One of my few hobbies – outside of bitching and moaning over local politics – is keeping tropical fish.

I enjoy the peace and satisfaction of watching saltwater creatures thrive in an environment of my own creation.

Perhaps it’s a manifestation of my God complex?  Or maybe it’s the only thing in my world I can control anymore – who knows?

When you take a glass box, mix just the right amount of salt and water, then stimulate the life-giving biological cycle, you begin an ethical – and symbiotic – relationship with a host of interdependent organisms.

Once you have created your new eco-system, it is a simple – but expensive – matter of regular feeding, and periodically cleaning out opportunistic organisms that want to multiply in the absence of natural predators.

Fail to support the system, and your self-created biosphere will go haywire.  Fast.

While I enjoy fish tanks, I never cared for zoos – places that confine wild animals in weird, man-made “habitats” that attempt to create a tableau of what the creature would look like in the wild.

They never quite get it right, and what you end up with is a frustrated old elephant pacing his gilded cage – while a tired zookeeper sweeps away his copious excrement.

I justify the unnatural confinement of an aquarium with the knowledge that most tropical fish sold commercially are farm raised.  These little creatures have never known anything but cradle-to-grave care, and they wouldn’t last a minute in the “real world” of the open ocean where competition and survival of the fittest rules the day.

Sounds a lot like what our movers-and-shakers in Volusia County are working hard to build, eh?

An artificial marketplace that will require external care and feeding until it dies.

I’ve said before, I hate to be the proverbial Turd in the Punch Bowl of Progress – the lumpen asshole who stands on the sidelines and heckles the ‘doers and dreamers’.

It’s just my way.

You see, I’ve seen too much and I remember everything.

I’m just cynical enough to take offense when someone uses my hard-earned money to create a non-natural economy – a pretty façade – then act like they’re doing me a favor.

It’s like Daytona International Speedway removing grandstands they can no longer fill, and replacing them with painted seats that give the appearance they’re full of fans.

A colorful illusion.

There is quite a buzz around Volusia County these days – sparked by optimistic “rah-rah” editorials from the Daytona Beach News-Journal, like a recent piece by business writer Clayton Park entitled, “Bass Pro, Buffet, Protogroup: Oh, my!” – and cheery outlooks by Team Volusia, the mysterious CEO Business Alliance, and any of the redundant tax-funded advertising and marketing groups operating across the county.

Perhaps I’m not overly impressed because these same powers-that-be have been taking credit for their version of “progress” for years.

You may recall that in the 1980’s, the City of Daytona Beach spent some $15-million dollars to bring the Marriott-Adams Mark-Hilton, etc., etc., to the much heralded “E-Zone.”

This grand hotel was to be the anchor.  The panacea to the myriad problems on the beachside.

Nothing changed.

The property went through bankruptcies and “rebranding” – yet neither the city nor the county was willing to do the heavy lifting required to fundamentally tamp down the dumpster fire of blight and crime that continues to hamstring our core tourist area.

So, in the late 1990’s, the city threw some $19-million in community redevelopment area (CRA) funds to help build the Ocean Walk Shoppes and an adjacent condo/hotel complex.

Even more bankruptcies, mismanagement and shady partnerships ensued.

Later, the city would refinance the bonds used to pay for the Hilton and Ocean Walk projects, taking on some $37.7 million in debt that will haunt us like a golem until at least 2031.

In a 2013 article in the News-Journal discussing the relatively cheap cash and tax incentives for the doomed Hard Rock project – and our latest knight in shining armor, Protogroup’s convention/hotel towers – reporter Jeffrey Cassidy wrote, “In the mid-1980s, when the city OK’d the first of the roughly $15 million that would go toward the Daytona Beach Marriott — now the Hilton — the beachside was seedy, its hotels were dated and the Boardwalk was a magnet for unsavory characters.”

 With over $30-million in debt heaped on the shoulders of Daytona Beach taxpayers – and millions more taken on by Volusia County – again, what has changed?

Now, we have a new sporting goods store and upmarket movie theater (that we helped fund to the tune of some $40-million in tax support), and the Protogroup recently held a “low-key” groundbreaking ceremony where the out-of-town construction company was announced and everyone who is anyone murmured uncomfortably through a rendition of “Happy Days are Here Again” (in pidgin Russian. . .).

I’m kidding, of course.  They’re not “Russians” – don’t you read the paper?

Then, Jimmy Buffet’s own Margaritaville dynasty announced it is a “strategic partner” of Canadian developer Minto Communities in building a pseudo-beach community west of I-95 – right on top of our sensitive water recharge areas – and with apparent disregard for our less-than-stable transportation and utilities infrastructure.

(Wonder what that cost us?)     

And don’t forget the perennial feather in the cap of local economic development-types that is “The Great JetBlue Deal” which brought nonstop service between New York City and Daytona “International” Airport.

They’ve been beating their chests about that one since at least 2013.

What no one remembers – or cares to talk about anymore – is the $2.3 million dollars in “incentives” the taxpayers of Volusia County coughed up to bribe the airline into coming here in the first place.

That package included $400,000 in public funds for an advertising campaign, and a “travel bank” of promises by members of the Regional Chamber of Commerce to purchase nearly $250,000 worth of tickets for JetBlue flights in 2016 and 2017.

It’s called a “guaranteed income” and it flies in the face of a free and open market.

Does the county spend hundreds of thousands to advertise your business?  Or provide you with an assured revenue stream every month?

Just curious.

Dr. Kent Sharples, the goofy “President” of the CEO Business Alliance (a private “economic development” consultancy run by uber-wealthy locals that serves to skirt the public records laws – and provide a lucrative payback job for Sharples who took the fall on the doomed American Music Festival), commented in the News-Journal, “In and of itself, any one of these things is marvelous, a bright shiny stone. But when you put them together, you’ve got an exciting vision of a renaissance that’s taking place in Volusia County, a community that’s reinventing itself.

 Marvelous.

 The last time Dr. Sharples got involved in “reinventing” Daytona Beach, he personally pissed through $1.4 million in public funds from Daytona State College, a debacle that openly exposed our “power brokers” for what they truly are.

With all due respect, Doc – count your blessings that you didn’t have to flee town in the trunk of Manny Bornia’s car – and shut your pie hole.

