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Hotel developer David Swentor on city's planning debacle: 'This is insane'

NSBNEWS.net photo by Henry Frederick.

David Swentor, at right, the developer of the proposed Hampton Inn & Suites on Flagler Avenue, shown here with local attorney Glenn Storch earlier this month, was pleased to finally have the city sign off on the project, or so he thought.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- South Carolina-based developer David Swentor was floored when he learned Tuesday that his proposed $15 million Hampton Inn & Suites for Flagler Avenue could be jeopardized because city staff failed to follow through with zoning and land-use amendments.

"This is insane," Swentor told NSBNEWS.net when reached by phone late Tuesday night.

5-year pact signed: Bert Fish now part of Florida Hospital

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NSBNEWS.net videos by Sera Frederick.

Bert Fish Medical Center officials as expectedconsummated a deal Wednesday to allow Florida Hospital to take over administrative functions. Meanwhile, The New Smyrna Beach City Commission last Tuesday allowed Bert Fish to absolve itself from the Community Redevelopment Agency, which leaves a gaping hole of 26 percent less in revenues the CRA can now count on before it sunsets in 2015. Our first video looks at the debate over hospital funding with the highlights of the City Commission voted in our second video.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A lease agreement signed early Wednesday means Bert Fish Medical Center is now under the management of Florida Hospital. Florida Hospital, under the umbrella of the Adventist Health System, will take over management of the 112-bed hospital off the South Causeway, with an option to buy the hospital outright in five years.

Planners not only didn't send final paperwork up for state approval, but never even assembled it in the first place

NSBNEWS.net Investigative Reporting

Previous coverage click below:

NSB's Planning Debacle

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The city economic development crisis is far more severe than even NSBNEWS.net reported in breaking the story online Wednesday: Not only were planning documents dating back five years not sent to the state for compliance purposes, the final applications were never even created in the first place.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. puts No. 3 back In victory lane in Friday night's Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered By Coca-Cola

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Photo at left by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR.

At left, Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes a pit stop as the No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet crew services the NASCAR Nationwide Series new car Friday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach.

Photo at right by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images.

Before the Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Nationwide Series new car race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Richard Childress get ready to roll out the No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet, bringing back memories of Dale Earnhardt Friday in Daytona Beach.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove the No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet to Gatorade Victory Lane in an exciting and emotional win in Friday night's Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered By Coca-Cola at historic Daytona International Speedway.It was the same No. 3 his father raced with.

In a green-white-checkered finish, Earnhardt, who was running the legendary blue and yellow paint scheme in honor of his father's recent induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, was able to hold off a hard-charging Joey Logano.

NEWS FLASH: Harvick wins crash-marred Coke Zero 400 at Daytona

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NSBNEWS.net photos by Henry Frederick.

Kevin Harvick comes off Turn 4 and down the front stretch on his way to the checkered flag in the Coke Zero 400. Below, "the big one," a reference to the big crash in a restrictor-plate race, collects 19 cars on lap 149, forcing NSCAR to red flag (stop) the race for 19 minutes and 34 seconds.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Kevin Harvick won the Coke Zero 500 in a crash-marred race with nine cautions, including the "big one" on the second-to-last caution.

Casey Kahne finished second, followed by Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton rounding out the Top 5.

Coke Zero 400 lap by lap

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Here is a lap by lap rundown of the Coke Zero 400 won by Kevin Harvick, courtesy of NASCAR.com

Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR and posted courtesy of NASCAR.

The race’s eighth caution came out in lap 148 as 19 cars were collected in the "big one" and the red flag shown at Daytona International Speedway.

Here is the lap breakdown:

Lap 166 -- CHECKERED FLAG: After starting on the pole, Kevin Harvick holds off Kasey Kahne to win the Coke Zero 400. Jeff Gordon finishes third, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in fourth.

Lap 165 -- LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick takes the lead. WHITE FLAG

Essence of Declaration of Independence lost in government

It is pitiful that many Americans do not recognize or understand that Thomas Jefferson has brilliantly captured the essence of America in the Declaration of Independence.

Jefferson stated, “We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator to certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men ….” .

Media: Orlando Sentinel easily beats Daytona Beach News-Journal in breaking news race coverage; NSBNEWS.net hangs with the big boys

DAYTONA BEACH -- Central Florida's metro giant, The Orlando Sentinel, crushed the once mighty metro, the Daytona Beach News-Journal, in online breaking news coverage of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

It wasn't even close. Orlandosentinel.com posted its story at 12:52 a.m., along with photos and blow-by-blow highlights with quotes from the track. News-journalonline.com posted its story at 1:21 a.m. NSBNEWS.net posted at one-paragraph news flash at 12:51 a.m. and had its story with photos posted by 1:30 a.m.

Happy Fourth of July to the United States of America

Today is a day of celebration across the United States of America and our commonwealths and territories, including Puerto Rico and Guam. We pray for our soldiers in Afghanistan, Iraq and other hot spots around the world.

We have much to be thankful for, despite the entrenched national recession, the oil mess in the Gulf that is choking our wildlife and the above mentioned American troops in harm's way.