More on 4

Why to make sure you vote: Got this via email:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2JDsnb9yN0



And, from our local "Vote Yes on Amendment 4," this reminder:

Don't get mad, get Greg

In the middle of all the complacency and shyness about speaking up these days, we need people willing to speak up for the common good.

Take Greg Gimbert, for example. He got mad a few years ago, when he saw Daytona trying to ruin the town even farther than what it was already, and he got active in opposition to land-use changes that would allow massive increases in density.

Then, he fought for the Volusia Growth Management Commission to have some spine and say no to developers who want it to change its rules and give away any power it has to actually curb bad growth. That was successful, to date. Now, if only the Commission would actually do its job.

The latest — He, Ron Bynum and a bunch of friends took Amendment 4 matters into their own hands, and are urging voters to say yes to giving themselves some say in local land regulation.

The billboards are up. Here's my favorite, a good reason not to just trust our future to politicians:

Cool cat, Greg. Five purrs to you.

Caught in the act

Yes, Sandy's caught in the act!  This is at the Old Enterprise Festival last Saturday. Rog Lee plays in the background. He's in agreement, "Vote Yes on 4."

Cooler weather

It looks like Hurricane Paula will stay well to the south of us, brushing Cuba. And though we're back in the mid-80s, it's supposed to cool off a little, sunny, with a high around 81 and overnight lows in the upper 50s.

That means perfect weather for the Old Enterprise Festival 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, at Mariner's Cove Park in Enterprise. My roommate Molly will be there to judge the doggie -costume contest.

As for me, I'd be happy listening to Rog Lee and eating the good food, but I don't think I'll get to go.

How 'bout a kitty-costume contest next year? No, scratch that. Too undignified for us felines.

Running scared over Amendment 4

UPDATE 5 P.M. — If you're not sure how you want to vote on this, here's a factoid that may help, either way: THE VOTE NO people are listing the Florida Tea Parties as joining them in opposition to the amendment.

PREVIOUSLY REPORTED:

Miami Herald columnist and author Carl Hiaaseen has a column today called "Running scared over Amendment 4."

He said, "The same people who helped ignite the housing crash and mortgage meltdown are absolutely terrified of giving citizens actual control over growth in their own communities."

They're scared of the voters who are sick of corruption, bad planning, greed and elected officials who always cave in, "making a farce of land-use regulations."

Hmmmm. You'd think Hiaasen lives in Volusia, not in Dade County.

Meanwhile, the County Council is taking applications for two openings as its representatives on the Volusia Growth Management Commission.

Dwight Lewis has been reappointed, after taking some time off to run, unsuccessfully, for a seat on the council.

Victoria Gardens: Pay up

It isn't often an old cat like me agrees with the School Board AND the Volusia County Council.

This is one of those exceptions. Victoria Gardens needs to ante up and pay the school-impact fees. Why? There should be no protected classes or groups of people who can say, "Schools aren't my responsibility."

Schools are the responsibility of everyone. I don't care if there aren't gonna be any kiddies in the gated, senior-citizen enclave. Nor do I care if there weren't any kids in the Ormond Beach mobile-home park case.

The fact is, taxes helped pay for those seniors to get an education, and helped them become the fine, property-owning folks they are. Saying, "I've got mine, now, get yours," isn't the way it should work.

Schools are everybody's responsibility.

And, if you want to get into the technical arguments, Victoria Park doesn't have a good legal reason to avoid paying the fees. The developer agreed to pay school-impact fees on the development as a part of the master development plan for the area. Now, the developer wants to wiggle out of it.

Paugh!

Of course, if the county wants to exempt EVERYBODY from paying the fees, that's fine.

Farmton, bears etc.

Now that the loonies have given up burning other peoples' holy books, and with no terrorist attacks, we can get back to griping about more local things.

Like land use.

The Farmton hearing began today. My cat ears pricked up when I heard they were holding in a third-floor conference room. Too many people showed up, and they moved it to the Historic Courthouse.

