Wednesday, April 29, 2009
News-Journal Board Of Directors Fired...
After seventy years of Davidson family management the News-Journal’s board of directors were terminated by the court appointed receiver managing the company.  Most recently the Board attempted to file bankruptcy in order to avoid paying $125 million the company owes to it’s minority share holder Cox News.  A federal judge wouldn’t allow the filing which cleared the way for the Board’s firing.  The Board and Davidson family was deserving of every bad thing that’s happened to them.  While some of their editorials on state issues were good, they always protected county and city government, hardly ever reporting on their corruption, waste and misuse of power.  Most city newspapers act as a ‘watchdog’ reporting local government’s failings.  The News-Journal did just the opposite.  They never spoke of International Speedway Corporation or Brown & Brown Insurance buying political office through campaign contributions for dozens of years or disclosed Developer  relationships and gifts to city employees that resulted in special land use changes.  They never bothered to investigate why it costs $100 million more yearly to operate our city compared to others or why we have the highest property taxes in the county.  In short they never really defended the residents, just took their money and built their little empire, which eventually rotted from within due to their arrogance.  Perhaps a new company will purchase the News-Journal and force it to act like a Real source of news, but it’s doubtful.  The ‘Red-Neck’ Riviera always resists change for the public good.

Monday, April 20th, 2009
Residents To Pay Millions For Failing Convention Center And Airport...
Three years ago Real Daytona stated it was a bad idea to spend millions of tax dollars on renovating the Daytona Beach Convention Center.  Declining attendance at trade shows, lack of quality hotels and an increase nationally in available trade show space made expanding our convention center a bad idea. 
The Daytona Beach airport’s always been a joke.  The majority of flights that take place from there are by Embry-Riddle students, not major airlines.  Ticket prices are ridiculous compared to Orlando and Jacksonville and there isn’t a direct flight to anywhere. Yet airport management always seems to report airport use is up or only down a couple of percentage points.
Spending any additional monies on either of these already next to useless dinosauers is plain stupid.  But stupidly wasting tax dollars has never stopped a Volusia County or Daytona Beach politician from spending money.  So, the Convention Center was expanded and Daytona Beach International Airport is still marketed as a great place to travel to and from.  Now, (surprise) residents have to pay millions in additional taxes to cover their losses with the County Counsel blaming the economy, rather than their stupidity and lack of fiscal accountability.  It’s been proven over and over that ‘Build it and they will come’ doesn’t work in Volusia County and Daytona Beach especially.  We have the highest property tax rate of any county in Florida and the highest city property tax rates for Daytona Beach as well.  It’s time for our politicians to quit wasting our money, cut spending, eliminate local government jobs and become competitive the old fashioned way, by offering better service at a lower cost!

Friday, April 17th, 2009
Volusia County Council & Embry Riddle University Screw Daytona Neighborhood...
The Highlands neighborhood in Daytona Beach is a nice place to live and has been here a long time.  It’s separated from Embry-Riddle University by a 35 acre buffer with nice trees and
foliage. The Volusia County Counsel and Embry-Riddle University want to change all that.   University management has been lobbying the Council to eliminate most of the buffer so they can knock down all the trees and construct baseball on soccer fields.  They even offered to let residents use these fields for free some of the time to sweeten the deal. 
Taking a page from the Developers’ ‘hand-book’ Riddle made some quiet threats that they might move their headquarters out of Daytona Beach.  They even employed radio talk show host and blathering idiot Mark Bernier as some type of lobbying representative for the University to help smooth local waters.  The County Counsel got nervous that Riddle might leave and offered them almost anything they wanted.  The result is elimination of a neighborhood buffer that’s been around for over fifty years! 

As usual local government betrays the public trust to satisfy a developer, in this case Embry-Riddle University.  Residents of the Highland neighborhood are fighting back but it’s probably too little too late.  Business and politics as usual continue in Daytona Beach and Volusia County.  Yee-Ha!

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009
No April Fool Here, Daytona Residents Screwed Again By Pier Group...
Jerry Fink, Bill Geary and George Anderson of the Carlsburg Management Company are taking Daytona residents for millions and the City Commission is getting ready to let them do it again!  After more than twenty years of developer ‘giveaways’, the Boardwalk and Pier represent real blight. Carlsbad Management Company was supposed to change that with their Pier renovation and Boardwalk project.  Instead they did nothing, letting our Pier fall into disrepair.  Now the very developers who promised to improve the pier and build a new entertainment center on it have the audacity to negotiate better lease terms and request another $2 million dollar city bail out.  The real irony is city management is happy to negotiate a new deal, lose money and then give the Pier back to the same people that failed the first time!
This all stems from city managements’ attempts to use eminent domain laws to eliminate local land and lease owners under the cover of city authority. It then became worse with the promise of  millions of city redevelopment dollars as financial incentives to developers such as Carlsburg Management. Add a building boom and you have to wonder why with all this help Carlsburg still couldn’t produce the project. 
So another ‘bail out package’ goes to the politically well connected in Daytona Beach. Residents are supposed to pay for it instead of making Anderson, Geary and Fink either comply to the lease terms or take back the pier when they default.
Isn’t it time city management and elected officials started holding developers to their contracts and not allow them off the hook because the project was harder or more expensive than they expected?  The only way the Pier and Boardwalk will every return to it’s former profitable glory is by maintaining it and allowing driving on the beach.  Beach drivers are customers that spend money at places like the Pier, Boardwalk and hotel restaurants. Keeping them off that portion of the beach is just plain stupid! You may remember driving was removed from that part of the beach years ago to satisfy another developer who ended up selling the hotel we lent him money for.  We’re still paying for the land while he took his millions in profit and left the area.  Seeing a trend here?  Developers make huge campaign contributions, get special deals and free tax dollars, screw-up and don’t do the project, then get to start the whole thing over again with some taxpayer cash up front.  Call the Mayor and City Commissioners.  Tell them no to the Carlsburg bailout!

Thursday, March 26th, 2008
Commissioner Harasses Neighbor While Breaking Law...
City Commissioner Rick Shiver just can’t seem to help himself.  He believes he can violate the law with impunity then blame and harasses his neighbors when he’s caught.
His problems started when he backed his concession wagon into a short brick wall bordering his neighbor’s property and knocked it down.  He’s been parking his beach concession wagon, (a commercial vehicle) at his home for a number of years against city code. Of course, he saw no reason to inform his neighbor of the damage.  Shiver’s neighbor is an out of town landlord and rents his house out to vacationers.
The vacationers called to tell the landlord Shiver knocked down the wall.  The landlord then called Shiver and left a message stating he didn’t really care about the wall but didn’t want the responsibility of having to clean up the debris.  Shiver never returned his call to address the issue.
A few days later Shiver did call his neighbor, leaving a recorded rant of how the renters next door were making too much noise.  He then claimed to have complained to the police on five separate occasions about the noise problem and that his neighbors property was violating city codes by not being zoned for vacation rentals.  A few days later the landlord received a letter from city Code Enforcement telling him he couldn’t rent his property to vacationers anymore.  Now he’s considering a lawsuit against the city for selective enforcement of the vacation rental law.  Meanwhile Shiver damages private property, leaves the scene of an accident, doesn’t report it to the police and nothing is done to him for it.
Kind of reminds us when Shiver installed an illegal toilet in the garage of his old house without a permit, had a bunch of sewage flood his house and taxpayers ended up spending almost $400,000 to buy him out after we already paid to clean it up, for no reason.
Shiver never takes responsibility for the problems he causes like massive spending and tax increases or sewage back-flow through illegal toilets.  He just blames someone else, gets them to pay for it and goes on his merry way to smoke some more dope and surf in Costa Rica at his vacation home that Daytona residents paid for.  Now Daytona taxpayers get to foot the bill for another lawsuit because of Shiver’s arrogance and lack of accountability.  Seems some things never change in the ‘Red-Neck Riviera.’

Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Mayor Ritchie Reneges On Finding Sponsor For London Symphony Orchestra...
Months ago after Mayor Ritchie was challenged for endorsing the spending $500,000 of taxpayer money to continue bringing the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) to Daytona Beach, he said he’d  find corporate sponsors to pay for it.  That didn’t happen.  We understand the recession hurt a lot of businesses in the area but the ones that profit the most like International Speedway Corporation and Brown & Brown Insurance certainly could have come up with some cash to ease the pain of the taxpayer.  Now LSO ticket sales are down over 40% and no major company has stepped up with substantial dollars to assist.  Looks like many of the ‘high rollers’ in our community are now stuck living paycheck to paycheck like the rest of us, with the exception of the France family and Hyatt Brown of course.

Saturday, March 14, 2009
Almost 200 People Attend Memorial For Terry Whelan...
Our city lost a friend and political activist this week when Terry Whelan passed away unexpectedly at 51.  Terry’s day job was as a plumbing contractor but his advocation was politics and finance.  We at Real Daytona remember when Terry challenged Darlene Yordon for Zone 2 City Commissioner a few years ago and lost by less than 100 votes. Terry was described by the minister at the memorial as one of the most intelligent and ethical men he’d ever met.  He always had a joke or kind word for those around him and loved to talk to people.  Terry was a Navy veteran, Boy Scout troop leader and active in the Bellaire Community Group. He’s survived by his wife LuAnn, daughter Theresa and son Sean.  We were lucky to have known him and he will be missed.                     

Thursday, February 26, 2009
Bike Week Pumps Badly Needed Money Into Local Economy...
After speaking with vendors, restaurant and hotel owners the general consensus was ‘Bike Week’ was pretty good this year.  Many believed changes at Myrtle Beach Bike Week encouraging Bikers to go elsewhere also fueled Daytona’s attendance increase this year.
The usual local whiners such as despised columnist Pam Hasterok, f the Daytona Beach News-Jounal, bitched about Bike Week, but who really cares what she thinks.  Hasterok rents a home, doesn’t pay property tax or even live in Daytona.
If the fools that manage our city would choose to better embrace Special Events and Spring Break they wouldn’t have to increase property taxes and spending every year, instead letting the tourist industry pay for most of it.  They continue attempting to shape Daytona into what they think it should be instead of embracing what it is, and is not.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009
City Manager Blocks Park Near Main Street...
What City Manager‘King’ Chisolm wants ‘King’ Chisolm gets, or in this case decides not to get.
Paul Holub has put a piece of property up for sale just south of Main Street behind Stevens Tire,
that could make an excellent city park right on the river.  There’s bunch of grant and redevelopment money available that would make the purchase of this property virtually painless.
But Chisolm and his staff don’t want a park there.  They delayed the project by not submitting Comprehensive Plan changes to Tallahassee on time, which means the Grant’s can’t be applied for and no money obtained for purchase of the property. As usual, a project for the residents obtained for very little tax money, is deliberately blocked by City Management before any public discussion can ensue. 
Kinds of reminds us of the Daytona YMCA project.  City management delayed discussions regarding the purchase of the YMCA until it was sold to someone else.  Now they’re spending three times the money to develop a similar building without the pool, in the same location.
Yet the majority of our City Commission continues to back Chisolm with unflagging loyalty while he taxes and spends us into oblivion.  As a famous comedian says, ‘You can’t fix stupid!’

Friday, February 13th, 2009
City Manager & City Attorney Fight For Power...
The News-Journal reported on an acknowledged ‘failure to communicate’ between City Attorney Marie Hartman and City Manager Jim Chisolm which may be costing taxpayers thousands. 
The City Commission appears to be unhappy about it and is urging both to do better.  The most recent argument is based on Pub 44 being refused a request to have outside loudspeakers during Bike Week.  They appealed to the Special Magistrate of Code Enforcement and the city attorney’s office wasn’t even aware of what was going on because they weren’t informed by city management.  Marie Hartmen complained about not being informed to Chisolm’s office. It seems even with six deputy attorneys Hartman can’t keep up with her legal responsibilities of our city.  This is why we need to get rid of this expensive group of incompetent attorneys and hire an outside law firm to take care of the city’s legal business.
The City Manager and City Attorney are the only two positions filled directly be the City Commission.  Since City Manager Chisolm runs Daytona with an iron fist, he’s angry that Hartman doesn’t do what he wants or report directly to him.  We at Real Daytona think they’re both extremely overpaid for their poor performance and should be terminated for cause.
Chisolm apologized to Hartman and suggested a Thursday meeting every week to make sure they’re all ‘on the same page.’  Meanwhile he’s probably planning how to screw her over again.
It’s really hard to say which person we dislike more.  They’ve both costs taxpayers millions by their poor job performance.  Meanwhile the majority of our clueless city commission continues to support city managements growth, tax and spend philosophy.  Some things just never change in the ‘Red Neck Riviera.’

Thursday February 5, 2009
City Commission Continues To Waste Money And Ignore Laws...
Daytona’s motto should be out with the old and in with the same, waste, ignoring the law and out of control spending..  Here’s a recap of City Commission and CRA meetings.  Insurance agency Brown & Brown was awarded a $50,000 ‘consulting service’ charge regarding Daytona’s insurance coverage.  The previous supplier of this service had provided it to the city for over ten years without a problem.  But, they didn’t make anywhere the level of campaign contributions that Hyatt Brown and his company did.
The city attorney’s office continues to spend more and do less.  Another $135,000 was budgeted for a sixth assistant attorney with more money needed to promote one of them to the Deputy Attorney level.  Yet they still can’t handle the case load they have. 
Cartrights Landscaping was a one year contract of $109,586 for mowing, a $35,000 increase from last year.
After years of complaining by residents the City Commission is finally modifying who can be on city boards.  While most city’s limit to residents only, our politicians still want to let non-resident business owners continue to ‘serve’ on these boards.  Apparently they want to make sure these business owners can still influence what happens in our city by more than just giving campaign contributions.
It seems there’s problems with the city board activities as it relates to CRA funds.  The City Commission is supposed to make decisions about all redevelopment area spending and the boards is responsible for recommendations.  However, city employees are taking some of the recommendations the board makes and implementing them without asking permission from the City Commission who manages the CRA.  The key problem is City Manager Chisolm doing what he wants, while ignoring the law and our elected officials.
Examples include removal of the shuffle boards on Orange Ave., filling in of the historic canals in Beach Street Riverfront Park, spending CRA money for banners on Main Street and spending over 22% of the Downtown Redevelopment budget on ‘policing’, one of the items the State Auditor General was extremely critical of.
After almost two years City management still refuses to address the issues the State Auditor General pointed out regarding misuse of millions in CRA funds.  Meanwhile the majority of our  clueless city commission sits in oblivion, doing nothing.

Thursday, January 28th
2009-Keeping it REAL in 2009
2008 is well behind us but before we say goodbye lets take a look at how Real Daytona and its readers have had a profound impact on the everyday lives of the working class folks who make up the backbone of Volusia County.
During 2008 a number of public officials departed (we don’t care where they went as long as they’re not here burdening the taxpayers with their incompetence). Here’s the short list:
BOB BROWN DAYTONA BEACH CITY ATTORNEY: No one will miss Bob because during his tenure it was like he wasn’t even there anyway. Due to his poor performance the city lost millions in lawsuits paid out and his lack of oversight in legal matters allowed city management and elected officials to break the law in the administration of the CRA’S, a mess which still hasn’t been straightened out.  Unfortunately, his replacement Marie Hartman continues his tradition of incompetence.
FORMER STATE ATTORNEY JOHN TANNER: Tanner thought he was above the law instead of being a  guardians of justice. The office of State Attorney was a ‘bully pulpit’ where he promoted his ‘god given’ personal agenda instead of being a sacred trust as it should be. God didn’t tell Tanner it was time to retire but voters certainly did.
FORMER CITY COMMISSIONER MIKE SHALLOW : Due to his own ‘handiwork’ Shallow has finally removed himself to the self imposed political exile he so richly deserves. Real Daytona and its readers have worked for years to expose this charlatan for what he is. We’re so glad he took it upon himself to take matters in his own ‘hand’ and ‘expose’ himself to the world!
FORMER CITY COMMISSIONER DARLENE YORDON  : According to our sources the ‘shrew of shrews’ has moved to Jacksonville after reeking political havoc upon our city. She’ll always be remembered as a city commissioner who said much and did little. We suggest that those who want to remember Darlene make a donation to the council on Mental Health in her honor!
We’ve covered many stories this past year that were never mentioned in ‘The Mullet Wrap’ (The News Journal). From government manipulation by the Speedway and Hyatt Brown to lies told to voters by city management, politicians and Daytona firefighters. With your help and contributions Real Daytona has been able to expose the protected and powerful in our city.
We’ll continue to expose Daytona government driven by unethical political contributions, unresponsive to the residents they serve while continuing their budget lies and out of control spending.  We invite you to contribute your stories and participate in our forum boards with your opinions. Working together we can build a brighter future for our children and our city. This is the year for change!

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
Hyatt Brown, The New ‘Boss Hog’ of Daytona Beach...
Bill France Sr. of International Speedway Corporation used to be the one to pull Daytona politician’s ‘strings’ to get done what he wanted.  With France’s death it appears Hyatt Brown of Brown & Brown Insurance has filled the void.
In a recent city commission meeting Brown & Brown insurance was promised $50,000 to have their insurance sales people ‘evaluate’ the current city employee medical insurance plan and make recommendations.  You know, the health plan where city employees get better medical benefits than the 95% of Daytona Beach residents that pay the taxes to support it.  So instead of the city human resources compensation and benefits person who we already pay to determine insurance coverage for city employees, we now also get to pay Hyatt Brown’s salesman another $50,000 for them to ‘consult’ and make recommendations.  What a scam!
In another related issue, remember the new 1,000 person amphitheater that was included in the city’s Master Plan?  The one where taxpayers get to spend a couple of hundred million dollars and knock down the county courthouse and library on city island?  Hyatt Brown’s been backing that as well so the London Symphony Orchestra can have a permanent home to play in every two years.  After all, Brown’s on the International Festival Board and part of the reason we get to pay $500,000 out of the city budget this year to help the LSO come to our town.  His company also gave tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to many of the current politicians on
our city commission as well.  Hyatt Brown’s never met a politician he didn’t like and couldn’t buy.
Guess losing a bunch of money on the News-Journal Center doesn’t bother Mr. Brown or city management either.  After all, few of them actually live in Daytona Beach and aren’t really affected by high property taxes or service charges for utilities.
So Hyatt Brown’s the new Boss Hoss of the Red-Neck Riviera!  Guess we should get him a ‘ceegar’ and scream yee haa in tribute.

Thursday, December 18, 2008
FORMER COMMISSIONER MIKE SHALLOW GETS OFF TWICE...
Former commissioner Mike Shallow who got caught getting himself off (masturbating) in the Sear’s store mens bathroom  has managed to ‘get off’ again.
County Judge Fields said police observing Mike ‘do the nasty’ in a public bathroom stall violated his right to privacy.  To put this in perspective In Daytona Beach it’s against the law for woman to show their breasts in an adult entertainment facility where you have to be 21 years old to enter but legal for perverts to jerk off where they can be seen by children in a public restroom!
This ruling allows ‘Sticky Fingers’ Shallow to get away with charges of indecent exposure and committing a lewd and lascivious act on the fourth amendment  ruling of an illegal search conducted by Daytona police.
Bathroom entertainment fans should take delight in the fact that just in time for the holidays, Mike and the other Sears ‘Puppeteers’ will be able to resume their ‘shows’ to the delight of parents and children using the public restrooms at Volusia Mall. So when your son comes out of a public bathroom and regales you with stories of Mike and the ‘puppet show’ make sure to thank Shallow when you see him and remember Judge Fields on election day by voting his dumb ass out of office.

