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                                October 25, 2010

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HEARINGS ON DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS GRANTS OF COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

The City Manager in her report on October 12, 2010, published a strange notice from the Florida Office of Hearings setting a hearing on March 1 and 2 on an appeal from a Department of Community Affairs order. It was issued on September 30, 2010, and there is no information from the City as to who filed for the hearing challenging the DCA or what is at issue. The Complaint is on the Office of Administrative Hearings website (DOAH.State.fl.US; 10-9224) and concerns the failure of the City to properly handle the issue of water supply. The DCA petitioned to set aside the City ordinance. Nothing new in Mayberry. 

The Shadow is informed also that two petitions were filed timely by residents of New Smyrna Beach challenging the zoning of the High School site.

The Shadow is informed also that two petitions were filed timely by residents of New Smyrna Beach challenging the zoning of the High School site.

Federal, State, or City  and did not need a final inspection. None of these permits and inspection  documents have surfaced. If not, they apparently even cheated taxpayers out of a couple of thousand dollars of permit money. Worse they have been permitted to avoid the expensive and lengthy process all others must endure to build anything.  How charming, in NSB special people get special treatment.

So add $160,000 in dock money and extras to the $84,000 granted each year by the City. F.I.N.D. paid $50,000 for the pontoon boat they did not maintain. Does this sound as if the water taxis was self  supporting as promised by its supporters to Commissioner Hathaway? Do you remember the former Mayor parroting the claims of near solvency?  Has Judy, Jack or Adam mentioned this constant expense to taxpayers? No, but they did just vote to raise your taxes.

If you remember, MDC indicated they were soon to be solvent every time they showed up with their hand out. The original grant of Federal tax money was for $750,000, without the expensive boat motors  ($40,000), indirect subsidies from the school board in bussing kids , and free rent, plus another $400,000 + in cash from the City and FIND that has been paid to them.  Thus, in addition to the original grant which they exhausted, we believe aggravated by bloated salaries and management fees, they blew what looks like another half a million dollars  ($500,000) of Federal and City tax dollars. It is fair also appropriate to consider lost tax money that should have been paid on City real estate. This a true cost.

This group of welfare takers do not even mow their own lawn so we had to pay for that too. They also got a grant to teach people how to plant mangroves (stick the end with the root in the mud), and one to remove Brazilian pepper trees. Most of that activity was done at the park on Saxon and we paid for it. Oddly county trucks were on location during that horticultural hack job. (Who paid for that?).Please note we are also forced to pay for electricity at the Saxon annex of the Leech Center to air condition their building 24/7. We are also forced to pay a Parks and Recreation employee to open the gate on Saxon.  Just what is it these volunteers do for this community?

The Marine Discovery mission is a fantasy, funded by you. This group has taken millions of dollars from our tax payments. If they had value, their own supporters would fund the operation. At least this is what they say when pressed. Always promising they are just one more little cash subsidy from total self sustainability. Right now they are making a move on the old high school property. This will cost us tens of millions of dollars and NEVER break even. Last month our Commissioners unanimously approved a $130,000 payment to the old high school project with little thought to the economic hardship they were creating. After more than a decade of lies you would think the City commission would protect us from these green grifters. Not so, as they are working hard to take more from us.  [READ MORE]

NOTES

1. THE SOUTHEAST VOLUSIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NEEDS VOLUNTEERS

The heading says it all. The Chamber needs your help and your time. Call today and help. 386 428-2449. They are off to a new start. When they restart on the right foot they will represent the business community as it has not been represented for the last 20 years. Please help. Call the Chamber today.

2. THE FAIRGROUND’S SPOKESMAN HUNG UP

His name is Tom, and he hung up when asked how a grant of $20,000 from the Southeast Volusia Advertising Authority (SVAA) put any heads in beds in New Smyrna Beach. Mind you, this is a private corporation, but it takes tax money. The personnel should be expected to answer a simple information question as to how they spend tax money.  It is part of his job. He spent $20,000 of tax money last year as the Fairground's PR guy supplied by the SVAA.   You are entitled to know what you got for those green little bills he spent.  Please tell the Shadow what motivates an employee to decide not to provide public information to any taxpayer on how taxpayer money is spent. C'mon Tom, tell us.  The County Council should cancel the $25,000 the SVAA is planning to throw away for a second year.  As the comedian Ron White says, "You can’t fix stupid"

1.  ENDORSEMENT OF THE ORLANDO SENTINEL ON AMENDMENTS

The Orlando Sentinel on Saturday October 23, 2010 published its recommendations for the Amendments on the ballot:

A. Vote no on amendments 1 and 4

B. Vote yes on amendments 2, 5 and 6, and 8

C. Vote no on Balanced budget referendum

2. BEACH TOLLS AND PATROLS IN OCTOBER

No one, or almost no one, is on the beach on an 85 degree during a weekday in October. The Shadow is willing to bet that the costs for toll takers and beach patrol far exceed the revenue.   How about a different management method?   The current one does not work well and wastes much tax money.  Further, we never understood why the Beach Patrol needs to be an armed police force.  City police are readily available and can surely handle any issue that arises.  Oh, it’s only taxpayer money -- no big deal!