Why not in the County Council Chambers, which has much better acoustics, a recording system and more comfortable/newer seating?

I guess they don't want to audio-broadcast or record this meeting. And who wants the public to attend anyway? bah. Anyway, we'll see how things go. Since they don't let cats in the courthouse, I'll find it difficult to attend. Please post your thoughts and information about what's going on.

Farmton leads us to bears and that famous mile-wide corridor for black bears. I don't known how many of 'em are like me, who can read and write. The bears would need a map to follow the corridor.

Here's the good news for developers and the Farmton Hunt Club:

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is considering a "hunt and kill" option regarding black bears, correspondent Michele Moen reports:

Dear friends,


Your money is not needed but your compassion is.


Please take 10 minutes of your time to read the attached brief info


The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is seriously considering the hunt and kill as an option for Florida's rare and threatened black bear.

And the majority comments they are receiving are from the hunters!


HELP!

1. READ the attached info. It is brief
2. PLEASE, visit the site and comment. Below is a short letter for your use in whole or in part as you please.
3. PASS this info on to others. You don't have to be from the State of Florida to comment.

Thanks so much for your kindness!
Michele

Send in your comments (you don't have to be from Florida to comment)



FLORIDA BLACK BEAR MANAGEMENT PLAN
CRITICAL DEADLINE October 1, 2010


SUGGESTED COMMENT LETTER TO THE
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission


The draft bear management report recommends that state wildlife managers "explore options regarding bear hunting as a tool to stabilize populations and maintain them within target levels."
The Florida black bear is a listed threatened species. Florida laws defines threatened as ". . . exists in such small populations as to become endangered if it is subjected to increased stress as a result of further modification of its environment."
In addition, under Florida law, the intentional killing or wounding of a listed species incurs a third degree felony.
Yet the FFWCC draft plan suggests that the Florida black bear, a threatened species that can be found no where else is the world, should possibly be hunted in order to manage populations? This is ludicrous.
Please remove any language considering the hunting of Florida's unique and threatened species.
Thank you
NAME

end.

The irony is lost on them

Sometimes it's hard to figure out if some of these preachers are just plain stupid, or if they just love publicity enough to endanger American lives at home and abroad.

I'm referring to the nuts in Gainesville, led by the Rev. Terry Jones at the Dove World Outreach Center. They want to burn Korans to commemorate Sept. 11. Sure, that will bring peace, just like Jack stealing food from my dish brings peace to our household.

Apparently, they don't have the intellect to notice the irony of a church called "the Dove World Outreach Center" doing this stuff. Yeah, the symbol of peace and love and hope, the dove.

Even Glenn Beck is condemning them, comparing their plan to "burning the flag or the Bible." You'd think that might wake them up. Never mind everybody else who's saying "don't do it," including Gen. David Petraeus and Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton, the Washington Post reports.

Hey, where's the stuff of your faith, people? Remember Jesus saying to love each other? If we act like a bunch of Al Quaeda types, aren't disobeying ? Aren't we becoming the enemy?

This afternoon, Jones promised to go through with the book-burning. Hmmm. Remember who else liked to burn books?

Wake up and smell the coffee, Rev. Jones and your 50 followers.

That reminds me, I better check my dish.

Elections, right-wingnut stuff

Around my house, we're pleased that Rob Sanders is going to be sitting on the bench in Volusia County. It was a close election — in the end, he won by only 52 votes.

That should serve as a wake-up call for a lot of people — primaries are important.

We're pleased about Andy Kelly keeping his seat on the Volusia County Council — even though some powers in his own Democratic Party weren't supporting him. We need people like Andy, though, who will vote against bad development.

In DeBary, expect a free-for-all this fall. The Koval-Long race promises to be the most interesting, but you never know.

Here's something really funny going around in an e-mail:

If you have not heard the Glenn Beck programs on Fox News you have
missed the most honest, factual documentation of the criminal
corruption of what is happening in Washington, and I would
encourage everyone to see as many of his programs as you possibly
can.