Monday, December 10th, 2008
Where Are The STAND Petitions?
A number of months ago a group of concerned citizens formed a political action committee and started a city charter amendment drive to reduce Daytona’s budget by $50 million.  They’ve been collecting petitions for over a year.  Their website update recently stated Mayor Ritchey, Sheilha McKay, Frank Heckman and Neil Harrington were new petition signers.  They also stated Walter Fordham Jr and Derrick Henry, two candidates in the Zone 5 December city commissioner election to replace Dwayne Taylor, recently signed the petitions as well.  That’s great but why haven’t they been presented to the city commission yet?  Perhaps they’re going to give them as a Christmas gift to Chisolm.  Regardless, the sooner the better to get Chisolm’s dictatorship under control.  Go to  (www.STANDDaytona.com) for more information.

Wednesday, December 3rd
City Commission Meeting A Joke...
A number of people in the black community want the city to add a $4.5 million gymnasium to the Scarlett-Golden Community center.  They think taxpayers should foot the bill for unemployed, food stamp gathering brothers to play b-ball in the hood.  A better idea would be to get State Representative and past city commissioner Dwayne Taylor to pay for it.  He’s the one that refused to let the city buy the Daytona Beach YMCA because of his back door deal to give the land to a condominium developer.  Leave it to the black community to ignore getting screwed by one of their own then promote him to a new political position.  Maybe the France family should pay for the gymnasium since Bill Junior was the one that bought the election for Scarlett-Golden in the first place.  Nothing will change in the black community until they stop voting based on color and start voting based on a person’s character.
The major sports zoning district was expanded to include the old Dog Track that International Speedway Corporation purchased.  A Speedway representative stated contrary to rumors, they had no interest in bringing gambling to Daytona Beach.  Yeah right!  Maybe they didn’t that particular day but it’s coming and they’ll be the first to get it.  A resident complained about the lack of enforcement regarding open container law near the speedway, but as usual, the Commission totally ignores the laws and rules when it comes to ISC.  Same crap, different day.

Monday, December 2nd, 2008
River Front Master Plan Just A Smokescreen For Land Use Changes...
Sometimes we hate being right and this is one of them.  As we stated in November, the key reason behind the River Front Master Plan was to cover up land use changes that would occur if it were passed. City Manager Chisolm put so much ridiculous crap in it, like a multi-million dollar reflecting pond, elimination of the city library and county court house that he was certain residents would object, which they did.  So when his ‘do boy’ City Commissioner Rick Shriver suggested throwing out all the things residents didn’t want in this plan at a recent meeting, Chisolm was more than happy to do so, because he quietly got to keep land use changes that increase density and allow construction in historic neighborhoods and downtown.  The cost to taxpayers was a mere $100,000 to Chisolm’s consultant for their ‘smoke and mirrors’ proposal.
Meanwhile our Mayor and City Commissioners continue to be ‘lost’ in the middle of the red-neck Riviera.

Friday, November 12th, 2008
Daytona Beach City Manager Wastes Even More Money!
City Manager Chisolm is at it again. With CRA money burning a hole in his pocket he couldn’t resist giving away another $100,000 to his "consultant" friends. His excuse this time was for a new Riverfront Master Plan. After three meetings with no more than ten resident each, the consultant suggested we destroy the library, courthouse, rowing club building and tennis courts. At the fourth and final public meeting, the library was back in place but we have a new reflecting pond and commercial development on city island and another parcel currently zoned recreational. The most ridiculous parts of this latest plan starts with all parking gone from the News Journal Center. Patrons are expected to walk from the new parking mega-lot on Palmetto. Great idea for senior citizens with disabilities!  It gets even better.  They want to remove the courthouse to put in another money losing Amphitheater,  which according to the consultant will hold over 100,000 people. Yeah, right!  Then add the huge new reflecting pond where the courthouse parking lot is. Looked at as a whole, it’s clear there was little real thought put into this latest attempt to commercialize city island yet again, it’s just misdirection to distract residents from the real end
game.There are two major items Chisolm is trying to accomplish with this so called ‘Master Plan.’  The first is to buy the Coast Guard station at the tip of the city marina. It’s scheduled to be vacated in 2011 and go up for sale. The problem is it’s zoned recreational and would sell for very little money.  Some good old boy wants to buy the land cheap and get the zoning changed for 400 new condos. As usual, Chisolm’s all for that.  The second item is to allow even more commercial and high density intrusion into the historic neighborhoods downtown as shown on the Master Plan maps. Both are huge betrayals of the public trust, run contrary to what is left of the real Vision Plan and defy common sense!Chisolm is hoping no one will notice the Master Plan maps and be distracted with the city island ‘side show.’  The most ridiculous part was Naomi Wiess and Jack White from the Downtown Partnership were there with their ‘handler’ Chris Challis from the development law firm of Cobb Cole, supposedly representing the best interests of the Beach street merchants. Yeah right!
How do Beach Street Merchants benefit from diluting of the value of their commercial properties with new commercial development on city island? They don’t!  How will they benefit from condos already allowed downtown when Chisolm’s special friends put more condos down the street, luring away potential buyers of the Beach Street condos? They won’t!
Nothing in the Riverfront Master Plan benefits the residents these people claim to represent.  This is another reason Florida, and especially Daytona Beach need Florida Hometown Democracy to pass and put an end to dilution of our property values through bad planning and zoning changes which benefit only a few well heeled campaign contributors. Another day another $100,000 wasted in the ‘Redneck Riviera.’     

Friday, November 14th
Daytona Beach Attorney Dave Hood Continues To Receive Special Favors From Law Enforcement...
Past Ormond Beach Mayor and Daytona Beach Attorney Dave Hood is really a piece of work.  He’s celebrating his one year anniversary of avoiding arrest for beating up past girlfriend, Flagler County Commissioner Melissa Holland.  He was dating and sleeping with Ms. Holland while he was still married.  (Seems Dave has a problem with keeping it in his pants.)
The incident occurred the night of the 2007 Margarita Ball.  Hood and Holland were at the Daytona Beach Hilton in a room together, when they started yelling and fighting.  The police were eventually called and broke up the ‘disagreement.’  There was some room damage but Hood agreed to pay for it.  Even though it was a domestic violence call, neither Holland or Hood went to jail, like a normal person would.  Also interesting that no report was filed by the Daytona police department.  Not really surprising, since Hood was caught with a prostitute in is car in late 2006 and the Daytona police did nothing about that either. Hood never seems to be accountable for his actions.  Dig a little deeper and you’ll find he’s been stopped and ticketed over 120 times for driving at excessive speeds and recklessly in the last two years and been able to get out of every one of them dropped.  If you check the financial records from Hood’s recent divorce you’ll find he even has a ‘secret’ condo where he’s been observed ‘shacking up’ with his various girlfriends for years.  Why bring this up now?  To make sure everyone knows what type of dirt bag Hood really is and give just another example of how corrupt the ‘good old boy’ network continues to be in the ‘Red-Neck Riviera.’

Monday, November 3rd, 2008
Real Candidate Recommendations
It’s been great to watch the debates, polls, Saturday Night Live and the pundits but now it’s time to vote.  Remember, if you don’t vote then you can’t complain later about what government is doing.
President & Vice President of the United States: Barrack Obama & Joe Biden.  The choice is obvious.  John McCain is ‘G.W. light’ and Sarah Palin in not even close to being qualified for the VP job.
Senator District 7:  Richard Paul Dimbinsky. Evelyn Lynn used the Daytona Beach CRA audit as a political stunt and never followed through to correct the problem and punish those responsible.
State Rep District 27: Maureen Monahan, because Taylor's list of betrayals of the public trust is long and disturbing. Duane is a smart well dressed guy who forgot who he was and sold out those little people who got him there.
Volusia County Supervisor of Elections: Susan Pynchon. Because it’s not about having an accounting background. It’s about being able to put your personal feelings aside for candidates and issues do your job. It’s to be benevolent when faced with a grey area and side with the citizens over the politicians when no clear path exists. McFall doesn’t do this.
County Council District 2: Josh Wagner. Because he answers questions clearly, unlike Epps. Anyone who thinks Epps is so great must not live in Ponce Inlet where the regular citizens had to mount a charter amendment petition drive to give themselves the power to override the decisions of Mayor Epps and the City Council.
Volusia County Sherif: Kevin Vaughn.  Sherif Ben Johnson spends way too much money in running this department.  Add the fact the he drinks and drives and you basically have a guy that’s been in the job too long.  Vaughn is young and has fresh perspective.
Constitutional Amendments:  Vote No on all of them. Even the conservation one is a trick. Any landowner who doesn’t have development rights on their land has relatively worthless property and already taxed accordingly. This is a scam to get wealthy land holders a long term tax break until the real estate market comes back without having to actually give up those rights. Same with working waterfronts. If all they want to be is a boat yard then they can have their zoning and comp plan changed which would lower their property taxes. The problem is neither group wants to give up those development rights or the ability to get new ones.

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
Daytona City Management Killed Tourism And Now Asks What Happened...
When times were good they were really good.  Daytona city management couldn’t give sweetheart deals to condo developers fast enough.  Their idea was to get a bunch of non-homesteaded property taxes from the new condo’s people that didn’t live here full time and couldn’t vote in municipal elections.  They thought the ‘iddy-biddy’ extension to the ocean center would draw numerous conventions to our city and money from regular old beach tourists and bikers was no longer needed or welcomed. To assist in this venture city employees and elected officials did almost all the could to drive away our tourists and motorcycle related Special Events.  They cut motorcycle events by almost 60% and made the beach almost unusable with heavy law enforcement.  They refused to support an international boat racing event, said no to another air show and only supported events that profited the France family at the taxpayer owned speedway .  Meanwhile they continued to waste our tax dollars like drunken sailors on shore leave spending $100 million more annually than other comparably sized Florida cities.  Then the bottom fell out of the economy and the financial mistakes our politicians made became even more obvious.  Families have moved out of Daytona because they couldn’t afford the property taxes or house rent and  there were fewer grade schools for the kids to attend after the school board cuts and building a Walmart on school property.  New companies won’t move here because of the highest property taxes in the county.  Yet city management and elected officials due nothing to lower taxes and spending.  Guess after City Manager Chisolm gave the Mayor a couple of free retention ponds for his new car dealerships and paid $140,000 over what Rick Shiver’s house was worth to him after the sewage accident there’s little reason for elected officials to control his spending.  Meanwhile 12,000 people still live in poverty in our city, with the number increasing daily.

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
IRS To Investigate International Speedway Corporation
The France family is sweating ‘bullets.’  It seems they’ve been able to hold off an IRS investigation for years because of their ties to the Bush Administration.  With O’Bama leading in the polls the Speedway looks to lose it’s free ride shortly.  This information has been on numerous financial blogs for days.  It seems the IRS is particularly interested in ISC’s Americrown food service business and souvenir sales.  Their claim is that ISC has willfully and deliberately underpaid the amount of federal taxes due for years.  We don’t know it that’s part of the reason ISC is disposing of it’s ‘petty cash’ and buying buys thousands of shares of stock almost daily.  We do know that the France family has never liked the public scrutiny of being a publically traded company and the IRS is going to make it much more uncomfortable for them if O’Bama is elected president.

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
City Management Keeps Spending & Spending & Spending...
City Manager Jim Chisolm keeps spending taxpayer’s money placing our city deeper and deeper in debt.  Most recently he ‘convinced’ our City Commission to pass a resolution to raise the maximum and minimum of all city salaries by 2%, even though were in a global recession and the average income in out city is less than $30,000.  The commission then passed a $1 million plan to connect Ocean Park, Oro Park and the Bandshell then spent another $65,000 to re-surface the money-losing LPGA tennis courts. 
Since stealing and misspending CRA money wasn’t satisfying enough for Chisolm he convinced
the commission to insert innovative policing programs into the CRA areas so tax increment financing (TIF) money can be spent on any event that happens in a CRA.  In other words our tax dollars are now going to be used to pay for art festivals, beer gardens at Jackie Robinson and other frivolous ventures that benefit a few businesses at taxpayers expense.
It’s too bad City Manager Chisolm isn’t up for re-election in November.  He is truly a piece of garbage with no concern how he spends our money and destroys are cities economic viability.
Meanwhile the ‘tweedle dees and tweedle dums’ in our city commission rubber stamp every spending increase Chisolm proposes.  What a sad, lost city Daytona has become.

September 26th, 2008
CRA’s Unfairly Burden Taxpayer’s
Greg Gimbert from Striving Towards A New Daytona has been busy digging into the facts behind City Redevelopment Area taxes (CRA’s)and what he’s uncovered may surprise you. 
Here’s parts of his letter recently printed in the Hometown News:
CRAs are a tactic to create a pool of tax dollars for private development incentives in areas that are labeled "blighted." This pool gets bigger when property values increase, when tax rates increase, or a double whammy, when both happen. In good times or bad, the CRAs will always get their money because it’s hidden within legitimate tax collections across most of the items in your tax bill.  This money is usually given to developers or other public private partnerships as incentives to build, failing to follow the rules and guidelines of what this extra tax is intended for  Today our taxes are higher than necessary due to the current CRA set asides and it will only get worse.  The CRA tax base growth will never go toward paying for their own services until the CRA’s are eliminated.  As a result all taxpayers will suffer another round of tax increase to pay for the additional services for the more intensely developed CRA areas.
I want to share with you in percentages, just how much of your city's general fund tax collections will be diverted into area CRAs. Inversely, if you had no CRA your city tax bill would be this much less AND the County would have plenty of money to cover the loss of beach tolls, the ocean center debt service shortfalls due to declining bed tax collections, and also have a cushion to eliminate tax increases for the years to come.  Holly Hill 36.50%, South Daytona 25.30%, Daytona Beach 16.54%, Daytona Beach Shores 9.17%, Halifax Hospital 8.38% Ormond Beach 4.07%, Port Orange 2.45%, Deland 3.28%
CRA’s are a form of double taxation that city and county leaders either don’t understand or care about and should be prohibited.
Some will say we cannot eliminate CRAs because they are bonded. This only means we would have to divert all incoming CRA funds to paying off the bonds before elimination. The fact is most CRAs have no bonds and could be shut down immediately with a vote by our elected leaders.
Real Daytona says until elected officials wise-up and prohibit the collection of CRA taxes our community will continue to flounder with no growth and bought and paid for politicians, by developers that benefit from CRA dollars.

Thursday, September 25, 2006
City Selects Lower Bid For Park Use During Biketoberfest
It just keeps getting better. During the middle of a recession and the highest property tax levels in the county, Daytona Beach city management recommended we accept $300,000 less over three years in rental fees for Riverfront Park because Harley Davidson dealership Bruce Rossmeyer had rented it before and new what he was doing. The city initially drove Rossmeyer away to Ormond Beach a few years ago because of overly high park rental rates.  Now they want to make peace with him at a loss to taxpayers. 
With all the mllions we spent on unbudgeted items like the LSO, the new skate park and Daytona police to support the beach patrol, city management should get every dime it can from vendors.We should rent to the highest bidder, not show favor to a local millionaire who walked out on Daytona years ago.  Rossmeyer’s probably giving some nice kickbacks to the selection committee.  It’s amazing what a few free t-shirts can buy in this town.

Thursday, September 18, 2009
Butterflies More Highly Thought Of Than Taxpayers In Daytona Beach...
Our clueless City Commission rubber stamped over $440,000 of spending on the Consent Agenda, with no discussion last night.  Much of it was money never allocated in the 2008 budget.
In other words, new spending beyond what was budgeted for.  Here’s a short list of how your tax dollars are continuing to be wasted: $10,000 to the Butterfly Conservatory Group to hire a consultant to help them plan on how to raise money.  Normally the city’s Grant Writer would do this, but City Manager Chisolm fired her last year because she wouldn’t lie for him. $157,600 to purchase and rehab a house at 566 South Street. $40,000 to hire mentally and physically challenged workers for the city (seems like we already have enough of them at this point). $165,000 for even more electrical work at Manatee Island, $72,000 for renovation of a building on the public golf course.                                                                         
The Commission also voted to: Pass the Auditorium Streetscape program even though the redesign will leave a very narrow entry to Peabody and the Ocean Center, which will create bottlenecks in traffic.  No traffic study has been done yet we’re spending over $150,000 for this. They voted to postpone the appointments of the Historic Preservation Board, which City Manager Chisolm is trying to manipulate so no historic preservation takes place in our city.
They voted to change the way they manage CRA’s to meet the requirements of the state audit, even though city management gave no details how they planned to do it.
They decided not to formally present all the last minute changes in the Vision Plan to the public and just have the commission vote on it, continuing to change the rules and decisions as they go.
Lastly, over 250 people signed a petition requesting a special election to replace Dwayne Taylor instead of the Commission just appointing someone.  Probably won’t happen because most of our commissioners ignore what voters want, but it was good to see people turn out and be heard.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Developers Bray & Gillespie File Bankruptcy...
In a move that was no surprise to Real Daytona, beachside developers (these guys couldn’t develop a roll of film at Walgreen’s) Bray & Gillespie declared bankruptcy in a Jacksonville Federal court recently.
What’s more amazing is that these flip flop- film flam artists were able to string along our not so bright City Commission for ten years of their buy and flip property scam. These two carpetbaggers were able to fill the beachside with empty lots and collect huge insurance payments from storm damage with city help, not even managing to build a sandcastle on the beach during that time.
How did Bray & Gillespie do this with everyone watching? Simple, they bought and paid for every city commission they needed using tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations funneled through the various companies they owned.
Then whenever Bray & Gillespie wanted anything like zoning changes worth millions, all they had to do was ask the Daytona Beach City Commission, who were all to happy to serve their ‘masters.’ Just like a house of cards the whole scam came tumbling down, leaving the  Daytona  residents with higher taxes and empty water front lots for years to come.  The beachside tourist strip looks more like Beirut than a Florida tourist destination these days.
Wake up Daytona! The cozy relationship between these developers and our politicians is a classic example of a government that serves the wealthy few at the expense of the common taxpayer. Let’s hope that the next group of commissioners sits a little higher in the saddle so they can see the next group of carpetbaggers coming from miles away!

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
Daytona Fire Department EVAC Scam
Looks like the ever-greedy Daytona Fire Department union is at it again, trying to scam residents out of more money.  This time they’re attacking the only successful private-public partnership in the county, the EVAC ambulance system.  EVAC’s been working well for years and is paid for by Volusia County residents.  The Daytona Fire Department is attempting to use misleading ‘fuzzy math’ to convince the Volusia County Council that they should take over the EVAC system and cover five or six other cities besides Daytona Beach.  Their argument is they can do a better, more efficient job than current EVAC employees.  Yeah, right!  It’s no coincidence that the fire unions’ political campaign coordinator Len Taft is the same guy lying to the public about EVAC.. The Daytona Fire Department is the highest paid of any in the county and it’s because   their union throws campaign contributions and support to any politician that will vote for a raise or increase in retirement benefits.  They’ve never been concerned about saving any money for residents and the EVAC ‘pitch’ is no different.  All they want is 27 more highly paid firemen with huge pension and benefits plans, plus all the new ambulances and support gear to operate EVAC.  The cost to taxpayers is around $15 million. $15 million to have a less efficient group do the job and put residents at a greater risk of dying because they’re not as well trained as the EVAC personnel.
Instead of trying to grow Daytona’s government some more let’s go the other direction.  Let’s vote to consolidate the Daytona Fire Department into Volusia County and have them work for   EVAC.  It saved a huge amount of money for Jacksonville.  Since the fire union is so concerned about saving money for Daytona taxpayers, they should have no problem with consolidation to the county.  Yeah, right!

