Headline Surfer multimedia / Photo illustration and video on Erika Benfield, endorsed by Headline Surfer, for State Representative in the Aug. 18 Republican primary over the other two GOP candidates, Webster Barnaby and Zenaida Denizac.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DEBARY, Fla. -- With her charisma, can-do attitude and proven track record at the municipal level as a DeBary city councilwoman and vice mayor, Erika Benfield is more than ready to move up to the next level in elected office.
That prospective higher office is the District 27 seat in the Florida State House, being vacated by Republican David Santiago of Deltona due to term limits. Santiago is running for the newly-created office of Volusia County Tax Collector.
And with no incumbent in the race, and a Democrat candidate, Dolores Guzman, already penciled in for the Nov 3 general election, it's vitally important that Republicans in the Aug. 16 primary pick the strongest candidate to ensure the House seat being vacated by stays Republican.
Benfield's opponents on the GOP side are Webster Barnaby, a former Deltona city commissioner, who has a six-figure campaign war chest, which hasn't helped him in his two previous election failures, and Zenaida Denizac, also a former Deltona city commissioner with a lot of experience, though she has not held office for six years.
Benfield's opponents on the GOP side are Webster Barnaby, a former Deltona city commissioner, who has a six-figure campaign war chest which hasn't helped him in his two previous election campaign failures; and Zenaida Denizac, also a former Deltona city commissioner with a lot of experience, though she has not held office for six years.
What really counts is the here and now and that's where Benfield has the distinct advantage, especially with a plethora of impressive accomplishments in Benfield's 3 1/2 years in office so far.
What really counts is the here and now and that's where Benfield has the distinct advantage, especially with a plethora of impressive accomplishments in Benfield's 3 1/2 years in office so far.
With that said, the GOP candidate Headline Surfer endorses Erika Benfield whose time in elected office is one of excellence in all facets of public service and accountability to the citizens of DeBary: She's a true leader and a proven winner with a fresh perspective on setting policy, holding others in DeBary governance accountable and demonstrating real transparency.
Quite frankly, Benfield is a bonafide political rock star in the 2020 Elections, endeavoring to work even harder in Tallahassee for the constituents back home in the district.
With that said, the GOP candidate Headline Surfer endorses Erika Benfield whose time in elected office is one of excellence in all facets of public service and accountability to the citizens of DeBary: She's a true leader and a proven winner with a fresh perspective on setting policy, holding others in DeBary governance accountable and demonstrating real transparency.
Quite frankly, Benfield is a bonafide political rock star in the 2020 Elections, endeavoring to work even harder in Tallahassee for the constituents back home in the district.
Barnaby and Denizac are far removed from their political glory days - in Barnaby's case in particular, they were too few to begin with.
Barnaby, a newcomer and relatively unknown ran for a seat on the Deltona City Commission with a pledge to hold down municipal spending and won. But he he gave up his seat midway through his four-year term to run for the at-large Volusia County Council seat in 2014 against two political heavyweights - incumbent Juyce Cusack of DeLand, and then-term limited district 3 Councilwoman Patricia Northey of Deltona.
Despite amassing $53,461 in campaign funding, Barnaby finished dead last in the 2014 primary with Cusack and Northey finishing 1-2 for the November runoff, which Cusack easily won. Barnaby tried again in 2018 for a far less significant office - a seat on the West Volusia Hospital Authority - and fared even worse.
This despite a war chest of $29,340 compared to his opponent's $6, 101, Barnaby suffered a humiliating defeat by more than 7,000 votes. His opponent? Dolores Guzman, the Democrat candidate in the 2020 general election for the District 27 State House seat.
Zenaida Denizac, the third candidate in the GOP primary for the Dis 27 State House seat has served longer than her two rivals combined in elected office - nine years years on the Deltona City Commission. However, she has been out of politics since giving up her seat on the Deltona City Commission in 2014 to run for mayor against to the incumbent, finishing a distant second among three in the primary and losing in the November runoff to the incumbent, John Masiarczyk. That was six years ago - a very long time in politics.
Denizac did not do herself any favors in early December when she posted a photo on her Facebook page with State Rep. Anthony Sabatini, a Lake County Republican, who has infamously been displayed in media outlets across the county posing in Black face and in Brown face. She deleted the Dec. 6 post after Headline Surfer questioned the wisdom in striking a pose with a politician whose images were clearly seen as patently racist. And while there have been repeated calls for Sabatini to resign, he has steadfastly refused.
