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.