an apparent lack of “an adequate number of hotel rooms to match the growth of the event” after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole (?).  

Those storms hit two years ago…

Something else I found interesting was the reported settlement of an $82.5 million class-action antitrust suit against Bain Capital and its cheerleading giant Varsity Brands.  According to a 2024 article in Cheer Daily, “The settlement also addresses Varsity’s “Stay Smart” policy, which required cheer teams to stay at specific hotels, allegedly allowing Varsity to receive kickbacks. Varsity agreed that at least 35% of its cheer competitions will not mandate participants to stay at Varsity-approved accommodations.”

Look, I have no idea if this “Stay Smart” policy included the annual Daytona Beach championships, but perhaps the CVB should check into that during their back-and-forth with Varsity for the 2027-2030 contract?

Regardless, why are our tourism officials always “negotiating” on the precipice of catastrophe? 

Instead of solving our decades-old civic identity crisis, they spend marketing funds on increasingly ludicrous (and expensive) slogans – like “Seize the Daytona,” “Wide. Open. Fun.,” and now “Spring Family Beach Break” – trying desperately to focus what Lori Campbell Baker, executive director of the CVB, described as “…attention on the families — however you define them — and the rich array of family-friendly activities that the destination has to offer.” 

“Rich array of family-friendly activities?” 

Wait, last week we were “Beer, Bikes, Tats, and Tits…”

So, which is it?

Whatever…

Perhaps Mr. Reinhart would better serve his constituents and make the beach a safer destination by venturing down into the moldering dead records morgue at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building and dusting off the $100,000 suggestion of the Strategic Advisory Group, the consultant who performed a 2013 comprehensive tourism study and reported the grim facts to the Volusia County Council:

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

On the same musty shelf as the SAG report, Mr. Reinhart will find the yellowing pages of what became known as the 2017 “Grippa Report” – the wholly ignored product of the gilded “Beachside Redevelopment Committee” – the result of 10-months of wasted time and motion by Volusia County’s best and brightest, whose primary suggestion for revitalizing our tourist economy was, “Expand the opportunities to make the beach a year-round destination for all visitors.”

Remember?  I do.

Then Councilman Reinhart should use his enthusiasm for fabricating “options” to get our tourism apparatus off their ass and focused on turning around a dying destination – rather than throwing Chanel No. 5 on the hog with another pithy catch phrase – or more unwelcoming “fines to incentivize behavior…”   

That process should begin by listening to the suggestions of residents, Main Street entrepreneurs, and others who have invested in our blighted beachside, opening closed sections of the beach to driving in keeping with tradition, getting the bureaucracy out of the redevelopment process, and doing something about the suppurating scab that is our former Boardwalk.

Then hire someone who knows what they’re doing to develop a comprehensive plan for revitalizing our core tourist area – rather than running in circles rehashing solutions and diverting attention every time something goes south in a crowd…    

City of Daytona Beach – “Must Haves” and “Nice to Haves”

Trust me.  I’m not one to tell others how to spend their money. 

Just ask my long-suffering wife…   

There is a psychological difference between “spenders” and “savers” – and Patti’s penny-pinching frugality is the yin to my extravagant yang – which means I spend money like shit through a dyspeptic goose.  

As you may recall, in recent years, the City of Daytona Beach collected millions in excess permitting and licensing fees, a windfall (of sorts) that left city officials scrambling to figure out how to spend the funds within statutory guidelines.

That decision-making process may have drug out a little too long…  

There was early talk of purchasing a Beach Street building – which was later found to be riddled with dangerous asbestos – and discussions of purchasing/constructing/renovating a building to house permitting and licensing offices, a now scrapped plan to purchase a $1 million “mobile command post,” vehicle purchases, and new employee salaries.   

Now, plans are afoot to use $11 million for a 35,000 square foot expansion of Daytona Beach City Hall.

According to a report by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal last week, “The addition could be built on either the south or east sides of the two-story building. The idea is to construct two floors on columns that would stand over a portion of the existing parking lot to maintain the spaces for vehicles. It’s been determined the existing building can’t support another floor or two on top of it.

One of the new 17,500-square-foot floors could house the permits and licensing department, and the other floor could be used by city government employees that would be most in need of new office space when the construction was complete.”

According to the report, the project is estimated to cost $20 million, with half coming from the excess permitting fees, the remainder from general government impact fee funds. 