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
Daytona Wastes $800,000 On Skate Park...
City management and elected officials continue to waste taxpayer’s money.  A new $800,000 skate facility is to be inserted into the existing Bethune Point Park and expected to draw hundreds of participants and observers. These additional park patrons will add to an already busy corner according to City records which is already used for large group functions on a weekly basis.
As usual, city management doesn’t follow it’s own rules.  This plan has no additional restrooms or parking in a place already crowded with hundreds of people on weekends and holidays. City code calls for 120 parking spaces but there are only 60 not reserved for boat and trailer parking only. These existing spaces are always filled and cars park on the grass regularly against city code. With one drinking fountain and two showers, current restroom facilities will be grossly inadequate.  They’ll also be no regular City or police supervision in a Park that will attract hundreds of adolescent participants.
The access to the Skate park is on a dead end, non-conforming roadway that floods and becomes impassable even in a normal summer shower.
The Park will significantly effect the surrounding residential neighborhood. The City has a requirement to contact the adjacent property owners in writing to explain their plan before proceeding yet they’ve never done so.  Over 200 property owners and park patrons signed a petition requesting the skate park not be built at Bethune Point but city management ignored their request.
The competitive bid process wasn’t used to select the contractor for a project of almost a million dollars.
There’s been no mention of the amount of ongoing maintenance costs. A small 12,500 sq ft park in Boca Raton (Bethune will be 30,000 sq ft) has an annual cost of  $45,000.00 without staffing. With staffing their cost is $142,000.00.
The skate park plan calls for the design of a concession stand and bicycle store to be built in the future which is retail use and not consistent with the existing function of the park.
This plan is 34th on the agenda for the Commission Meeting tonight which will make it difficult, if not impossible, for most of the elderly adjacent property owners to attend and express their opinion.
We predict our witless city commission will rubber stamp this project for City Manager Chisolm wasting almost another million of our hard earned case.  Hey it’s only money, will just get taxed for some more.

Friday, August 29th, 2008
News-Journal Still Doesn’t Get It...
The Daytona Beach News-Journal ran an editorial criticizing attack ads and automated phone calls made before the primary election.  They claimed that virtually all political advertising is misleading and implied their endorsing of candidates is really the only true position residents should believe.  Yeah, right! 
Instead of investigating local government corruption and influence peddling the News-Journal has spent years profiting from it.  They accept advertising dollars from one of the largest influence peddlers in the county, International Speedway Corporation and make millions from it.  In exchange ISC rarely gets any negative press from the News-Journal.
Their editorial specifically criticized Ronald Bynum, chairman of Volusia Hometown Democracy, a political action committee that made thousands of automated phone.  The calls directed residents to their website where they compared candidates running for office.  As usual the News-Journal had to point out that Bynum owns the building which Lollipops Gentlemen’s Club leases.  Here’s a portion of Bynum’s response to the News-Journal’s editorial he posted on their website:
‘Every candidate discussed on our website was asked to provide a biography of information, list of accomplishments and anything else they wanted voters to know.  Some chose not to and we were forced to use what limited information we found on the internet and other media sources.  In fact, the majority of ‘unflattering news reports’ you mentioned actually came from previous stories printed in the News-Journal. ‘
’It (their website) was necessary because local media continues to fail miserably in it’s responsibility to report the news accurately and be a ‘watchdog’ for residents, influencing local government to act in a fiscally responsible fashion.’ 
It appears the News-Journal wants to keep the status quo or is just angry the person they endorsed for State’s Attorney lost.  Regardless, things are changing for the better in our community.  Past City Commissioner and ‘Queen of Mean’ Darlene Yordon no longer lives in Daytona Beach. Past City Commissioner Mike ‘Mad Wacker’ Shallow will eventually end up in jail or get shot in a bathroom stall by a ‘homophobe’.  Past city attorney Bob Brown retired early to avoid all the bar complaints filed against him. Now John ‘God told me to do it’ Tanner is done and the new States Attorney RJ Larizza has vowed to investigate government corruption in any city.  Corrupt Daytona Beach politicians and city management should take note, your time is up.

Thursday, August 28th
Why Did John Graham Leave International Speedway Corporation?
Rumor is John Graham left ISC because of a moral conflict.  He’s not happy with the France families’ choice to move into the casino gambling industry.  Apparently they plan to partner with
the Hard Rock Café, an American Indian owned corporation, at their Kansas racetrack, building a casino with them at that location.  Then they plan to do the next one in Daytona Beach.  Never happen you say.  We disagree.  The Hard Rock Corporation already received three exemptions in south Florida to build casinos where Indian reservations never existed and they have the money to pursue this venture almost anywhere in the US.  Many have forgotten that the pari-mutual (gambling) license owned by the old Daytona Hi-Li Company is still floating around somewhere.  Our bet is ISC or the France family purchased it.  Also remember that ISC’s been able to get the state to pay $2 million for a pedestrian overpass and our city management has given them anything they ever wanted for free race tickets and free private jet rides.
We’re surprised that Graham objects to casino gambling since he had no problems buying elections for ISC through campaign donations over the last ten years.  Maybe he just saw the future for ISC.  A recession, high gas and food prices mean less customers coming to races.  With the major automotive companies threatening to pull their corporate support for race teams ISC is probably looking at tough financial times in the near future, unless they move into casino gambling.  Graham may have left for that reason.  Regardless, letting ISC have casino gambling is a bad, bad idea.  Tourists will come to Daytona, camp out near the track and never spend any money at beachside businesses.  A better idea would be to allow small casinos on the beach as well as near the speedway.  Everyone could profit.  But that’s never been the goal of ISC or the France family.  They want to be the only ones making money while everyone else works for minimum wage in Daytona Beach.
If things go as ISC wants you’ll probably see NASCAR licensed hookers at the Daytona Beach Hard Rock Café, Casino & Brothel in the near future.  Yee Haa!

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
Good-bye Mr. Tanner...
State’s Attorney John Tanner lost a close race for reelection to newcomer RJ Larizza early this morning.  Taking none of the responsibility for the loss, Tanner placed the blame squarely on low voter turnout.  Anyone with the least bit of political knowledge knows low voter turnout favors the incumbent.
The real reason for his loss was Tanner’s arrogance, use of the State’s Attorney’s office as his own private police force and steadfast refusal to investigate and prosecute government corruption.  It all finally caught up with him.
What never came out during the campaign was that Tanner hardly ever bothered to go into work.  He left that day to day drudgery to his second in command, David ‘The Undertaker’ Smith.  Smith ran the office and Tanner came in every few days or weeks to collect his paycheck.  The other issue that was never discussed was the high number of attorneys that quit Tanner’s office to work elsewhere.  Office moral was so terrible because of David Smith and lead prosecutor Dennis Craig, that their peers rarely stayed employed there more than a year before quitting.
During a recent campaign stop Tanner explained how god told him to leave his law practice and run for State’s Attorney years ago.  When asked why he didn’t retire at his age he stated, ‘God hasn’t told me I’m done yet.’  Well god may not have told you’re done Mr. Tanner, but the voters certainly did.  One arrogant, corrupt government red-neck down with dozens left to go in the capital of the Red-Neck Riviera.
 

Monday, August 25th, 2008
Who Real Daytona Supports In The Coming Primary Election...
This is who we support:
State’s Attorney 7th Judicial Circuit-RJ Larizza.  John Tanner is a corrupt, arrogant ass who refuses to investigate or prosecute crimes committed by his buddies in local government.  He uses the States Attorneys office as his own private police department and it’s time for him to go.

House of Representative-District 27-Terry Dilligard.  Dilligard has been a city commissioner in Deland, has a bunch of experience and is the least corrupt of the group running.  He also signed the STAND city charter amendment petition for Daytona Beach supporting voters right to petition their government. 

Volusia County Council-District 2-Paul Carpanella.  Carpanell was one of the only honest mayors Daytona Beach ever had.  He took on the unions and controlled costs while in office.  He’s been humbled over the years and seems to listen to what voters want.  He also signed the STAND city charter amendment petitions for Daytona Beach supporting voters right to petition their government.  The rest of the group is lost in America or ‘owned’ by their campaign contributors.

Sunday, August 24th, 2008
The Reality Behind Community Redevelopment Area Taxes...
Here’s a copy of a letter to the editor from one of our contributors that the News-Journal didn’t print.
Volusia County’s in trouble. We have an epidemic of depressed values, failing schools and rising unemployment. Don’t expect Tallahassee to save us. Their past solutions of public private partnerships and other forms of financial giveaways doesn’t work. We need to fund quality of life improvements and lower taxes, benefitting those who live here now. This will keep the jobs we have and entice new ones to freely come. The problem is how will we pay for this? We can start by eliminating the Community Redevelopment Areas (CRAs).
What is a CRA? The CRAs are a tactic to create a pool of tax dollars for private development incentives in areas that are labeled “blighted”. This pool gets bigger when property values increase, when tax rates increase, or a double whammy when both happen. In good times or bad, the CRAs will always get their money because it’s hidden within legitimate tax collections across most of the items in your tax bill.
The most well known failure is the documented fraud and corruption in the Daytona Beach CRAs, which are Volusia’s largest. The best reason, however, is a fundamental flaw in CRA logic. There is unfairness to every Volusia County taxpayer who lives outside of the CRAs because they get stuck with the tax bill, yet receive no benefit. All taxpayers have to show for CRAs are past due promise of  “if we just help them build this one more project, prosperity will follow”. Does Daytona Beach look more prosperous to you after 20 years of CRAs? Even in law abiding CRAs, most dollars are spent on developer giveaways instead of more meaningful and permanent infrastructure upgrades for the small area that was allegedly “blighted”. How do our elected leaders justify saddling every property tax payer with extra taxes that mostly benefits a few well connected individuals? Tax base growth. Unfortunately the revenues from this tax base growth, by law, can only be reinvested back into the CRA ‘giveaway pool’ never benefitting  taxpayers at large. Today our taxes are higher than necessary due to the current CRA set asides and it will get worse. The CRA tax base growth doesn’t go towards paying for their own services until the CRAs are eliminated. As a result all taxpayers will suffer another round of tax increases to pay for the additional services for the more intensely developed CRA areas. Volusia County taxpayers have yet to feel this second and larger tax increase since little has been built in our CRAs besides a water park, one functioning Daytona Beach project, and a half finished near empty condo complex in Holly Hill.
Some will say we can’t eliminate CRAs because they’re bonded. This only means we would have to divert all incoming CRA funds to paying off the bonds before elimination. The fact is most CRAs have no bonds and could be shut down immediately with a vote by our elected leaders. Let’s get this area back on track and lead an economic resurrection in Florida by eliminating  CRAs. It would lower everyone’s tax bill without increasing sales tax, reducing core services, or jeopardizing school funding. Honest solutions like this will never come from Tallahassee, but the opportunity is real and we can do it!

August 18, 2008
Mayor Lays Off 22 At Dealership, Does Nothing In City Government...
Mayor Glen Ritchie decided it was necessary to layoff 22 people from his automotive sales empire, in order to cut cost of operating his business, because car sales are doing so poorly. Employees are the number one cost of any business.  No one likes to lay people off, but sometime it’s necessary.
So, the question we pose to Mayor Ritchie is why is it you can layoff 22 people from your own company but choose to do nothing to encourage City Manager Chislom to do the same and save taxpayers money?  You’ve already been shown Daytona Beach employs 300 more people than other comparable Florida cities with similar population levels, yet you do and say nothing to change it.  You and the city commission continue to rubber stamp City Manager Chisolm’s request to raise property taxes and spending.  You chose to protect your own business and personal income by laying off over $1 million in salaries from your company but refuse to do the same thing in Daytona city government.  Why?  Was it the $2 million dollars of free retention ponds you received from Chisolm?  Maybe all the cars and trucks the city buys from your dealerships?  Whatever the reason you should be ashamed of yourself for selling out the voters that you claimed ‘mandated’ your election.  You’re a great example why we’ve learned to have no expectations so we get no disappointments, in the ‘red-neck riviera.’

August 13, 2008
Where’s Dwayne Taylor Getting His Money?
Dwayne Taylor is an interesting character.  Sometimes shrewd, other times dumber than a box of rocks.  He claims to be a writer yet has published nothing.  What does Dwayne do to make money?  Where does he get the money to drive around in a new BMW?  Maybe the answer lies with campaign contributors like Ivy & Associates.  They’re a mortgage broker with a pretty shady history.  When you actually evaluate their loans placed with local banks, you’ll find that the majority of them ended up in the fraud investigation unit.  They’ve built a pretty new building on Orange Avenue recently.  Rumor is that Taylor got involved and actually ‘found’ some grant money in Tallahassee to help get the building constructed.  When you look at his campaign contributors you’ll see Ivy has given thousands through the years.  It even appears Taylor received compensation directly from them as a ‘consultant’ from time to time.  Perhaps someone should investigate Taylor’s relationship with this group and some of his other campaign contributors to see who’s actually paying him for what.  We believe Taylor’s dirty, plain and simple and his vote is being purchased by people like Ivy Associates.  Guess we’ll see what else we  come up with from our list of helpful local informants.  Stay tuned!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Daytona To Become National Homeless Destination...
Daytona Beach City Management with support of the Chamber of Commerce is doing everything possible to lure homeless people from the entire nation to our city.  The following are portions of a letter from Uptown Neighborhood Group President Chris Daun to City Commissioner Sheila McCay-Vaughn regarding the most recent Catholic Charities proposal.
‘The Catholic Charities proposal to construct a social services center next to St. Paul’s Basilica on North Ridgewood Avenue will expand the homeless activity on Ridgewood Avenue even beyond it’s current high level.  This proposal is currently being considered by the Downtown Redevelopment board which is rather shocking since these kinds of activities are prohibited in redevelopment areas and St. Paul is in a redevelopment area. This is also a violation of the cities Land Development Code.
There’s been no discussion of this proposal with the City Commission or general public.  In my opinion this city continues to present these proposals to groups like the Redevelopment Board without proper public participation or preparation on the parts of the board members. Projects like these should be up for public discussion, at least in the neighborhoods that will be directly affected, before they go up for a vote.  But really our entire city will be affected as we increasingly attract homeless people from all over this country.  It’s happening now if you don't believe me. Please get involved in this one before it is too late.’
City management will do anything to get more money to waste, even bringing in thousands of homeless people so state and federal grants can be obtained under the disguise of providing more homeless services.  As he has in the past City Manger Chislom, will transfer the grant money and spend it on something else.  Meanwhile thousands of homeless will migrate to Daytona Beach, and there won’t be any money to provide services to them.  Our Mayor and City Commission continue to be oblivious to the problem and already have their rubber stamp ready to agree to anything Chisolm wants.  It’s time to call the Mayor and City Commission and tell them no to any new homeless centers in our city.

Monday, August 4th, 2008
JOHN GRAHAM RESIGNS FROM ISC TO TAKE JOB IN BANKING INDUSTRY!
In a move that is reminisant of rats jumping off a sinking ship, International Speedway Corporation Vice President John Graham resigned today, to take a position back in the banking industry. We wish John well in his new job (which if you know anything about the banking business probably doesn’t pay much more than a fry cook at a fast food restaurant).
The fact that Graham was one of the first to leave the ISC ‘ship of fools’ confirms the opinion that he was a ‘bright bulb’ in an otherwise dimly lit ISC boardroom. We hope he’s able to sell his floundering company stock before it plunges even further than it’s current 52 week low.
Inside sources at ISC said this is really a termination and in response to the recent failure of ISC to prevail in building a race track at Staten Island and Seattle, which the company lost millions attempting to do so. If ISC really wants to fire someone that does virtually nothing it should be Brian France.  He  should spend more time at work and less time driving around town drunk, careening into parked cars and palm trees.
It will be interesting to see how the Speedway races to save itself in this declining economy. Their 4th of July ticket sales were down almost as dramatically as their stock. The real tragedy in this saga may play out when those faithful ISC stockholders whose retirement is linked to the stock price see the value of their investment cut in half! Their best bet is to ISCA and get out while there’s still some value left in this company! 

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
NASCAR Seeks Revenge For Pearl Harbor...Punishes Toyota
In a move to punish a superior competitor in the Nextel Cup Series, NASCAR recently ruled teams using Toyota motors must make an adjustment that trims 16 horsepower off their engine package. This forces them to make modifications Ford, GM and Chrysler do not.  Toyota stated they use the same technology and parts as everyone else but have better machining and assembly processes which help them end up with a higher horsepower engine.  They don’t believe they should be penalized for that.
NASCAR blogers say Toyota Motorsport officials are livid and considering dropping sponsorship from the Nextel cup series. Unofficial sources have told us however that Toyota Motorsports have decided to stay in the series and “beat the racist white devils of NASCAR at their own game”.
In a related story insiders at General Motors, who’s been thrashed in the market for years by Toyota, have told Real Daytona they’ll cut their sponsorship to NASCAR teams by as much as $60 million in 2009.  This means millions in money to racing teams will have to be made up from contributions from International Speedway Corporation, NASCAR or the France family. It looks like a rocky ride for NASCAR and ISC over the next twelve months. Stock in ISC is trading near a 52 week low at $37.23 and looks like it’s headed towards less than $20 per share.  At that price maybe the France family will buy all the stock back and take the company private again.. You can just hear them yelling in the Toyota Boardroom TORA! TORA! TORA while they beat NASCAR ‘red-necks’ at their own engine building game. Too funny!

Sunday, July 27, 2008
Crumbling Daytona Pier a symbol of Ongoing Government Redevelopment Failures
A great deal of discussion has been taking place about the future of the Daytona Beach Pier. In those discussions the pier is often referred to as a ‘historic landmark’ or a ‘centerpiece of ongoing boardwalk redevelopment efforts.’  Let’s clear up some misconception.
The pier is a crumbling pile of wood that’s outlived its usefulness and unless a private developer is going to step up and rebuild the structure it should be torn down. It was a sad day when the City Commission paid Theresa Doan millions of our hard earned tax dollars to buy this pile of junk. It just shows what Doan was able to accomplish with some well placed bribes, commonly known as campaign contributions, in our city.  However some credit must be given to Theresa for being able to pull this deal off in spite of its obvious flaws.
The redevelopment contract with Bill Geary and George Anderson (both huge campaign contributors) should be voided and they should be sued for not repairing the pier and constructing the development they contracted for.  We’ve been forced to look at Geary’s empty lot for twenty years and all we’ve heard is a lot of talk. The board walk is essentially the same as it was twenty five years ago. It’s dirty, smells and is a magnet for crime.
The City of Daytona Beach needs to stop all the developer deals that have allowed millions of tax dollars to flow into the cesspool that is the board walk and surrounding redevelopment projects. The time for being nice to developers is over.  History shows it doesn’t work, costs the taxpayers a fortune and no redevelopment occurs after they get all our money.  We need real leadership from our City Commission to make these changes occur but sadly, that never happens.  If our elected representatives continue to be unwilling to make changes and close loopholes that have allowed unscrupulous developers to loot the treasury and produce nothing, then voters should get rid of them.  Our city’s future hangs in the balance.  Daytona Beach residents deserve better!

