Daytona Beach Job Woes Worsen
Local workers losing jobs, Unemployment worst since 1992).
The July figures continue a trend of negative year-over-year job growth that has battered the business climate of the city. More than 21,000 area residents are unemployed according to the state report issued Friday.
There's not much [work] in this area... I'm looking all over the state.
I'm looking for customer-service or data-entry jobs, but there's no work in there.
I'm looking for anybody who'll hire me so I can make some money
Local unemployed residentsThe unemployment rate for this area virtualy doubled in one month...
Commissioner Dwayne Taylor in a recent interview.
Rick Michael, the Volusia County Director of Economic Development, said that the jobless rate seems bleaker that it really is partly because spouses and elderly retirees had re-entered the work force as a result of increasing concern over family budgets.
Mr. Michael is right on that point. The economic depression of the Daytona Beach area is palpable anywhere you go, and while political supporters have reaped huge benefits in selling overvalued assets to the City (See City of Daytona Beach buys 20-foot strip of land from campaign financer for $320,955 ) the population has suffered. Even the city's own elected Commissioners have personally benefited over the largesse. Take for example Commissioner Rick Shiver's sale of his personal residence to the City for over twice its just value, which his fellow Commissioners supported unanimously.
The City demolished the home soon after amid complaints for an investigation. Despite formal criminal complaints filed by a local resident, State Attorney John Tanner has not yet announced an investigation into the matter. Tanner is campaigning for reelection against long time attorney and former prosecutor R.J. Larizza.
Corruption in Daytona Beach a key factor in the city's decay
The level of corruption and ineptitude in City Hall has been one of the key factors in the decay of Daytona Beach's prosperity. While city officials dutifully endeavor to payback their wealthy supporters, they have neglected the very reason for their existence: The well being of the City that elected them.
Plum Jobs in Daytona Beach). These lavish salaries will only grow exponentially into the future with cost of living allowances, raises, retirement and other benefits. The net effect is an unprecedented burden to Daytona Beach taxpayers for generations to come. This in turn will accelerate the loss of even more jobs and business opportunities to better run, politically-sanitized locales.
City of Daytona Beach buys 20-foot strip of land from campaign financer for $320,955), and several other notable individuals.
Also see related articles:
The News Journal coverage about the abusive salary practices of Daytona Beach public officials
Questionable Ethics and Illegal Acts by Daytona Beach Officials
6 comments:
Even Al Capone, Lucky Luciano and the rest of the 1920's mafia could not have devised a better mechanism to raise public money outside of the public eye.
In the subsequent years Taylor endeavored to pay back his cronies by granting numerous gifts out of the public funds. Now, with Daytona Beach in shambles, the local capos want to put him in Tallahassee to do more damage on a greater scale... GIVE ME A BREAK !