By Henry FrederickDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- For a little more than a decade now, Central Florida's major news outlets have long since become the servant to the master of the microphone and video camera -- Mike Chitwood -- the reality star of law enforcement media theatrics.
But how well do any of us real ever know someone in a position of public trust and who wields great political power. Often, it is someone who comes across as engaging and above reproach.
Consider foul-mouthed Mike Chitwood, Volusia County' s sheriff since January and ex-Daytona Beach PD chief, who, in the past 10 1/2 years, has had more face time in the Central Florida media spotlight than any other newsmaker along the I-4 corridor -- stretching from Disney and the Attractions to the rolling ocean surf and hard sands of the World's Most Famous Beach.
Chitwood has hogged the spotlight more than Tiger Woods and Shaquille O'Neal. More than Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. More than past Orlando Magic stars like Dwight Howard, Grant Hill and Vince Carter. And way more than big-time self-marketing attorneys like John Morgan of Morgan and Morgan and auto accident negligence attorney Mark Nejame.
When it comes to face time in front of the Orlando TV cameras, Chitwood has George Zimmerman and Casey Anthony beat. It's not even close, even when they are combined.
Chitwood even created his own theatrical Oscar moment by coaxing a despondent George Anthony from a seedy beachside motel in favor of a waiting bed in the psych ward at Halifax Hospital just up the road from Daytona International Speedway, a few years back as the Casey Anthony trial murder was getting under way. Casey, of course, was acquitted of killing her little girl, Caylee Marie Anthony, 2.
Amid this media circus continuum, Chitwood seems to come out ahead, even when he appears to be in the wrong.
Consider:
• Jan. 1: Chitwood brings on board his campaign manager, Janelle Homan, as a videographer for the VCSO, at a salary of $54,000, even though the law enforcement agency has three civilian PIOs on staff -- Gary Davidson at nearly $100,000, Judie Edwards at $60,000 and Andrew Gant at $50,000. Two days later, knowing that Headline Surfer is aware of the hire, which Chitwood has kept under wraps, he has Headline Surfer banned from his initial press conference, immediately following his swearing-in ceremony. To this day, not a single other media outlet besides Headline Surfer has reported the hiring.
• Jan. 20: Chitwood is stopped for speeding on LPGA while on his way to his former cop shop in Daytona for the moving up ceremony of administrators under new Police Chief Craig Capri.Media reports later that day and over the next several days give the impression Chitwood insisted the deputy who stopped him give him a ticket (which turned out to be 11 hours later), even as he told three different media outlets three different versions of what occurred. What Chitwood does not acknowledge -- nor deny -- and what the other media outlets fail to report are whispers that Chitwood had the deputy lower the actual speed, which was not reflected on the ticket that had him doing 87 in a 55 or 27 miles over the limit.
Anything over 30 mph is considered reckless and requires a mandatory appearance in court. At least two sources within the VCSO told Headline Surfer Chitwood had been clocked 40-45 mph over the speed limit, which would have had him going 95-100 mph. At least four of Chitwood's administrators were involved in events that day leading to him finally receiving a ticket. Neither they not the deputy returned Headline Surfer's calls and messages for comment.
• March 14: Chitwood in an interview with the Daytona Beach News-Journal, is quoted as calling County Manager Jim Dinneen a "lying sack of shit." It's part of an orchestrated scheme where Chitwood was appearing on the Marc Bernier Show and accusing the county manager of micro-managing his budget and his requests for equipment.
Chitwood had jumped on the bandwagon regarding proposed legislation in South Florida that would give elected sheriffs to have direct oversight over their own budgets. But Chitwood ever campaigned on such a platform during his run for sheriff, culminating in his outright win in the August primary. The legislation didn't materialize until year's end and died in the early spring,
• April 28: Chitwood is involved in a potentially-deadly incident on I-95 on his from New Smyrna Beach back home to Daytona Beach, during which a strap breaks and a bicycle falls onto the roadway from the back of his vehicle. Chitwood never mentions the fact that he had two bicycles on the back of his vehicle, but only the bike that falls off when the strap snaps at the base is reported by the other media outlets. Headline Surfer gets the actual report from the Florida Highway Patrol that there were two bikes, but it is not reported as such elsewhere.
Even Chitwood's trademark "scumbag" reference for those he doesn't like, has been further outfitted to include a scumbag of the week acronym on social media sites, mostly for low-level individuals wanted on outstanding warrants: "Sorry Case of an Unconscionable, Malicious Bozo who Abused the Grieving.
Headline Surfer isolated:
The media outlets only report on Chitwood when he initiates coverage and they do not challenge him. Headline Surfer made that mistake in 2012, when it wrote an investigative story questioning why Chitwood, then Daytonas's top cop, would promote a [patrol supervisor who allegedly had harassed at least two women cops for years. Though Chitwood cooperated with the reporting that led to the story winning two journalism awards later that year from the Florida Press Club in general news and public safety reporting, Chitwood subsequently cut off Headline Surfer from the DBPD's daily media alerts for breaking news.
Headline Surfer appealed to City Manager Jim Chisholm and Chitwood was ordered to restore the internet media outlet back to the email alerts. Chitwood then eliminated the email media alerts altogether in favor of his PIOs contacting the other media outlets for breaking news and press conferences while leaving Headline Surfer out in the cold.
And as soon as the day Chitwood took office as sheriff on Jan. 1, he had Headline Surfer removed from the VCSO email alerts, crossed off Headline Surfer from receiving press cards bearing his name and two days later, Headline Surfer learned it was banned from press conferences.
As off today, May 1, 121 days have gone by since Chitwood's draconian punishment of Headline Surfer began with his assault on its First Amendment rights, but none of the other media outlets have reported any of this and Volusia County leaders have not uttered a word of criticism publicly against Chitwood.
Headline Surfer doesn't have the financial resources to take Chitwood to court and has not found any lawyers willing to represent it pro bono. Headline Surfer continues to do its best to get the news out, even with the roadblocks put up by Chitwood.