Ordinance Banning Oceanfront Pools and Decks
Tuesday night the New Smyrna Beach City Commission stands poised to make the biggest land grab since the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939. Like the Poland invasion it is a sneak attack and the cost to the taxpayers may be as much proportionately as it would have cost for Germany to buy Poland in 1939. The City Commission (1) put the ordinance on the agenda late on the Friday afternoon before the Memorial Day weekend and (2) quickly passed it on first reading the following Tuesday following Memorial Day. No notice and no real public discussion, sneaky, but that is what they do. The ordinance prohibits oceanfront property owners any use of their land eastward of the City’s Coastal Construction Setback Line.
This area has been traditionally used by oceanfront property owners to build pools and decks. Prohibiting such construction would require pools to be located on rooftops or on the roadside, assuming that there is room for a pool. The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that if the government takes away all reasonable use of a person’s property, the government has to pay for it at fair market value. In the Shadow’s view, the new city ordinance clearly crosses that line and compensation will have to be paid by the City. The land area is enormous. It covers the entire six miles of the incorporated oceanfront. The state allows oceanfront pools and decks in front of the DNR line. The city has recently placed a $4,400,000 price tag on the Esther Street property. The land area the city may be required to buy is a land area a hundred times larger than Esther Street. We are talking about a number over $440million or $22,000.00 for every man woman and child in the city.
The ordinance has complex and uncertain grandfathering provisions. The ordinance also has a severability clause that says if the grandfathering provisions are thrown out by a court, the rest of the ordinance remains in tack. The Shadow believes that the grandfathering provisions are illegal, and the likely outcome is that the grandfathering provisions will be struck down by the courts leaving the oceanfront property owners no right to rebuild after a storm. Their choice will be to lose the value or their property or sue. The City Commission should remove the severability clause from the ordinance at the very least. If the ordinance fails in part the entire ordinance should fail.
The City’s former city attorney in a comment in the News Journal has a much more sensible solution (See article below). He said that rather than buying a dune system from the oceanfront property owners for hundreds of millions of dollars that the city should build a new dune system using dredge material (which is abundant and the state actually pays for sites to dispose of it). He pointed out the dredging in the past has not lasted because the city did it on the cheap and did not plant and maintain the sea oats needed to hold the sand. He also said that the new dune system and its maintenance should be paid for by a special assessment levied against the beachside homeowners. The new dune system will make the sand too soft to drive on, so the beach will become the private domain of the beachside property owners. People on the mainland should not be asked to pay for something they will no longer be able to use (the real agenda is to ban beach driving—yes we think so). He felt that the beachside homeowners should be allowed to vote on whether or not they wanted the new dune system. The Shadow agrees with the Mr. Beazley. The decision the City Commission is about to make Tuesday night is a decision that appears to be significantly above the city commissioners “pay grade.” Or is it? There is too much money on the table and the decision needs to go to the voters. If the voters of this city decide to make a hundred million dollar gamble—so be it. The voters need a voice in this momentous decision.
We do not think that Dandy Randy is a Nazi. But you cannot avoid the fact that all of the meetings and timing has been when most of the taxpayers, but not voters affected, have not been in town. We think the tactics for passing this land grab he wants is every bit as disturbing as the sneak attack that Germany used to start WW II. Possibly it is bad form to make such an analogy. War, and certainly WW II, is certainly more disastrous and horrible millions of times over than merely passing an unfair confiscatory ordinance. But it is sneaky and for the City it could be the final straw in assuring that we become the bankrupt back water they seem to think should pass for a functioning municipality.