It’s “too soon,” okay?

So, while the powers-that-be slap each other on the back and blow hot smoke up our collective ass about “progress” and “synergy” – remember George Santayana’s maxim, “Those who cannot remember history are doomed to repeat it.”

 And historically, the artificial manipulation of the local marketplace has been a colossal failure – regardless of how enthusiastic those who stand to prosper in the short term may sound.

The newspaper’s riff on that old Wizard of Oz ditty got me to thinking – perhaps all we really need are leaders with courage, a heart, and a brain.

And to publicly expose all these greedy little men manipulating things behind the curtain.

 

The University of Cambridge recently conducted a research study correlating the honestly of those who swear with those who use more temperate language.

The result:  The most truthful people are those who use “colorful” language when they speak.

According to Dr. David Stillwell, one of the study’s authors, “If you’re trying to follow the social norms rather than saying what you think, you are saying what people want to hear,” he said.

 “In that respect, you are not being very honest.”

 Regular readers of this forum know that I am taken to peppering these essays with a few choice words – like my father before me, it’s just how I communicate.

Offense intended.

In matters of political opinion, it is important to speak your mind – say what you mean and mean what you say.  After all, discussing how the sausage gets made in various government chambers – especially around east Central Florida – is not for the squeamish.

However, in today’s environment, ‘saying what you think’ comes with a heavy price tag.

Regardless of which side of the Trump argument you come down on, be prepared to lose some friends – real and digital – and to have your point-of-view picked apart and hurled back at you with a few incredibly personal sobriquets.

Folks, our American tradition of civil debate is dead; replaced by who can scream their brand of political invective the loudest.

As a result, I no longer debate, or even discuss, national politics on social media.

Perhaps it’s the coward’s way out – but who ever accused me of having a backbone, eh?

For the past decade (at least), the fear of offending others – the need to remain ‘politically correct’ in every way and on every occasion – dramatically shaped the way we communicated with one another.

Now, not so much.

The tone and tenor of our latest presidential election changed all that.

It’s anything goes, and political dissent and debate has become a full-contact sport.

Add to that what we now know about the depth of government spin and media bias in what passes for ‘news’ and one begins to question the veracity of literally everything that came before.

Was social honesty the victim of our previous desire for national harmony?

In many ways, it appears we are reaping the whirlwind of our collective acquiescence.

Look, I’m not talking about the use of racial, cultural or gender based epithets or “hate speech” – language that is mala in se.

And I’m not calling out citizens on both sides of the political spectrum who, for perhaps the first time in their lives, are moved to peaceful protest and the full-throated exercise of their First Amendment rights.

(Rock on, you left-wing wingnuts and right-wing Children of John Birch!  Rock On!)

After all, political involvement and civil disobedience are the very essence of our democratic society.

What I am referring to is the minority of self-absorbed professional victims who find vague offense in literally everything, and are actively shaping the contemporary discourse for everyone through force, violence, and a simple “talk to the hand ’cause the face ain’t listening” dismissal of counter-arguments.

In the spirit of inclusiveness, most Americans yielded to the increasingly ridiculous demands of even the most obscure special interest, and modified the tone and tenor of our national dialog so as not to upset the delicate apple carts of a few college students, anarchists, socialist ideologues, fringe players, and literally anyone and everyone who could concoct a self-identity.

In short, we stopped communicating with sincerity and candor – least our opinion be weaponized and used to bash us over the head.

The clear majority of ‘moderate’ American’s tried very hard to play nice – to assuage the feelings of the self-absorbed set, and tiptoe around the sensitivities and weird world view of various “Movements,” and other so-called “victims” of the most socially, financially and technologically advanced society in history.

Others have used this terrible point in our history as an opportunity to fan the flames, spew their specific brand of hate, and muddy the waters by playing on the fear, confusion and divisiveness which is gripping the nation.

As someone recently said, “Who knew that Love Trumping Hate would require so many firebombs?”   

In my view, it appears we, the Silent Majority of ordinary Americans, have been ambushed – by both sides.

Caught in the crossfire of vile rhetoric and seditious bombast.

What was once considered the political periphery has transmogrified into some of the most rabid and radicalized hate mongers this country has ever experienced – and, incomprehensibly – their rhetoric is increasingly seen as “mainstream.”

Why?  Because an election didn’t go their way?  Or they simply want to crush dissenting opinions?

The fact is, I don’t have a clue.

What I do know is that the skirmish lines are drawn, and our nation has all the dry tinder necessary to fuel the flashpoint of an ideological civil war not seen since the 1960’s.

Last week I purchased a novelty t-shirt with the words, “Shut Up, Hippie!” emblazoned on the back.

Why?  Because I thought it was funny.

Because I thought other people (regardless of their politics) might see the humor and irony in a guy who looks like Jerry Garcia sporting that shirt and have a good laugh.

Because there was a time in the country when you could poke fun and have a joke – or sport a funny slogan (“Imagine Whirled Peas,” etc.) on a bumper sticker – and not risk physical attack for having a weird sense of humor.

So, I’ve opted to put the t-shirt away – succumb to the fear – and quietly mourn the death of fun.

The lunatic fringe on both sides of this perverse argument – the Social Warriors who twist and misinterpret everything, and the kooks who use this time of national discord to promote their ugly brand of hatred – appear to be winning.

There is no “middle ground” anymore.

I hate you, you owe me, and we (insert name of “social justice” movement du jour here) will burn you out, shut you down, and crush your dreams if you don’t like it.

So, I hope you understand why I refuse to engage in some inane bickering on Facebook or Twitter over Trump’s latest.

If we are connected by social media, that means you and I have something in common in this life – a community relationship, a friendship, or familial connection – and, frankly, that’s very important to me.

Trust me, no social media rant – or threat of violence – is going to change my fundamental belief that the United States of America remains the greatest nation on the face of the earth.

In my view, there will always be more that unites us as Americans than divides us – and our inalienable rights, responsibilities and freedoms are incredibly important to the future and stability of our union – and the world.

And that’s the truth.

Dammit.

It seems nothing will stand between Governor Rick Scott and his maniacal campaign to connect the gaping snouts of the right business interests with the public trough.

After all – Slick Rick is creating “Jobs,” dammit.