Honest? Factual? Glenn Beck?

HA-HA-HA-HA Snort, paw-swat!

Dang it, go vote!

My person reported that when she went to the polls this morning, there were only four people there to vote — including her.

Now, that's pretty disgusting. Snort, hiss! Don't you know we've got developers' tools to contend with? You wanna leave to the old polls who just follow the money? Look what's happening with Team Volusia. West Volusia politicos are rolling over. Think they smell the money?

An indifferent electorate means business as usual.

I read where even a chicken went to the polls. That makes voting sound pretty appetizing to me!

GO VOTE!


Note: sorry for the lag in posting. First, my person went out of town, leaving me home alone (never mind there was enough food, water and kitty litter to sustain an army of cats). Nobody was there to type for me, or pet me. Three hisses.

The home computer is still on the fritz, too. Makes things challenging.

Here's to the women, 90 years later

I'm just a cat, so I don't get to vote. I noted with interest though, that it's the 90th anniversary of the 19th amendment, the one that gave women the right to vote. Ratification was complete on Aug. 18, 1920.
In the November 1920 election, women voted for the first time. Warren G. Harding was running against James M. Cox.
The amendment ensures "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex."
It's kinda hard for the young kittens coming along to appreciate what their foremothers went through. In the course of human history, it wasn't that long ago that women had no rights — not to vote, not even to own their property.
A piece of paper stating women had the right to vote did not mean women were treated equally, of course. That was the first step on a long road that is now being realized.
We have a woman, Alex Sink, running for governor. Think of her what you will, but we've come far enough that she's not that "lady" candidate. The rhetoric is over her resume and what she will or won't do if elected — not over her status as female.
That's a major shift that's come in the past few years.
It all started with the suffrage movement of some brave women in the mid-late 1800s.
Here's to you, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan Anthony and those who came earlier or later. Here's to you, President Woodrow Wilson, for pushing the amendment. It came, after all, just after the war to secure democracy – World War I.
My typist, Patti, said, "And here's to you, Great-Aunt Carrie!"
Carrie was a suffragist and the first woman in her little town to wear trousers back then, when it was considered uppity.
Now, all you women, read up on the candidates and the issues, and go vote.

P.S. - Sorry for the hiatus in posting. My typist went out of town and left me home.

Guest editorial - Amendment 4

The anti-Amendment 4 forces are spreading their money and effort to defeat the amendment. So I guess I can run this guest commentary in favor of it.

After all, if developers hadn't been so greedy and local governments so ready to roll over for 'em, Amendment 4 would not be on the ballot.

Here's the guest piece:

Yankeetown Proves Amendment 4 Works for Citizens

BY ED CANDELA

If people could rely on elected officials to actually represent their constituents instead of special interests, there would be no need for Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment 4.

Our local version of Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment 4, in the Levy County community of Yankeetown, has been a success, and I want to caution readers not to buy the scare tactics now being used to try to trick people to vote against Amendment 4. You should definitely vote yes on Amendment 4 on the statewide ballot Nov. 2. You will be glad you did.

Here’s why: Several years ago, our quiet fishing community was targeted for massive development. Yankeetown officials conducted secret meetings with real estate speculators. One of the officials had a secret land sale contract with the developers. Their proposal was so massive it would have destroyed our beautiful Gulf Coast community’s character.

At the time, residents packed town council meetings trying to protect our way of life. But the council was listening to the real estate speculators —— not to us. In 2007, voters overwhelmingly passed a charter amendment and took back commonsense control. Today in Yankeetown, when politicians propose major land-use changes to the comprehensive land use plan, voters get the final say to approve or veto the plan. Yankeetown shows what Hometown Democracy Amendment 4 would help accomplish on a statewide scale if Floridians pass it Nov. 2.

Our process hasn’t been contentious – all proposed changes have been approved by voters since the charter amendment passed. One speculator did file lawsuits to try to intimidate us, but the courts threw them out.