June 9th, 2008
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1. The Brinks truck was towed out of the motor pool lot on Turnbull Bay Road and taken to Daytona last Monday. This is the vehicle that the Police Chief stated he had gotten rid of 10 days earlier at a Commission meeting. Now we still think he should have kept it and used it as a vehicle for one of the sergeants. What a status symbol and it would have saved money because he would not have had to buy at least one Tahoe SUV. Brinks would probably give us another three for $10 each, then all of the sergeants could ride around in style. The one he just got rid of could have been repaired we think for less than $1000, and that is about $35,000 less than the cost of a Tahoe SUV he wants to buy for each of them. Given how little they are used, sergeants do not do patrols; it would only cost a few pennies more for fuel each year. They use diesel, get at best six or seven miles per gallon. The extra cost for fuel annually is a pittance compared with the cost of purchasing, maintaining and fueling a Tahoe. And for the Chief, maybe we could get the loan of a used light tank from the National Guard to protect him on his numerous forays into the dens of crime around our City!
2. The Silver Sands Condominium is built behind a berm which is in turn behind a sand dune. The first floor ocean front units do not have an ocean view but are “on the ocean”. The first floor units behind the ones on the ocean look out on a swimming pool to the South and another condominium to the North. Send the Commissioners down there to have a look-see.
W-2S REVISITED
The W-2's published over the last few weeks are again presented this week as an EXCEL file so that you can manipulate the data as you wish. Additionally, we provide a number of analyses regarding pay and benefits. We have added charts in columns showing each employee and the percentage of increase that includes the benefit package for each employee.
NOTES
1. We are interested in world politics, national politics, and state politics, but so are a myriad of others who discuss these topics at great length with great enthusiasm and much personal involvement. We would like to think of our knowledge and vigor as sufficient to permit us to have a Drudge or Huffington operation, but we have neither the time, resources, nor inclination to do so. We have personal views on all of these subjects, particularly since we admired both Senators Scoop Jackson and Arthur Vandenberg, as well as literally venerate the founding fathers of this country despite some of their personal failings and vanities. But the reality is that we choose to limit our interests to better government here in our little patch of paradise. We will move on to the County when we believe intelligent decision making is occurring in New Smyrna Beach. And who knows, maybe in a few years we will spread out to the state, nation and world. In the meantime, we are local, and would appreciate your cooperation and understanding of this limitation when you post on the Bulletin Board (our blog). We may personally agree or not agree with postings that are not relevant in scope to our local situation, but for now they belong on someone else’s web-site.
2. We have published as a separate article a posting in the Daytona Beach News Journal by Edward George Beazley who was City Attorney for New Smyrna Beach for 16 years. He raises questions about the new restrictive zoning proposed by the incumbent Commissioners. His discussion highlights not only the probable fallout if they go forward, but in the lack of reasonable discussion of why to do it, as well as the possible consequences of their actions. We have already become business unfriendly, as well as incapable of addressing our revenue shortfalls caused largely by unaffordable government services and pay scales. This zoning issue is just one facet of the anti-business attitude and the refusal to address the concept that if the tax base is not augmented by growth or business interests, the burdens on individual resident taxpayers becomes greater and more burdensome.
“Best Blog of the Week”
(Edited for grammar and punctuation)
A POTPOURRI OF CITIZEN COMMENTS IS
AGAIN PROVIDED THIS WEEK IN ORDER
FOR YOU TO GET IN TUNE WITH THE
MOOD OF OUR READERS
·Found this in the City's Audit concerning the Fire and Police Pensions.........More information relating to the funding methods, determination of benefits, and permissible investments for the Police Plan and the Fire Plan can be found in Chapters 185 and 175, Florida Statutes, respectively. These statues provide, in general, that funds are to be accumulated from employee contributions, City contributions, State appropriations and income from investments from accumulated funds............ The statutes also provide that should the accumulated funds at any time be insufficient to meet and pay the benefits due, the City shall supplement the funds by an appropriation from current funds or from any revenues which may be lawfully used for said purposes in an amount sufficient to make up the deficiency.