Saturday, July 26th, 2008
Daytona Police ‘StarBucks’ Scandal Larger Than First Revealed
Sources have told Real Daytona in an effort to control an expanding scandal involving Starbucks Coffee shops and Daytona Beach Police, police management has issued an unofficial order forbidding Daytona Beach cops from patronizing Starbucks anymore, while on duty.
The scandal, which first started when a Daytona Beach Police Lieutenant was accused of shaking down the Ocean Walk Starbucks for free coffee and tea, has now expanded to the Belair Plaza Starbucks and involved other officers. A patron at the Belair store commented, “There used to be police cars parked out front of Starbucks all the time but now they’re all gone”.  This observation seems to lend some credibility to the report of an ‘unofficial ban’ by police management.  It may not be long before a parade of these officers, more commonly known as the ‘Frapachino Felons” are seen on our local news for their shakedown tactics.

Thursday, July 24th, 2008
Schnebly Center Remodel To Include No Money For Youth Programs
Bad enough city management refuses to make public the renovation budget for Schnebly Center or let outside contractors bid against city employees to keep the cost as low as possible.  It was recently uncovered from sources close to Recreation Director Percy Williams that the city has no money allocated for youth programs at the center.  This news comes on the heels of a speech given at the Schnebly Center; by Police Chief Mike Chitwood that youth crime in the beachside neighborhoods was an ongoing problem.
Once again city government is more concerned with wasting our tax dollars on needless building renovations instead of putting the money where it’s really needed.  Solving youth crimes after they occur as opposed to preventing them by being proactive and funding youth programs makes absolutely no sense. Way to go Percy Williams! You’ve just joined The City of Daytona Beach’s worthless bureaucrat club!

Wednesday, July 24, 2008
City Management Continues To Fight Historic Preservation Ordinance
City Manager Chisolm wants to rebuild our city in his own image, which is fairly ugly and at a high cost. He continues to fight against the Historic Preservation Ordinance that the Historic Preservation Board has been attempting to get adopted for over two years.  He’d rather waste millions of CRA tax dollars razing properties and constructing ugly new buildings than preserving anything of historical value.  Problem is there’s millions of state and federal grant dollars available for preserving historic properties that Daytona can’t qualify for because of Chisolm inflexibility.  Cities that maintain and restore historical properties are typically worth much more in property value than those that don’t.  But that doesn’t matter to Chisolm.  After all it’s only money.  He’ll just spend and tax more.  The Mayor and City Commission will do what they’re told and Chisolm won’t have to fill out all the paperwork for grants. Meanwhile our city continues its downward financial spiral with the highest property taxes in the county and no new businesses interested in relocating here.  Yee Haa!

Friday, July 18th, 2008
Daytona City Manager Continues To Ignore Commissioner Requests!
Here’s an interesting list of questions City Manager (CM) Jim Chisolm doesn’t know the answer to our refuses to provide it to City Commissioners that made the requests:
Two months ago Commissioners requested the CM Susan Copeland of the Homeland Coalition make a presentation to them about their plans to increase the number of homeless coming to our city with the new shelter they plan to build.  CM hasn’t done so yet.
A Commissioner asked how long a developers permit is valid for and how often can it be extended?  CM said he didn’t know but would get back to them.  It’s been four months and no answer.
A Commissioner asked for a list of all the current development projects ‘on the books?’ CM said he didn’t think there was such a list.  Before Chisolm was the CM any resident could go to the Planning Department and access this list, now it’s hidden from public and commissioner  view.  So much for ‘open government.’
A Commissioner has asked every month for six months for a box to placed on the water bill where citizens could mark that they wanted to make a voluntary contribution to the new homeless center.  CM says he keeps forgetting to do it.
A Commissioner objected to spending another $850,000 non-budgeted city money to re-landscape around the Ocean Center pedestrian plaza and have responsibility for it’s maintenance.  No traffic plan has been developed even though they’ve had years to do so.  This money is in addition to the $250,000 they approved to pretty up a roof air conditioner and door that could be seen from the Ocean Center’s 2nd floor.  They were told it’s fair because the county is paying $500,000 and we should be happy to have this huge expansion.
A Commissioner objected to spending another $130,000 for surveying of the Riverfront park on Beach Street and doing any work there until it’s determined the current underground drainage pipes can handle the all the growth planned for the downtown area, per the master storm water plan.  They were ignored and the vote passed.  CM couldn’t answer questions on this issue.
A Commissioner asked about the CRA money that was to be paid back per the State Auditor and was told by CM, “There’s no time frame this year for that to happen.”  Were there any deadlines were to fix the problems the audit found and was told , “no” by the CM.  The state will be back in 18 months to revisit the problem but can’t force the city to do it.  Only the City Commission can and they don’t have the guts to take on Chisolm.
The City Manager ignores questions he doesn’t want to answer, ignores rules he doesn’t want to follow, ignores the budget and over-spends by millions and ignores most of the commissioners requests and concerns.  We pay this guy almost $180,000 and he ignores what we want.  Time to change his title from City Manager to King.  Maybe we should sent all the Commissioners some to bull testicle trailer hitch covers.  They obviously need to get some ‘balls’ to get Chisolm under some level of control.  But that’s never going to happen.  Get ready for more property tax increases!  Yee Haa!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Daytona City Employee Car Allowance Outrageous...
We came across some old documentation regarding amounts paid for personal care allowances to city employees that we thought should be shared with you.  This is reimbursement for use of personal vehicles and doesn’t cover the cost of the 400 city vehicles provided to employees for their full time personal and city business use.
In 2005 taxpayers were reimbursing city employees approximately $8,000 per week for use of their personal vehicles.  That’s $416,000 per year.  City Manager Chisolm gave everyone a huge 25% increase which cost us another $2,000 per week, for a new total of $10,000 weekly or $520,000 per year.  Don’t forget this was before major increases in gas prices or inflation occured.  We would guess Chisolm probably gave employees another bump of 20-25% in 2007 which would take vehicle reimbursements to approximately $650,000 annually as of June 2008, which is totally outrageous.
Add to that at least $1,000,000 in cost for the 400 city vehicles provided for full time, take home use to some city employees and $4,000,000 in fuel and insurance cost and taxpayers are spending almost $5,000,000 for our employees to drive better vehicles than the majority of Daytona residences have.
Let’s not forget the 15 city employees maintaining these vehicles which cost us another $575,000 in salaries and benefits.  So, grand total for Dayton’s city vehicle program is over $5.5 million dollars.  Oops, we neglected to at the $2.3 million to haul gas from St. Augustine to city storage.  Now we’re up to almost $8 million.
Chisolm always complains he can’t find anywhere to cut the budget which is obviously a lie pure and simple.  The Federal government uses motor pools for the majority of it’s employees and has vehicle maintenance done by an outside service provider.  This type of scenario would save Daytona taxpayers millions of dollars annually.  But Chisolm and the City Commission don’t want to save or money, just the opposite.  The more they spend, waste, borrow and bond the more they can say they need from us.
Yee Haa!  Wasteful local government at it’s best!

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
The New Mark Bernier Golden Tampon Award!
There’s no doubt about it.  Mark Bernier is truly just a whiney Rush Limbaugh wanna-be bitch.  He never offers solutions, just bitches about what he believes are problems.  Mark never lets the truth get in the way of his opinions.  That might mean he’d have to ask a few tough questions of city management or staff and he couldn’t risk doing that.  It might upset his advertisers and affect the meager amount of money he gets ‘hawking’ aluminum siding or z-graph web sites. 
Bernier’s still that immature little kid who was beat up on the playground in grade school daily.  Now he’s graduated to believing his own bullshit and enamored with his perceived power of ‘hanging-up’ on those that don’t agree with him when they call in.
This guys so incompetent as a reporter he makes Geraldo Riviera look like Walter Cronkite.  He has no substance or style and is part of the reason Daytona Beach is never taken seriously.  He’s the poster boy for the trifecta of a failed marriage, dead end career and failed economic message for our area.
What better way to acknowledge Bernier for his utter lack of capability, and overall bitchiness than to create an award in his honor that can be given to others when they mimic his whiney bitch behavior.  So congratulations Mark Bernier.  It’s an honor to name this award after you.  You’ve earned it bitch!

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
City Manager Chisolm’s Keeps Trying To Change The Subject
Daytona Beach City Manager Jim Chisolm was on Mark Bernier’s show yesterday complaining about the STAND city charter amendments.  His opinion was that STAND is ‘owned’ by Lollipops Gentlemen’s Club and they’re just getting retribution for losing the various lawsuits against the city over the years.  Yeah, right!  That’s why over 8,000 voters have already signed the charter amendments.
Greg Gimbert, the founder of STAND called in and told Chisolm, he works for AT&T not Lollipops and they had nothing to do with STAND, nor would they benefit from the passage of any of the city charter amendments.  As usual wanna be reporter Bernier hung up on Greg in mid-sentence.
City staff and elected officials have used adult entertainment to change the subject for years.  Remember when they got nailed on the CRA audit by the state?  The next day they announced they would be enforcing at the strip clubs.  Looks like changing the subjects not going to work anymore. The public has had enough of the waste, fraud, lies and corruption from this group of dirt bags.  Local community groups Such as Save Our Neighborhoods and the Bellair Community Group have mobilized  and will be taking the city commission to task for everything from water rate increases to all the giveaways they continue to hand out to developers.  Voters are beginning to feel empowered.  Elected officials and city staff are beginning to scramble for cover, just like roaches when the lights come on.  Positive change is coming to our city and you’ll all have a ring-side seat.  Yee-Haa.

Friday, July 4th, 2008
City Commission Gives Large Campaign Contributor Real-Estate Windfall Profit...
It’s amazing to watch city officials ignore real estate appraisals when giving gifts to their friends and major campaign contributors such as Theresa Doan.  They recently purchased a small piece of her property to use for the Ocean Center expansion, at almost twice it’s actual value!
The city and county committed to widen Auditorium Boulevard and improve the intersection of Peninsula Drive.  The project required acquisition of 20" of land with easements to widen the right of way and allow construction of a third lane.  The property was owned by Theresa Doan and appraised at $137,600 in 2006, during the peak of the real estate value run up in Daytona Beach.  The city did another appraisal in early 2008 and valued the property at $266,400.  Though every other piece of commercial real estate in our city fell in value by at least 30% amazingly Ms. Doan’s property increased in value by almost double!
No surprise she gets special treatment.  A few years ago Doan was allowed to level a building on Main Street and turn it into a parking lot.  While other business owners were forced to stay open off-season and renovate their properties, she was allowed to knock down a building and operate a parking lot that’s not zoned for in that area.
With closing and engineering costs Ms. Doan was paid $320,576 for a piece of property worth no more than $140,000 two years ago.  This action was agenda item #18 during the April 16th, City Commission meeting.  We should also mention she was one of the top five campaign contributors for Mayor Ritchie and many of the City Commissioners over the past few years.
Even after all the illegal, corrupt and fraudulent things this group of scumbags has done through the years we’re still surprised at the absolute contempt they show residents when it comes to wasting money and accepting influence peddling from campaign contributors.  Red-Neck Riviera politics are so dirty it makes us want to take a shower after this one.

Thursday, July 3, 2008
State Attorney Candidate Larizza’s Supporters Intimidate John Tanner At Flagler County Republican Club Party...
In a typical response against free speech the Flagler County Republican Club leaders refused to let State Attorney candidates John Tanner and R.J. Larizza complete their speaking engagement after 35 Larizza supporters showed up in anti-Tanner T-Shirts.  Club leaders asked to see everyone’s voter registration card to prove they were registered republicans.  Many did show their cards but club leaders still refused to let the candidates speak and rescheduled for July 12th.
Tanner’s paid consultant Maureen Ortegus wrote a broadcast email, acting like an outraged citizen, when in fact she’s on Tanner’s payroll.  Tanner wrote the following email as well, which as usual contains many lies and ‘spin’.
 E-mail from State Attorney John Tanner:
‘ALERT! Tonight, the meeting of the Flagler County Rep. Club was "crashed" by Teamster and PBA Union members (Jail guards and friends).
These supporters of my opponent, RJ Larizza were wearing anti-Tanner T-shirts and outnumbered the Club members. None had ever attended a Flagler Rep. Club meeting before. When the Club Pres. asked, they all claimed to be registered Republicans, but refused to show Republican credentials when asked to do so. Their apparent leader began to rudely challenge the Club Pres. and question the Club's authority to restrict attendance to Republicans. Several began to shout at the Pres. and were becoming unruly. The Pres., on motion from the floor, promptly canceled the scheduled time for me and my opponent to speak and asked the intruders to leave.
We are rescheduled for Aug. 12th in Flagler at 6:30, perhaps you and some friends will join us.
I expect similar intrusions and attempts to intimidate at future candidate forums. Alert the other Rep. Clubs.’
Tanner is angry the Police Benevolent Association and Teamsters came out against him.  Never mind the fact that he went on a ‘witch hunt’ at the Flagler County jail and spent $500,000 of taxpayers money to continue the cover-up of his involvement in investigating his daughter’s arrest.  As we’ve always said, Tanner is the worst kind of politician, a cop with a badge.  His office recently refused to investigate five criminal complaints filed against Daytona Beach city employees, protecting the local good old boy network that’s given him over $200,000 in campaign contributions.  Tanner’s people are as corrupt as he is.  Larriza’s running on a transparency in government platform and should be strongly considered as a replacement for Tanner.  Please go to www.larizza2008.com for more information.  Everyone  needs to vote in the August primary to unseat Tanner, since he and Larizza are both on the Republican ticket.

Wednesday, July 3rd, 2008
A Public Vote On Growth, Not Unlike Florida Hometown

DEMOCRACY, WORKS IN CALIFORNIA...       
From The Treasure Coast Palm, June 7th, 2008
While Florida and the Treasure Coast wrestle with growth and sprawl, a Southern California county voted to manage development via voter referendums —— similar to what Florida Hometown Democracy proposes. Here’s a status report on Ventura County’’s program to Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources, a decade after its implementation.

Thursday, June 26th, 2008
Commissioner Taylor’s Election Problems...
City Commissioner Dwayne Taylor forwarded his resignation for November 4th today, not realizing his election hopes for the District 27 Florida House of Representatives seat are fading.  He doesn’t understand the city commission not bonding the Yvonne Scarlet Golden Community Center has destroyed his chance of election.  Watching Mayor Ritchie, Shriver and Gilliland kick Taylor to the curb was a treat.  Taylor was assured they’d build this center with bond money to help his campaign, but they ‘pimped him’ and rightfully so.
Taylor knew he needed something high profile after selling out residents and business owners for years, voting for every property tax and spending increase ever suggested by city management.  To anyone in the audience it was obvious there were vague, hostile references between Taylor and the Mayor. It certainly appeared illegal conversations outside of ‘Sunshine Law’ took place on this issue.  The Mayor got so angry his face turned red and veins popped out on his forehead.  At one time he actually threatened Taylor to shut down the entire project if he didn’t shut up.
We’ve heard rumors Civic Pride is quietly shifting support away from Taylor to Jake Ross, after Terry Dilligard refused their support, extended through the Volusia Homebuilders Association.  Dilligard refused to stop supporting the STAND City Charter Amendments.  When Dilligard refused, Ross was Civic Prides’ only hope to hold on to any power. 
Why would Civic Pride shift away from Taylor in the first place?  The park and green space around the old Daytona YMCA.  It’s city owned.  Residents have learned Taylor is quietly working with Bishop Triplett to sell the city land and church property to developers to build affordable housing.  This would eliminate the park, tennis and basketball courts.  The Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce also quietly supports this because it fits into their ten year homeless plan and makes their development buddies lots of money.
The word is spreading like wildfire.  Taylor is terrified his support from the black community is failing.  Civic Pride leadership know when residents discover Taylor is behind this, his chances to be elected will dim.  Why didn’t Taylor just go along at the commission meeting and accept their promise to build the center from general fund and ECHO dollars?  ECHO Chairman Gary Libby described how the city could secure $1.8 million of money from the county with the city needing only $1.2 million to complete full funding for the project.
If Taylor and City Manager Chisolm had their way, Daytona taxpayers would have lost $1.8 million in ECHO grant savings and spent another $6.5 million in interest from bonding. the entire project.  Looks like Dwayne will sell his soul, pimp the minority neighborhood and waste millions of tax dollars just to get elected.
Though we had most of the money needed for the center, Taylor still demanded we bond the whole thing.  Why?  Because he can already feel the financial support and election machine slipping away.  Residents are angry at his selling them out.  A fully bonded and quickly constructed community center would have given him some credibility. The reality is if the center had been bonded and built it still wouldn’t save the park, basketball courts and green space on Derbyshire.
Soon you’ll hear how the city plans to convert the Derbyshire land to affordable housing in conjunction with the Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce’s ten year Homeless Plan.  It’s just a scam to run residents out of their neighborhood, take over city parks and pay for the process with tax dollars.  Large developers have run out of steam in the residential and commercial market and are going back to where they can always count on cash, variance waivers, land use changes and just like the beach and boardwalk, the giveaway of another public park.  Just like the new Walmart.
When this information becomes generally known, residents in the ‘hood’ will go nuclear.  Unlike the wimps in the beachside neighborhood groups, these guys won’t tolerate Taylor or anyone else taking away their basketball courts and public parks where they grew up and still hang out today.  You’re done Duane, you just haven’t figured it our yet.

Monday, June 24th 2008
$250,000 Anonymous Grant Giving To Daytona YMCA, Only For Derbyshire Area Use...
From the Hometown News.  The Greater Daytona Beach Area YMCA received a $250,000 grant from an anonymous donor, interim CEO Kenneth Barnes announced recently.  The money will impact about 300 families and children a year for the next three years, Mr. Barnes said.  "It's a godsend to get more kids engaged and covered," he said.  The YMCA will use the grant for after-school programs, daycare, swim lessons, youth sports and summer camps, Mr. Barnes said.  The only specification the grant came with was that the money must be used to provide outreach services to residents of the Derbyshire Road-Holly Hill area.
The grant comes at a time when that area is in a state of transition.  The Daytona Beach Area YMCA closed its outdated 40-year-old facility on Derbyshire Road last summer, and officials spent nearly a year looking for a new location.  The new home, at Nova Road and Third Street in Holly Hill, is a much smaller facility, without athletic fields, a gym or pool.  Some programs are being outsourced to city recreation departments and churches.  "This is an underserved area in the community," Mr. Barnes said. "The YMCA, although physically not located at Derbyshire (Park) anymore, has not abandoned the community."
With the first portion of the grant, the YMCA was able to provide 100 more scholarships to summer camps that began last week.  Families pay about $70 a week for kids, ages 3 to 13, to attend the 10-week day camps.  In order to register children in a short time frame, Mr. Barnes said he turned to referrals from schools and ministries familiar with families in the area that might benefit.
Even with a $200 million dollar budget, city management still couldn’t get the job done.  Real Daytona salutes the caring individual who helped make the summer better for kids in the Derbyshire area!