It’s up to us to protect our communities, especially with a New York Times analysis finding Florida as the No. 1 state for public corruption. Officials from Levy and Dixie counties recently were convicted of taking bribes from a “developer” who really was an undercover FBI agent.

Yankeetown voters can now vote to protect our community – regardless of who is running our local government at the time.

Under Amendment 4, local city or county commissions will study, conduct public hearings, and vote on proposed changes to the local comprehensive land-use plan just like they do now. Here’s the new Amendment 4 step: Voters will veto or approve their decision on the next regularly scheduled election day. No special elections are required.

Before Yankeetown’s version of Amendment 4 passed, residents felt helpless. Now we’re empowered. Our community is too important to leave in the hands of politicians and lobbyists.

Who knows who will be in office in the future? It’s really all about trust. Whom do you trust more, you and your fellow Floridians or special-interest- loving politicians, lobbyists and real estate speculators?

I urge everyone to vote yes to Amendment 4 onNov. 2. You can learnmore at www.floridahometown democracy. com. You will be glad you took a stand. We sure are in Yankeetown!

Ed Candela is a former Yankeetown City Council member. Online video: tinyurl.com/ 27vv2nz

More vetting — vets make cats nervous

Hope all you hep cats out there in West Volusia are having a great weekend!
***

There must be a new college of veterinary medicine in West Volusia. We seem to have a glut of people wandering around asking "vetting" questions.

Old cats don't like being poked and prodded by vets. I'm glad I'm not running for office!

Here's the latest:

Lake Helen Police Chief Keith Chester sent out a long list of vetting questions, in the same spirit as the Tea Party Patriot's massive missive.

Chester sent the questions from his personal e-mail, not his city e-mail. There's a little fine line in there somewhere – where does the heft (no pun intended) of the police chief leave off and the private citizen begin?

It's a free country. So anybody can ask anybody questions.

Chester sent his list of question to a select clientele:

County Council candidates Eddie Colosimo, Margie Patchett, Joyce Cusack, Mary Martin, Andy Kelly, Dwight Lewis, Alison Curtiss, Joie Alexander and Ellen Darden.

I dunno why some candidates in the same race got the questionnaire and others didn't. Maybe Chester has already examined them.

Coming from someone who's a police chief, I find a handful of these are quite interesting questions (the spelling is his, not mine). Is he worried about being absorbed into the Sheriff's Office and losing the Lake Helen Police Department?

Do you feel the Sheriff’s Department is to costly? If so what changes would you make?

Do you feel the Department of Fire Services is to costly? If so what changes would you make?

What are your feelings about EVAC and our current emergency medical care and transport system?

Would you work towards County wide consolidation of emergency fire and medical services?
(Reason for or against?)

Would you support and work toward County wide consolidation of police services?
(Reason for or against?)

Here's the full text of Chester's e-mail:

I am currently up in the air on who I wish to support and vote for this year. There are many issues that I am concerned about that I would like to seek your views on. Please help me by providing clear and concise answers. Your answers will be shared with friends, family, and others. Sorry if this appears to be rude, but please do not give the normal “I will have to wait until I am elected to look into that” answer. I feel if you are running for an office that you should already know the ins and outs of the position that you are running for and you should already know what is going on. My friends, Family, and I are looking for real answers and real leadership. These are very scary times and to simply elected someone from sound bites or because they are likable would not be prudent.

What are your feelings on beach driving?

What County policies would you change pertaining to the operations of the beaches by the County?

What are your feelings about purchasing additional land along the beach for beach parking?

What are your feelings about the Beach Department?

What changes would you make in the Beach Department, if any?

What are your views pertaining to the Ocean Center and how it is being funded?

What would you do different to make the Ocean Center more profitable?

What are your feelings about the Air Port? What would you do different pertaining to the Air Port?

What would you do to help clean up Daytona’s beach side and to help bring tourism back?