·Nah, lets just vote people onto the commission who can actually make a decision, rather then talking everything to death. Notice how they are doing that- they talk about this, they talk about that, but NOTHING ever gets decided. They pass budgets and then review them 6 months later, and then just throw more money into the budget from reserves, because they couldn't make a decision on what to cut out of the budget in the first place. They talk about the Golf Course loosing money, and do nothing, they talk about the Fire Department, and do nothing, they talk about the water taxis and do nothing, etc. etc. etc. WHY ARE WE PAYING THESE PEOPLE? If you had an employee who did nothing put sit around and Bullshit all day, would you keep paying him? MAYBE ITS TIME TO TELL THESE PEOPLE ON THE COMMISSION TO GET SOMETHING DONE? I MEAN BESIDES, TALKING........
·Hey, Altamonte Springs saved $2 million their fist year with Seminole County FD. Winter Springs is next. How much could NSB save by consolidating with the county? If you consider dispatch costs etc, I would be willing to guess close to $3-4million/year!
·To Bob I agree with your comments on speaking out and holding these people accountable but I have already tried that and get stonewalled with an illegal public information policy and failure to comply with the Sunshine Law. Not sure exactly what they are trying to hide (most probably a great deal of conflict of interest), but so far they winning at the game. This is a not a taxpayer friendly commission or city manager. I tend to agree with a previous post that it may be time for a recall petition, since even in hard times they just keep spending our money and adding personnel to the city payroll. And while the police and fire are the big spenders and generally out of control, that can also be said for the rest of the government, especially with the perks such as take home cars for department heads at $4.00 a gallon for the fuel.
·THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL for New Smyrna Beach Fire & Police. COUNTY CONSOLIDATION of the Fire Dept -&- the Sheriff would take over the police dept. (Eligible employees could retire & ones not eligible would be put in the Florida Retirement System.) The changes are GOOD for the employees & taxpayers. I predict both happen in 2009 & I think the unions realize it's unavoidable.
·I cannot figure out why every time the Fire Departments have a survival come to Jesus reality check, like during these trying financial times, EVAC gets dragged into the fight. EVAC is already consolidated and while the fire services here in Volusia County cost the tax payers OF THIS COUNTY a whopping 80 MILLION dollars plus, EVAC only costs 3.5 million. And they cover the same territory, imagine that. Published reports show that for fire to do EVA C's job they will need 20 to 30 million more. The county already has them. The rest of EVA C's money comes from what meager user fees they collect. EVAC is not part of the problem but they are the solution. EVAC is a very thrifty organization regardless of what the union thugs and their followers say! And if the fight needs to take place in the trenches then so be it, you can drag it there. Don't support, advocate or even give positive spin to something you obviously don't understand. Go talk to the people at EVAC and see what they do and how they do it! EVAC runs like they will be out of money tomorrow, fire runs like they get tankers of money every day and that is the way business gets done around here! Go look at the budgets, talk to the people and learn something! Yes fire should be consolidated absolutely, and EVAC should be the model they follow and the conservative budgeting practices they use ARE the best examples of good governance! Did you know that fire chiefs sit on the EVAC board of directors, no probably not! Go talk to them, not the self serving unions who have out lived their existence. Go learn something called the truth it will serve you and this county very well. Save some money, go fill your tank and take you family to Disney World! Don't give it to our vaunted fire department. I need the money and so do you. If we continue on this path the soup and food lines will form up at the fire houses and the tax payers will be the ones in line, getting the soup and bread from the fire fighters. Were on that path already. Time to vote the planted pots out of office and put some seriously conservative people in office!
· 7:22 Surte lots off us will be working to remove dandy randy but even after he sally and lynn use all money in reserves next commission doesn't have to raise taxes -they only need to LOWER SPENDING
DEAR JOHN
We know of the limited resources available to John Hagood, the City Manager, and to his inability to get all of the important letters written that he would like to send. So we decided to help him and provide him drafts that will simplify his tasks and free him up for more important tasks.
