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By Stan Escudero

Come Saturday, South Carolina’s voters will choose their state’s preferred Republican presidential candidate. The primary is open so any of the state’s voters can participate with delegates awarded on a proportional basis.

Right now Mitt Romney is ahead in the polls with about 40% support with Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum following. Perry has less than 6% and Jon Huntsman, who had 5.6%, just bailed out this morning while endorsing Romney. (I doubt that this will give Romney a 5.6 point bounce in the polls though.)

DAYTONA BEACH -- Passenger traffic at Daytona Beach International Airport increased 11 percent in December compared with the previous December.

The airport saw 39,839 passengers traveled through the county- operated airport compared with 35,955 passengers in December 2010. For the 12 months ending December 31, the airport recorded 550,986 passengers, an 11 percent increase over the prior 12 months.

NSB News videos by Multimedia Editor Sera Frederick /
NEW SMYRNA BEACH --

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- As director of the city's CRA and its economic development director, Tony Otte has his pulse on what's happening in New Smyrna Beach, and in his world it's all wonderful, especially with the NSB Waterfront Loop campaign.

Or so says today's Sunday edition of the Daytona Beach News-Journal, with a story headlined: "Getting the job done: Tony Otte, New Smyrna Beach redevelopment chief."

There's no mention in the story of the impending close of Kmart on State Road 44 or that of the Food Lion on the beachside. And who credits Otte with "Getting the Job Done?"

Is it Mayor Adam Barringer? No, the News-Journal couldn't even get him Friday night for its Saturday story on the Food Lion.

Is it Commissioner and County Council candidate Jim Hathaway? No. He too, has been invisible to the media.

A fire in the kitchen area of Hunt's Restaurant on U.S. 1 across from the Beacon Theater complex in New Smyrna Beach resulted in flames shooting through the rear and roof.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A fire at Hunt's Steakhouse, 1518 S. Dixie Freeway, that had flames shooting out the rear and through the roof, was extinguished Saturday night by the New Smyrna Beach Fire Department.

NEW SMRNA BEACH -- The oft-criticized CRA here is among 1,662 special taxing districts in the Sunshine State under review by Gov. Rick Scott today.

Scott ordered his staff to undertake a comprehensive review of Florida’s special taxing districts to continue bringing "accountability to their powers to tax, spend and incur debt at the expense of Florida taxpayers."

The Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget will conduct a review and make recommendations for cutting costs and introducing accountability as directed by Executive Order 12-10. Scott previously directed a review of all water management districts and hospital districts – two examples of special taxing districts.

“A major factor in our goal of lowering the cost of living for Floridians are the roughly 1,600 special districts in Florida which bring in more than $15 billion in taxpayer-funded revenues each year,” Scott said.