Daytona Beach Corruption

Ralph Joseph Larizza on Tuesday announced "the healing has begun" as he was sworn in as State Attorney for the 7th Judicial Circuit in Florida. Overwhelming applause in celebration at the start of a new era was the tone of the induction. Larizza, 50, a former probation officer, prosecutor and most recently private attorney based in St. Augustine, was introduced to hearty applause in the Flagler Auditorium, where he was sworn in by Senior Judge Richard O. Watson. Long time incumbent John Tanner was booted out of office by angry voters, tired of special interests tainting the office of the State Attorney (See Tanner ... Read Full Story

In the 1920s and 30s, Al Capone used to have police officers and government officials on his payroll. His influence was large but it had limits and was far from total control of Chicago, a city already famous for corruption. Capone would have drooled over the power that today's "capos" have over the local politicians in Daytona Beach; a product of good ol' boy networks, campaign contributions and undue influences that propel unqualified individuals with a nasty predisposition for corruption into power. Their patrons exert total and absolute control over a city as if it was their private ranch and much to the detriment ... Read Full Story

Commissioner Dwayne Taylor has been noticeably absent from several important town meetings in Daytona Beach. His disappearance acts are an eerie repeat of his actions during the primaries months ago, where he failed to appear in public debates to face his opponents. The strategy paid off at that time thanks to the huge financial advantage he enjoyed over his better qualified opponents. Taylor is substantially financed by special interests in Daytona Beach. The same special interests that have greatly benefited by the widespread corruption in the City Commission. As a result of this financing he was able to heavily advertise his name in signs ... Read Full Story

The Daytona Post has added a Daytona Beach Jobs section to its fast growing online presence. This new venture is a result of a partnership with SimplyHired, the world's largest job search engine. The Daytona Jobs section includes job postings from all over the nation in categories such as Management, Engineering, Computer, Health Care, Hospitality, Entertainment and many more. This site is the first of its type in the Daytona Beach area and connects eager employers and recruiters from Florida and rest of the nation with the growing mass of unemployed workers in Daytona Beach (See related article Daytona Beach Job Woes Worsen ). ... Read Full Story

A "whistle-blower" is an employee, former employee, or member of an organization, especially a business or government agency, who reports misconduct to people or entities that have the power and presumed willingness to take corrective action. The misconduct may be a violation of a law, rule, regulation and/or a direct threat to public interest, such as fraud, health/safety violations, and corruption. The term whistle-blower derives from the practice of English bobbies, who would blow their whistles when they noticed the commission of a crime. The whistle would alert both law enforcement officers and the general public of danger. Honesty should be the best policy. ... Read Full Story