To: Mayor Mackay
From John Hagood
Re: Assistant City Manager
I am concerned that you have placed yourself between a rock and a hard place. We must correct the impression you made about attracting new business to the City that will offset the $150,000 plus for hiring a new Assistant Manger. Our last Economic Development Director not only brought no new business into the City, she did not support Wal-Mart’s new store on SR 44, and since then we have denied Lowe’s an opportunity to build in NSB. We are now talking about passing a zoning change tomorrow that will assure the disappearance of all beach development. The airport is another pending disaster; do not forget that we are also discussing establishing limits on what can fly in and out and of the airport to appease those folks complaining about noise. When we project these business averse attitudes, how can we attract more business? I think that I could salvage some of the Commission’s reputation if I could announce reorganization and spending cuts within all city department including the fire and police departments that have until now have been off limits. All things considered, perhaps we should not hire the new City Clerk (pay and bennies about $58,000) and say that the Commission has abandoned filling this position because we can not fund it except from new taxes or stealing from the reserves? Please advise.
John
OBITUARY
The OBSERVER has discontinued publication after 95 years of being the local newspaper and chronicler of the births, deaths and happenings of Southeast Volusia County. Mr. Burns, its last editor, will certainly be missed, but quite frankly, but quite frankly the Observer died several years ago. For the last few the Observer staff has not been either willing or permitted by its owners to address controversial or political issues confronting our residents or our governments. Mr. Burns made an effort, but his efforts were too little too late. So this week we buried the corpse. We are sorry to see it go to whatever “heaven” exists for failed newspapers.
BERT FISH ABOUT TO BUY ESTHER STREET
Bert Fish Hospital has taxed you over the years in order to pay for indigent care in its service area. But last year, and in previous years, it gave almost three quarters of a million dollars ($750,000) to the City of New Smyrna Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). We believe these contributions are probably outside the scope of what they are permitted to do with the money However, the City has the money and the City is going to use it to pay for the Esther Street property. There goes $ 1.3 million intended for indigent care to buy land for a park at an inflated value. Well the least they could do is name the park after Bert Fish Hospital.
One other thought. Did you really think the CRA was not going to turn the City’s money over to the City? We almost fell off the chair laughing when we heard that the CRA board indicated it would not. We have thought of another way to help finance this new park. Have the Chamber of Commerce pay fair market value for the office building it leases on Canal Street. Certainly Steve Dennis, the Executive Director of the Chamber and Vice Chair of the CRA Board is aware of the City’s dire need for money.
NEW!
GASOLINE INVOICES
We are providing a LINK to the March Invoices for fuel purchases. We hope this is the last month they buy PLUS gasoline for the main fuel tank. We will request and print the next invoice for your inspection.
Beazley on sand dunes
We are hurt. George Beazley, the City attorney who was fired without cause a few years ago, favored the paper to the North with an important essay on planning and zoning. We would have published it here first had it been submitted to the Shadow. But, as we have said before, we have little pride. It was submitted by someone to our bulletin board and we will print it here as a part of the front page because we think this is an important issue that should be understood by anyone who lives and pays taxes in New Smyrna Beach.
Beazley's comments on the Outlawing Pools and Decks, Sunday, 6/1/08, 9:32 AM Beazley wrote this in the comment section of the News Journal. I agree with him a 100%. I live in Fairgreen and I have not been to the beach for ten years. The ordinance prohibits oceanfront property owners from using the property in front of the city's coastal construction setback line.
