Volusia News Now

Headline Surfer® graphic / The locator map at left shows the area south of the 500 block of Osteen-Maytown Road where the body of a man was found floating in shallow water on Saturday. He has since been identified.

OSTEEN -- The body of a man found Saturday afternoon floating in a water-filled borrow pit in Osteen, has been identified as that of 56-year-old Robert Lewis Williams, a Volusia County Sheriff's spokesman said.

"Witnesses said they saw the victim going into the water Friday afternoon," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson told Headline Surfer®. "Williams has family who live close by where the body was found, but he had no known permanent address. While there were no immediate signs of foul play, the Sheriff’s Office is investigating and will work with the Volusia County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death."

Sheriff's spokesman: At first, convenience store clerk thought man was joking

Headline Surfer® graphic / At left is a locate map of the Circle K, 1805 Elkcam Blvd., in Deltona that was robbed by a man, possibly armed with a handgun at 12:23 a.m. Sunday.

DELTONA -- At first, the convenience store clerk thought the man was joking when he approached the counter and demanded cash early this morning, but it was all too real.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office respond to 9-1-1 call about the robbery at 12:23 a.m. Deputies, who began arriving at the scene at 1805 Elkcam Blvd. two minutes later, were told that the robber had entered the store and demanded that the clerk hand over the money in the cash register.

"At first, the clerk said he thought it was a joke," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davison told Headline Surfer®.

Photos for Headline Surfer® / Ken Ali, a candidate for the district 2 County Council race in 2012, shown here in this recent self-portrait on his Facebook, has no regrets in declaring at the end of a debate that he's 'heterosexual,' a veiled bi-sexual jab at the incumbent, Joshua Wagner, married with his wife pregnant at the time with their second child, who laughed it off.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Things weren't quite right to begin with. First, the Daytona Beach News-Journal debate for the district 2 County Council race was held at the Brannon Center in New Smyrna Beach instead of a venue in Daytona Beach since that's the home turf of the seat held by incumbent Joshua Wagner.

Then came the prophetic words that that doomed the candidacy of candidate Daytona Beach businessman Ken Ali, if he had a prayer toy begin with in surviving a primary in the three-persion race and forcing a run-off with Wagner, in the 2012 November elections.

OAK HILL -- The first of the HeadlineSurfer.com Public Candidate Debates were held over two nights in late June. They were memorable for two things: attendance and two prime debate no-shows from the Volusia County Council dais in District 3's Deb Denys and term-limited District 5''s Pt Northey, who is vying for the at-large seat.

DAYTONA BEACH -- The year was 1996, and the place was the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, where perhaps the ultimate betrayal took place.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Headline Surfer® presents its 2014 Primary Election Voter Guide with candidate profiles, public candidate debate videos segments, endorsements and party lines political notebook items, beginning today and leading up to the big vote on Aug. 26.

DELAND -- Volusia County Fair Association Board President Billy Jones and administrative assistant Darla Borders received their State of Florida Honorary FFA Degrees at a ceremony at the Seventh General Session of the 86th Florida FFA State Convention & Expo.

Source: Elected official pushed for Waverly Media investigation that so far has cost taxpayers $150,000 claiming, 'We need to lance the boil,' while cheating on taxes

Headline Surfer® graphics /

DAYTONA BEACH -- Last winter, County Councilman Doug Daniels convinced a majority of his colleagues on the dais to hire his former law partner, Jonathan Kaney, Jr., to investigate Waverly Media because, "We need to lance the boil," that is corruption.