And when you evoke the talisman of job creation, it absolves politicians of all sins against their constituents.

No matter how slimy the deal – how openly corrupt the misuse of public funds may be – our elected and appointed officials would have us believe the promise of ‘new jobs’ somehow polishes the turd while providing a heavy coat of political insulation.

As you may know, Scott wants to allocate an astronomical $161 million of our tax dollars for additional economic incentives and tourism funding in his proposed budget.

It’s like watching a dairy farmer hook up one of those milking machines to a cow’s teat.

Rapid.  Efficient.

It takes the work out of it, and siphons public funds out of state coffers quicker than you can say “corporate tax break.”

Earlier this week, Scott visited Flagler County to preach the gospel of corporate welfare to the faithful in the chamber of commerce set, while begging for the lives of Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida – two “public/private” partnerships (that means a mechanism for transitioning public funds to private interests) – schemes that are set to be shut down like cheap confidence games by the House Careers and Competition subcommittee.

The subcommittee recently voted to approve a bill proposed by Rep. Paul Renner – who serves all of Flagler County, and portions of St. John’s and Volusia – which would defund these thieving rackets once and for all.

According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Renner told the committee, “…economic incentives “steal” money from core priorities that benefit all taxpayers and are wrong “because they pick winners and losers.”

Rep. Renner is spot-on.

The newspaper also pointed out that a recent study by the state’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability reported that contributions to Enterprise Florida from the private sector rarely exceed $2 million per year – while the state has appropriated an average of $20 million annually.

Public/Private my ass.

As for Visit Florida – the same accountability office noted that it’s nearly impossible to tell exactly what the tourism agency does for us – or to quantify the efforts of Visit Florida versus the countless other publicly funded agencies and advertising authorities marketing Florida as a vacation destination.

State accountability reports be damned – Governor Scott is asking for a mindboggling $76 million dollars for Visit Florida – and $85 million for Enterprise Florida.

My God.

Last year, we learned that Visit Florida entered a secretive deal with rapper “Pitbull” which paid the entertainer some $1 million of our hard-earned tax dollars to market Florida tourism on social media and during concerts.

In addition, equally sketchy contracts with an English soccer league and a racing interest were also kept from the public.  These multi-million dollar fiascoes resulted in the untimely departure of CEO Will Seccombe and two highly placed underlings.

Good riddance.

Look, I have a sneaking suspicion that the State of Florida – and every county “visitor’s bureau” and redundant marketing agency in the state – could shut down tomorrow and it wouldn’t have a measurable effect on tourism.

Hell, if we simply posted a daily static snippet from the Weather Channel showing 80-degree temperatures on Valentine’s Day – we would double tourism figures this month alone.

Regardless, we don’t need $100,000 spots from Danica Patrick – or goofy “Seize the Daytona” slogans to sell that.

Locally, when we clean up this squalid outhouse – people will come.  In droves.

In my view, much like our local elected officials, Scott is intent on building a pseudo-economy based upon artificial economic giveaways, subsidies and tax incentives which tip the playing field and ignore the importance of free-market competition.

It’s how the right people get paid.  With our money.

An excellent 2015 editorial in the Tampa Bay Times, entitled “Florida cannot afford Scott’s corporate welfare,” hit the sweet spot:

By all appearances, Florida is broken. It cannot afford to build new highway lanes unless it slaps tolls on them. It is looking to allow hunting in state parks, which have been told they have to pay for themselves.  Public schools struggle to pay for basic maintenance, and the University of Florida president’s highest hope is for a new boiler. The Justice Department is investigating the dangerous state prison system, and it also should investigate the shameful abuse and neglect exposed by the Tampa Bay Times and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in state mental hospitals. The overburdened courts scrimp by on less than 1 percent of the state budget, and children continue to die from neglect and abuse even after they are on the state’s radar.  Look in any direction, and the state’s basic infrastructure is crumbling as Scott travels in his private jet to Kentucky and New York to bribe companies with taxpayer handouts to bring jobs here.

Well said.

In my view, the base unfairness of government determining which businesses will enjoy the benefits of economic incentives and non-natural props, and which will be allowed to wither and die, is patently wrong – and counter to our values and the principles of fair play.

Never forget – Rick Scott could give two-shits about the rules.  He’s a journeyman thief, and laws and regulations are for rubes.

Still need convincing?

In 1993, a former accountant hired by Columbia/HCA, Scott’s former hospital chain, tipped the FBI that the company was preparing two sets of books – one for the federal government, the other for “internal record-keeping.”

The resulting probe resulted in Columbia/HCA paying $1.7 billion (with a “B”) in fines for defrauding Medicare and Medicaid – the largest healthcare fraud settlement in United States history.

And he had the balls to deny any involvement.

That’s how stupid the governor thinks we are.

As Slick Rick continues to ride the range, openly bullying local government leaders into supporting his outrageous budget proposals and putting the fear of higher taxes in the hearts of small business owners in places like Flagler Beach, the rest of us should openly question the role of government in the marketplace – and the sleazy motives of our reptilian Governor and his uber-rich cronies.

My instincts tell me, “Once a thief, always a thief.”

And my experience tells me there is no honor among thieves.

 

 

 

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Funny story:

About ten-years ago, I was travelling through Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport one early afternoon, drone-walking down one of those massive concourses that connect boarding gates on my way to a conference in Long Beach, California.

Normally, as you schlep your carry-ons between arrival gate and your designated departure area – a move that invariably involves a subterranean train ride, two escalators and a half-mile hike – you pass weary business travelers, agitated children and their exasperated parents, excited holidaymakers, uniformed flight crew, service members, etc., essentially the full-spectrum of itinerant humanity all trudging along in lock-step, coming-and-going.

As I looked ahead, I noticed a hub-bub of sorts as pedestrian travelers began urgently separating – some moving left, the others dodging right – as if a massive battleship were parting the waves behind them.

Initially, I thought it was one of those annoying electric carts that beep-beep along, ploughing slowly through the masses to replenish the newsstands and fast food joints that line the corridors.

Then, trundling right down the middle of the crowded gangway came Gary Coleman.

You know, the diminutive actor who played the often-ornery Arnold on the 80’s situation comedy Diffr’ent Strokes?