“The city's line is west of the state's coastal construction control line (a far greater setback). Oceanfront property owners in the city have traditionally used the area in front of the city's line to build oceanfront pools and decks. The city attorney warned the city commission that the ordinance could result in "takings claims" and the city having to pay oceanfront property owners for their land. The city has six miles of oceanfront. The price tag on the "takings claims" is unknown. City Commissioner Plaskett at the meeting said that she wished the city had the money to buy all the land east of Atlantic Avenue. I do not know if the city has the money, but her dream (and taxpayers' worse nightmare) may come true. The ordinance has very complex grandfathering provisions. The ordinance also has a severability clause that says if the grandfathering provisions in the ordinance are struck down by a court the rest of the ordinance remains in force. One possibility is that the grandfathering provisions could be struck down by a court and the rest of the ordinance remain in force. That would mean if an oceanfront property owner's property was damaged more than 50% by a storm the ocean property owner would not be allowed to rebuild (100% loss). What the city commission obviously wants is a wide beach with a vegetated dune line in front of the ocean front homes. I say fine, let's build it. It would be a whole lot cheaper to build the dune with dredge material than buy it from oceanfront property owners (which is now the "de facto plan"). The mistake the city has made in the past is that it has re-nourished the beach, but it has done it on the cheap and never built a vegetated dune system that is needed to hold the sand. The reason the city has not built a dune system is that it is expensive to plant and maintain the vegetation until it takes root. The way to pay for all this is to establish a "special assessment district" for the beachside residents to build the dunes and provide for the periodic maintenance of the dunes. I cannot think of any reason the mainland people should pay for a dune system for the beachside residents. A large dune will make the sand to soft to drive on so it will be essentially for the beachside residents. I do think the question to build the dune system should be put up for a vote of the beachside residents. If the beachside residents do not want to pay for it that should end the discussion. Problem solved and the city does not get sued. I have a copy of the ordinance and the maps showing the impact on my website at http://beazleylaw.com/services.html .. One of the biggest lies that is being constantly repeated in the press and city commission meetings is that prohibiting oceanfront pools and decks will reduce our insurance rates. This is not true. Oceanfront pools and decks are not covered by federal flood insurance. Since the pools and decks are not insured, eliminating them is not going to reduce anyone’s insurance rates. Another lie is that oceanfront property suffers significantly more property damage in hurricanes. The truth is the beachside suffers only 15% more in damages than the mainland. You do not want to be on the beachside during a hurricane because of the potential for storm surge. But the amount of damage suffered is relatively insignificant especially viewed in the light of the beachside homes being more expensive homes and more than likely more expensive to repair than less expensive homes. Just some quick thoughts”
BASE YOUR BUDGET DECISIONS ON FACTS, NOT FANTASY, WHEN YOU MAKE THEM
We can not believe that our elected worthies are making decisions about City employees and the budget for 2009 without the benefit of studies that provide them a factual basis for decision making, rather than what they fantasize the facts to be. Nor can they possibly be making restrictive zoning decisions without knowing the probable consequences of their actions. But then again, since they have made almost no decisions over the past seven months that seem informed, why should we think they intend to do so now.
Mayor Mackay, we ask you and your fellow Commissioners:
What does the 2008 fire department pension actuarial study say will be the cost to the City based upon the current order of under fifty year olds retiring at 75% or more of their high five years at salary levels of more than $75,000 per year salary?
What projections have been made about the future loss of revenue if the City refuses to permit construction of nine story condominiums on property currently permitting such construction?
What projections have been made for loss of revenue to the City by moving the Coastal Control Setback line 50 feet further west?
How many lawsuits has the City anticipated will likely be filed because of its efforts to move the Coastal Control Setback line beyond the State’s established line?
How many properties along the six miles of our beach that could file today for permits to build are currently subject to the “new” zoning provisions and how many attorneys representing these owners have indicated they will seek court relief?
Since the City is using loss of insurance as a basis for this new zoning, what property is insured by the City that would be affected?
And something totally mundane, what are the true losses of the Municipal Golf Course today given the worse than expected revenue receipts for April and May, and the increased expenses for fertilizer, fuel, etc.?
We think the City Commissioners should consider the loss of about $400,000 future tax revenue per year per condominium structure not built under the current zoning. Only condominiums with four stories of occupancy units can be constructed under the new “rules”. Current taxpayers must make up the difference in revenue shortfalls caused by this rezoning.
