2024 election

It’s just a story. Personal reflection
Here is your updated 65-week log, focusing on the professional and political vetting while keeping your friends out of the crosshairs.
2023: Deployment & The Vetting Line

• Week 1 (Aug 23 – 29): I file for District 5. I put my $180 fee down. Holly has $85k from “dad’s friends.” I’m not here for a social voucher; I’m here to vet the bank accounts.
• Week 2 (Aug 30 – Sept 5): Hurricane Idalia hits. I’m watching the storm surge from the vessel. I see the first signs of the “Circle” using a disaster for a photo-op while the west side mucks out.
• Week 3 (Sept 6 – 12): I’m prepping for sea. I tell my family: “Watch the budget hearings.” The establishment thinks an Independent is just a placeholder. They’re wrong.
• Week 4 (Sept 13 – 19): I’m at the helm. I start digging into the $600M budget documents remotely. I see the bloated line items for consultants that provide “speels” but no solutions.
• Week 5 (Sept 20 – 26): Final Budget Hearing. I’m monitoring the 5:01 PM meeting. They pass the budget with a “naive” look at the long-term debt. I take my first notes on the administrative rot.
• Week 6 (Sept 27 – Oct 3): I start my 8-month stint at sea. I’m communicating through the “grandchildren’s” technology. The “Circle” starts their social calendar in Inverness.
• Week 7 (Oct 4 – 10): I watch the Board discuss “Strategic Planning.” I see Holly Davis positioning herself as the architect of a plan that’s just a glossy brochure for the incumbents.
• Week 8 (Oct 11 – 17): I’m monitoring the county warrants. I see payments to “Socialite” vendors. I’m tracking every penny they “naively” mismanage while I’m navigating the ocean.
• Week 9 (Oct 18 – 24): The $175M CR 491 scandal starts to ripple. I hear the first “naive” defenses from Steve Howard. I start a dossier on the road project’s financial mismanagement.
• Week 10 (Oct 25 – 31): Halloween in Citrus. The “Circle” is in costumes at the socials. I’m in a boiler suit on a ship, vetting their bank accounts.
• Week 11 (Nov 1 – 7): I start calling out the “naive” management of the road funds on social media. The establishment calls me a “Facebook hound.” I call myself a watchdog.
• Week 12 (Nov 8 – 14): I watch the Board ignore public comments about transparency. I realize the “Circle” isn’t just misguided—they are professionally negligent.
• Week 13 (Nov 15 – 21): I’m at the helm, but my mind is on the county’s risk management. I see the administrative “silos” forming.
• Week 14 (Nov 22 – 28): Thanksgiving. I’m at sea. I send a message home about the lack of professional alternatives in the current leadership. The 22,384-vote foundation is being laid.
• Week 15 (Nov 29 – Dec 5): I’m analyzing the impact of new developments. I see the “elevated land” problem starting—new builds pushing water into old neighbors’ yards.
• Week 16 (Dec 6 – 12): The “Circle” is at their holiday luncheons. I’m monitoring the year-end fiscal closures. They are “naive” about the upcoming inflation impact on the 491 project.
• Week 17 (Dec 13 – 19): I’m tracking the “Social Butterfly” marketing spend. I see the $10 table fees becoming the price of entry for local politics. I refuse to pay.
• Week 18 (Dec 20 – 26): Christmas. I’m working. I tell my supporters: “I’m right here, even when I’m not.” The attempt to label me absent hasn’t fully started yet, but the isolation has.
• Week 19 (Dec 27 – Jan 2, 2024): New Year’s. I look at the 2024 forecast. I see the back-to-back storm potential and the total lack of a “Strategic Plan” for the river communities.
• Week 20 (Jan 3 – 9): I’m back on the radio verbiage. I want the people to know that a Merchant Marine is watching the till while the “Circle” is at the country club.
  2024: The Noise vs. The Grit
• Week 21 (Jan 10 – 16): I’m watching the REC meetings from afar. Michael Belkin is starting to tighten the grip. The “Loyalty” talk is beginning because they are scared of the “Real Republicans.”