One of two brothers from Harlem who were adopted by a well-to-do widower in Manhattan, whose catchphrase, “What you talking ‘bout, Willis” is still part of the popular vernacular?

Now, let me tell you, the dude was moving.

All 4’-8” inches of Mr. Coleman were stepping out with a purpose that rivaled the sight of General George Patton striding into some German-held village.  Given his size, he could have been swallowed by the crowd, or his progress stopped by fans seeking selfies – but he just rapidly advanced, pressing forward with an incredible focus.

His head was down, face fixed in a resolute stare, earbuds firmly affixed – literally bowling people out of his way as he force-marched from point A to B – carrying an oversized backpack.

He brushed past me and disappeared into the crowd as quickly as he appeared.

When I got to my gate, I took a seat and pondered my recent brush with fame.  I came to realize that in an airport this size, we are all on our own – and jet airplanes don’t wait for B-list celebrities any more than they stand-by for you and me.

I was amazed how a guy of such small physical stature cleared his way ahead with such incredible tenacity – and efficiency.  Headfirst.  Self-assured.

It was impressive.

Not so funny story:

This week, news out of Tallahassee continued to report the slow but steady stream of rats leaving Governor Rick Scott’s spooky pirate ship.

Most recently, Florida’s chief financial officer, Jeff Atwater, announced he will be leaving his Cabinet post to return to Palm Beach County where he will serve as CFO of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

In my view, Atwater’s departure has been coming for a while.

You may recall when Governor Scott singlehandedly terminated then Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey – fired him out-of-hand – without waiting for the legally mandated consent of the Cabinet – or even notifying members of his intentions.

That move went through state government like an ice water enema.

Because it was so blatantly political – and illegal.

At the start of his second term, Bailey’s dismissal confirmed that Scott could give two-shits about the rules – and exposed our state’s most important players – the Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, and Agriculture Commissioner – as sycophantic weaklings who followed the governor’s unlawful termination of the state’s chief law enforcement official like bleating lambs.

A 2015 investigative report in the Tampa Bay Times said, “Ousted Florida Department of Law Enforcement commissioner Gerald Bailey claims he resisted repeated efforts by Gov. Rick Scott and his top advisers to falsely name someone a target in a criminal case, hire political allies for state jobs and intercede in an outside investigation of a prospective Scott appointee.”

 Scary shit.

Ultimately, the three Cabinet members acknowledged that Scott’s unilateral action in the FDLE matter was sketchy – however, only Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam called for an investigation into the matter.

As often happens, the water calmed and things just, well, went away.

Then, Atwater got sideways with Scott during last year’s tense deadlock over the selection of Florida’s next insurance commissioner.

At the end of the day, I think Atwater served the citizens of Florida quite well.  He was strong on veteran’s issues, and paid more than passing political interest to consumer protection.

Maybe he just got fed up treading water in Rick Scott’s fetid swamp – or maybe he finally landed his dream job.  Who knows?

One thing is perfectly clear – It will be up to Rick Scott to appoint Atwater’s successor.  In effect giving the governor two votes in Cabinet meetings until the 2018 election.

Yep.

What I find interesting is that Atwater’s resignation comes on the heels of the departures of DEP Chief Jon Steverson and Secretary of Transportation Jim Boxold.

In my view, Steverson should be wearing an orange jumpsuit for his botched handling of the Mosaic debacle – instead, he’s taking a lucrative position with a private law firm working directly for the state.

It’s called a back-handed payoff – something all too common in the Scott administration.

As you may recall, Steverson gave notice just one day after a House committee made public an amendment to an ethics bill that would ban “appointed state officers” from lobbying lawmakers for six-years after leaving government service.

Our intrepid House Speaker (and my personal hero) Richard Corcoran called it like it was:

“One day later, give or take, from the time that we noticed that committee meeting, you see an agency head who resigns who has spent $100-million of taxpayer money on legal fees go and immediately become one of the participants in that law firm that he gave millions of dollars in legal fees to,” Speaker Corcoran told reporters last week.

What you talking ‘bout, Mr. Speaker?!   Calling the scumbags out?  In Tallahassee?

That’s crazy-talk.

Of course, Mr. Steverson denied the connection, and rest assured the insinuation didn’t sit well with Rick Scott.

Are Corcoran’s reforms causing tremors in the Scott administration?

I don’t know.  But given the push-back and string of resignations – somethings up.

I hope Speaker Corcoran has the grit and determination to stick firm to his promise of cleaning up what former Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarthy so aptly described as a “state of fraudsters and hucksters” and brings a sense of ethical conduct and transparency to Florida government.

It’s amazing what one man can accomplish when he simply puts his head down and tries his best.

 

 

 

Anyone ever get duped into a game of Three Card Monte?

You take the Ace of Hearts and two black queens and bend them into a tent shape.  Then the practiced hand of a street grifter flips them around a few times.  The rube bets he can find the ace.

Looks simple enough, right?

But he can’t.

See, the dealer has a shill in the audience that distracts the rube just long enough. . ., well, you get the rest.

You will never guess the right card – unless the grifter wants to build your confidence so you double-down and bet the farm – because that’s the way the scam is intended.

And it works every time.

This morning I rolled out of bed and took my daily dose of local news.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal is reporting that our friends at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University just made a very generous investment in the speculative financing game with a $1-million-dollar gift to the FireSpring Fund which provides “seed capital” for promising start-ups.

The Orlando-based fund is a weird mix of public and private money that seeks to “create an eco-system for entrepreneurs, technologists and the creative class” in Central Florida.  In my view, it’s just another corporate welfare scheme designed to teach budding tycoons that in 2017 you no longer need to stand on your own two feet – not when every local government is throwing ‘economic incentives’ at you, anyway.

I say let the “creative class” get off their ass and build a business the old-fashioned way – through the competition of goods and services in the marketplace.  See, it’s not government’s job to fund your ventures with my tax dollars – especially when my fucking roads aren’t getting paved, etc.

But I digress. . .  (Deep breath.  Calm down, Mark. . .)

Interestingly, regular readers of this forum might recall that our elected and appointed officials rolled over and peed all over themselves in the County Council chambers when Mori Hossieni and Interim ERAU President Karen Holbrook came to collect their $1.5 million dollars of our hard-earned tax dollars.

Not including the parcel of public land we simply gave away to the private university for half its assessed value.