COSTLY, UNEEDED, UNREQUESTED,
ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
or
How to Spend More Money You do not Have
Following the senseless utterings of Lynn Plaskett, who believes the City should ignore its attorney’s declaration that the new restrictive zoning provisions for the beach that she favors will result in lawsuits the City will lose, is the total nonsense of Dandy Randy that the city needs to hire an Assistant City Manager ($100,000 in salary, $45,000 in costs of pensions and benefits, and sundry extras like the car and cell phone. Dandy Randy dreams of hiring an individual who has the skills to also be given the duties of Economic Development Director, and will bring in new businesses whose taxes, he and the Mayor believe, will offset the $150,000 or more salary and perks paid for that position. He must have been surfing and swallowed too much salt water, or maybe he found a butt toke on the street and was out of his gourd when he came up with this unbelievable suggestion. The last economic development director generated no business when the economy was good.
Dandy Randy only wants this position created and filled so he has a better shot at firing the current City Manager. If anyone seriously believes that commissioners who are trying to destroy the economic base of this town through crazy zoning, anti-business attitudes, and poorly implementing existing zoning ordinances (Lowes, Ruby Tuesday, etc), and fuzzy thinking, has figured out how to pay for this position, given the unlikelihood of attracting new business, are as silly as he appears to be.
If you want to alert your fiends that they can earn an easy $100.25 by providing the Shadow with a copy of Mayor Sally Mackay’s college diploma from Exeter, download a poster by clicking below.
IT IS SO EASY TO SPEND OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY
We will buy the beach at the value of the Esther Street property, at top dollar, on Tuesday night when the elected worthies vote to adopt the new ordinance on beach zoning. Lynn Plaskett said weeks ago that this is what she would do if she had the opportunity and the money. She does, yours! The Commission voted five to zip to do it before, and when they do it again they will satisfy her every wish. The price is not even in dispute: take the $4.4 million dollars they have agreed to pay for Esther Street on the sea, divide $4 million by the number of square feet in that property, multiply the square feet of any other property on the beach by that number of dollars per square foot, and, voila, you have the price. Millions and millions and we will have only begun to pay, and pay and pay. After all, it is not their money.
Financial Responsibility through Bankruptcy?
According to the February 2008 fire department pension plan report, the City is $7.6 million dollars in arrears on its payment to the pension fund, otherwise known as an unfunded liability (LINK). A tabulation shows that half of the fire department personnel can retire within five years at what looks like pensions that top Cindy Richenberg’s $63,000 per year pension, and they too would likely incur a liability on the City for the next 30 or so years. We do not know the age of these fire personnel, but if is likely that almost all will be under age 50 with 25 or more years of service when they retire. We do not even want to think about what the cost per year to the City will be for funding these retirement obligations five years from now. Think about it, how much will you pay, Mr./Mrs. taxpayer, to fund 20 or more Cindy Richenbergs, as well as making up the shortfall for what in the future could be the under 8% return on the invested pension funds that must be made up from City coffers, the increased health and other benefits, the cost of carry over leave and the other costs required to provides municipal services to the community. No doubt it will require a large amount of your spendable income.
Commissioner Plaskett told the City Manager to leave the fire and police department costs alone. Neither Mackay, Richenberg, nor Grasty said a word. Hathaway asked how they were going to find the $150,000 plus to pay for the new needless Assistant Manager. Mayor Mackay stated that the new incumbent would bring enough new business into the City to cover the salary and bennies. What was she smoking? We thought we were on “Laugh In.” New Smyrna Beach has never been serious or successful in attracting businesses to our “Charming City” even when their favorite eye candy economic development person was employed here. Commissioner Plaskett’s mantra is just find the money. The only way to find it will be to raise taxes on a diminishing tax base, or squeeze the non-public safety city departments. They have not cut the umbilical cord on the Municipal Golf Course and forced a retrenchment of their operation, they have done nothing to redress the management imbalance at both the fire and police departments, and they want to fund another park? There is no bottomless grant in the sky to bail them out this time. They cannot talk to a rock and have money flow forth. Bankruptcy will happen, and all of these excessive spending arrangements to support public safety pay and benefits will be abrogated, the pensioners will lose their pensions, and all of those public safety supporters will turn on you and call you names. Your choice: address the problems now or have it done in court.