Unfortunately, like most of Volusia County, Daytona Beach has a problem: Stormwater management and the resultant widespread flooding.

That recurring issue came to the forefront when city officials asked the Volusia County legislative delegation for state funding to cover some $2 million for backup generators “and millions more to construct a new public works building and for unspecified projects to reduce flooding.”

According to reports, the City of Daytona Beach allowed the mayor and city commissioners to spend federal COVID relief funds “as they saw fit within their districts” – with each commissioner receiving $500,000, and the mayor $750,000.   

Yeah.  I know…

That didn’t sit well with state Senator Tom Leek of Ormond Beach either, who took Daytona Beach to task – calling the allocation by individual commissioners “a remarkably bad process” – and questioning why the city would ask for state funding to cover needed upgrades.

Now, Senator Leek is about to take the T-Bird away…

In a bill filed this legislative session, Sen. Leek seeks to ensure that excess permits and licensing fees are spent for needed storm water management upgrades – and if it becomes law – the City Hall expansion would become a moot point.

According to the News-Journal, “The bill says excess permits and licensing fee revenue, and other money collected to enforce the Florida building code, should be used for stormwater system service and repairs if there’s a need for that — and Daytona Beach has a need. The measure could also make it very difficult for Daytona Beach to get new state funding until the $11 million is spent.

If the bill becomes law, Daytona Beach would most likely have to drop the City Hall expansion idea or find another source of funding.”

Here’s hoping the Daytona Beach City Commission (like the remainder of Volusia County) focuses on the “must haves” to alleviate recurrent flooding before considering “nice to haves” at City Hall… 

Quote of the Week

“Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris has said repeatedly, including in City Council meetings, that the appointment of Charles Gambaro to the City Council in 2024 was illegal. He doubled down on that stance during a March 16, 2025, interview with Flagler County Buzz, posted March 20 on YouTube, saying that anything Gambaro does on the council is “illegitimate.”

The comment further strains the council at a time when it’s already enduring a “heavy” atmosphere, as Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri observed. It’s a consequential time because the members must soon reach a consensus not only on an appointment of a new District 3 council member, after Ray Stevens resigned due to health reasons — but also on the hiring of a new city manager.”

–Editor Brian McMillan, Palm Coast Observer, as excerpted from “Palm Coast Mayor Norris claims that any votes by City Councilman Gambaro are ‘illegitimate,’” Friday, March 21, 2025  

Last week, a savvy political observer asked the rhetorical question, “Who has a more tumultuous political climate, Deltona or Palm Coast?”

Good question…

One thing is certain, two of the largest municipalities in the Metropolitan Statistical Area are ablaze with political dysfunction – and it is now painfully obvious to everyone watching that powerful outside influences are intent on shaping those communities in their own mercenary image. 

In Palm Coast, former Mayor/Realtor David Alfin appears still firmly in control of his appointed (read: unelected) mouthpiece Charles Gambaro as development interests push to further Alfin’s westward expansion of the city – continuing to cram ten-pounds of shit into a five-pound bag – at a time when residents are facing some of the highest utilities rates in the state to pay for infrastructure upgrades just to meet current needs with more upward corrections expected in the future…

Now, Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris is under investigation by an outside law firm for being coarse with fragile senior staff after calling for a moratorium on additional development? 

Mayor Norris may well be an asshole with sharp elbows who needs a lesson on the Council/Manager form.  But the cheap coup d’état that is being orchestrated internally and externally to excise any anti-development impediments from the dais is nothing short of defying the will of Palm Coast voters and a direct insult to our democratic institutions.

And Another Thing!

“It’s such an amazing moment when the Mayor of Munchkin City makes the impromptu announcement on the public square that “the joyous news be spread” that the Wicked Witch is dead.

In Ormond Beach, he would have needed to clear that with the public information officer first.

In an alarming turn toward bullying and control, a faction of the Ormond City Commission wants to codify censorship over the mayor as he performs traditional and basic functions like touting the strength of our great community.

The criticism sprung from a ridealong puff piece the mayor did at the request of Channel 6 in Daytona Beach. His tour of Ormond beach best-kept secrets included some horrifically dangerous, controversial and incendiary language such as: “You guys are in for a real treat.” And “It’s really a lot of fun.” And “This is a great park.” And “Look how beautiful this is.” And “We’re just so happy to have something like this. And “It’s a great place to live.” Seriously?”