Yep.  We sold Embry-Riddle the Volusia County maintenance facility across the street from the new Micaplex near Clyde Morris Boulevard and the Bellevue Extension for a paltry $400,000 – that’s a 50% bargain basement price from its assessed value of $800,000+ on the free market.

Anyone who still believes that county manager Jim Dinneen isn’t facilitating the greatest corporate welfare giveaway in the history of local government need look no further than this farcical financial shell game.

Through a not-so-subtle sleight of hand, Mori Hosseini requests (demands) $1.5 million-dollars ostensibly to benefit Embry-Riddle – where he sits as the powerful Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and last year was exposed has having taken $1.5 million dollars from the university in “office leases, utilities and aircraft charter services” between 2010 and 2012.

(Wait, can that be legal?  Sorry – this is Florida – the rules are different here.)

Now, months later, the apparently flush university makes a very generous cash donation of $1 million dollars to the FireSpring Fund – apparently to buy their involvement in funding potential startups at the Micaplex – a “technology center” that has so far proven to be the biggest local, state and federal tax sponge ever devised.

Of course, the other half-million covers the cost of the public land purchase – and Embry-Riddle pockets a cool $600K in immediate equity on the deal.  Which will probably go out the back door in office leases, utilities and aircraft charter services, etc. etc.  Who knows?

How neatly packaged.

And conveniently confusing.

According to the News-Journal article, “The idea to fund Fire-Spring is fairly recent and came up after ERAU secured a $1.5 million grant from the Volusia County Council, Hossieni said.”

“The county has to be commended for doing this because this is the result of it,” Hossieni said.”

“This will bring high-paying jobs to the community.”

(Remember the code word is: “Jobs.”  Always, “Jobs.”)

And besides, I’ll just bet a $1 million-dollar check buys a lot of clout in deciding which “startups” get funded – and which wither on the vine.

In my opinion, having studied Mori’s Machiavellian attempts to control virtually everything within his domain, I seriously doubt this money – having been washed through ERAU – doesn’t come with a few unwritten strings attached.

Plus, it adds a plausible buffer between the man, and the funding decision.

It’s a damnable travesty that a private university with as many internal problems as Embry-Riddle – the fiefdom of one man who casts a very large shadow – continues to permit this level of personal manipulation of government funding and endowments.

Boss Hossieni does what he wants – when he wants – and he could give two-shits about the needs, wants and opinions of those whose tuition pays the bills – the professors and staff who present the curriculum – or the taxpayers who fund the speculative investments.

Every hardworking resident of Volusia County who struggles and sacrifices to pay taxes in support of this bloated, caustic and horribly mismanaged plutocracy we call county government has skin in this weird money shuffle.

Once we were Patrons of the University – now, we find that we are just mere pawns in a massive corporate welfare scheme.

As I’ve said, ad nauseum, it is high time for the university’s oversight authority to commission an independent external review of ERAU’s governance practices – to include an investigation of Volusia County’s strange relationship with Mr. Hosseini and the wholesale giveaway of public funds.

Remember this the next time one of these fucking drones we elected asks for one red cent more in taxes.

Please.  Remember this.

 

 

 

I originally posted this essay in September 2016 in response to Canadian developer Heron Group’s plan to build a luxury apartment complex in Midtown – in exchange for some $15-million in tax-funded ‘incentives’.  

Kudos to the City of Daytona Beach for standing firm and opposing this blatant corporate ripoff:

Whenever you travel to forested areas – or even in some suburban settings – you find signs that wildlife officials have posted warning, “Don’t Feed the Bears.”

When bears range beyond their increasingly limited habitat and begin foraging for food outside their normal diet – household trash, dog food, etc. – it not only increases the chances of negative interactions with humans, but also dulls their natural instincts and makes them vulnerable to harm when they lose the skill and drive to fend for themselves.

Biologists tell us that whenever we attempt to treat wild animals like house pets – to make their lives easier by “helping” them – we upset the natural balance and foster artificial habits that can be dangerous, both for the bear, and the person feeding them.

It also encourages other bears to come around looking for the same “free” food handouts.

They go from being apex predators to fat, lethargic Yogi Bear-types who have figured out a convenient way to avoid doing what is necessary to thrive and dominate in their natural environment.

The same can be said of private corporations seeking increasingly lucrative “economic development” incentives in Volusia County.

Whenever I hear of yet another “great idea” I try to view it from various perspectives.  I find that when you contemplate issues critically, like a good chess player, you often find that there are as many negative outcomes as there are positives.

I also speak to smart people and get their take.  The insight and informed opinions of others is critical.

It’s called strategic thinking, and it allows you to reason through tough problems and develop sound solutions through the debate of competing ideas.

This process is rarely, if ever, used in government.

That usually means city and county officials will invariably – almost instinctively – ignore the public interest and consider the most improbable course of action possible in any given situation – always viewed through the lens of what our influential political insiders want or need.

But one things for sure – they don’t need or want our input.  No one cares what you think.

It’s just one reason why every board of trustees or governmental advisory committee in the region is populated by the same people – or at least by those controlled by the same people.  It’s bad for business when the peasants get involved – just shut up and pay for it.

I was reminded of this when the Heron Development Group, a Canadian company whose market research apparently tells them that building a luxury apartment complex in the heart of Daytona Beach’s Midtown – a challenged neighborhood that has suffered from blight, crime, poverty and a general lack of hope for many, many years – is a great idea.

I was curious whether or not Heron’s site development folks actually visited the area, which on certain nights can take on the appearance of a war zone – gangs, shootings, drugs, apathy and chronic victimization.  I mean, did they speak to anyone who actually lives there?

Then, we learned the rest of the story.

Initial plans called for the Heron Group to build a 220-unit upscale complex on South Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard with apartments priced in the $20,000+ per year range.

Unfortunately, in addition to the $1,700 average monthly rent, the development’s finance plan also called for a $15 million cash infusion from the citizens of Daytona Beach.  Including a $3.6 million construction grant – with a promise of $613,000 up front to cover permitting expenses and the purchase of additional property.

Wow.

According to City Commissioner Rob Gilliland, Heron’s request represents “the largest incentive package ever for a project in Daytona Beach.”

