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LAKE MARY -- There is a major paradigm shift within the base of the Republican Party. The ways of the John McCains of the party are fleeting while new Republican rock stars such as Senators Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Mike Lee emerge as the future leadership of the GOP. This could be considered a radical change in direction for Republicans and a welcome one by most, but let us not throw caution to the wind as we embrace a new style of Republicanism.

Former Daytona Beach Mayor Richard Kane loves the music

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Perhaps the last person you'd expect to find in New Smyrna Beach is a retired Daytona Beach mayor who left politics 39 years ago.

And he's the first to admit he rarely ventures down to New Smyrna, with one exception.

"The New Smyrna Beach Jazz Festival," said Kane, Daytona mayor from 1969-'74, who was at the Garlic on the final Sunday of the three-day festival that ended on this Sept. 29 evening.

The festival featured a variety of jazz ensembles at more than a dozen locales throughout the city, from restaurants to bars and the Brannon Center.

The NSB jazz festival is among the more traditional tourism activities offered by the Southeast Volusia Advertising Authority, which is offering 30 events, that began Sept. 27 with the festival and culminates with a Turkey Day 5k beach run, coastal market and wine walk.

Compromise reached in Tallahassee seen as positive first step

Headline Surfer photo / Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin are shown in this screeenshort from an exclusive video interview in Miami weeks after their 17-year-old son, Trayvon Martin, was shot to death in a Sanford neighborhood by George Zimmerman.

SANFORD --  Nearly three months after George Zimmerman walked out of the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center courtroom acquitted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, the slain teen's parents may finally be realizing a dream for change.

That change is in the legislation being discussed in Tallahassee modifying the so-called "Stand Your Ground" defense that Zimmerman used as a defense in firing a fatal shot through the heart of the unarmed teen the night of Feb. 26, 2012.

Headline Surfer graphic / Blue Spring State Park, winter home of manateees for its warm waters is where a scuba diver lost his life in a diving accident on this Wednesday afternoon.

ORANGE CITY -- A man died this afternoon after an apparent scuba diving accident at Blue Springs State Park, a Volusia County Sheriff's official said.

The Sheriff's Office was called at 2:52 p.m. after the fatality.

"The man was transported to Florida Hospital Fish Memorial in Orange City where he was pronounced dead," Sheriff's spokesman Brandon Haught told Headline Surfer. "Meanwhile, his diving partner was transported to Florida Hospital Orlando for treatment. The Sheriff's Office will be investigating the death as is standard procedure but no foul play is suspected. The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of next of kin."

Headline Surfer graphic / Keith Jones lost his life when he stepped into Lake Mary Boulevard near Forest Boulevard at 9:25 p.m. Tuesday and was struck by an SUV.

LAKE MARY -- A 50-year-old man was killed Tuesday night when he stepped into the path of an eastbound car on Lake Mary Boulevard, a spokeswoman for the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The victim, Keith Jones, was transported to South Seminole Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Photos for Headline Surfer / If you recognize the women in these snapshots taken from a surveillance video camera at the Ulta store, then Kissimmee police want to hear from you at 407-846-3333.

KISSIMMEE -- Cops in Kissimmee are on the lookout for two young women who walked off with $4,000 worth of perfume from a store earlier this month.

"On October 3, the two females (pictured with this story) entered the Ulta store located at 2609 W. Osceola Parkway and stole over $4,000 worth of fragrances," Kissimmee police spokeswoman Stacie Miller told Headline Surfer. "It is believed that these two suspects have committed similar thefts in other jurisdictions."

Tourism-related stories trend well

Headline Surfer graphic / Feature tourism stories promoting the Southeast Volusia Advertising Authority continue to show strong placement in the major online news directories and search engines as demonstrated here.

DAYTONA BEACH -- For the first time since Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway back in February, Headline Surfer experienced tremendous surges in visitors Wednesday evening that forced the 24/7 internet newspaper's server in Dallas to shutdown periodically between 9-11 p.m. Wednesday because of tremendous increases in visitors.

DAYTONA BEACH -- NASCAR legend and two-time Daytona 500 winner Bill Elliott's lap speed record in qualifying that stood for 26 years has finally been broken by a hot shot driver in a flashy sports car.