Sunday, June 22, 2008
Business As Usual During City Commission Meeting...
Jim ‘I run this city’ Chislom conducted business as usual during the most recent City Commission meeting.  They had a preliminary budget meeting at 4pm, to make sure most residents couldn’t attend.  After all he doesn’t need their input, just their money.  The meeting lasted a little over an hour with no comments and no audience participation.  Future budget meetings are scheduled for late August with the budget due in September.  Meanwhile city’s like Ormond Beach have already had close to twenty budget meetings.  Since Daytona doesn’t really follow it’s ‘fake’ budget, why waste time meeting about it.  Jimbo will take care of us, just open your wallet and everything will be fine.
Chisolm felt he’d have no trouble finding the additional $3.5 million needed to complete the construction of the Derbyshire Rec Center, on top of the $19 million he wanted to bond out.  That’s even before the City Commission has seen the construction budget and see if we can afford it.
Commissioners Taylor and Reynolds want to build it now because youth in the area is suffering.  Seems they’re trying to say youth problems in the community are because they don’t have a rec center.  Maybe Taylor should of thought of that when he said no to purchasing the Daytona YMCA which would have been a turn-key center for youth in his zone.  But that would have screwed up the sweetheart deal he’s been putting together with a church in that area and developer to build a bunch of condos on all that green space.  Good old Mr. Taylor, politician to the end.
$12 million in bonding was approved for storm water drainage work even though residents already paid $10 million last year in their water utility charges for this same thing.  Since the money was transferred to support other losing projects we get to place the whole ‘shell game’ again.
A bright note was the almost 1,000 calls the city commission received from residents angry about the change in water rates.  The commission saw the light and tabled the matter for sixty days.  Doubt if they have the guts to stand up to Chisolm for any longer than that but it was fun to watch.  The list goes on but suffice to say Chisolm keeps gaining more power to spend more of our money with less city commission oversight.  Business as ususal...Yee Haa.

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
$19.5 Million Bond Request Unjustified...
Daytona Beach Manager Jim Chisolm continued his financial destruction of our city by requesting residents borrow another $19.5 million to enhance facilities at Cypress Recreation Center in Derbyshire park and expand storm water projects.  This request has few details of how the funds will be spent.  The proposal was initially up for final approval in May 21st, then pulled by Chisolm and delayed until today.  The meeting’s agenda contains no more details than were presented last month.  Bonds would be sold for a payback plus interest spread over 30 years. $4 million would be used for the Cypress Center, $3.56 million for building a new facility at Derbyshire and $12 million for storm water improvements.  Wait a minute, the city already taxes us $10 million a year for storm water improvements, where did that money go?  You remember, they take in $60 million in utility charges transferring $40 million in profit out to support money losing ventures like the city golf course and tennis center.  Guess there’s no reason to spend the money for what it’s collected and intended for in the budget. 
The only city commissioner that seems to care is Sheila McKay.  We admire her tenacity in taking on Chisolm, even though it’s a futile effort.  He’s bought off every other commissioner with financial perks so he can spend, borrow and lie as he chooses.  The mayor received two $2 million dollar retention ponds for free on his dealership properties and a multi-family zoning change to increase the value of his land swap in exchange for his vote.  Commissioner Shiver got an $180,000 over-payment on his sewage damaged house.  Commissioner Gillian does whatever the Speedway says since his wife works there and everyone knows all the perks they got for campaign contributions. Commission Taylor is a good ‘oreo’ do-boy and is getting support to run for state office if he votes with the group.  Cassandra Reynolds just does what Taylor tells her.
City Manager Chislom is the key problem.  He did the same thing in his last job and left before he was fired.  Voters are angry and we predict candidates like Taylor will feel their wrath in November. 

Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
What’s $250,000 Between Friends...
The conversation between Daytona City Manager Chisolm and Volusia County management went something like this.  ‘Oops another mistake at the Ocean Center, but it can be fixed.  It’s only taxpayer money.  We just realized the Peabody Auditorium’s roof is ugly, because you can now see it from the expanded Ocean Center.  But hey, for $250,000 we can build a pretty brick wall and paint a couple of doors.  It’ll look great!  Where do we get the money?  The CRA’s of course.  We never got in trouble for the last 22 spending violations, and the millions we wasted so let’s do it again.  Isn’t that money supposed to be for improvements primarily for residents properties‘Yes, but they don’t make anywhere near the amount of campaign contributions as the Speedway,  the Mayor, Brown & Brown Insurance, Brey & Gillespie or Theresa Doan.  Don’t worry about it.  No one will notice and we don’t care what residents think or want anyway except during election time.’

‘We know there’s not enough quality hotel rooms to lure conventions to our city.  Our beach looks like downtown Bagdad with fenced, sand filled lots and no construction. Failed developers who were buying land use changes through campaign contributions, then flipping properties are out of business.  But that’s alright.  The economy will turn around in a few year and Daytona will have it’s shot at becoming the gem it should be. Developers will bribe us again, we won’t bother worrying about running out of water and we’ll be right back in the money. Maybe I can buy my wife another beach concession to run.’

Chisolm and are politicians just don’t get it. You can’t polish poop into diamonds, no matter how hard you rub it with tax money. 

Wednesday, June 12th, 2008
NASCAR Sued For Racial & Sexual Bias...
We thought it would only be a matter of time before NASCAR or International Speedway Corporation was sued for discrimination or harassment.  Maurice Grant, a female technical inspector sued NASCAR for $225 million, alleging racial and sexual discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination.  In her lawsuit she alleges she was referred to as the ‘Nappy Headed Mo’, and Queen Sheba by co-workers.  She was often told she, ‘worked on colored people time’ and was routinely harassed by one official who often referenced the Ku Klux Klan when speaking to her.  Ms. Grant also said she was subjected to sexual advances from male co-workers, two of which allegedly exposed themselves to her and told graphic, lewd jokes.
NASCAR claimed to be an equal opportunity employer fully committed to a zero tolerance policy for harassment. Grant said she complained to her supervisor numerous time on how she was treated over the three years of her employment, to no avail.  Her immediate supervisor just dismissed her complaints stating most of her peer were ‘former military guys with a rough sense of humor.’
Grant kept a dated log detailing much of the harassment.  It included her being forced to work outside in the sun more than the white employees because her supervisors believed she wouldn’t sunburn as easily.  She was told to duck down while riding in a car at the Talladega Speedway so she wouldn’t ‘start a riot’ if race fans saw a black woman in the car.  She also was told during packing up of a dark garage to ‘keep smiling and pop your eyes out so we can see you.’  When Grant ignored sexual advances from co-workers she was accused of being gay.  Though fired for ‘conduct unbecoming to of a NASCAR representative,’ Grant regularly received positive job performance reviews.
Looks like the real NASCAR finally gets outed.  We routinely hear about sexual harassment of female secretarial and support staff in NASCAR and IFC offices.  Many employees who retire or quit are forced to sign non-disclosure agreements in order to get their severance or retirement pay.  Looks like you can take the red-neck out of the garage and put a suit on him but it won’t change the way he acts towards women and minorities.  This is just the beginning of NASCAR and ISC’s lawsuit trouble.  We predict the floodgates will open and NASCAR and ISC will be settling numerous harassment lawsuits.
They certainly don’t want to go to court and air their dirty laundry in public.

Friday, June 6th, 2008
Daytona Commissioners Taylor & Shiver’s Conflict Of Interest Vote...
During the most recent city commission representatives Taylor and Shiver voted with the rest of the commissioners to add a 2% cost of living increase (COLA) to city police and fire pensions after six years of retirement.  This action cost taxpayers an additional $1.2 million and will bring the total police and fire pension contributions to $6.2 million next year.  Only problem with this is both Taylor and Shiver are retired Daytona firemen.  Voting on this ordinance was an obvious conflict of interest for both of them since they’re retired and already receive pension payments.  We understand Shiver not caring about the conflict of interest.  After all he already took a bribe from City Manager Chisolm in the $180,000 overpayment for his sewage damaged house and property.  We’re surprised at Dwayne Taylor though.  You’d think running for a state office he’d be a little more careful about doing things that enrich him financially.  I guess we forgot about the loan Dwayne accepted from the city years ago and never paid back. Daytona continues to let our criminal politicians guard the bank vault (our city budget).  Some things never change in the Red-Neck Riviera.  Yee-Haa!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Daytona’s Child Felon’s...
The Associated Press printed the following article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on May 31st.  Looks
like the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Police Chief Chitwood and City Manager Chisolm didn’t think it was talking about.  Certainly does nothing to better our city’s image.  Typical Daytona Beach thinking.  Ignore it an it will go away.Click here to read the Minneapolis Star Tribune Article

Monday, June 2nd, 2008
Daytona Beach, A City Out Of Control, Part One...
Here’s some comments from other Real Daytona contributors:
A troubling trend is emerging at City Hall in Daytona Beach. Recently the current administration headed by City Manager James Chisholm and backed by our puppet commission lead by ‘Speedway shill’ Mayor Glen Ritchey have made a number of spending decisions that have been at best troubling for taxpayers. Over the coming days we will be making you aware of the things that are going on while your elected representatives are asleep at the switch!
THE APPOINTMENT OF CITY ATTORNEY HARTMAN:
On the surface this might seem like a good money saving idea but on closer examination it nothing more than an appointment of a lifetime bureaucrat with no vision for revamping the cities legal department. The citizens of Daytona Beach would be best served by a competitive process where several candidates are interviewed by the commission and the candidate with the best ideas for providing competent legal advice to city officials in an efficient manner is chosen. Wholesale changes in the way the legal department functions are necessary, especially when you look the poor advice the commission and manager have been given in the areas of CRA’s and contracts with developers. Advice which has cost the taxpayers millions of dollars. Mayor Ritchey would have you believe that one of the attorneys responsible for the poor advice will somehow do better as the head of the department. Maybe he is the kind of father who if his son wrecked his car driving drunk, would get him off with a good attorney (Don’t use anyone on the cities legal staff) and then buy him a new car so he could do it again.
If the Mayor wants to make bad decisions with his money and his life that’s fine, however making bad decisions with our tax dollars is unacceptable. Promoting an employee who makes those bad decisions (and is being paid with my money) is outrageous!
Daytona Beach, A City Out Of Control, Part 2...
HALIFAX HARBOR MARINA
Offices in the Halifax Harbor Marina (prime riverfront real estate owned by the city) were renovated by city employees to serve as the new location for the Daytona Beach Utility Department. This seems like a money saving idea to utilize excess space owned by the city, it’s not. It’s really a huge waste of city revenue and resources.  It’s also a symptom of an ever expanding government in a city whose population hasn’t changed in ten years. So the questions that begged to be asked are why do city employees need to be moved to a beautiful spot on the river when that location could have been rented at a reduced rate to generate income?  Why did city employees do the renovation and how much did it cost? Did the city do a cost analysis to see if it was more cost effective to contract the renovations out? This move is troubling and smacks of a project that was dreamed up by someone at city hall who got bored playing solitaire on their computer and figured a way to funnel a large amount of money out of the budget.Someone needs to take a close look at this project and others. Perhaps it’s time for the appointment of an independent city auditor to look into this and other items, rather than continuing to believe the City Manager and Director of Finance. Our City Commission is supposed to protect the taxpayer’s interest.  Based on their stellar performance to date that’s just not going to happen.

Friday, May 20th, 2008
Mayor Ritchie Finds New Money To Pay For LSO
In Daytona Beach, the rich get richer and the poor get shafted.  To keep that traditional alive Mayor Glen Ritchie came up with the idea to charge poor black kids $2 for using the new pool at the Cypress Recreational Center.  He hopes this money will offset the yearly $500,000 taxpayer gift for  the London Symphony Orchestra to come to Daytona Beach.
Rather than have the local promoter raise LSO ticket prices, Ritchie apparently feels it’s better to just charge a few poor kids to use something that should be free.  Since the Mayor’s on a fund raising roll maybe he should try to profit off the two free retention ponds at his car dealership too. They cost taxpayers $4 million dollars but Ritchie got them for free.  
Glen could charge poor black kids $1 for a bus ride over to his dealership, sell them a hotdog for $6, $4 for popcorn and $3 for a drink, then let the swim kids swim in ‘his’ retention ponds for free. Another $1 for a ride home and Ritchie’s profited handsomely.  So what if a few kids get killed while playing near Nova road.  They’re just poor black kids and no one really cares about them here in Daytona Beach.  The city should be ashamed of itself for charging these under-privileged kids and families for use of a pool their property taxes paid for.  But hey, the LSO is much more important than a few poor black kids, right Mr. Mayor?

Thursday, May 29th, 2008
City Attorney Hartman’s Sweet Deal...
Ron Bynum, Chairman of Striving Towards A New Daytona, (STAND) a political action committee gathering signatures for city charter amendments forwarded a letter to the editor of the Daytona Beach News Journal regarding the promotion of Marie Hartman to City Attorney.  The News-Journal didn’t bother to print Bynum’s letter but we will.‘With over 20 years corporate human resource consulting and executive search experience, I question the rationale behind the Daytona Beach City Commissions’ promotion of Deputy City Attorney Marie Hartman to replace City Attorney Bob Brown.  Hartman’s demands for a salary equal to Brown’s are ridiculous.  Brown has almost 15 years more experience than Hartman, which was reflected in his salary. Hartman’s not qualified for Brown’s level of compensation.  If we’re going to pay the top of the salary range for a city attorney then our city commission owes it to taxpayers to interview other interested, qualified candidates besides Hartman.  It’s likely they’ll find someone better qualified, with more experience than Hartman for the same salary.
Hartman’s demand for ‘protection’ from STAND city charter amendments is ridiculous as well. No city employee should have a guaranteed job. A city’s changing financial position and taxpayer needs should determine what city staff positions are necessary. Not a guarantee of continuing employment under any circumstance.  If Hartman’s job is ‘protected,’ shouldn’t all senior staff positions be ‘protected’ as well?  If the city attorney’s office is eliminated by the STAND amendment what position would Hartman then hold?  Should residents have to pay her $160,000 to do a job she has no experience in and is not qualified for if her department is eliminated?
55% of Florida municipalities don’t use city attorneys.  They use independent law firms that save them hundreds of thousands of tax dollars annually.  Shouldn’t our  city commission have evaluated that option before just promoting Hartman and paying her top dollar.
Hartman’s comments make it appear she’s only concerned about her salary and guaranteeing her job  in Daytona Beach city government rather than performing at a high level and protecting taxpayers interests. Don’t residents deserve a city attorney that’s more concerned with doing an outstanding job and saving taxpayers’ money, especially if we’re paying that city employee almost $160,000 annually?  No wonder our city budget is $100 million more than other comparable Florida cities.  Our city commission continues to waste our tax dollars protecting city employees instead of operating in a financially responsible fashion.’

Wednesday, May 28, 2008
International Speedway Corporation Throws Taxpayers to The Dogs Again...
In a scam that would make deceased godfather Bill France Jr. proud, International Speedway Corporation (ISC), or the ‘Motor Sports Mafia’ as they should be called, have engineered a world class tax dodge scam involving the Dog Track in Daytona Beach.  First they set up a ‘dummy’ limited liability corporation headed by an attorney in Ormond Beach. Then they engineered a land swap deal to move the old dog track. The land swap deal leaves the old dog track property at its original value of $9 million dollars, not the true sales value of $30 million. Swapping the dog track property instead of buying it results in ISC saving hundreds of thousands in property taxes every year and giving Daytona Beach taxpayers a good screwing in the process.  But wait, there’s more.
This scam will continue when ISC annexes the old dog track property into the Racing and Recreation District property (which taxpayers own). ISC pays absolutely no property taxes on this land and the ridiculously low sum of $500,000 per year to lease! Bottom line, instead of paying property taxes on the $30 million land value of the old dog track, they pay nothing.
Feeling thrown to the dogs? The citizens of Daytona Beach should be used to it by now. This nonsense has been going on for fifty years. Campaign contributions guarantee ISC will get the vote from the City Commission and Racing and Recreational District Board.  The Real answer to the problem is to elect a city commission that’s not bought and paid for by the Motor Sports Mafia.  So remember, get out and vote standing up or get back down on your knees for the ISC ‘shagging.’  Red-Neck Riviera politics are amusing if nothing else.  Yee-Haa!

Monday, May 19th, 2008
Mayor Ritchie Promotes Inept City Attorney...
In his typical arrogant fashion, Daytona Beach Mayor Glen Ritchie decided rather than interview a number of qualified candidates for the City Attorney’s job, to just promote Deputy City Attorney Marie Hartman to replace Bob Brown, who retires June 1st.  Brown retired a year and a half early in order to save his pension.  A number of Florida BAR complaints were filed against Brown by local political activist Ron Bynum. If found guilty, Brown could have his legal license revoked and lose his pension. Bynum is the Chairman of the political action committee STAND, a group attempting to get six money saving city charter amendments on the ballot.  In his complaints Bynum alleges Brown was negligent and ‘failed to protect taxpayers interest on numerous occasions.’  He cited Brown’s involvement in the city’s $180,000 overpayment for City Commissioner Rick Shiver’s home after a sewage back-flow incident and Brown’s negligence and cover-up of city employee fraud in the Beach Street condominium project.  The complaints are still under investigation by the Florida BAR.
Marie Hartman is a semi-competent attorney but a horrible human being despised by most other city employees, business people and residents that have had to work with her.  She ignores public records laws regularly and attempts to block the release of information or charge high prices for it.  Unmarried, living with a convicted felon that’s fathered two of her children, Marie Hartman is definitely not the type of City Attorney we need to change Daytona’s eroding image.  Our City Commission again demonstrates it’s ineptness and inability to make good decisions to better our community.

Tuesday, May 13th, 2008
City Commissioner Shriver’s Running, Not Running, Running, Not Running....For County Counsel Seat.
City Commissioner Rick Shriver can’t seem to make up his mind.  First he said he wouldn’t run for the County Council seat.  Then he said he would.  Now he’s withdrawn again and thrown his support behind past Ponce Inlet Mayor Nancy Epps, instead.  Remember Epps?  Voters in her town had an initiative process to take away the power she grabbed while in office a few years ago.
Looks like all the dope Shriver smokes has continued to fry his already pea-sized brain.  Initially, local power brokers were behind Shriver figuring they’d get him to vote for the new CRA’s City Manager Chisolm wants.  (The county council now has to vote on them too.) Maybe they got worried that Shriver couldn’t win against a real opponent like Epps.  Perhaps they realized too many voters remember that it was Shriver that originated and championed the first Vision Plan, until 1,000 residents said no.  It was Shriver that took $180,000 in over payment hush money from the city for his home purchase.  It was Shriver that voted for every tax increase, spending increase and CRA giveaway since elected.  It was Shriver who was about to appoint the ‘beach street play toy’ with no experience to replace him on the city commission.
Maybe County Elections Supervisor Ann McFall’s plan to go to even year elections caused Shriver to withdraw.  If enacted, it would give Shriver an extra year on the city commission to vote all his buddies more freebies and raise property taxes and spending by a few million dollars more.  Who knows what the real reason is and who cares?  Rick knows down deep he never had a real chance to win anyway.