As the back-and-forth continued, the Heron Group finally settled on a whittled down tax abatement scheme worth $3.6 million over time.

Whether or not the project ever comes out of the ground is anyone’s guess.

In my view, Daytona’s core deserves new development – in fact, revitalization is the only thing that will ultimately change the cycle of blight and economic depression that has paralyzed the area for decades.  The residents deserve modern amenities, convenient retail outlets, casual restaurants, access to neighborhood healthcare providers, and affordable housing options that go beyond Section 8 “projects” and subsidized housing.

The City of Daytona Beach can help that process by using tax dollars for effective code enforcement and increased police/fire protection, streamlining residential improvement permitting, supporting increased home-ownership, facilitating neighborhood clean-up projects, setting performance metrics for those receiving redevelopment funds, ensuring adequate public amenities and infrastructure improvement projects that improve the feel of the area, build an identity, and foster community pride.

Is Midtown currently the best location for the highest priced luxury apartment complex in the City of Daytona Beach?

I don’t know.

What I do know is that regardless of what is ultimately built, it could very well be the catalyst for positive change.  It shouldn’t be dismissed out-of-hand.

Let’s get to the net-net:

From my perspective, the Heron Group’s audacious initial demand for $15 million in taxpayer dollars to pay for expenses most developers assume as the cost of doing business is clearly indicative of all that’s wrong with our current economic development incentives.

It’s also a dire warning of what’s to come, because it exposes how our area is perceived.

Given our regions history of financially supporting speculative developers, private universities, retail outlets, and various “business incubators” – along with Forbes-listed billionaires – why wouldn’t Volusia County be on the radar of every CEO seeking a corporate welfare check?

When you consider the tens of millions in tax dollars that have been diverted to private industry in Volusia County – then search in vain for the public gain in core areas, such as East International Speedway Boulevard, Midtown, the “E-Zone,” Main Street, etc., etc. – one begins to ask the natural question, “Where is our return on investment?”

When you factor in the cash infusions, on-going property tax abatement, tax increment financing, infrastructure improvements, and innumerable other public incentives, one can see how this artificial “feeding” of certain corporate interests can alter the natural balance of the regional marketplace.

Where are the jobs and improved quality of life they repeatedly promised would result from this perverted use of our tax dollars?

Why do we continue to do the same thing over and over while expecting different results, when the evidence clearly demonstrates that these incentives have neutral or minor fiscal impacts in the community?

Over a decade ago, a seminal study published in the Journal of the American Planning Association cast serious and demonstrable doubt on the integration of financial incentives in local economic development plans:

“It seems to us that there is a need for a radical transformation of policy ideas on how we achieve local economic growth and how we get people working. The standard justifications given for incentive policy by state and local officials, politicians, and many academics are, at best, poorly supported by the evidence.”

 If so, why is shoveling good money after bad still the very foundation of Volusia’s economic development efforts?

And most of all – Qui Bono?  Who ultimately benefits?

 I believe we deserve answers to these questions from our elected and appointed officials.

Trust me.  These speculative developers and corporate greedheads will continue to pour into Volusia County like Genghis Khan’s hordes.  Blood is in the water, and everyone wants to guzzle from the public tit while the big money flows.

Get used to it – and more important – know your role.

Your job is to feed the machine.

Nothing more, nothing less.

 

 

 

From the painfully obvious file, I’m not a runner.

Since I retired from police work, I’m not chasing anybody – and nobody is chasing me.  Besides, my military service cured me of two things:  Camping and running for pleasure.

While I understand the health benefits of lacing up some fancy neon shoes and pounding the pavement – it’s just not for me.

My doctor is a great medicine man who has kept me tuned and patched for nearly 20-years now, but he is absolutely consumed with long-distance running and biking.  He and I are about the same age, and he routinely competes in various endurance races and physical contests that border on masochism.

I have another friend who thinks nothing of getting on a feather-lite racing bicycle and putting in 60-miles in an afternoon.  He claims to receive some euphoric feeling – a sudden release of endorphin’s (I think).  It apparently has an addictive effect and keeps the pedals churning.

Whenever I come upon him peddling along in my traffic lane, I give him a taste of the chrome just to nudge him over and ensure a healthy respect for the motoring public.

I hate to say it, but I get the same giddy sensation from a quick six pack of Bud heavy.  And, when done right, I don’t need a shower afterward.

At 5’-11” and 230lbs., with a pack-a-day habit and a permanent ashen complexion, I’m what doctor’s call a “high miler.”

Hell, even my own aerobically-obsessed physician knows that running would pulverize my knees into powder and grind what’s left of my hips into bone splinters.

No. I avoid running at all costs.

Besides, I don’t look good in spandex.

Neither does County Manager Jim Dinneen, but that doesn’t seem to stop him.

Naturally, Jimmy is a runner – it’s ostensibly a hobby, but he still finds a way to burn through public funds while he puts in the miles.

Last weekend “thousands” (although the actual number of participants is still being argued) of runners gathered at the Daytona International Speedway for the highly-touted “Daytona Half Marathon” – sponsored by DIS, Brown-n-Brown Insurance, and, well, you and me.

Yep.  Mr. Dinneen is convinced the annual event will become the “next big thing” so he has no problem throwing our tax dollars into the mix.

Exactly how this expenditure of public funds benefits the greater public interest has yet to be fully explained (I’m sure it has something to do with “jobs”) – but anytime Brown-n-Brown or DIS is in the mix, it seems our hard-earned tax dollars aren’t far behind.

This year, you and I contributed some $40,000 to the Daytona Half Marathon (not counting services), money that was washed through the tax-funded Halifax Area Advertising Authority ($25,000), the Southeast Volusia Advertising Authority ($15,000), and the West Volusia Advertising Authority ($5,000).  (Whew!  That’s a lot of advertising authorities!)

You know what gives me the pre-race diarrhea?

The fact that our elected and appointed officials have the utter gall to whine, ad nauseum, that we are completely and horribly broke in terms of transportation infrastructure funds – while we continue to throw precious tax dollars at every bullshit whim, want, and corporate welfare scheme of our uber-wealthy power brokers – and mismanage what is now a horribly bloated $800+ million-dollar annual budget.

It gets back to the age-old question of what government should do, and how much should it tax to do it?