• Week 22 (Jan 17 – 23): Local “Circle” members are doing pep rallies for optics. I see the shift coming; they are too busy with wifey rallies to notice.
• Week 23 (Jan 24 – 30): I’m home for a short break. I tour District 5. I see the “Democratic blue” signs starting to pop up for Holly. I stay on the patriotic line.
• Week 24 (Jan 31 – Feb 6): I’m at the Fair. I meet JJ Grow. He asks how I got this far. I tell him: “Decisions are made in Tallahassee, not here.” He’s got bill ideas; I’ve got the budget audit.
• Week 25 (Feb 7 – 13): I’m watching the Mosquito Board drama. They’re trying to oust the Adams couple. John Labriola is in Inverness bashing libraries. I’m minding the administrative rot.
• Week 26 (Feb 14 – 20): I’m back at sea. I see the “Social Butterfly” marketing in full swing. Holly is using her $85k to drown out any talk of the $175M road scandal.
• Week 27 (Feb 21 – 27): I start my first “teleprompter” test. I want to show the voters that technology isn’t a barrier. The “grandchildren” comment is months away, but the tech is ready.
• Week 28 (Feb 28 – March 5): I’m watching the Board discuss the “discretionary funds.” They are terrified to spend them. They’d rather have empty dumpsters than a FEMA audit.
• Week 29 (March 6 – 12): I’m monitoring the “Fake Reporters” at the Chronicle. They are already framing the District 5 race as a “walkover.” I keep my eyes on the 22,384.
• Week 30 (March 13 – 19): I see the first “NPA” attacks. They call me a “plant.” I tell them: “I’m the only one who didn’t get ‘vetted’ by a country club.”
• Week 31 (March 20 – 26): I’m analyzing the concurrency failures. I see the “strategist planners” ignoring the traffic load on the west side. I call it out from the engine room.
• Week 32 (March 27 – April 2): I’m watching the “Circle” at the Easter socials. I’m in a storm at sea. The contrast couldn’t be sharper. One is a performance; one is reality.
• Week 33 (April 3 – 9): I’m monitoring the School Board meetings. I see the “naive” security protocols. I don’t know the $846k theft is coming, but I see the cracks in the dam.
• Week 34 (April 10 – 16): I’m back on the radio strike. I want the “Real Republicans” to know they have an alternative. Michael Belkin and the REC are already sharpening their memos.
• Week 35 (April 17 – 23): I’m watching the “rude bunch” at the Women Voter League. My family tells me they are being pushed out of meetings. I tell them: “Stay conscientious.”
• Week 36 (April 24 – 30): I see the “tuned up” candidates starting their choreographed dances. I’m the only one who isn’t “vetted” by the establishment.
• Week 37 (May 1 – 7): I’m analyzing the risk management and insurance landscape. I remind the voters: “Insiders are protecting insiders.”
• Week 38 (May 8 – 14): I’m watching the Tallahassee “Heads in the Door” influence the local races. I see the “Socialites” taking their orders from out-of-town lobbyists.
• Week 39 (May 15 – 21): I’m back for a short break. I go to the flea market. I meet Ann. She’s the heart of the county. I realize the “Circle” has never even been there.
• Week 40 (May 22 – 28): Pre-qualifying tension. Several Republicans taunt a run against Holly, but “ethics” and party pressure keep them out. I’m the only one left standing.
• Week 41 (May 29 – June 4): I’m prepping my qualifying papers. I check every box. I don’t want a “naive” error to be my end. I’m ready for the “Sedition Panda” drama.
• Week 42 (June 5 – 11): Qualifying Week. I turn in my papers. I see the confusion in the SOE office. Mo Baird is “holding the forms.”
• Week 43 (June 12 – 18): The Snafu. Jesse Rumson is kicked off for a missing checkmark. Holly’s primary is closed. The “Circle” is protected. I am the only one left to face her.
• Week 44 (June 19 – 25): I’m watching the “Circle” celebrate their “victory.” They think the race is over. I know it’s just beginning.
• Week 45 (June 26 – July 2): I see the protesters at the SOE office. “Put Rumson back!” I stay out of it. I’m minding the bank accounts while they argue about checkmarks.