Would you support bringing Spring Break back as it once was years ago? If yes, why? If not, why?

Would you strongly support Bike Week? If yes, why? If not, why?

Do you feel the Sheriff’s Department is to costly? If so what changes would you make?

Do you feel the Department of Fire Services is to costly? If so what changes would you make?

What are your feelings about EVAC and our current emergency medical care and transport system?

Would you work towards County wide consolidation of emergency fire and medical services?
(Reason for or against?)

Would you support and work toward County wide consolidation of police services?
(Reason for or against?)

Do you feel there are positions in County Government that are overpaid? If so what positions and what will you do to fix the problem?

Do you feel there are positions in County Government that are under paid? If so what positions and what will you do to fix the problem?

Do you wish to contract some County services out? If so what services? If so will you lay current employees off?

What if any positions would you cut within County Government?

Would you continue to allow for County employees to utilize County owned vehicles while not on duty and would you continue to allow them to take their vehicles home?

Are you aware of how much the County is paying for County employees issued cellular phones? Would you change the policies pertaining to cellular phones in any way?

What are your feelings on the current County employee retirement system?

Do you feel that the policies utilized to hire and promote County employees have been implemented fairly? If not, why not?

What if any cuts and changes would you make in the County’s library system?

Are you for or against the Lite Rail project?

What are your feelings pertaining to the ECHO program, should it be ended?

If you do not feel the ECHO program should be ended please answer the following questions.

Do you support ECHO funding being given to private groups? (If so, what groups?)

Do you support ECHO funding being given to other governmental groups? (If so, for what?)

What past ECHO projects would you have not allowed to have been funded?

If elected, what future types of ECHO projects will you vote against (If Any)?

Do you feel the citizens of Volusia County are well represented by the current ECHO board?

Do you feel the County should be spending County funds on trails projects at this time?

Do you feel the current County ecotourism plan is a good one?

What are your feelings pertaining to the Forever program, should it be ended?

Do you feel the County should have a Department of Community Assistance? If not, why not? If so what portions of the department should stay and what portions should go? Please be detailed.

The County’s Department of Children and Families, under the Department of Community Assistance, uses local tax dollars to fund many community programs.

Do you feel tax dollars should be given to private groups? If not, why not? If so, what types of groups and programs?

Do you feel partnerships should be created between the County’s Department of Children and Families and municipal governments? If not, why not? If so, what types of programs?

Volusia County has given millions of dollars through various County programs to Arts Organizations, Museums, and other similar organizations and groups. What groups and organizations, if any, do you feel should and should not have gotten County funds?

How do you feel about Votran?

What are your feelings about the Health Department?

What are your feelings about the Department of Emergency Management?

What if any cuts and changes would you make, if elected, in the County’s library system?

If elected, what will you do to insure our County’s roads are well maintained?

Do you feel the County has enough parks?

Would you add more parks and if so how would you fund them?

How do you feel the County Council and the School Board can work together to provide better services and cost savings for the citizens of Volusia County?

If elected, what would you do to help stimulate our local economy?

If elected, what would you do to help create jobs?

Do you feel the County is doing enough for children and families in this County? What would you do different?

What are your feelings about the County’s current mental health services? What would you do different? How do you feel they should be funded?

What are your feelings about the County’s Department of Corrections? Is there anything that you would do different?

Do you feel we have issues with illegal drug use in Volusia County? What would you do different, if anything, to help solve the problem if you feel that we have a problem?

The current County Government is touting that they have made major budget cuts. Do you feel the cuts have been deep enough? What would you do different?

Do you feel the County’s Government is to large? If so, where would you cut? If not, why not and what would you add?

Why do you feel you would be best for the job?

What are you going to do different if elected?

Do you feel that you have what it takes to make the changes that are needed? If so, why?

How do you plan on saving the Tax Payers of Volusia County? Do you plan on cutting taxes and if so how?

On another political note, the meow out is that candidates are getting a lot of pressure to attend certain forums – that it will be bad for them if they don't attend.

