This letter was written on April 3, 2020, by then-Acting Public Information Director Kevin Captain. Why this is significant is contained in the story below. Headline Surfer is preparing a follow-up story that should set in motion a personnel decision - either the resignation or termination of the author, Kevin Captain.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DELAND, Fla. -- Headline Surfer made clear to Volusia County senior administrators in writing on Friday it wants no further contact from its PR flaks.
Headline Surfer was incensed that its inquiries directly with Kevin Captain, the director of Community Information regarding concerns it had about notifying media about cameras in the courtroom led to not one, but two blistering attacks by Captain's staffer, Gary Davidson, on Headline Surfer's messenger on Facebook and then again in an email message.
Headline Surfer made clear to Davidson it had not directed its inquiries to him, but to his boss and Davidson was subsequently blocked on Facebook.
Headline Surfer sent a second directive to Captain after receiving the unsolicited email from Davidson that he was out of line and that his actions were considered harassing and if Davidson were to persist with a third attack that Headline Surfer would file a criminal complaint with the Lake Mary Police Department since this is where the online news site operates.
Headline Surfer later in the day found a text message on its phone from Davidson from the previous Sunday that started with: "What the hell is your problem Henry?"
Headline Surfer wrote a formal directive Friday night to Volusia County Manager George Recktenwald and County Attorney Mike Dyer and copied to Captain that Headline Surfer wanted no further contact with Volusia County's Community Information and that it as no longer interested in receiving its press releases that have little or no news value, to begin with.
Volusia County is well aware of Headline Surfer's past dealings with Captain following his mailing of a certified letter to Headline Surfer in April 2020, informing the media outlet that its longstanding annual contract for advertising was not being renewed when it expired that July.
This was at the height of the global pandemic and Captain wrote that with funding needed for the pandemic that Headline Surfer.
Captain wrote in part that in light of the current economic and emergency conditions, the County of Volusia is assessing its advertising needs and, as such regrets to inform you that at the expiration of the current agreement period ending June 30, 2020, the County will not be renewing the agreement."
Captain's letter was a complete lie. Headline Surfer learned from extensive reporting it was orchestrated by County Councilwoman Heather Post (shown here) which was borne out by hundreds of pages of documents showing as far back as that January, Post had been demanding information on Headline Surfer 's business dealings with the county through Captain and with Recktenwald.
A review of county advertising agreements showed that not one dollar had been cut from more than 50 advertising agreements the county had with media outlets and others in marketing.
County officials knew that Headline Surfer's publisher was struggling with serious health issues related to an aneurysm tear in his heart and that Post had made it known it was. payback for Headline Surfer's stories on her veracity in telling the voters in her 2016 campaign for county office that she never used illicit drugs - namely cocaine and marijuana prior to her aborted career in law enforcement.
Headline Surfer's story on Post with public records from her personnel file that proved she lied was published on July 29, 2020, "Investigative Reporting project puts ex-deputy turned politician Heather Post in The Sunshine: She blatantly lied to voters about past illegal narcotics use to win 2016 election."
Podt won re-election to her seat in 2018 because campaign challenger was not engsaged in debate with Post.
The story was recognized with a journalism award in 2020 from the Florida Press Club.
Headline Surfer has had difficulties in dealings with Davidson previously as well.
On Jan. 2, 2017, Headline Surfer attended the swearing-in of Mike Chitwood as the new sheriff succeeding Ben Johnson who decided not to run for a fifth four-year term. When Headline Surfer attempted to enter the meeting room at Bethune-Cookman University for Chitwood;'s first press conference, it was Davidson who continued as a holdover under Chitwood that the online media outlet was banned from the press conference. No reason was given except these were Chitwoo'd wishes.
Then Headline Surfer learned that Chitwood had put into writing his edict for his other PIO, Andrew Gant, that Headline Surfer was not a real journalist and was just a blogger - no email media alters, no invites to VCSO press conferences.
This was payback from Chitwood who held a grudge against one of his commanding officers who was promoted to captain despite Headline Surfer's award-winning story that Chitwood's promotion ignored the fact that he had a longstanding history of alleged harassment against two lesbian cops.
Ironically, less than three weeks after Chitwood took office as sheriff, he was pulled over on LPGA in Ormond Beach for speeding by a patrol deputy who didn't know who he was until lights and sirens were activated.
Like Post, Chitwood's veracity was called into question by one media outlet that dared to do actual reporting, and last year, Headline Surfer won yet another journalism award for its exhaustive review of public records and source building to show that Chitwood lied to the public about the circumstances of his speeding flap. Chitwood was actually clocked at 30 miles over the speed limit, constituting reckless driving. In more than two dozen stories on the speeding ticket, Chitwood was the sole source in the reporting.
Like Post, Chitwood's veracity was called into question by one media outlet that dared to do actual reporting, and last year, Headline Surfer won yet another journalism award for its exhaustive review of public records and source building to show that Chitwood lied to the public about the circumstances of his speeding flap. Chitwood was actually clocked at 30 miles over the speed limit, constituting reckless driving. In more than two dozen stories on the speeding ticket, Chitwood was the sole source in the reporting.
Published June 5, 2019, Special Report: How Safe Are We In East Central Florida? showed Chitwood's dishonesty as sheriff, but also his mediocre leadership as chief of police in Daytona the previous 11 years in dealing with violent crime.
As for Headline Surfer's concerns about camera pools and inclusion in its multimedia coverage with a recent first appearance where it was not notified about the accused murders in the gunshot slaying of an elderly Ponce Inlet woman, Headline Surfer spoke at length with Court Adfministraqtor Mark Weinberg and Chief Judge Jim Clayton by phone and all parties agreed to take care of some issues.
No media outlet in Central Florida has won more journalism awards covering major court cases than Headline Surfer - more than The Orlando Sentinel, the Daytona Beach News-Journal, and the five broadcast TV news stations in Orlando combined.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.