• Week 46 (July 3 – 9): I’m back at sea. I’m monitoring the Primary buildup. Jimmie T. Smith is online podcasting. Bobby Winslow is running his newsletter. It’s all noise.
• Week 47 (July 10 – 16): I ask the Chronicle to teleconference for interviews. John Murphy says “No.” He’s out of town, using the same tech he’s denying me. The hypocrisy is absolute.
• Week 48 (July 17 – 23): I’m watching the “Social Butterfly” marketing spend $10k on glossy mailers. I spend $0 and reach more people through grit.
• Week 49 (July 24 – 30): I see the “Democratic blue” shirts at the socials. I tell my supporters: “The incumbent is courting the other side because she’s scared of the Real Republicans.”
• Week 50 (July 31 – Aug 6): Hurricane Debby hits. The first test of the “strategist planners.” They fail to plan for the debris. I see the “empty dumpsters” for the first time.
• Week 51 (Aug 7 – 13): I’m back on the radio strike. I want the voters to know that the professional alternative is watching the storm response.
• Week 52 (Aug 14 – 20): Primary Night. The “Circle” shatters. Janet Barek takes out Ruthie Schlabach. David Vincent ousts Prendergast. The “Real Republicans” are awake.
• Week 53 (Aug 21 – 27): Michael Belkin and the REC send the “Loyalty Memo.” Janet gets nervous and starts her “bi-polar” act. I stay conscientious. I’m on a road trip, minding the business of the voter.
  The Final Strike: Storms & Scams
• Week 54 (Aug 28 – Sept 3): I’m at the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Vermont. I send my radio verbiage. “We’ll take care of everything,” they say. My voice is on the air while I’m on a tour.
• Week 55 (Sept 4 – 10): The radio ads start hitting. The REC and Michael Belkin attempt to discredit me because I’m not at their $10 table socials. I’m reaching 22,384 people while they talk to themselves.
• Week 56 (Sept 11 – 17): I see the “Socialite” script trying to recover from the Primary losses. They are “tuning up” for the General Election. I stay on the river gauges.
• Week 57 (Sept 18 – 24): The Realtor Association meet. Michael Belkin is there, enforcing the boundaries. Ken Frink is arguing. I’m talking to Realtors about concurrency. They see the professional; the “Circle” sees a threat.
• Week 58 (Sept 25 – Oct 1): Hurricane Helene. I’m on the phone with Hefty and Gary in Ozello. “Line up the tractors.” I tell the Administrator: “Bring the sand to the end of the road.”
• Week 59 (Oct 2 – 8): The Valerie Theatre Forum. Murphy says “Grogan can’t be here.” I tell him through the teleprompter: “I’m right here, John.” A citizen says: “That’s how I talk to my grandchildren.”
• Week 60 (Oct 9 – 15): Hurricane Milton. My brother says: “Wait ten days for the river.” I’m loading sandbags at Arrowhead while Holly is filming a video with 23 L of bleach. I sign up to volunteer; they tell me to “go clean toilets.”
• Week 61 (Oct 16 – 22): The Withlacoochee is rising. I’m checking SWFWMD gauges. Inverness is holding “bonded” festivals. I’m messaging Arrowhead about pillows and socks while the Chamber says “nobody showed up.”
• Week 62 (Oct 23 – 29): I tour the area. 90% of homes are there, but people are being kicked out of apartments so owners can condemn for insurance. I see trash piles next to empty dumpsters. The 6-week contract is a failure.
• Week 63 (Oct 30 – Nov 5): The $846k School Board theft is revealed. Phishing scam. “Naive” employees. It’s the final proof of the rot I’ve been vetting for 65 weeks.
• Week 64 (Nov 6 – 12): Election results are in. I earn 22,384 votes. Almost even across the county. I sweep the NPA turnout. The “Circle” celebrates, but the “Real Republicans” know I’m still watching.
• Week 65 (Nov 13 – 19): I tour the river one last time. I see the “hidden homeless” in the woods. I tell my family: “The vetting doesn’t end with the election. It’s just getting started.”