I see no reason why candidates should have to attend every forum a little group of highly partisan people decide to host. Threats, bullying and insinuations shouldn't be the American way.

DeBary Mayor goes nuts

Sure, he's mad about losing his office space.

But it sounds like that might not be such a bad thing, after all. Mayor Bob Garcia was insinuating himself into day-to-day operations of the city too much.

Running the daily operations of the city is the city manager's job, not the mayor's or any of the City Council members'. That's the way the charter was written, and it was written that way to keep politicos from interfering or using city staff to their own political advantage.

The elected officials set policy. The city manager implements it.

Garcia, however, was trying to sit in on staff meetings. He wanted city staff to evaluate his job performance.

Who, in a small operation, would write anything negative? It would be too easy to figure out who said it.

Then, the mayor could wave around the ratings to show what a good he's been doing.

Now, the mayor wants to take it to the gubernator or the prez of the newnited states?

Oh, please.

Not that he's a bad guy – he's got good intentions. He just needs some reining in and litter-box training.

Hurricane warnings

Don't be lulled into a false sense of security, the NOAA folks said.

The Miami Herald reports today, "There's a 70 percent chance of 14 to 20 named storms, including Alex and Bonnie, eight to 12 hurricanes with four to six becoming major ones. 'We're to the period when you start to see these waves rolling off of Africa. Everything is in place for a really active year,' said Gerry Bell, lead seasonal forecaster for NOAA's Climate Prediction Center."

Oh goody. At my advanced age of 13, I remember the hurricanes of '04, spent cowering beneath the bed as winds threatened to beat in the windows. Then, after Frances, suffering from the heat and bone-penetrating dampness. There was no electricity and thus, no air conditioning, for nine days.

A cat of my heft doesn't do well in those conditions.

I say my mantra: Just because there's a chance of named storms doesn't mean they will be big ones. It doesn't mean they will hit the U.S. coast or us.

Booger snot politics in West Volusia

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Prepare for fireworks in DeBary Wednesday night — Recommendation: liberal servings of catnip just before the meeting

The agenda for the Aug. 4 DeBary City Council meeting is fairly light. That's a good thing, since it looks to be another noisy meeting.

It doesn't seem like tempers have cooled off much — especially Mayor Bob Garcia's — since the last City Council meeting. That's when he, Vice Mayor Norm Erickson, Council Member Jack Lenzen and the others got into it over the Mayor's Round Table Meetings and office space in City Hall.

We fat cats like our comfort, so I wouldn't have squawked over the office space. Too bad that became a bone of contention and source of drama. (Mayor Garcia operating out of his truck. Um hum.)

But c'mon, Mayor. Norm Erickson was right about the meetings. It's better to legally notice them, then no problemo about Sunshine violations.

The problem is, if they're noticed as workshops or special meetings, they're not YOUR meetings any more. They are COUNCIL meetings. As these, on matters of concern to the entire community and City Council, should have been. They weren't a proper subject for a private round-table meeting. Discussion about how the city might handle traffic control and traffic on busy West Highbanks is a matter for the entire council.

And Erickson is right about the charter. The mayor doesn't run the government. In DeBary, the mayor is a City Council member who has a few extra perks and ceremonial duties, such as chairing City Council meetings and signing legal documents for the city as required by ordinance.

Aw well, here's hoping they can bury the hatchet. And not in each other.

Perhaps serve them all a bit o' catnip just before the meeting, to mellow them out. It was way too tense at the last meeting.

The meeting is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday in Council Chambers at DeBary City Hall. The resolution about office space is on the agenda. Public participation is permitted, and I encourage it!

Go argue your point of view.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water ...

Molly the dog asked me to post this. She thinks it's hilarious. Of course, she loves Marmaduke.

In case the caption didn't come through clearly, the lifeguard is saying, "Not on MY beach!"










Sharks. That's next.

At least we're not dealing with the Gulf oil spill, yet, anyway.