In my view, one positive to come out of our $40K investment in Little Jimmy’s latest folly was the fact that we finally got our Volusia County council members in ‘racing suits’ – coveralls emblazoned with the names and corporate logos of their sponsors.

I’ve been advocating this for years.

Given the massive amount of corporate campaign contributions in county races, in my view, our elected officials should be required to put the insignia of their patrons on the sleeve of their jersey – right out there for everyone to see.

The symbolism of News-Journal Editor Pat Rice as the cream filling in a sandwich of council members Heather Post and Billie Wheeler, each wearing suits festooned with Brown-n-Brown, International Speedway Corporation, etc. etc. insignia, was not lost on us yokels up here in the cheap seats.

It’s what we call in the business, “bad optics.”

Speaking of the bought-and-paid-for class, Jimmy’s fun run came on the heels of the highly-feted Team Volusia Gala at the tony Mori Hosseini Center.

In a follow-up article in the Daytona Beach News-Journal entitled, “Team Volusia dinner big on enthusiasm, short on details,” business correspondent Clayton Parks wrote, “Team Volusia’s annual dinner was long on celebration but somewhat short when it came to offering details regarding how the group can take its efforts to boost the local economy to the next level.”

Indeed.

But the photographs which accompanied the article just oozed swank.

Our movers-and-shakers, all in their finery, rubbing elbows, air-kissing, and sipping white wine – wow – simply elegant.

I didn’t attend the soiree.

Instead, I took a somber drive around the beachside – our core tourist area, and the main economic engine of our county – and took in the unkempt streets, the blighted commercial and residential properties, the empty storefronts and weed-strewn vacant lots, the stumbling homeless, the knocked down fences with boards and slats akimbo, and the gaudy airbrushed signage on the temporary storefronts which anchor our “here today, gone tomorrow” economy where a few get fat on tax-funded ‘economic incentives’ and the rest eat shit and die.

And I thought to myself, “How in God’s holy name can these people look at themselves in the mirror after accepting awards and empty accolades for their “leadership” of this unfathomable debacle – this economic and humanitarian tragedy?” 

I still don’t have an answer.

I’ll just bet they don’t either.

Here’s a riddle for you:  Which has more common sense and public approval, Flagler Beach City Commissioner Kim Carney?  Or a pile of rocks?

Anyone who has driven A-1-A through the quaint beach community lately has noticed the growing number of cairns – rocks carefully placed one atop another to form a small tower of stacked stones.

Since prehistory, cairns have been built by societies and individuals for a variety of purposes, from trail markers and navigational aids to sentimental memorials and personal commemorations.

And sometimes, they are constructed by tourists and locals in small beach towns just for fun.

Last week, my little niece and I took the coast road from St. Augustine to Ormond Beach, and as we passed the short stretch in Flagler Beach, she pointed and smiled – noting how “cool” the rock formations were as we tried to count them driving past.

She wanted to stop, get some ice cream, and check out the cairns.  You know, actually visit the community and contribute to the local economy in some small way.

How unique is that?

When she asked who made the interesting structures, I responded that it was most likely beach walkers having a little fun with the erosion protection rocks.  But then I thought to myself, maybe these strange structures are some mysterious monument to the abject stupidity of government intervention in the natural process – and the mean-spiritedness of some small-town politicians?

After all, the Brainiac’s at the Florida Department of Transportation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers believe that doing the same thing over-and-over again while expecting a different result is good public policy – and a sound use of our hard-earned tax dollars.

“Let’s see, we piled granite and coquina stones at the dune line to prevent erosion – and Hurricane Matthew took our rocks – and half of A-1-A – with it.  So, what should we do?” 

 “I know!  Let’s pile more granite and coquina stones on the dune line.  Good idea!”

The Corps of Engineers is currently “studying” beach renourishment options, and the initial design phase won’t be finalized until the middle of the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season. . .

Naturally, whenever people actually attempt to derive some level of pleasure, relaxation, or enjoyment from their public beach invariably the “Fun Police” arrive on-scene and put the kibosh on that shit.

Enter Flagler Beach City Commissioner Kim Carney.

In a recent Daytona Beach News-Journal article entitled, “Stone stacks piling up in Flagler Beach,” Commissioner Carney is quoted, “They’re getting too high, they’re too distracting.”

“The height is just getting out of control.”

“People aren’t even supposed to be over there,” Carney said of the stretch of S.R. A1A where most of the cairns have appeared over the past several weeks. “It’s a construction area, it’s posted ‘No Trespassing.'”

Out of control?  What a nit-picking asshole.

“I believe those rocks are there for a purpose, and they’re not being used for that purpose,” she said.

At what point do certain elected officials transition from public servant to boarding school rector with a God complex?

Especially one that is up for re-election. . .

Politicians like Kim Carney wouldn’t know fun, or a bright idea, if it bit them on the backside – let alone their role in governing a small tourist community.  But they damn sure know how to throw their weight around and crush anything they don’t understand.

For example, does anyone remember Commissioner Carney’s wholly inappropriate involvement in a sexual battery case involving James McDevitt – the son of long-time Flagler Auditorium Director Lisa McDevitt – who pled guilty in 2015 to violently raping a woman in Flagler Beach?

I do.

In an excellent editorial on the sordid ugliness by Pierre Tristam in FlaglerLive entitled, “The Inappropriate Commissioner Kim Carney,” wrote:

“Carney is a friend of the 22-year old’s mother, Lisa McDevitt, and has led fund-raisers on her behalf. No one begrudges that involvement. But Carney went much further. She sought to discredit the victim of the rape and elicit a story from FlaglerLive to that effect, while also attacking the local judicial system and the victim’s advocate system.”

Did I mention that Commissioner Carney sits on the Flagler Auditorium Governing Board?

Because she does.

The fact is, Kim Carney represents everything I despise about small-minded, self-serving politicians.  In important issues, such as a violent sexual assault – or matters as insignificant as a budding tradition of building small stone cairns on a quiet beach – she feels the need to insinuate herself.

Look, you may think I’m making a mountain out of a mole hill – and perhaps I am.  But often it’s the seemingly trifling matters of governance where we uncover the dark side of those in power.

And intentionally attempting to discredit and bash the victim of a violent sexual assault is reprehensible – regardless of who, or what, you are.