Thursday, May 8th, 2008
City Management and Politicians T&A Fascination Costs Taxpayers $15,000...
Daytona Beach city officials can’t seem to get enough T&A action.  First they fought the strip clubs for eight years, wasting thousands of city attorney hours, placing millions of tax dollars at risk and paying tens of thousands to consultants so boobs couldn’t be shown behind closed doors.  Then Daytona police had the Sears ‘sting’ arresting mad-wacker and past city commissioner Mike Shallow.  It now looks like he’s going to get off (figuratively) because of the cops many screw-ups.  Now 45 year old mother Elizabeth Book, whom was arrested for displaying her breasts in public to protest the city’s nudity ordinance, is getting paid $15,000 of taxpayer’s money to dismiss the case.  Thank God are elected officials and city management continue to protect our virtue, accept of course during Spring Break and Black College Reunion, or what’s left of it.  While prostitutes, homeless and illegal drug sales are evident on almost every block of Daytona, our city management has focused on boobs displayed behind closed doors and violating peoples’ privacy in public toilet stalls!  Typical Red-Neck Riviera logic.  Ignore the really bad stuff and maybe it’ll go away.

Thursday, May 8th, 2008
City Finance Director Resigns...Thank God!
One of Daytona’s ‘Axis of Evil,’ Ricardo Kisner has resigned and is heading to Glenview, Illinois.  City Manager Jim Chisolm credited Kisner with many ‘innovative techniques’ that improved city finances.  Innovative techniques such as violating state laws with CRA spending, buying property without appraisals, paying $180,000 more than appraised value for Commissioner Shiver’s home, reimbursing employees for travel and phone expenses without receipts and the list goes on and on.  Kisner and Chisolm can be partially credited for doubling spending by $100 million in just over five years and doubling  property taxes by more than 118% during that time as well.  Kisner’s one of the smarter ones, getting out before the crap rolls down hill and covers Chisolm.  Chisolm’s lost nine department heads in four years.  That usually happens because a good City Manager comes in, cuts costs and ‘cleans house’.  In this case a shitty City Manager came in, sucked the Speedway/Hyatt Brown/Glen Ritchie/ Theresa Doan ‘tit’ and forced every other manager out that wouldn’t play the game.
Maybe we could pay Glenview, Illinois $9 million to take Chisolm with Kisner.  That’s the same amount of money we’ll lose if Chisolm gets to take over beach management to protect his wife’s  concession from the Volusia County consultant.
The worst part is Chisolm will convince our witless City Commission we have to pay even more than what Kisner made, around $140,000, to get another ‘innovative’ Finance Director.  That way Chisolm can screw the taxpayers even better.  Yee Haa!  Some things never change in the Red-Neck Riviera!

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008
STEAL OR DON’T  STEAL...THE TAX MAN’S COMING, DON’T BE FOOLED!
Homeowners who’ve been savaged by property tax increases in Florida are looking to a new plan that shifts school funding from property taxes to sales taxes. A word of advice folks, hold on to your wallet!  Although providing short term property tax relief, this plan creates a huge opportunity for the ‘tax man’ to raise taxes on the back side of this initiative.
For example, a local Daytona Beach taxpayer seeking relief votes for this plan and has their $4,800 dollar tax bill reduced by 40% to 2880.00 dollars. That sounds great! Then in a year, under the guise of some public safety problem or dire infrastructure need, your property taxes are raised $400. Dollars.  You’re still feeling good because you used to pay $4800 dollars for property taxes so $3280 isn’t that bad, is it? It’s actually a rip off and a huge tax increase since you’re now paying sales tax on everything you purchase.
So let’s recap this shell game. Property taxes go down, school funding goes down, sales taxes go up and then Daytona city management grabs a share too by raising property taxes ‘just a little more.’ In the end you got nailed with a 10% or higher tax increase. If you’re like most people you’ll be patting yourself on the back for voting to lower your property taxes.
Any tax is a by-product of government spending.  State, County and City governments continue to cry poor when in fact they’re just refusing to cut over-spending.  Now is the time for taxpayers (THAT’’S YOU) to exercise due diligence and confront the tax man before he raises any tax and you become just another victim of tax assault.
Support groups like STAND in Daytona Beach or Tax Watch in Volusia County.
Remember the money you save will be you own!

Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
Dan Harshaw To Be Appointed TO CRA Board?
Rumor has it that Dan Harshaw will be appointed to the Downtown-Ballough Road CRA Board.  You remember Dan, past President of Save Our Neighborhoods, current President of the Downtown Partnership and son of the owner of Jessup’s pawn shop.  How can Dan turn away from supporting our neighborhoods to supporting unregulated spending of our tax dollars for development through CRA’s?  Guess he got tired of being on the losing side and wants to help his buddy’s on Beach Street get some  of the financial gift the city’s giving to everyone except those who need it.  Guess this really shows how little power and influence all those community groups really have.  As the song from the group Queen goes, ‘Another one bites the dust.’

Monday, April 28th, 2008
Mayor Ritchie’s Road Show A Hoot!
In an ‘effort to encourage open government’ Mayor Ritchie and some city staff had a resident question and answer ‘Road Show’ at Dickerson Center on Monday night.  Judging by the type of questions asked, there weren’t any ‘rocket scientists’ in the audience. Channel 2's Clair Metz was the moderator.
Questions about potholes, street lights and emailed utility bills were the norm.  When asked what happened to the Main Street Pier City Manager Chislom answered, “Were attempting to buy back the pier for $3.4 million.”  (Great concept Jimbo, when in debt just spend your way out.)  When asked why Daytona Beach is the only city in the area providing services to the homeless, Police Chief Chitwood divided homeless people into three catagories.  He then stated he was frustrated we’re spending so much on the war but not helping the homeless.  Then he said one third of the homeless were criminals and Daytona PD is ‘on it,’ which left the audience confused. Perhaps Chitwood would be better off just not talking and maybe supervising the police car pool a bit more.
This ‘Road Show’ is nothing more than a veiled attempt for city management to try and divert the public relations nightmare they’ve created.  City employees going fishing using city vehicles, cops driving 200 miles to interview for a new job using a city car, the police chief not showing up to a deposition, some city commissioners and the city manager wanted to take back beach operations from the city to protect their personal businesses their, ignoring a CRA audit showing hundreds of thousands in illegal spending. The Chamber of Commerce planning a huge homeless center in the heart of our city and the list goes on and on.

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
Daytona Chamber Of Commerce Is Really Only A Political Action Committee...
Our Chamber of Commerce used to be a supporter of real business development in our community.
They’ve now become a negative political action committee, only representing developers and a small handful of the 1,400 businesses that pay dues to belong.
Current Chamber President Larry McKinney and Incoming President Ted Serbousek (Vice President of John Hall Chevrolet) developed a ten year homeless plan which is required for the 19 ‘social service providers’ like the Salvation Army to get funding.  Unfortunately the best the Chamber could come up with is to invite the homeless population from Volusia and Flagler counties to a new ‘homeless hub’ on North Ridgewood Ave (US1).  This new ‘hub’ will only be able to provide social services to 15% of the homeless currently here.  Over the next several years the growth in available services will only increase to 20%.  Lets also remember that Lake and Putnam Counties offer no facilities for the homeless, so they’ll ship their street people to us too.  End result, 85% of the homeless that come to Volusia County will end up in Daytona Beach and not receive any services.  Our homeless population is expected to increase five times it’s current rate if funding for this ‘hub’ is approved.  Why aren’t other cities in Volusia County being asked to assist?  Who’s going to pay the costs for the increased life safety and police needed?  Why is the Daytona Chamber pushing this plan?  To deflate uptown property values so their developer buddies can buy the land at severely deflated rates after the homeless drive out current Daytona homeowners.
Rather than just herd the homeless to one location in Daytona Beach with no real job opportunities, why not place them in small satellite centers in Deland, Port Orange, Ormond Beach, Edgewater and New Smyrna Beach where there’s work?  Because only 3 of the 21 Chamber Homeless Plan Committee Members live in Daytona Beach.  The rest certainly don’t want a homeless center in the community they live in.  In fact Chamber President McKinney and Incoming President Serbousek live in Port Orange.  Call Mr. McKinney at 255-0981 and Mr. Serbousek at 255-4444 and tell them you don’t want a new homeless center in Daytona Beach.

Thursday, April 17, 2008
Who’s Paying For Rick Shivers County Council Campaign?...
Campaign finance reports are a lot of fun to read.  Daytona Beach City Commissioner and wannabe County Councilman Rick Shiver is already getting contributions for his campaign.  Just who wants Rick to be on the County Council?  Influence Peddler number 1, Brown & Brown Insurance.  They do a bunch of business with Volusia county government and want to make sure Shiver’s paid off handsomely so he’ll vote their way.  Influence Peddler number 2, Beach Concession owners.  They don’t want the County Council making the rules on the beach so they’ll buy Shiver to vote their way.
Last but not least Influence Peddler #3, The Daytona Beach Firefighters union.  They’re the highest paid firefighters in the county , trying to make sure Shiver protects their jobs and raises in case city firefighters get consolidated into the County. 
The thing all these campaign contributors don’t realize Daytona residents remember that Shiver sold his house to the city for $180,000 more than it was worth. He’s also voted for every property tax and spending increase ever proposed by city management, doubling the city budget by over $100,000 million dollars during his watch..  We’ll continue reminding everyone about that all the way to the 2008 election.  If you want to promote incompetence and uncontrolled spending in county government elect Rick Shiver for Volusia County Council!

Thursday, April 17th, 2008
Bellair Community Group Chairman Steve Koenig A Sellout...
Relator Steve Koenig is so busy trying not to fracture the Bellair Community Group he’s become a sellout to the people he represents.  Jim Cameron from the Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce showed up to speak about the Homeless Shelter plan.  So many people showed up that Koenig let the meeting run long deliberately so Cameron wouldn’t have to answer questions.  Koenig refused to let anyone ask questions and ‘coward’ Cameron ran off the stage ignoring residents and left the building when he was done speaking. Koenig has again let himself be used as a ‘shill’ for developers and the city’s power brokers.  What he doesn’t understand is they all call him Captain Ahab behind his back and label him the fool. They say the only difference between Koenig and Frank Heckman is Steve’s “ugly wife”. Koenig needs to wise up and realize they’re all playing him.  It’s time he truly represented the residents needs rather than city power brokers.

Wednesday, April16th, 2008
Naomi Weiss To Be Appointed To Rick Shiver’s City Commission Seat...
City Commissioner Rick Shiver will appoint Naomi Weiss, current Director of the Downtown Partnership, to fill his position. He’ll begin campaigning for a Volusia County Counsel seat shortly.  For months Shiver told everyone he was going to retire, then decided the opportunity to double Voulsia County’s spending and taxes was just too good to pass up.  Who is Naomi Weiss you ask?  She’s a 20 something beautiful blond who wastes our CRA money on Beach Street business parties, while our neighborhoods continue to decline.  Her salary has been paid for by a state CRA grant the Florida Auditor General found to be illegal. She should fit right in with the rest of the criminals.  Her support  for Daytona’s special interest groups shouldn’t be surprising.  Let’s not forget Weiss has no experience with and little involvement in local government. This means she’s the perfect puppet for influence peddling and city management.  Looks like she’s earned this position the old fashioned way, on her knees.

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008
Daytona City Manager and Commissioners Want To Take Back Beach Management To Protect Their Personal Businesses...
City Manager Chisolm and Commissioner Rick Shiver want to take beach management back from Volusia County to protect beach concession businesses they both own.  Volusia County Council Chair Frank Bruno stated that a few days ago in the News-Journal.
Seems the uproar started when the County Council suggested they hire a consultant to determine if all the beach businesses should be held by one major vending company.  Shiver and Chislom immediately supported the city taking back beach management, which the county has been doing since 1998 at a loss of $9 million annually.  You would think the last thing Daytona residents need is to take over another losing business, but Chisolm and Shiver don’t care.  It’s only money, they’ll just tax us some more.
As we’ve said before it’s very interesting that Shiver buys a beach concession after being paid $180,000 more for his home than it was worth by the city commission.  Then Chisolm fires our old garbage company, hires a new one and suddenly has the money to buy a beach concession too.  Something stinks in Daytona and it’s not the county’s operation of the beach.
While we don’t like a lot of what is prohibited on the beach we do like the fact that the $9 million in losses is spread out around the county and not just paid by Daytona residents.  Looks like City Manager Chisolm and Rick Shiver hope to change that for their personal gain, leaving taxpayers to pick up the pieces yet again.  Business as usual in the ‘Red-Neck Riviera’.  Yee-Haa!

Monday, April 14th, 2008
International Speedway Corporation Get Yet Another Taxpayer Funded Gift...
Buying a City Commission, the gift that keeps on giving.  In late summer of 2007 the City of Daytona Beach declared a 10,000 square foot piece of city owned property, parcel 5214-01-00-0030 ‘surplus’.  This particular parcel happened to be a very valuable corner in the middle of ISC’s new retail development.  It was sold just a few days ago for $80,000 to...you guessed it....ISC.  No public auction, no public discussion by city officials and no coverage in the News-Journal.  ISC paid only $8 dollars per square foot for prime real estate one block off of International Speedway Boulevard-what a deal and definitely illegal. ‘Surplus’ public property is to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, not sold for cents on the dollar to the highest campaign contributor. 
Daytona city management ane elected officials continue to cry poor but still manage to give away taxpayer assets to influence peddling businesses like ISC.  While Daytona residents try to make ends meet during a recession the France family continues to pick their pocket.  They should be ashamed of itself for continuing to take advantage of taxpayers.  Just how much money is enough for greedy scumbags?  But, have no expectations of local government and ISC and we’ll get no disappointments in the Red-Neck Riviera.  Yee Haa!

Monday, April 14th, 2008
Daytona City Employees Ignore Rules, Waste Money...
Much like their boss Jimbo Chisolm, most city employees just don’t care about following the rules.
City employee and meter reader Larry Toby took a city vehicle to his favorite New Smyrna Beach fishing hole while working late last week.  He told News Center 13 that he was on-call and had his bosses approval.  His boss said otherwise.  While the rest of us would have been fired from a regular employer, city employees are special.  Toby’s boss is deciding if he gets suspended or no disciplinary action at all.
http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2008/4/12/daytona_beach_worker_goes_fishing_in_city_vehicle.html
This is just another example in a long line of incidents city management continues to ignore.  City employees get a minor reprimand and then continue the same rule breaking behavior while residents continue to pay for it.
Just a few days ago a Daytona police captain drove a city vehicle to south Florida for an interview and ran into a dear on the way back.  His supervisor said, “What’s the big deal?”  A few weeks before that a Daytona police officer was seen in his Chevy Tahoe K-9 unit at a Palm Coast Publix, going grocery shopping with his family which is a direct violation of city policy.
City employees are costing taxpayers a fortune in fuel, mileage and lost time, being paid for working when they’re not.  If city management actually followed and enforced the rules they’d save taxpayers millions. But apparently that’s not their job.  Yee Haa!

Thursday, April 10th, 2008
Deltona Cuts Millions From It’s City Budget...
The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported yesterday the Deltona city commission will cut $2 million out of it’s budget this year and use $1.7 million of reserves to cover the shortfall.  They’ve also hired and efficiency expert that believes another $7.5 million can be cut next year.  On top of that Mayor Dennis Mulder has a plan to eliminate city property taxes on homesteaded properties, over the next few years.
Meanwhile, back at the ‘Red-Neck’ Riviera City Manager Chisolm and the International Speedway (City) Commission buries it’s head in the sand while city spending increases geometrically.  Now ‘Jimbo’ Chislom wants to bond every new capital project so our children’s children can pay the cost for developers.
Deltona has 18,000 more people than DB and spends millions less per year to run.  They plan to cut almost $9 million out of their budget in the next two years.  Daytona’s city management and elected officials only plan to increase spending and property taxes before attending the next six-figure Halifax Hospital party, at taxpayers expense of course!  Yee Haa!

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
Chisolm Only Wants Another $3 Million To Buy Back The BoardWalk...
City Manager Chisolm is at it again.  Now he wants to at least $3 million to buy out the pier lease and bring back the ‘ambiance and mystique’ of Daytona Beach for family tourists.  City management and elected officials cited the lack of progress from developer Diland Coproation to build an ‘amusement pier’ as promised.  As part of the initial lease, taxpayers were forced to spend $6.5 million to pay for Breaker’s Oceanfront Park.  As usual the developer did nothing and now gets out of the agreement, profiting handsomely.  We again question the type of contract written by city management that allows a developer to not build anything and profit while doing so, yet taxpayers are on the hook for millions.
City Commissioners Sheila McKay and Pam Woods showed some backbone stating they wouldn’t support spending any public money until the contracts and process were much better explained and disclosed.  If City Manager Chisolm is allowed to continue his uncontrolled spending, we’ll continue to have vacant ocean front lots, a few nice looking publically financed projects, the highest property taxes in the state and no business or person will be able to afford to live here.  This guy needs to be fired and a fiscally responsible person hired in his place.

Friday, April 5th, 2008
Rich Party At Halifax Hospital Ground Breaking, Taxpayers Foot The Bill...
Halifax Hospital celebrated it’s initial ground breaking for a ten story patient tower expansion in grand fashion.  Some guests received Waterford crystal vases and dined on $58,000 worth of Sushi while surrounded with $15,000 of floral arrangement, at the taxpayers expense of course.  When challenged by the media the hospital’s attorney stated, ‘the established procurement process was not followed.’  ‘These items should have been procured through the bid process.’
Halifax hospital critic John Byers is looking into whether the hospital violated state ethics laws by giving public gifts valued at more than $100.  Byers has also spoken with a State Senator and representative from the Governor’s office about the party and possible ethics violations.
Byers was even more concerned about the hospital board of directors total lack of empathy and accountability.  Noting $2 million in expenses for a recent television advertising campaign and $15 million paid for LPGA property they won’t be using as examples.  Byers contends the hospital board  should be elected and not appointed by the Governor.  We should also mention that Daytona Beach Mayor Glen Ritchie is on the hospital board which may partially explain why spending is out of control, just like it is in the city of Daytona Beach. The final tally for party costs were $355,784 including $134,620 for graphic designs, $16,500 for invitations, $16,500 for Waterford Crystal vases, $67,000 for caps, T- shirts and hand tags, $4,800 for 79 personalized polo shirts and $14,545 floral arrangements. Halifax spokesman John Gonda stated, “As a public, tax supported entity, all of us at Halifax Health understand the importance of being fiscally responsible.”  Yeah, right!