— Skip Foster, President of Hammerhead Communications and RedTapeFlorida.com, as excerpted from his op/ed in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Opinion: If the mayor of Ormond Beach wants to sing his city’s praises, let him,” Sunday, March 23, 2025

Please find the remainder of Mr. Foster’s essay here: https://redtapeflorida.com/

The hits just kept on coming this week for my beautiful hometown, Ormond Beach…

When Ormond Beach Deputy Mayor Lori Tolland and Commissioner Kristin Deaton sought to put recently elected Mayor Jason Leslie in his place by overzealously criticizing his appearance on a morning television show to tout the many amenities of his community, I doubt they thought past their own noses before stirring what is now a statewide embarrassment for the City of Ormond Beach.

Had Tolland and Deaton thought beyond their self-anointed status as “Keepers of the Only Truth,” I suspect they would have thought to pick their battles before attempting to publicly humiliate Mayor Leslie and place Ormond Beach at ground zero in the fight for government transparency.

In his well-thought piece published on his site Red Tape Florida this week, Mr. Foster puts Ormond Beach’s unfortunate bruhaha into perspective:

“According to Commissioner Kristin Deaton, the mayor should have cleared his tour through the city’s public information office before agreeing to the interview. When did that start? Elected officials report to THE PUBLIC, not bureaucrats. Deaton wants Ormond Beach to adopt an ordinance similar to one in Daytona Beach Shores. But that ordinance is so unserious that it doesn’t even include a section for penalties if it is violated. It also pins everything on the distinction of a commissioner speaking for him or herself as opposed to the entire commission.

So, let’s be clear on this:

Mayor Leslie, Commissioners Deaton and Tolland and anybody else on the Ormond City Beach Commission can say anything they want about any city matters to anybody they want and there is no ordinance that can, should, or will stop that. If they want to alert the public information office that’s great. If they don’t, that’s fine too.”

In my view, as an elected official and citizen of Ormond Beach, Mayor Leslie has a sacred and constitutionally protected right to voice his opinions – even viewpoints that might differ from those of his “colleagues” – without the onus of filtering his thoughts through a bureaucratic public information apparatus.

A pet peeve of mine is that some politicians develop the mindset that the elected body should be a clubbish, homogenized, and well-choreographed echo chamber, where senior staff create public policy behind closed doors and the role of elected officials is to merely rubberstamp it.

To enforce compliance, the compromised majority begin passing rules and ordinances to silence discussion and dissent on both sides of the dais, and that strictly enforced conformism ensures the outcome of votes when everyone starts thinking alike…or else. 

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 news and newsmakers of the day who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life or detracted from it in some significant way…

“A thing that cannot grieve

has no right to poetry

a thing that cannot die has

no claim to the mouth of life—”

–Samuel Hurley, “AI vs. the Poet” An Anthem for the Dreaming Lost

Last week I received a note from a Barker’s View reader asking if these weekly screeds are “written” using Generative AI – “Artificial Intelligence.” 

Say what?

I took a long draught on my omnipresent dry Martini, pounded the desk, and screamed, “WTF?  You think any machine could conjure this lunacy I bloviate about week-after-week-after-week?

Incensed by the very suggestion, I thought, “Are my readers under the impression I push a button, sit on my idle ass, and wait while some dispassionate algorithm dispenses this righteous bile like a soft-serve ice cream machine from hell?” 

Then I thought “It’s not their fault.”  Sign of the times…

Let’s face it, no lucid machine that plumbs the depths of human knowledge – or an infinite number of monkeys on an infinite number of typewriters – could possibly create the improbable schemes and farcical scenarios that play out in various gilded council/commission chambers and the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Building each week. 

A bizarre “Théâtre de l’absurde” whose slapstick provides the fodder for these hyper-opinionated harrumphs – a surrealistic fever dream with so many marionettes, puppeteers, and supporting cast you need a program to keep up. 

Honestly, even in my most gin-addled state, I couldn’t make this shit up if I wanted to. 

Continuing storylines like Volusia County Councilman David “No Show” Santiago – who routinely misses meetings (or literally phones it in) – continuing to accept public funds while his “colleagues” on the dais of power refuse to address it.  Rather than say, “Hey, show up or step down you goldbricking schlub” they expect those who pay the bills to simply ignore the fact a potted plant would have more of a presence in the district 5 seat than David Santiago…

Or the hapless management of Tomoka State Park, who are now trotting out a fantastic story that the oaks and palm trees that were sawed into splinters to make way for an asinine paving project last week were “hurricane damaged” – hoping us rubes will believe the “damaged” trees just happen to line the roads being paved, and their removal was coincidental to the project? 

