In advance of Friday night's "Light Up Flagler" we received a phone call from one of our advertisers about a key person in the hospitality association there we might be writing about in a way that's less than flattering. That advertiser asked us -- pleaded with us -- not to write it and was told that we had misrepresented a video regarding illegal drinking in front of the bars on Flagler.
We made it clear to the advertiser that though we appreciate the financial support they have given us, neither they nor anyone else was going to dictate what we write about, period. As for the bar situation, our published video speaks for itself.
NSBNews.net has spent the better part of the past two years looking into the funding provided by New Smyrna Beach's Community Redevelopment Agency and what we have found is troubling, to say the least.
What we found that is far more disturbing is the role of the elected commissioners and the mayor as well as those in government administration in allowing this situation to continue unabated.
When we ourselves sought a share of the advertising money from the city, not only were we shut out, but attacked as well by those in public and private sectors who stand to lose in the face of public awareness and further scrutiny. As indicated above, our advertisers have been contacted by a consultant for the city and reminded of the benefits of receiving CRA funds and why it might not be in their interest to do business with us. When we brought it to the attention of the city, we got no response.
Our upcoming investigative series will be published this week. It was cemented by what we saw Friday night while on Flagler: a city commissioner fraternizing in front of a bar with two key people in this CRA mess. This commissioner had been playing us all along until we caught her talking to her real friends -- those at the head of the line for taxpayer dollars. This created a clear-cut picture for us on why things are the way they are. You'll see that picture, too, literally and figuratively.
People keep asking me why we are waiting so long to put this investigative series out there. The reason is simple: We are not a blogging gossip site. We are an Internet newspaper and we deal in facts supported by public documents -- not supposition and innuendo, even if the accusations are true. We give everyone involved an opportunity to explain themselves. All of that takes time, culling through public documents, especially with our very limited resources.
Yes, we've been pleaded with by elected officials not to publish what we have under the guise it will ruin peoples' reputations. Of course, they won't make those pleas on the record even as it flies in the face of their claim of full transparency. Let me be clear about this: Anyone involved with handling, receiving or doling out taxpayer money is fair game for scrutiny, our media scrutiny. This is what we do. We report. It is up to the public to decide the veracity of what's published.
Regardless of the threats, false rumors and silent treatment we have received since Sept. 27, we know how vitally important all of this is to the public. Please keep that date in mind.
Since our April 7, 2008 launch, Peter Mallory and I, as publishers of Florida's first 24/7 Internet newspaper, have devoted all of our resources into providing a news operation that truly serves the citizens of New Smyrna Beach. My wife, Sera, and I, over the course of 3 1/2 years have covered nearly every public event in New Smyrna Beach, and to a lesser extent in Edgewater and Oak Hill.
We have done this with absolutely no financial support from the administrations of Mayor Adam Barringer and before that of Mayor Sally Mackay. We have been loyal paying members of the Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce, only to be dissed and ostracized by that organization as well. There are reasons for that, too, that will be explained in our investigative series.
Instead, taxpayer money and "branding" have gone to select media outlets that have turned a blind eye to the stories that need to be told. In that regard, NSBNews.net, for the most part, has stood alone.
Far less people are attending city commission meetings these days and who could blame those who have decided to stay home. As you'll see in our videos as part of this investigative series, residents asking questions at the podium have been treated with contempt and outright disrespected for simply inquiring about the stalled Hampton Inn hotel project and talk of a continuation of the CRA on Canal Street.
When the politicians tell you how wonderful everything is and their achievements with great economic development, we know the reality of the situation. And for that they want us gone, as in out of business. They give us the silent treatment and when that doesn't work, they strike out and call us names, dismissing us as "bloggers."
They can choose to give us the silent treatment. They can leave us out of the advertising. They can contact our advertisers, though they run the risk of being sued. They can clamp down on department heads that provide us with public records before they can control what we are seeking. They can seek favorable coverage in print media by virtue of CRA dollars. They can directly or indirectly deny us media sponsorships.
What they can't do is stop us from reporting the truth -- the news. They know what is going on. They know we know what is going on. And soon, you will know, too. And they don't want any of that, not with an election year less than a month away for the mayor and two commissioner seats.
