Headline Surfer® photo /DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Public service traditionally has been just that -- service and sacrifice for the betterment of the community at large. But in Volusia County, second highest in terms of overall property taxes, those working for municipal and county governments as well as special taxing districts are making out like bandits.
And yet those taxes are among the lowest in the state in terms of generating needed revenue. HeadlineSurfer.com is in the process of collecting salaries from the 16 municipalities as well as the county and the special taxing districts, namely the three advertising authorities, the three indigent care hospital districts and Daytona State College.
The internet newspaper has received the 2014 year-end gross salaries from Volusia County government, Daytona State College, City of Daytona Beach, City of Lake Helen and the Southeast Volusia Advertising Authority.
Public records requests are being sent to the towns of Ponce Inlet and Pierson; the cities of Ormond Beach, Holly Hill, Daytona Beach Shores, South Daytona, Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater, Oak Hill, DeLand, DeBary, Deltona and Orange City; the Southeast Volusia Hospital Authority, the West Volusia Hospital Authority, the Halifax Area Hospital Authority; the West Volusia Advertising Authority and the Halifax Area Advertising Authority as well as the Office of Court Administration and the Volusia County elected delegation and their staffs.
The internet newspaper will begin publishing individual taxing entity public salaries and then one combined database from highest paid public official to lowest. Already, the internet newspaper has seen the extent of bloated salaries, which are massive. Of course, public leaders will not see it that way.