So, I just shake my head and calls ‘em like I sees ‘em…

The fact is, I write every long-winded paragraph – a cathartic exercise – served straight-up without those pithy “AI generated” summations you see in every article and essay today – a watery condensate for those pinheads who have lost the capacity to read critically – or think for themselves…  

Admittedly, I am at best a dilettante editorialist – at worst, a blowhard with internet access – a Quixotic irritator who still believes the authentic written word can provide, as Conrad assured, “…encouragement, consolation, fear, charm – all you demand; and, perhaps, also that glimpse of truth for which you have forgotten to ask.”

So, I will keep trying to explain it all.  Jotting down my jaded observations, sounding the klaxon, and tilting at windmills, both real and imagined…  

Whether or not we agree on the myriad social, civic, and economic issues of the day, I hope we remain friends, grounded in the common purpose of seeking a better tomorrow for our children and grandchildren through the vigorous competition of ideas and a universal desire for honorable, accessible, and principled governance.

Leaving things better for those who come after is a purely human trait no machine could understand…

Here’s a special thanks to the loyal members of the Barker’s View tribe.  Your civic awareness and activism continue to make a difference in our community.

The Lost City of Deltona and the Curious Case of Mayor Santiago Avila Jr.

Just when you think things couldn’t get worse in The Lost City of Deltona, another sordid exposé unfolds in the news.  More of the drama and intrigue longsuffering residents (and rapt spectators up here in the cheap seats) have come to expect.  Another glaring blackeye for the community – and a regional embarrassment for Volusia County.

And that’s just what the media reports…

I could fill this page for months with the rumors, innuendo, and speculation I receive from increasingly angry Deltona residents – taxpayers who feel alienated by their elected representatives – and taken advantage of by a feckless mayor who seems to set his own rules, then dips into public funds to defend it all.

According to a report by Mark Harper writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, in December 2024, Mayor Santiago-Avila Jr. was under investigation by the State Attorney’s Office following allegations of a Sunshine Law violation.   

Apparently, without any formal approval or public notification, Mayor Avila simply hired what the News-Journal described as his “political ally,” attorney Anthony Sabatini, an influential former state lawmaker, paying Sabatini’s Mount Dora law firm a $5,000 retainer from public coffers…

According to the report, “Sabatini described the state attorney complaint as “completely unfounded” and thus dismissed. “I talked to the state attorney and it went away.”

Poof… “It went away.”   

Impressive skills, eh? 

In January, for reasons many believe were purely political, Mayor Avila and his wife travelled to Washington D.C. on the city’s dime without prior authorization as required by the city’s travel policy.

Using a city owned vehicle and public funds for fuel, lodging, and whatnots, Avila and his wife apparently attended the U. S. Conference of Mayors as the “guest” of a mysterious benefactor (Avila admitted he wasn’t a registered participant), along with several black-tie soirees surrounding the Presidential inauguration.    

At the time, Mayor Avila explained he was in meetings with senators and congressmen strategizing (no doubt) on matters important to the future of Deltona.  Unfortunately, a proper summation of those high-level confabs was never provided to the remainder of the City Commission or interested residents who felt taken advantage of…   

Given the “trust issue” that continues to cast a pall over the beleaguered community, many – including several of Avila’s fellow commissioners – believe the mayor’s junket violated the city’s established travel policy for elected officials which requires advanced approval by majority vote of the City Commission. 

Because it did.

To their credit, several Deltona elected officials sought to hold Mayor Avila accountable, and last month a ‘quasi-judicial’ hearing was held to allow a vetting of the facts and the opportunity for Avila to explain himself. 

Again, Anthony Sabatini represented Avila…

During the hearing, the mayor’s counterargument was, “Who knew the city had a travel policy?” 

Only in Deltona is ignorance of the law an affirmative defense – and while Mayor Avila was found to have violated the travel policy by a 4-3 vote of the City Commission – it failed the supermajority requirement that would have allowed the commission to levy sanctions.

In the end, Mayor Santiago-Avila Jr. and his patented “What travel policy?” defense won the day by one vote – his own…    

For his efforts, Mr. Sabatini was paid an additional $5,781.25 in Deltona taxpayer dollars…

According to the News-Journal, Catherine Barker (no relation), the Deltona city communications director, said “Sabatini’s $5,000 retainer went toward the quasi-judicial hearing costs, $10,781.25, with the balance reflected in the February payment.”