Thursday, April 4th, 2008
Police Captain Ignores Travel Rules-Wrecks City Vehicle...
In a continuing demonstration of city employee arrogance Daytona police Captain Matt Doughney drove his city vehicle to a job interview at Avon Park in south Florida.  On the way back he ran into a deer and wrecked his car.  Deputy Police Chief Ben Walton initially lied to the Daytona Beach News-Journal by stating Doughney was, ‘On official police business.’  He also ‘What’s the big deal?’ when asked about Doughney’s unauthorized trip and accident stating police chiefs and captains are allowed to take their city vehicles all over the state.
Police Chief Chitwood stated Doughney violated the departments take home vehicle policy because he wasn’t on official police business.  Doughney will have to pay $3,000 out of his own money to for damages sustained to the city vehicle he was driving.  Chitwood also stated he’s reviewing whether to discipline Doughney even though he already he admitted he was wrong to use the city vehicle.
If Doughney worked for a private corporation he would have been fired on the spot.  But, city employees are hardly ever forced to take responsibility for their poor decisions, waste and fraud. Perhaps Chief Chitwood should investigate and clean up the ‘scumbags’ in his own department before continuing to label and pass judgement on residents.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Lisa Kennedy France Leaving ISC For Extended Time Period...
A source inside International Speedway Corporation told Real Daytona, Lisa Kennedy France is taking a two year sabbatical away from the business.  With the recent death of her husband Bruce and Father we truly understand her need to get away and be with her children.  We’ve said before that Bruce Kennedy was an exceptional physician and person in our community and will be missed.
Looks like Brian France will have to put down the wine glass and actually pay attention to what’s going on now.  Jim France has done well for a person in a position he never wanted.  He’s reluctantly taken the reins of ISC and kept them on track with Lisa’s help.  Hopefully the France family will consider doing more for the community that’s made them what they are, as the years progress but we wouldn’t bet on it.

Friday, March 28th, 2008
City Management Sued By Resident For Beach Street Condo. Deal...
Daytona Beach resident Henry Dowd filed a lawsuit against Daytona Beach today, for lack of affordable housing related to the financial fraud they participated in on the Beach Street Condominium Project.   Summons were issued to former city planners Steve Spraker and Daniel Reed, city redevelopment project director Jason Jeffries, city attorney Robert Brown, Mayor Glenn Ritchey, Boca Developers Inc and their attorney Robert Merrill.
Dowd’s lawsuit contends Spraker and Reed fraudulently altered a report from the Redevelopment Board to make the project appear more appropriate.  In addition, Boca Developers was allowed to use only one payment of $1.5 million for both the initial and density increased projects.  City management also allowed Boca Developers to not pay $800,000 in affordable housing charges demanded by city ordinance, for the density increase (more condo units) they received.
Dowd said it all comes down to how you define fraud. 
Dowd claimed the most damning evidence is a document showing Spraker received a three day suspension for a ‘staff report which was not reviewed by the Planning Board’ to the city commission.
Spraker left his Daytona position for ‘personal reasons’ and took a job with Ormond Beach.
As usual, city officials denied any wrongdoing.
Previously a civil rights attorney, Dowd said he was disbarred in 2004 for fraud following a case in which he sued the Florida Department of Children and Families.  (Please see Daytona Beach Hometown for more in-depth information)

Monday, March 31st, 2008
Daytona Developers In Big Financial Trouble...
Looks like all the land use changes and special deals our city management gave Developers in Daytona Beach was for nothing.  Brey & Gillespie filed multiple lawsuits against each other for almost two million dollars in missing money late last week.  Their Chief Financial Officer discovered the missing money in an audit and reported it to the owners.  The owners then blamed, fired and sued him.  He countersued. They’ve been trying to borrow money for months to keep afloat, but no one will lend to them.  They won’t be building anything soon in our City.
Our friends at Boca Developers have a similar problem.  An inside source and Wachovia Bank told Real Daytona Boca has missed months of payments on mortgages.  Wachovia is going to foreclose on their mortgages Wednesday, effectively putting Boca Developers out of business.  No Beach Street Condominium Project will happen in Daytona now.  You may remember reading of a civil lawsuit filed against Daytona city management and Boca Developers last week regarding the financial fraud that occurred during this project. Looks like city officials will have no deep pockets to hide behind now.
Even when city officials violate land development codes, commit fraud and lie to taxpayers, they still can’t get real development in our city.  Maybe they should just try to do it legally.  It might actually work that way/

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
Daytona Vision Plan Scam Continues!
We’ve maintained the Daytona Vision Plan is being assembled primarily to avoid County and State over site when city management and elected officials want to change the land development codes for their buddies.  The first Vision Plan was soundly rejected by residents when they realized a multifamily apartment building could be built next to any of them. We paid a consultant $500,000 for that waste of time.  Then city management decided to let residents participate in the new Vision Plan, sort of.  They spent hundreds of hours with city employers and developers coming up with ideas.  In the middle of the project they were told by City Attorney Bob Brown, they could no longer vote on project issues, though he had said initially they could.  Residents ideas were slowly removed until the second Vision Plan became much like the first.  To make certain nobody really understood how well the Daytona Chamber of Commerce and attorneys from Cobb-Cole modified the Vision Plan and screwed residents, Mayor Ritchey (the great communicator) refused to let any residents speak at the City Commission meeting tonight.  This is arguably the most important legislation our city is attempting to pass in years.  State law mandates we get a lot of input in this process.  But city management and politicians only follow the law when it suits their purpose.  The city commission will vote to adopt the Vision Plan during it’s next reading and attempt to force residents to accept what developers want to do to our city.  We guess it’s hard for them to have a real ‘Vision’ for Daytona when they have their noses buried in the ass of developers, attorneys and the Chamber of Commerce.  We’ve heard a group of residents will be challenging the Vision Plan at the State DCA level.  Good luck to them.

Thursday, March 20th, 2008
Let’s Hire Another Consultant!
City Manager Chisolm won’t take no for an answer and our City Commission doesn’t have the guts or the brains to force him to.  Remember the hundreds of thousands of dollars city management was charged with misspending from the CRA funds by the State Auditor General?  After one year of ‘we didn’t do anything wrong’ they agreed to hire another five-figure consultant to insure they’re following state CRA guidelines.  Funny but we thought that’s what Chisolm and the Finance Director were paid $175,000 each to do.   How many city employees does it take to do the work?  Almost twice as many as other Florida city’s plus $3 million dollars worth of consultants on top of that.  As we’ve said before why not permanently higher the consultants and fire the city management that apparently can’t do the job.  No guts from the city commission equals more money out of residents pockets.

Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
Daytona City Manager Continues To Spend, Spend, Spend...
City Manager Chisolm can’t seem to stop spending  His newest financial shell game is a $39 million dollar budget amendment up for second reading on March 19th.  This amendment involves changing the way the city pays for some capital projects.  Instead of paying cash as first proposed, now Chislom wants to borrow the money through city bonds.
Instead of looking to slow his outrageous overspending he continues to find creative ways to spend even more.  We hear our city has no money but there’s absolutely no savings to taxpayers in this $39 million transfer.
Chisolm now plans to bond construction of the Derbyshire Community Center which has never been discussed at any City Commission meeting.  No one knows what the project will cost or even what it looks like.  Chisolm told commissioner McKay the project was passed in the budget two years ago.  He also stated there are many way to get a project passed.
Chisolm with Mayor Ritchie’s support purchased 19 new ‘unbudgeted’ vehicles for use in various parts of the Police Department. Guess we have to have new pretty cars to go with the Taj Mahal police station currently under construction and millions over budget.  We wonder if any of the vehicles were Fords or did Mayor Ritchie’s company supply Chevy’s at a nice profit for him?
Failed city commission candidate Carl Lenz was appointed to the Economic Advisory Board by City Manager Chisolm.  The interesting thing is Chisolm admitted that he didn’t have the time to look at any other applications.  He said he went by the Boards recommendation but there’s no meeting minutes nor any report about the criteria they used to decide this choice.  Why is the City Manager even involved in choosing citizen boards?  Why is there no report as to how it was decided who was chosen?  Because Chisolm is appointing who the ‘Five Families’ of major campaign contributing want on these Boards.
No ECHO grants were given to the city this year because they were late or not even submitted at all.  How can these grants be late when our city has 400 more employees than others our size, to do the work.  Because city management just doesn’t care.  Why apply for a grant when you can just increase property taxes to cover the cost!  Tax, spend and spend some more.  That’s politics in the Red-Neck Riviera! Yee Haa!

Tuesday, March, 11th, 2008
Daytona City Manager Continues CRA Spending Spree...
Daytona Beach City Manager Chisolm never met a dollar he couldn’t spend, then borrow another so he can spend some more.  His most recent waste of our CRA tax dollars comes from the Main street CRA.
The city bought the property at 137 Wild Olive for $120,000 then paid to demolish the house on it. 
Now they’re looking for a contractor to build a new house on the property.  Here’s a quote from the project outline.  ‘The CRA will donate for all or part of the costs associated with acquisition, clearance, maintenance and professional fees as an incentive necessary to provide a project that is economically feasible and of the highest quality.  Additionally the CRA will provide incentives to encourage and assist occupancy as a homesteaded property.
 How is it economically feasible for the city to buy  property, demolish the building on it, rebuild and not break even in the process.  It’s not unless you use our redevelopment (CRA) tax dollars to do it.  Residents and business owners have been told there’s no CRA money available for facade or citizen grants to rehab existing properties. Yet, Chisolm can spend hundreds of thousands of our CRA dollars on one house he’s going to sell at a loss.  Maybe City Commissioner Rick Shiver needs a larger house than the last one residents bought him in 2005 and Chisolm’s going to give him this one!
I guess it’s no surprise that Chisolm and our city commission continue to ignore the State Auditor General’s report regarding the illegal spending of our CRA money and their fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers. It’s been over a year since the report and Chisolm continues to successfully ignore what the State Auditor recommended.  We never thought our city commission could get worse than when Scarlett-Golden was Mayor, guess we were wrong.

Monday, March 10th, 2008
Commissioners Shiver & Taylor Plan To Stop Voters From Selecting Their Replacements...
Looks like the previous appointment of Glen Ritchie to Mayor after Scarlett-Golden died has set a precedent for the rest of our elected officials.  Commissioners Shiver and Taylor plan to resign their positions to run for county and state positions, prior to one years’ ‘service’ so they can appoint a replacement rather than let voters select one in an election.
It’s their final ‘screw the voter’ gift on top of the huge property tax and spending increases they voted for every year while in office.  Guess we shouldn’t be surprised.  Shiver was to busy buying a home in Costa Rica, part of beach concession and hunt club from the $180,000 in over payments he accepted when the city commission bought his house, so he couldn’t bother to deal with taxes and spending.  Taylor was too busy lobbying to close the Daytona YMCA and get a new, costly rec. center with his name on it to help us.
This appointment rule is ludicrous and just another way the ‘Five Families’ of Daytona Beach control who gets elected.  They won’t even have to spend any money on campaigns to buy the election for these two zones this time.  What a deal.
In a related story rumor has it that Carl Lenz, will be relocating to Zone 1 and appointed to take over Shiver’s city commission seat.  Looks like if you can’t win you move to a new zone and get appointed.
Maybe we should just save the money and not have an election all together.  Just let International Speedway Corporation, Brown & Brown Insurance, Bray & Gillespie, Doan Properties and the Mayor’s car companies select the city commission for us.  It would be the only thing they would do that actually lowers spending of our tax dollars.  Yee Haa!  The saga continues.

Thursday, March 6th, 2008...
Strip Club Manager Guilty...Yeah!  Right!
Daytona Beach is a city of corruption and conspiracy. If you believe the State’s Attorney, they took a major crime boss of the street today.  Lollipops Gentlemen’s Club Manager Sean Bishop was found guilty of violating campaign contribution laws and sentenced to 180 days in jail.  Bishop allegedly ‘gave’ $1,500 to three people to support City Commission candidates Sheila McKay and Paul Zimmerman.
During Bishop’s sentencing hearing on Friday Zimmerman even stated, “You’ve got the wrong guy.”
That didn’t stop Judge Walsh for going well beyond the six month probation state sentencing guidelines recommended and placing Bishop in jail, with no bond or appeal. It’s good Walsh is an elected judge.
Bishop has so many friends locally, it shouldn’t be hard to get this weak minded fool un-elected.
The State Attorney’s office spent over three years and $800,000 to get Bishop.  They also violated Federal election laws by releasing information of the ‘ongoing criminal investigation’ which influenced the election in favor of Mike Shallow, Sheila McKay and Paul Zimmerman for a time.  We neglected to mention that ‘Tallywacker’ Shallow was also a past contributor to State’s Attorney Tanner’s campaign.Tanner’s office also violated the civil rights of at least 12 campaign contributors including Bishop by seizing contributions made to candidates they thought might be tainted but had no proof.
Since Tanner and city attorney Marie Hartman are so strongly dedicated to honesty in the election process, we can only assume other arrests and trials of major Daytona Beach campaign contributors will begin shortly.  Yeah  ! Right!
Meanwhile the ‘Five Families’ of Daytona Beach, International Speedway Corporation, Brown & Brown Insurance, Bray & Gillespie, Glen Ritchey, and Theresa Doan, protected by State’s Attorney Tanner, will continue buying and rigging elections with law enforcement’s blessing.  ‘Red-Neck Riviera’ politics at it’s best-The rich get richer and taxpayers foot the bill.  Yee-Haa!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008
THE BEST GOVERNMENT MONEY CAN BUY...
                        The Five Families of Daytona Beach-Part 5
                                                                      The Ritchey Empire
Glen Ritchey is a relatively recent addition to the five families. Glen and his ‘family’” stepped up to the plate for the France team in the Scarlet Golden era.  They gave huge campaign donations, helping rig two elections before Glen was appointed mayor to fill Golden’s term after her death.
In the car business the DEAL is everything. If you’re around a group of used car salesman talking you’ll  hear the word DEAL used a dozen times a minute. Glen Ritchey is no exception.  Like any other car salesman he’s always looking for that next deal.  From country and western musician to car salesman to mega car dealer he’s made some great DEALS along the way but none slicker than his rise in politics. It’s a hell of a DEAL for him.  Glen’s put himself and his dealerships in play for the big time. How big is the DEAL and how does it work? Well read on and be amazed at still another chapter in the incestuous world of Daytona Beach politics.
Glen’s deal is all about greed.  Car dealers are always trying to find a better way to buy cars new, used or whatever, so they can make more money. Just imagine if you had a friend who knows the manufacturer and could get you a great DEAL on lots of cars so you could make lots of MONEY! Glen’s friend is International Speedway Coprporation, whose contacts in the automotive business are legendary.  They made the offer of a lifetime to Glen when Golden died. “Just take the job of mayor, make sure everything stays the same for four years and we’ll make sure our ‘friends’ in the auto industry send those special ‘program’ cars your way at a ridiculously low cost.  WHAT A DEAL!
It’s a great deal for Glen and International Speedway Corporation.  Everyone’s happy! Everyone except the residents of Daytona Beach of course.  They just got stuck with the short end of that DEAL. For the next four years local government will do nothing for the taxpayers while continuing to favor the ‘Five Families’ that control local government in our community. None of our problems will be addressed. In the end Glen will get his picture on the wall with a great big smile, in the Gallery at city hall.  In the ‘Red-Neck Riviera’ it’s always been the rich getting richer and residents getting screwed.  Why change now?!  Yee Haa!

Monday, March 3rd, 2008
Best Bike Week T-Shirt-‘FREE SEAN BISHOP!’
There’s been a lot of tasteless ‘Bike Week’ T-Shirts but the best one we’ve seen this year has to do with the scam performed by the State Attorney and Judge Walsh to Sean Bishop of Lollipops Gentlemen’s Club.  It says: FREE SEAN BISHOP!  YOU SPENT $800,000 TO NAIL A STRIP CLUB OWNER BUT YOU CAN’T EVEN CATCH A SERIEL KILLER! 
Under direction from the City Manager, City Attorney and City Commission Police Chief ‘Taser’ Chitwood is spending big overtime bucks on having undercover cops ‘patrolling’ the strip clubs protecting our city from an illicit nipple or butt crack that might escape a dancer’s bikini.  They’ve arrested dancers and managers at Club Topic and Molly Brown’s adult clubs but no one at Lollipop’s or the Pink Pony.  It seems they’re in compliance with local nudity laws.
While it makes much more sense to spend our tax dollars pursuing a seriel killer rather than a stripper flashing a little booty, that might be dangerous to cops.  So, residents are paying $45 per overtime hour for local cops to drink bear and look at scantily clad women.  As usual Daytona’s priorities are totally reverse of what they should be. 

Thursday, February 23rd, 2008
Daytona Beach Chamber Of Commerce Against Residents...
To most people the local Chamber of Commerce is a benevolent group that helps educate businesses considering a move to Daytona Beach.  That couldn’t be further from the truth.  Chamber President Larry McKinney and President-Elect Ted Serbousek are heavily involved in local politics and are constantly working behind the scenes to screw taxpayers.
McKinney and Serbousek recently assisted in gutting Daytona’s Visioning Plan by introducing dozens of last minute changes that eliminated almost every residential protection on height limits, density controls, water preservation and condominium construction in old neighborhoods, previously included by the land use committee.
They backed creation of a centralized hub for the homeless of eastern Volusia County at Ridgewood and North Aveneue in Daytona.  This will ruin any chance of redevelopment in the Uptown/Downtown area and bring hundreds of additional homeless people to our city.
They stopped the Salvation Army from relocating to LPGA and Jimmy Ann Blvd. so Tomoka- Consolidated Inc. wouldn’t have to deal with homeless people near their LPGA development.
Most recently they’ve announced they’ll sponsor a petition revocation drive against six Daytona Beach city charter amendments proposed by the political action committee STAND.
McKinney and Serbousek represent the special interests of Daytona’s business ‘elite’ while ignoring everyone else including the residents who pay for it all.  Most of the Chamber’s business members aren’t even aware of management’s political involvement and the potential harm it may bring to their business.  Maybe residents should stop doing business with Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce members. Perhaps losing some money will get their attention. 
We neglected to mention Ted Serbousek is the Director of Finance for John-Hall Chevrolet.  We urge you to send the Mayor and Chamber President-elect Serbousek a message, by purchasing your next car from a dealership that Ritchey doesn’t own.

Wednesday, February 22nd
Waste Pro Garbage Hauler Stinks!
Four black Daytona Waste Pro employees attempting to organize a union effort were fired this week.  Company executives stated it was due to a slow down in local construction. The employees believe it’s because they’re black and attempting to unionize.  The terminated employees filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board.  The Daytona Beach city commission is reviewing the five year contract with Waste Pro to determine if laying off employees is a violation.
Special thanks to Daytona Beach City Manager Jim Chisolm for firing the previous waste hauler, even though residents liked them and hiring Waste Pro.  He raised our garbage rates by 40% and lowered the quality of service.  You know Chisolm’s philosophy, “If it’s not broke, break it, charge twice as much to fix it and throw a kick-back his way.”
In a related story, Palm Coast residents filed complaints against Waste Pro for dumping their recycle items in with the garbage.  The city of Palm Coast receives an average of almost 30 complaints per month against Waste Pro.
Between Waste Pro’s union busting tactics and the recent announcement that International Speedway Corporation was working with a New York company linked to organized crime, we’re expecting Tony Soprano to buy a nice winter home here shortly.