3. QUOTE OF THE WEEK

It's not the extreme right or left that will take us to hell in a hand basket.  It's the vast, indifferent middle.

BLOGS

Date:   10/23/2010, 9:37 am

Name:   More Proof SVAA CVB is a Waste

Number:   584 

 

More Proof the SVAA and Daytona CVB is a waste of time, money and resources. On Nov 3 they are going to hold their Thanks 2 You! Tourism Industry and Trade Show at the Ocean Center to be "marketed" (sic - their word) to local residents to say thanks for all their help. LOCAL RESIDENTS, doesn't this violate the heads in beds money rules? Go to www.daytonabeachcvb.org and read about it. The upshot is the SVAA /CVB want all of the Volusia County accommodators, attractions, restaurants and other tourism-related businessess to come and give away freebies and discounts to locals. This is their big idea to help the local businesses promote tourism. Sheens!

As of yesterday there was no mention of this "event" on the SVAA calendar.

Date:   10/22/2010, 6:49 PM

Name:   hey 574 & KT

Number:   577

 

Don't worry the short version is the brusk version. Plus this site is infested with opinionated, cry babies with no education. My point is that local government marketing giants fail to market assets we have to the people who are interested. This is not necessarily a think tank, task. The waddler could stop at any hotel, condo, time share and see who is in the parking lot and pool. SVAA is spending money wastefully on purpose. It is the cancer of NSB good-old-boys club. I take heart in knowing Downtown Clown was a hot topic and now he is gone. Perhaps Kilgore and Shadow will knock off Boyd next. I hope so, we need real business people in charge not stupid slackers. KT if your out there - look up link between Fish Stock & SVAA - notice topics. You will understand

STEALING MONEY THE LEECH CENTER WAY----MDC UNDER WATER AND UPSIDE DOWN

The Shadow has not said that the Marine Discovery Center programs have no merit, The problem is that they are too costly, have grossly overstated their value to the community, and are unaccountable financially. They are not and never will be anything more than a money pit that will cost the taxpayers millions of dollars and never be self sustaining.

The Shadow has been astounded as to how the Leech Center (Marine Discovery Center),  has been able to gather tax money from so many sources.   The more you examine their operations, the more they look like money sucking leeches. The latest discovery is a $160,000 grant from the Florida Inland Navigation District (F.I.N.D). Tax money primarily given to the City of New Smyrna Beach to build docks for the failed water taxi.  It seems that the Leech Center was not required to apply for a permit,

THERE IS AN 800 POUND GORILLA IN THE LOCAL ELECTIONS IN VOLUSIA COUNTY FOR COUNTY COUNCIL POSITIONS---THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS (IAFF). THE SHADOW HAS REFRAINED FROM TAKING A DIRECT VOTE ENDORSEMENT IN ELECTIONS IN THE PAST, BUT THE ISSUES THAT WILL BE TAKEN UP BY THE COUNTY COUNCIL THE NEXT FEW YEARS WILL BE ON PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES CONCERNING FIRE DEPARTMENTS. THE ISSUES INCLUDE STAFFING AND CONSOLIDATION, AMBULANCES SERVICE, PENSION PAY, AND BENEFITS.  THESE ISSUES SHOULD NOT BE WEIGHTED DOWN BY OFFICALS ELECTED AND BEHOLDEN TO THE IAFF. NEITHER JOIE ALEXANDER (District 3) NOR MARGIE PATCHETT (AT LARGE) ARE IN THE POCKET OF THE IAFF. THEIR ELECTION IS THE ONLY ASSURANCE THAT THESE ISSUES WILL BE ADDRESSED WITH THE TAXPAYERS INTEREST IN MIND AT THE COUNTY LEVEL. THE IAFF HAS WORKED OVERTIME AND SPENT A FORTUNE IN TIME AND MONEY TO ELECT THEIR OPPONENTS. ELECT JOIE AND MARGIE IF YOU EXPECT THE LARGEST TAX ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED IN YOUR INTERESTS.

DEAR PAM

As we have stated in the past, we realize that various City officials have limited resources available for pursuing cost reduction projects, so we have decided to help them out and provide draft letters for review. As we have said, this will free them up for important things, like dealing with all the serious problems of the police and fire department pensions.

Dear Mayor Barringer,

I think it is pretty clever to not publish the minutes of the Commission meetings until two months after the votes. It drives the people up the wall that they can not figure out what we did, and we can tailor the language if any of the jerks who criticize us make a fuss.

PAM.