That came as a shock to many on both sides of the dais – flummoxed residents and commissioners who were blindsided to learn that the community was on the hook for Mayor Avila’s legal representation – especially after a simple majority vote found him guilty of violating city policy.  

In an interview with the News-Journal, Commissioner Dori Howington explained, “I have heard that our city attorneys justified providing the mayor with legal counsel by suggesting he could potentially lose something in the hearing,” Howington wrote. “However, it is my recollection they disregarded both an attorney general opinion and ethics statutes that supersede local ordinances and the city charter – clearly stating that the mayor could not vote if he had something to lose.”

“Yet at the hearing, their rationale shifted, claiming he could vote because he would not lose anything,” Howington wrote. “If that were the case, how then was he entitled to both legal representation at city expense and allowed to vote in the quasi-judicial hearing?

“Either he stood to lose something or he didn’t,” she said. “It can’t be both ways.”

I’m certainly not an attorney, but a long-held tenet of Florida law requires that public funds be spent for a public purpose.  In this case, the Commission found Mayor Avila violated city policy but was unable to issue sanctions due to the mayor’s vote to block a supermajority.

In my view, that’s hardly an undisputed exoneration…   

By that metric, Mayor Avila – or his facilitator, City Manager Dale “Doc” Dougherty – had an ethical and fiduciary obligation to seek authorization from the City Commission before spending nearly $11,000 in public funds to cover Avila’s legal bill.     

Sadly, in The Lost City of Deltona, influential elected officials with unfettered access to the public purse can have it both ways – while increasingly outraged residents are left holding the bag…  

Mike Poniatowski – Encouraging News in the Volusia County Council At-Large Race

I don’t endorse political candidates in this space.  Not my style. 

Besides, it would be presumptuous of me (or anyone else) to tell you who to vote for.  At best, the fetid slit trench that passes for Volusia County politics is very often a guessing game where imposters present themselves as something they are not, and my guess is no better or worse than yours. 

If you are reading Barker’s View, I naturally count you as an engaged and informed voter – someone interested in current events and the machinations of those who influence public policy on this sandy spit of land we call home (or you’re a sitting elected official waiting to see if I gored your sacred ox this week…)

In my view, there was some great news out of DeLand this week when Mike Poniatowski, a veteran Volusia County first responder, law enforcement officer, paramedic, and experienced emergency management professional – officially entered the Volusia County Council At-Large race. 

In a social media post, Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower described Mike as “…a friend, flood victim, first responder, and longtime resident that will help change Volusia politics!”

I agree.

If we are to reverse the power dynamic in Volusia County and disgorge the stagnation and constipation of the Robins, Johansson, Santiago bloc on the County Council – a lockstep clique that slavishly serves the wants of their influential political benefactors over the needs of residents – that important process begins by encouraging honorable people to run for office, then supporting their candidacy both financially and at the ballot box.

In my view, Mike Poniatowski is a proven servant-leader who has the interests of all Volusia County residents at heart.

As things stand right now (and they are bound to change), Mr. Poniatowski will face Daytona Beach Shores Mayor Nancy Miller in next year’s general election.  

The At-Large seat is currently held by Councilman Jake Johansson, who has announced plans to run for District 8 in the Florida Senate.  Former House member Elizabeth Fetterhoff of DeLand has also announced her candidacy.

Mercifully, current District 8 Senator “Terrible Tommy” Wright is prohibited from running again due to term limits. 

In my view, Mike Poniatowski’s candidacy represents a breath of fresh air for beleaguered Volusia County residents, and a crucial step forward in reclaiming the Volusia County Council from the grip of influential special interests with a chip in the game…   

For more information see: https://mike4volusia.com/

Home Rule – A Doomed Concept in the Free State of Florida?  

“Now, through two proposed legislative bills, SB 1118 and HB 1209, there is an unprecedented effort to consolidate control over Florida’s agricultural and rural lands in the hands of those same few in power in Tallahassee who do the bidding of the wealthiest of in-state, out-of-state, and even international huge corporate developers.

The proposed laws are designed to silence the voices of Florida citizens and local governments on matters of critical importance to those of us who live in areas which until recently were comprised in substantial part of agricultural and open space rural lands.