The true cost of development

The cost of development

Holey moley, here's a little bite of what developers cost our county:

It was the forces of development that tried to force through a bunch of rules revisions that would de-fang the Volusia Growth Management Commission.

After countless hours of meetings and pushes from developers' attorneys, the residents of Volusia County spoke out last year. Most of the changes were canned.

Attorney Paul Chipok of GrayRobinson, who represents the Growth Management Commission, provided the commission a breakdown of legal consulting fees relevant to the rules changes. It's the taxpayers who foot the bill for this, remember.

For fiscal years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 the total came to $70,241.

It's just a drop in the bucket of the true cost to the taxpayers for developers maneuvering to get what they want.

Think of all the money county and city governments spend on the development process — millions — on hearings, comp plan changes, appealing state rulings, going to court. Think of all the hours county staff — legal and planning — put in on Farmton, to help push it through.

Then think how much you spend in taxes to pave and maintain the roads, put in the fire stations and law-enforcement officers, maintain the sewer lines and everything else for the development after it is built.

HISS X 5.

Poster cat

Hey, there. Here are some photos of moi:










This is me in all my splendiferousness. No, I am not pregnant. I am a 13-year-old male.

And, do not call me "Orca!"

My hero

My hero, William Shatner: He's big and fat and sassy. And hammy. And just like me, he gets away with a heck of a lot!

Hiring consultants for beach driving is crazy

I've been itching to post this all week. Getting my typist to work for me was difficult, however.

Here's the thing on the County Council's decision to hire a consultant ($50K, no less) to look into beach driving: It's a stupid waste of money. It does, however, get the County Council off the hook for making a decision now, during election season.

The consultants aren't going to tell the council members a durn thing they don't already know.

Here's what they can do on beach driving (and I'll tell 'em for free):

1. Continue as usual.

2. Prohibit all driving on the beach.

3. Designate more drive-free zones on the beach through Daytona Beach

4. Get more off-beach parking to assist with items 2 and 3.

There!

I never go to the beach, with my aversion to getting wet. My person had a squirt gun out the other night, and the thought of it wetting us drove Jack and I under the bed. Uggghhhhh.

But prohibiting beach driving does no more than turn our beaches into private preserves for the hotel owners, while access for locals would be just about nil.

More good areas where families can park close by and hit the beach is the ticket.

If the County Council would like to pay me for this advice, I'll be happy to take it. Let me know, and I'll set up PayPal.

Booyah!

On Amendment 4

Here's a thoughtful post making the rounds. After reading all the hysterical hoopla, read something that makes sense: "Amendment 4 — Hell, Yes: It's Common Sense!"

And the rains came

I don't really understand people sometimes.

Rain just isn't my thing. I don't like getting wet. Dry weather is just fine with me, as long as there's some drinking water in my dish.

After a couple of weeks of no rain, we've been getting little showers off and on all day. To look at my person and her friend, you'd think they've been using catnip or something.

They jump up and run to the door and make noises like they're all excited. My person ran out onto the front porch, grabbed her potted herbs and sat them out where they would get all wet (shudder). It was awful.

She ran out into the drizzle too, to coo to her tomato plants and cantaloupe vines.

Strange. People are just strange.

Congrats to Enterprise Preservation Society

A big purr out (my version of a shout out) to the fine and feisty folks at Enterprise Preservation Society. They just celebrated the society's 10th anniversary.

It's a good thing there are people out there who want to preserve a part of old Florida and its history. They are a prime reason Deltona hasn't annexed the Enterprise area. They were instrumental in getting the Thornby property preserved as a natural park on the shores of Lake Monroe.

Visit the Enterprise Preservation Society and learn more.


Some of the fine and feisty folks of EPS:

Hisses to the Legislature

Well, they done gone and done it.

From today's Miami Herald:

Moving with extraordinary speed, the Florida Legislature took just two hours Tuesday to reject Gov. Charlie Crist's proposal to give voters the chance to amend the state Constitution and ban offshore oil drilling.