Crime Statistics
The City of New Smyrna Beach pays four times as much per resident for police protection as Deltona, is not safer, and has a higher crime rate.
City UCR Index Crime Rate
Ponce Inlet 1,585.8
Port Orange 2,272.6
Oak Hill 2,363.4
Deltona 2,819.5
Edgewater 2,843.4
Ormond Beach 3,382.9
South Daytona 3,912.3
New Smyrna Beach 4,088.3
Daytona Beach Shores 5,023.4
DeLand 5,980.3
Holly Hill 7,643.7
Daytona Beach 8,816.2
Orange City 9,566.4
Below are the results of a 9-year crime rate study for the City of Deltona (encompassing the years 1999-2007). Deltona’s 2007 crime rate, as compared to other Florida cities of similar size/population to Deltona, shows:
City 
Index Crime Rate Population
Index Crime Rate PopulationDeltona 2,820 86,540
86,540Palm Bay 3,364.7 101,793
101,793Ormond Beach 3,382.9 40,941
40,941Davie 4,254.6 93,428
93,428Boca Raton 4,310 85,296
85,296Titusville 4,866.8 44,526
44,526Plantation 5,208 85,349
85,349DeLand 5,980.3 26,905
26,905Lakeland 6,392.1 93,428
93,428Daytona Beach 8,816.2 64,370
64,370The annual operating budget for law enforcement agencies that police cities of similar size and population to Deltona routinely run between $22 million-$31 million. That compares to the $9,205,672 law enforcement contract between the Sheriff’s Office and the City of Deltona. Do not worry, Deltona’s elected officials want to change that so that their friends and relatives can get good cushy jobs just like it is in the other neighboring towns.
City LE Budget Population
Deltona (VCSO) $9.2 million 86,540
86,540Titusville PD $9.9 million 44,526
44,526Palm Bay PD $22.5 million 101,793
101,793Daytona Beach PD $29.3 million 64,370
64,370Davie PD $30.0 million 84,057
Boca Raton PD $30.9 million 85,488
Plantation $31.3 million 85,349
The New Smyrna Beach law enforcement budget is $6.5 million for a City with a population of 22,000. Our crime rate is higher than Deltona’s and their per capita costs are one fourth of ours. Our elected officials will not ask how much the Volusia County Sheriff’s would charge for the same service because they know our current budget is indefensible, and would be embarrassed if the information was made public. What ever smells rotten is here, not in Denmark!
INFO INFO
WHO’S GOT THE INFO?
The City has made it difficult to obtain information and it is the effort to hide information concerning fire department operations that seems to be the catalyst for their effort to make it both expensive and cumbersome to obtain most information. Let us clear up one issue raised, we think, by the NSB fire department in a blog. The Shadow never looked at the 2006 reports because the Deputy Fire Chief invoked the same routine, claiming that he would charge for the time to review those files, just as he claimed was necessary now. There is enough blame for Mackay and her supporters for similar nonsense in 2007, but it was clearly the fire department in 2007, that had no intent of making the 2006 records available last year. The Shadow requested to review the reports for structural fires as well as all other reports for 2006 and 2007. It is specific narratives of these activities where they disclose what they entailed, and we think most of them show that the whole is less than the sum of the parts.
We have obtained these reports elsewhere, for no cost and no fuss. As we analyze this database over the next few weeks, we will provide you our opinion of how these statistics have been manipulated to suggest that a higher degree of public safety is being provided than is the case, as well as supporting the inflated image of their value in providing public safety no matter the cost. We titillate you with just one statistic at this time. At least five of the six “extrications” which were reported for 2007 were not for saving someone trapped in a car because of an accident; they were for releasing someone from a stuck elevator. Keep in mind, the Deputy Fire Chief wanted to be paid for “reviewing” files that showed these calls involved elevators, not automobile accidents.