We chose to live here in great part because of the absence of high density development and preservation of our open spaces and conservation lands. We gave up the convenience of having huge shopping malls and big box stores and parking lots, instead opting for supporting local merchants and keeping our streets and highways free of the inevitable traffic gridlock we see all around us in ever-growing and uncontrolled so-called “smart growth” developments.

As reported by the civic organization 1000 Friends of Florida, the proposed legislation, which is quickly wending its way through both houses in Tallahassee, will override local planning authority by requiring local governments to automatically approve development in areas considered “agricultural enclaves” and so-called “infill residential development.” Infill residential projects can be up to 100 acres and agricultural enclaves could be thousands of acres in size.”

–Irwin Connelly, Flagler County, as excerpted from his essay in FlaglerLive!, “Florida Lawmakers Are About to Roll Back Rural Protections in Favor of Developers. Don’t Let Them.,” Sunday, March 16, 2025

According to the Florida League of Cities, “The most precious powers a city in Florida has are its Home Rule powers. The ability to establish its form of government through its charter, and to then enact ordinances, codes, plans and resolutions without prior state approval is a tremendous authority.”

Add SB 1118 and HB 1209 to more than fifty other bills seeking to preempt local government authority that are currently working their way through the legislature… 

It seems each legislative session brings more limitations on a local government’s ability to control the direction and character of their communities – forbidding them to pass legislation that preserves water quality (while refusing to tap the brakes on development), dictating local comprehensive plans, pre-empting local government rules on zoning, density, and building heights; ensuring concessions for commercial and industrial development or face the threat of gargantuan “affordable housing” complexes sprouting in inappropriate locations, etc., etc. 

Most would agree that the right to self-determination – the ability of counties and incorporated municipalities to govern themselves – free of outside interference from the state in the pursuit of their unique economic, social, and civic development, is critical to our representative form of governance where power is ultimately derived from, We, The Little People.

You want rural boundaries and protections for what remains of agricultural areas where people can live a pastoral life outside the bone crushing overdevelopment oozing across the width and breadth of Florida? 

Tough shit.  

Here, local governments have been subjected to a continuing series of dictatorial edicts handed down from Tallahassee that ensure influential real estate developers are given everything they want – when and where they want it…    

Now, Floridians are bracing for more of the same this legislative session.

According to a report by Jennifer Hunt Murty writing in the Ocala Gazette last week:

“In response to what some call an “attack” on home rule, local bipartisan opposition has formed against Senate Bill 1118 filed by State Sen. Stan McClain, R-Marion, and its identical House Bill 1209 filed by Rep. Kevin Steele, R-Pasco. The bills would wrest local control of development from cities and counties across the state and open up hundreds of thousands of agricultural acres to developers without review from local governments. If passed, the new laws would supersede any local overlay zones of protection, including Marion County’s revered Farmland Preservation Area.”

Recently, the Marion County Republican Executive Committee issued a bold statement opposing the proposed preemptions and championing local government as most responsive to the needs of the people:

“It is not clear what constituency is served by these overt draft policies to negate Comprehensive Plans and community input at the County level. Marion County is undergoing explosive growth and is now showing the “growing pains” of increased traffic/school overcrowding with projections of + $1B in future infrastructure costs and +$1B in school capital/maintenance expenditures.”

Sound familiar?

In my view, Floridian’s who are experiencing the dramatic effects of overdevelopment on their quality of life know exactly which “constituency” is served by these overreaching diktats that increase the pace of growth by gutting home rule oversight:  Those in the real estate development industry who have purchased the political souls of Florida legislators.    

If this doesn’t send a shiver through those living in what remain of “rural” areas in Volusia and Flagler Counties, it should…

Quote of the Week

“(Palm Coast) Mayor Mike Norris proposed a moratorium on residential home construction, at the March 18 City Council meeting. “The infrastructure is not in place to support residential growth at this time,” he said.

But no one on the City Council was willing to second his motion, so the motion died, and there will be no moratorium.

The action took place as Norris is also taking heat for potentially violating the City Charter by directing and intimidating staff. He received an outpouring of support from members of the audience at the March 18, both for his attempts to “clean up” City Hall, as well as support for his proposed moratorium.”

–Editor Brian McMillan, writing in the Palm Coast Observer, “Moratorium proposal fails, but residents show support for Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris,” Tuesday, March 18, 2025

In front of a raucous crowd at Palm Coast City Hall on Tuesday, the remaining members of the Palm Coast City Council caved to the influential forces of the development industry and refused to advance Mayor Mike Norris’ call for a moratorium on new building in the face of increasing utility bills for existing residents to pay for massive infrastructure upgrades just to keep pace with current demands.