February 22, 2008
Business As Usual In Daytona Beach...
The black community is getting beat up as usual in our city.  First elected officials allow a Walmart to be built on the old Father Lopez school property, in the middle of a black neighborhood.  Now they decide to close Bonner Elementary school near the Kingston neighborhood.  Our city commission gives lip service to wanting neighborhood stability and increased home ownership in Daytona, then consistently undermines any possibility of that happening.  If they really wanted to save Bonner elementary they could demand the Volusia County School Board stop bussing the black neighborhood kids to Port Orange and Ormond Beach schools.  Kids could then walk or ride their bikes to school.  The city could refuse to change school zoning which would prevent the school board from selling the land for any other use.  The small neighborhood schools don’t take anywhere near the percentage of taxes the large mega-schools do and are better for the kids.  Closing Bonner Elementary will result in $100,000 a year savings.  They could save a lot more than that by just not bussing the kids to other schools.
So why isn’t city management and our city commission doing anything about this?  Because once they destroy the black neighborhoods they’ll be little chance for any unity between black and white residents. Then, they can finally try the same thing in the white neighborhoods.  Ortona and Longstreet Elementary schools are sitting on way too valuable beachside land (in developers’ opinions).  Removal of those schools, will  further depress property values, making it easier for developers to buy,  make campaign donations, get land use changes and build condominiums in the heart of old neighborhoods.
If Daytona is ever going to prosper, both black and white communities need to trust each other and  vote against our corrupt politicians and city staff. Issues like these are too important for just seven elected officials to decide especially since they’re accepting influence peddling.  These issues need to be on the ballot for all of us to vote on.  STAND’s Land Use and Density Control charter amendment will let voters decide how their city changes, not developers or corrupt politicians on the take. The ‘players’ are sweating these amendments.  Consolidated Tomoka just rushed re-zoning of 400 acres of woods to heavy industrial.  The Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce and Homebuilders Association are pledging $50,000 each to stop STAND’s charter amendments.  You have the opportunity to change Daytona’s ‘business as usual.’  Sign a STAND petition and vote for change.

February 21, 2008
City Commissioner Rick Shiver’s...
Rick Shiver put on a great show last night during the Daytona Beach City Commission meeting.
Commissioner McKay asked if they were ever going to discuss the STAND charter amendment petition drive and Shriver lost his mind.  He ranted STAND’s Chairman Ron Bynum owned Lollipops and was just trying to harass city management.  (Bynum actually owns the building Lollipops leases, not the adult club.)  We think Shiver’s been in office too long and believes his own egotistical bullshit.  STAND’s petition drive is much bigger than adult entertainment or any conflict Shiver has with Bynum.  It’s about Daytona Beach’s survival.
Shiver’s angry because Bynum filed four criminal complaints against Daytona city management including one against him for the city buying his home for $180,000 more than it’s appraised value after a sewage back flow accident.
When we spoke with Lollipops owner Miles Weiss he stated, “Shiver had no problem accepting help from Lollipops when he ran for his first term.”  “He lied to us stating he had no objections to adult entertainment and our employees went door to door campaigning for him.” “Shiver happily accepted legal campaign donations from our friends and customers made through the fire department union.”  “We even bought most of the motorcycle raffle tickets the union was selling to pay off Shiver’s legal fees.”  “After Shiver was elected, he voted against us every time, stating it was just politics.”  “That convinced me to not waste any more time or money on Daytona Beach politics.”
When we spoke with STAND Chairman Ron Bynum he said, “City management and the Commission have used adult entertainment to change the subject and shift blame away from their fiscal irresponsibility for years.”  “Shiver’s trying to change the subject again ignoring the issues listed in my criminal complaints and STAND’s charter amendments.”  “8,000 registered voters have placed 48,000 signatures on our city charter amendment petitions because they want changes in their local government.”  “Since the majority of our city commission refuses to investigate or address the issues  concerning voters we’ll continue this process to it’s end.”   “I believe our elected officials will have little chance to get re-elected for any city, county or state position if they continue ignoring voters concerns in Daytona Beach.”

Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Hey, It’s Only Money In Daytona Beach...
Guess we’re supposed to be happy and impressed city management is cleaning, repairing and upgrading some parts of our city but at what cost to us. They put a fine new $140,000 tile roof on the Beach Street Fire station. This is the Fire Station that was too small, inefficient and was to be sold because it’s sitting on valuable river front property. Then ‘dope smoking’ whiney bitch commissioner and past firefighter Rick Shiver said we didn’t need a new Fire Station. Probably the first time Shiver ever chose not to spend our tax money. So instead of a new station which would free up river front property to sell or use, we spent over $100 grand the old one. Hey, it’s only money...
Halifax Harbor Yacht Club got a nice new $130,000 stop light with a pedestrian walk button that actually works. Of course it’s only half a block from another stop light. But hey, the high rollers at the yacht club shouldn’t have to walk a whole half a block when we can give a $100 grand to to make their lives easier. Hey, it’s only money...
Since we’re speaking of Halifax Harbor, there’s a new restaurant named Aquarium going in where the Stock Exchange used to be. During the tear out and re-construction phase it was discovered the city doesn’t have any ‘as built’ plans for the old restaurant. In fact, there were numerous code violations like pipes dumping waste right into the river rather than a sewer. This is unusual because the city actually owns this property and did the initial construction, obviously violating city and state building codes in the process. There’s four city trucks sitting in the parking lot everyday, doing nothing. Since building tenants are responsible for their own maintenance and construction, city employees aren’t working with them. They’re not working for the time share company that rents space there. So what are they doing? Nobody knows and nobody sees them but were certain they show up on the city payroll. Business and politics in the ‘Red Neck Riviera’, Hey it’s only money...

Tuesday, February 19, 2008
THE BEST DAYTONA BEACH GOVERNMENT MONEY
CAN BUY
‘The Five Families-Part 4’
Theresa Doan
Theresa Doan’s been a good little soldier in the election rigging scam of Daytona Beach and has received many rewards for helping the France family control local politics. When recruited, she had all the requirements of a co-conspirator for this election farce. This included a number of businesses to write checks from and favors she needed from her newly elected friends in local government.
Doan’s been all too happy to participate starting with Scarlett Golden’s campaigns for mayor with generous donations to the tune of almost $10,000.00. She’s been able to funnel these donations into campaigns through businesses like the Bank and Blues Club, Dirty Harry’s, The Full Moon Saloon and that all too interesting Special Events Lot LLC on Main Street.
Now lets talk about the special favors she’s been able to get in return for her campaign contributions (influence peddling). Doan’s companies own or manage a number of properties on Main Street that have received special zoning considerations. ‘The Special Event Lot LLC’ as it’s named, is one of the most interesting. It’s just an empty lot with pavers and palm trees which she rents to Special Events vendors for the two motorcycle events each year. Doan purchased the first Main Street lot and was able to get a zoning change that doesn’t exist anywhere else in Daytona Beach (with the exception of the Speedway of course). Taking even greater advantage of her campaign donations (influence peddling) Doan purchased the adjoining property, obtain changes in zoning, demolished the building on it and quickly installed brick pavers so no one noticed the expansion of her ‘Special Events Lot’.
While city management harasses most Main Street vendors to renovate their properties and be open the entire year Theresa Doan was given special zoning changes, allowed to demolish a building and only use the property three weeks out of the year to rent to itinerant vendors.
We admire Theresa. While most people think she’s just been looking for Mr. Goodbar after husband died, they didn’t realize she’d managed to become a ‘player’ and bypass all of the Main Street redevelopment rules for just a few thousand in campaign donations. It helps to have friends in low places!

Thursday, February 14th, 2008
THE BEST GOVERNMENT THAT MONEY CAN BUY
‘Five Families’ Of Daytona Beach
Part 3-Brown & Brown Inc.
After the Hurricanes of 2004, Floridians learned insurance companies should be thought of in the same way as used car salesmen and attorneys. ‘Scumbags’ one and all. Brown & Brown Inc., an insurance company headed by (PREMIUM BOY) Hyatt Brown is no exception. For those of you who have yet to feel the sting of an insurance claim rejection let’s sum it up for you; wealthy insurance companies collect premiums from their insured and then devise policies, exclusions and exceptions to avoid paying claims.
Now that you know Brown & Brown Inc. is a large multi-state insurance company ,you might wonder why they take such an active interest in Daytona Beach politics? After all, Hyatt Brown lives in Ormond Beach. Why would Nancy Brown of Brown & Brown in Winter Park or Brown & Brown of Ft. Lauderdale want to help elect Glen Ritchey mayor? For that matter, why would 24 individuals and companies having a direct or indirect insurance business relationship with Brown & Brown donate a total of $12,000 to Glen Ritchey’s campaign? What do they want so badly from our politicians? Why would they go through all this trouble? Because one of Brown & Brown’s biggest customers is (you guessed it) International Speedway Corporation. So Hyatt Brown and his ‘do-boy’ Charlie Lydecker will do anything ISC asks including rigging an election through large multi-state campaign contributions or shaking down taxpayers for $500,000 to give to the London Symphony Orchestra.
A little history for you. Hyatt Brown is a past Speaker of the House in Florida State government. (Insurance sales plus politician=double scumbag). He’s heavily connected. Charlie Lydecker was appointed to the State Ethics Commission at Brown’s urging. Of course Lydecker has few ethics. He was Yvonne Scarlet-Golden’s campaign finance manager the last time she ran. When ethics violations were filed against her for taking fee plane rides from ISC, rather than recuse himself from voting because of the conflict of interest, Lydecker did everything possible to stop the complaints from going forward.
Brown and Lydecker are such ‘do-boys’ for ISC that they’d suck the poop out of the portable infield toilets at the Speedway with a shop vac to demonstrate their loyalty. Kind of like kissing the mafia bosses ring.
These are the Real politics of our incestuous city. Brown & Brown’s participation is little more that a back door method of ISC funneling more money to control Daytona Beach elections.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008
THE BEST GOVERNMENT THAT MONEY CAN BUY
The ‘Five’ Families-Part 2
Joining the election rigging party with bundles of cash is the real estate development firm of Bray and Gillespie (or as we refer to them PAY AND GIVE-ME). Stepping up to the plate to bat second for the Speedway team and helping to stamp out free elections in Daytona Beach, the boys at Bray & Gillespie contributed an estimated $10,000.00 in donations to Mayor Glen Ritchey, or subtracting the mayors own contributions, about 10% of all monies raised in his campaign.
What did they get for their $10,000? Imagine that you could send a city commissioner or the mayor a hundred dollars and he or she would push through zoning changes for your property (home) that would enable you to sell it for two or three times it’s value. Well that’s what Bray and Gillespie are all about. Buying land on the cheap, getting zoning and land use changes and project approvals from their elected ‘friends’ they made campaign contributions to in Daytona Beach government..
Sweet deal for Bray & Gillespie, bad deal for residents who’ll be paying the cost of infrastructure to support these projects for years to come. That’s if the projects are ever built. Bray & Gillespie are all about ‘flipping’ or reselling properties they get zoning and land use changes on, for millions in profit. So when you see the pretty drawings of the new condominium developments they promise they’ll build if we just give them a few land use changes, remember it’s all a scam. They’ve built nothing in Daytona Beach and won’t as long as they can resell their property with zoning and land use changes, for more than they paid for it.
In the meantime Bray and Gillespie will be sipping margaritas on some tropical island while counting their cash. So the next time you drive down A1A and see those white fences with the palm trees in front of them, thank Bray & Gillespie and our elected officials who all profited in the Quest for Daytona Beach gold, at taxpayers expense of course.

Tuesday, February 12th, 2008
The Simple Fact Is That Floridians Are Being Overtaxed
The following are Portions of an editorial from Adam Guillette, former Director of the Americans For Prosperity (www.americansforprosperity.org) in Ponte Verde, Florida, from a News-Journal editorial today. ‘The simple fact is that Floridians are being overtaxed. Government is growing at rates that are not sustainable, especially at the local level.’ ‘What did (local governments) do with all the excess revenue they received over the past few years? Rather than saving for a rainy day, they spent it.’ ‘Many of these government officials are like kids in a candy store, but the problem is that their purchases are made with our money.’ ‘Most local governments do not have a sufficient level of responsibility to handle a bust (downturn in the economy).’ ‘A bear market combined with tax increases is hardly a recipe for prosperity.’ ‘A taxpayer protection amendment is the best method of smoothing over the business cycle.’ ‘It would require politicians to get voter approval over any new tax increase, tying the increase of government revenue to inflation and population growth.’ ‘This would force fiscal responsibility on all levels of government and creation of a rainy day fund, to manage services in the time of revenue decline.’

Tuesday, February 12th, 2008
Chief ‘Taser’ Chitwood, Busting Kids &Violating Civil Rights
We used to like Police Chief ‘Taster’ Chitwood. For the first time in years we had a Chief that got off his butt and participated in law enforcement. But after being praised for a few months ‘Taser’s’ ego’s beginning to get the best of him. He backs his officers even when it’s obvious they made a mistake, such as when a female customer at Best Buy was tased by Daytona PD for strongly voicing her opinion on whether her credit card was hers or not. Can you say major lawsuit?
Now ‘Taser’ wants a curfew for minors out after 11:00pm on weekdays and midnight on weekends. He claims that a 25% increase in violent crimes by teens is the reason we need the curfew, but how much of that increase took place after 11:00pm isn’t clear. According to the FBI, peak violent crime hours for juvenile crimes committed after 11:00pm is less than 5% of all juvenile crime. But why let facts get in the way of grabbing headlines? Soon Chitwood will say he needs more tax dollars to hire more cops to enforce this nifty new law.
Forget the fact that it isn’t against the law to walk around town without ID and Daytona is a vacation city with minors and families visiting constantly. Creating the ability for police to accost and question anyone who looks younger than eighteen just because they’re out and about, is a violation of our civil rights, pure and simple. Guess we shouldn’t be surprised. This is from a guy that believes everyone’s a ‘scumbag’ until proven innocent and wants DNA from all of us to build up his ‘scumbag’ database.
Daytona’s City Commission should take the batteries away from ‘Taser’ and tell him no youth curfew.
But common sense never prevails in our city government. They’ll pass this law, get sued by some tourist and lose, costing taxpayers even more money in the end. Guess a bad law is better than no law at all. Let’s all go scoop some DNA out of the toilet and mail it to ‘Taser’ to show him our opinion.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Local Groups Line-Up Against STAND Charter Amendments
The Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce and the local Homebuilders Association are rumored to be organizing against the charter amendment petition drive being conducted by Striving Towards A New Daytona (STAND). It’s been alleged they plan to spend over $100,000 to defeat them. The Homebuilders Association is understandable. They’ve been profiting from our governments land use changes and tax giveaways for years. The Chamber is a bit more puzzling. They’re suppose to represent all business in Daytona Beach. Tax and spending cuts are always good for business so you’d think the Chamber would be in favor of these charter amendments. Guess we’ll have to wait and see who really does come out against them. It’ll be fun to watch. If STAND is successful in obtaining 10,000 signatures, they’ll have almost as many voters backing the amendments, that voted in the last election. That’s a pretty large group of residents to anger. Might be fun to see how the Chamber and Homebuilders Association react with 10,000 voters screaming for their heads! It’s red-neck Riviera politics at it’s best. Yee-Haa!


Friday, February 8th, 2008
City Commissioner Pam Woods Is Doty ‘Lite’
The Daytona business community is breathing a sigh of relief. They were really worried Pam Woods would be more like Sheila McKay than the rest of the zombies on the City Commission. They gave a lot of money to Carl Lenz to run against Pam and he still lost. Carl’s biggest problem was listening to his campaign manager Tom Blond. Blond is President of the political action committee Civic Pride. Blond is many things, especially arrogant but definitely not much of a campaign manager. Civic Pride is supported by Daytona’s larger businesses and the Chamber of Commerce. You know, the people that support residents getting screwed by their government while businesses that make campaign contributions profit. With Frank (I like little boys) Heckman as their Vice President Civic Pride qualifies as your typical right wing republican group. Conservative, (except with government spending) law abiding (for everyone else but themselves) and against all sexuality (unless it’s gay in nature, preferably in a public place like a restroom at Sears).
But we digress. It hard to believe but Pam Woods is actually less effective than her predecessor (Do Nothing) Doty. Woods promised changes, to ask questions, demand answers and make our government more open and accountable. Yet, she’s done absolutely nothing, zero, zilch. She’s neutral on every issue so she doesn’t make anyone angry. She already seems to believe everything she’s told by Chisolm and seems overwhelmed with the job. Just how Chislom likes ‘em. What a disappointment she is to all the people that supported here.

Wednesday, February 6th, 2008
Campaign Finance in Daytona Beach Part 2-‘The Five Families’
The France Family
The France family has manipulated the electoral process in Daytona Beach to their advantage for many years, through campaign donations made by International Speedway Corporation, NASCAR and various employees and ‘shell’ companies throughout the United States. Some of the benefits of the best government their money can buy have been:
The elimination of competition through the blackout of temporary permitted activities during race weeks. (No one else on ISB gets a permit to sell racing merchandise outside at race time)
Controlling appointments to the Daytona Beach Racing and Recreational Commission resulting in a sweetheart lease of the track for the next fifty years.
Repeated and wholesale violations of the Daytona Beach land development code that have occurred every year without prosecution, since the track was open. (Parking on the grass).
Land grants and zoning changes resulting in millions of dollars in profits for ISC.
Tens of millions in city infrastructure support each year for traffic control, police and fire services that are provided to support speedway events and paid for by residents. (Police and fire departments in this city would be considerably less expensive without the speedway events.)
$2 million of taxpayers dollars for an elevated pedestrian walkway.
And the list goes on and on....
QUID PRO QUO? (Do something for me and I’ll do something for you)
IN THE LAST ELECTION ALMOST $60,000 DOLLARS WAS CONTRIBUTED TO GLEN RITCHEY’S CAMPAIGN FROM INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY CORPORATION, ASSOCIATED INDIVIDUALS AND RELATED ‘SHELL’ COMPANIES!
It’s no surprise Ritchey supports what ever ISC wants. He makes a bunch of money in just the new ‘program’ cars they give to his dealership after Race Week.
Our next story will cover Brey and Gillespie or as we call them ‘PAY and GIMME !’

Tuesday, February 5th, 2008
Elections Trial in Daytona Beach a Farce-Mayor’s Race ‘Rigged!’
The trial of Adult Club Manager Sean Bishop for election law violations is a farce. Daytona Beach elections including the last mayor’s race have been ‘rigged’ by the rich and powerful for years. The five families don’t want a strip club or voters for that matter, involved in politics so they called they called their lap dogs in the State Attorney’s office to trump a few charges.
The cowards at the News Journal have described this trial as exposing the way campaigns are financed in Daytona Beach. Bullshit! Here’s the Real story-read on.
In the last mayor’s race Glen Richey raised more than $169,000 for a primary race that was nothing more than a well financed manipulation of the electoral process, which has been going on for some time. Here are the facts for you:Glen Richey’s treasure chest:Total Raised $169.000Total number of Donations 450Total Number of Donations from outside the city 216Total number of 500.00 donations 190=$95,000
Last but not least the largest majority of these donations came from what I like to refer to as Daytona Beach’s five ruling families. (Almost sounds like the mafia doesn’t it?) Donations came from post office boxes in Las Vegas and addresses in Colorado Springs. If campaign financing is above board in Daytona Beach then why are well known corporate contributors hiding behind shell companies in other cities?
Interested? Want to know more? Read on tomorrow when I’ll be exposing Daytona’s five families and some of the Quid Pro Quo they’ve been receiving for their generous donations over the years.