In my view, people like Commissioner Carney are bullies – politicians who find fault and threaten the full force and might of government – simply because they can, and that is counterproductive and unacceptable.

When I told my niece that someone wants to take down the cool little stone sculptures we saw, she said that person was a “doody-head.”

I agree.

I hope those trespassing rock-stackers, the voters in Flagler Beach, remember Commissioner Doody-Head’s ridiculous pettiness on March 7^th.

(Photo Credit:  The Daytona Beach News-Journal)

Having spent most of my life in law enforcement, I have developed a few non-scientific theories regarding perceptions of the police service in our society.

One of those is that the average person interacts with a cop twice in their lifetime.  Maybe.

Most of us have received a speeding ticket, been in an automobile accident, or the victim of a minor crime that we reported to the police.  Beyond that, we are only acutely aware of a police presence when we are driving along and suddenly see a patrol car – screech, “Oh shit!  There’s a cop!” – then slam on brakes to slow our excessive speed.

Admit it.  Hell, I do it all the time.

Law enforcement deals with a very small percentage of the population – perhaps 2%.  The “frequent flyers” – career criminals, drunks, addicts, predators, street hustlers, thieves, the homeless, mentally ill and the violent – the dregs and wolves of society.

My other notion is that on the rare occasion when we actually need a cop, if he or she shows up two minutes early, or two minutes late (based on our time schedule), then the officer is either overzealous or a slacker – you know, the whole, “there’s never a cop around when you need one” thing.

Most of what we think we know about law enforcement officers is derived from television programs, movies and the media – all of which, for increasingly similar reasons, are inherently incorrect.

The entertainment industry produces a product to amuse and provide a brief distraction for the majority of the public – it’s how they stay in business.

On the other hand, rather than report the news, the “mainstream” media now produces a product that they think represents what the majority of American’s want to hear – it’s how they stay in business.

I’m convinced it’s an advertising/demographic thing – just feeding the machine – because reporting fact-based “news” rarely matters anymore.

Since the terrible summer of 2016, despite all evidence to the contrary, everything we see or read in the “news” has a subtle – but noticeable – anti-police bent.

They think it’s what people want to hear.

I love the Daytona Beach News-Journal.  In my view, they do a great job, under difficult circumstances, and a few of their reporters are personal heroes of mine.  They put out a good newspaper most days, and work hard under the crippling financial constraints that plague what remains of print media in this country.

However, a recent editorial touting changes to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office body-worn camera protocols, well, rubbed me the wrong way.

The piece began, “John Braman is Exhibit A on the value of outfitting law enforcement officers with body cameras.”

Bullshit.

As most of you know, John Braman is a former Volusia County Sheriff’s Deputy who was apparently exposed as a common thief when several DUI suspects complained that he removed cash from their wallets.  Additional evidence supporting these serious allegations was captured by Braman’s body-worn camera during an arrest last August.

To correct the record, John Braman is an aberration.

He is a rarity in a profession that derives its moral authority to enforce the law from the public’s fragile trust.

What he represents is a grotesque monster that rarely shows itself, but that many are convinced exists.  The proverbial “bad cop” who confirms latent suspicions about everyone who ever pinned on a badge and took an oath to serve and protect.

The News-Journal’s editorial relies on these fears and myths for its substance.

Look, it appears John Braman crossed a very clear line – and if his suspected crimes are proven true, he deserves everything he gets – and more.

No one despises a bad cop more than a good cop.

But let’s not overlook the fact that the clear majority of law enforcement officers do a dangerous job with honor and incredible dedication to protecting life and property.

Our lives and property.

In their horribly skewed op/ed, the News-Journal evokes the specter of widespread corruption, writing “Without video evidence from the Aug. 1 stop in Ormond Beach, who knows how that investigation would have proceeded. . .”   

Who knows?  I know.

The case would have proceeded the way thousands of other criminal cases are conducted – even in the absence of “tell-all” video footage:

An investigator – acting without bias or pre-conceived assumptions – would develop facts to support or contradict the allegations, establish probable cause that a crime has been committed, swear to the accuracy of his or her work, then submit those findings to the State Attorney for independent review and prosecution.

And the News-Journal’s editorial board damn well knows it.

As a former law enforcement executive, I agree that body-worn cameras are a good idea.  In the vast majority of cases, these devices exonerate officers of baseless allegations by criminal suspects and false witnesses.

Invariably, the grainy footage exposes people at their worst – displays in living color the result of man’s inhumanity to man – and captures the dangers, insults and degradations our officers face in the line of duty.

That is “Exhibit A” in the case for police cameras – a fact rarely reported – and one the News-Journal’s editorial barely touched upon.

In my professional experience, I can count on one hand the number of police corruption cases that have occurred in Volusia County over the past thirty-years.  Incredibly few and far between – with actual police misconduct almost universally rooted in bad decisions, off-duty stupidity, or toxic personal relationships.

Not graft, bribery or organized criminal conduct – but common human frailties.

To add insult, the News-Journal’s editorial surmises that, “If officers know all their activity is being recorded (without any “police tactics” loopholes), they have disincentive to take any shortcuts — and the confidence that their lawful actions will be proved justifiable.”

What a crock of shit.

What a disservice to those who take an oath to trade their lives for ours, to put our safety above their own self-interests, to protect the weak and vulnerable and stand the line against crime, anarchy and victimization.

Put a camera on Volusia County’s elected and appointed officials and watch the mechanism of government grind to a steaming halt. . .

The fact is, the precision and expertise required to get a good case from crime scene to courtroom leaves no room for “shortcuts” – and no police officer worth his or her salt needs a camera tacked to their shirt to show pride and dedication in their work.

Look, I still love our friends at the News-Journal, but perhaps it’s time the editorial board realizes that the silent majority of American’s – people of all colors and creeds – are beginning to ignore the jabbering of the radical fringe and are standing in strong support of our nations law enforcement officers.

And rightly so.

Each week, we mourn slain police officers and pray for the wounded – and our brave men and women of law enforcement continue to selflessly lace-up their boots, pin on the badge, and go in harm’s way to protect us.  All of us.

The thin blue line.  United, as always.

Our police officers deserve our respect and admiration.

Unlike many other pillars of our free society, these incredible men and women earn it every day.