The handwriting was on the wall when those representing home builders began telling scary stories about a moratorium having “devastating consequences for our local economy,” while still selling the baldfaced lie that “growth pays for itself…” 

Trying desperately to convince suffocating residents “why growth is actually good for our city and for you.”

According to a report in FlaglerLive! Tuesday afternoon, in an ominous show of force, the development community, “Mobilized like an army by the Flagler County Home Builders Association, the dump truck and trailers and semi cabs and pick-ups lined City Place and spilled onto Lake Avenue by City Hall this morning, their crews clustered in groups against the morning chill, a large “SAVE OUR CITY” banner stretched across the flank of a truck, with a red circle-backlash symbol painted over the head of Mayor Mike Norris.”

Who, in good conscience, could demand more, more, more knowing that current demands far exceed the capacity, funding, and capabilities of the city’s utilities infrastructure? 

How is that ethical, responsible, necessary, or sustainable?

Save our city? 

Said the bloated parasite to its nearly exsanguinated host…

And Another Thing!

“Is politics nothing other than the art of deliberately lying?”

–Voltaire

A now familiar experience here on Florida’s “Fun Coast” is sitting through two cycles of a traffic light at (insert any intersection in Volusia County here) – that claustrophobic feeling in the pit of your stomach – a sickening sense of having been duped by elected and appointed development shills who lectured us on our “responsibility” to allow homes for future residents.

Remember?

We were told of our moral obligation to ignore the destruction of our wild places, accept insane density concessions, and learn to live with the traffic congestion that is a natural result of insatiable greed marketed as a developer’s sense of “progress,” because “…if you’re not growing, you’re dying,” with assurance the malignant sprawl will inevitably pay for itself.      

Bullshit.

For years, we put our true faith and allegiance in those who held themselves out for high office – and accepted the dubious recommendations of the “professionals” they appointed to highly compensated senior staff positions.    

We were told these “experts” in planning, growth, and resource management would undertake the complicated process of ensuring concurrency and protecting our environment, only to find those we elected to represent our interests in were in the pockets of those same developers all along – accepting massive campaign contributions each election cycle to fund their political aspirations.

Then kowtowing to the subliminal loyalty that came with the cash…

When it was too late, we discovered those planning and growth management doyens were little more than malleable mouthpieces, cheap facilitators with a rubber stamp “recommendation,” willing to kick the can down the dusty political trail anytime someone suggested low-impact development initiatives or, God forbid, the possibility of a temporary moratorium to allow infrastructure to catch up with growth.  

Now, the evidence of their handiwork is everywhere you look.

From the row upon row of sticks-and-glue apartments to the fill-and-build zero lot line cracker boxes “starting in the $300’s” that blanket water recharge areas, wetlands, and routinely flood their neighbors existing homes while those who got us into this mess conduct more, more, more timewasting studies… 

If you think it’s bad in Volusia County (and you have the guts) – I dare you to peel that rotten onion and determine who serves who inside the Hallowed Halls of state government in Tallahassee – the biggest whorehouse in the world… 

Now, nothing is off-limits.

Last year, many were shocked to learn of a plan, apparently orchestrated by outside development interests and ramrodded by the Florida Department of Environmental Destruction, sickeningly called “The Great Outdoors Initiative,” a mysterious collusion that would have allowed developers carte blanche to build hotels, lodges, and 18-hole golf courses in Florida State Parks.   

Areas we were told were sacrosanct – like Ormond’s Scenic Loop and Trail – have now fallen victim to massive subdivisions that have replaced once pristine natural forests, shedding a near constant stream of water over the canopied Old Dixie Highway, the houses now clearly visible through a thin veneer of trees we were told would serve as an environmental buffer…

This week, Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris is being beaten into submission by forces inside City Hall – and their influential puppeteers in the local development industry – for having the temerity to suggest a moratorium on new construction until officials can determine how to fund the crippling debt required to upgrade overburdened utilities.

As the news from Palm Coast, Tallahassee, and beyond this week proves – the greed-hogs are fully in charge – they have seized the high ground, and their mercenary priorities are different than ours.

And the stench of obscene and deliberate lies wafts heavy over Florida’s “Fun Coast.”

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