In a brief special session, Republicans carried out a plan to block Crist from scoring political points by leading the charge for what they see as a symbolic ban on near-shore drilling, something already barred by state law.

The referendum is strongly supported by Democrats and independents whose votes Crist covets as an independent U.S. Senate candidate.

Five hisses to the Legislature.

The House met for only 49 minutes before voting 67-44 to go home. The Senate vote was 18-16 to follow suit. Give Republican Evelyn Lynn credit - she voted against adjourning.

The vote should backfire on a lot of politicians who are worried Crist might score political points with the special session. They are just making him look better.

They're making themselves look like the politicians they are who don't care about the environment and don't care what the people of Florida care about. They don't even want to give Floridians the chance to say what they care about on this critical issue.

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! to the House weasels and Senajits.

Oil to burn

Gov. Charlie Crist will convene a special Legislative session to begin this afternoon. The topic? an offshore drilling ban.

The Miami Herald reports the Republican-lead Legislature will try to quash it.

But while the Republican-led Legislature prepared to squash the governor's plan and rob him of a victory he can use in his bid to win the U.S. Senate seat, they may take a political hit in the process.

Protestors from oil-ravaged regions of the state are heading to the Capitol Tuesday and dozens of business owners, restaurant workers, defense industry contractors and hotel operators from Northwest Florida plan to sit in the House gallery as lawmakers reject the drilling ban.

``We want to make it clear that we are paying very close attention,'' warned Cathy Harrelson, a St. Petersburg environmental activist and one of the organizers behind a rally at the Capitol to support the constitutional ban.

— From MiamiHearld.com today.

If Farmton is the poster child for Amendment 4, don't you think the Deepwater Horizon spill is the poster child for banning offshore drilling?

The spill is hundreds of times worse than the Exxon Valdez mess. It will affect the Gulf Coast for many years to come. It's horrendous.

Every Legislator who tries to quash the ban must be voted out of office.

And, speaking of DeBary — Gator bites?

Check out Rog Lee on YouTube:

Speaking of DeBary

Come on, admit it DeBary. Aren't the City Council meetings more pleasant now, with shorter meetings?

Another reason Farmton is a bad idea

Tearing up the ecologically sensitive area of the county to put in a huge (28,000 plus) development just doesn't seem like good planning.

Now, the County Council has even more reason to reconsider: as the sea levels rise due to global warming, the 100-year-flood plain will flood more and more often. Read the story here. More than 70 percent of the development will be in a 100-year-flood plain. Plus, the urbanization of these undeveloped lands will add to warming in Volusia County.

It doesn't make any sense to build there.

Just wait until the development is built, and people buy. Wait for the first tropical storm. Most of those pretty houses will be flooded. The residents will be screaming at the county to fix the situation, at county (i.e., taxpayer) expense.

They will tell the county, "You approved this didn't you? Why would you approve something that is going to flood every time we get a little tropical storm? This is your responsibility."

I kinda think they would be right.

I don't like getting my feet wet. As Molly the dog says, "Water is for drinking ONLY." Keep me high and dry, please.

Does the County Council get it? Do they really believe this development is going to pay for itself — for all the roads run into the conservation core, followed by road maintenance, plus law enforcement, fire and emergency services?

Do they really believe it's a good idea?

Right, an asphalt plant

Yeah, an asphalt plant on West State Road 44 is just what we need. Think of the things it will accomplish:

• Annoy all the neighbors with dust, noise and lights
• Bring big trucks right through DeLand coming and going from the plant
• Tear up said road, which is New York Avenue in town

Can't you just see it — the big Walmart trucks roaring through town, tearing up Woodland Boulevard. Asphalt plant trucks tearing up New York Avenue. Well, maybe they'll collide at the intersection.

DeLand seriously needs a truck route that's enforced.

Maybe the plant operators should look at Benson Junction Road, down in DeBary.