Denizac did not do herself any favors in early December when she posted a photo on her Facebook page with State Rep. Anthony Sabatini, a Lake County Republican, who has infamously been displayed in media outlets across the county posing in Black face and in Brown face. She deleted the Dec. 6 post after Headline Surfer questioned the wisdom in striking a pose with a politician whose images were clearly seen as patently racist. And while there have been repeated calls for Sabatini to resign, he has steadfastly refused.
"I didn't know - I really didn't know or I would not have posted that picture or even had it taken with him in the first place," Denizac told Headline Surfer in response, despite the fact that Sabatini's racist pics were plastered across the nation last year.
Denizac's lack of judgment is significant here, considering she was born and raised in Puerto Rico as was Benfield.
Neither Denizac nor Barnaby have anything to cite from when they were on the dais - Denizac now six years since she last served.
Barnaby goes back even further - eight years since he was on the dais and even then it was for a mere two years.
Headline Surfer puts the full might of its endorsement behind Benfeld to win the Aug. 16 GOP primary and face the Democrat candidate, Dolores Guzman in the November, general election where all registered voters in the 27th district can have their say in who will represent them in Tallahassee.
If there's a second preferable GOP candidate, then Zenaida Denizac is the better of the two other GOP candidates.
Yes, Denizac's judgment was called into question for posting the photo op with Anthony Sabatini on her Facebook page. Denizac readily conceded as much with Headline Surfer, saying she should have been aware of Sabatin's racist pics in Brown Face and Black Face.
Denizac, a longtime school teacher with decades raising her family with her husband, has a strong grasp of how government works - having battled in the trenches for nearly a decade on the municipal dais in Deltona.
So why not Webster Barnaby? After all, Headline Surfer endorsed him for the Deltona City Commission seat he won in 2012.
Barnaby was new to politics and Headline Surfer relied heavily on then-Volusia GOP Chair Stan Escudero who vouched for him. But he quit just two years after the election to run for County Council and finished last among three candidates in the 2014 primary.
Barnaby looked to rebound four years later by running for a seat on the West Volusia Hospital District, a taxing authority carrying a lot of debt. Barnaby seemed like the logical choice over Guzman, a liberal Democrat vying for the non-partisan seat.
But instead of focusing on the finances of the local hospital authority in 2018, Barnaby turned to Donald Trump's partisan playbook - promoting 2nd amendment gun rights after Orlando's Pulse massacre in 2016 and the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman HS in Parkland, FL in 2018, that left 17 dead and another 17 injured by an expelled student armed with an assault rifle.
Low and behold, Barnaby is again turning to the Trump playbook here in the 2020 campaign for state rep. amidst the coronavirus pandemic and protests against several killings of African-Americans by white cops.
Instead of focusing on the finances of the local hospital authority in 2018, Barnaby turned to Donald Trump's partisan playbook - promoting 2nd amendment gun rights after Orlando's Pulse massacre in 2016 and the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman HS in Parkland, FL in 2018, that left 17 dead and another 17 injured by an expelled student armed with an assault rifle.
Low and behold, Barnaby is again turning to the Trump playbook here in the 2020 campaign for state rep. amidst the coronavirus pandemic and protests against several killings of African-Americans by white cops.
While Benfield and Denizac are Trump supporters, their campaigns are focused on state issues such as education funding - not guns and securing borders, which are Barnaby highlights.
Again, Benfield's accomplishments in the here and the now is what truly matters in these 2020 elections.
Benfield's tenacity saved DeBary'a taxpayers big time
And here are three examples as to why Benfield truly rocks: The first is far more involved and perhaps the greatest achievement by Benfield as an elected leader.
The latter two are more easily summarized, though still very important.
• CALLS OUT CITY MANAGER Benfield accused then-City Manager Ron McLemore in 2018 of working with a political-action committee or PAC known as Living Waters, in sending out mailers on city time that encouraged the city's residents to support a bond issue for a $12.5 million community center.
Bonds for this project would have increased yearly tax bills by $200 for 30 years, nearly doubling the total cost for the 40,000-square-foot multipurpose center to a whopping $24 million.
More than 4,700 such mailers were sent out to DeBary voters lobbying them to vote “yes” in a referendum placed on the ballot for that November.
Using birthdates on the Department of Elections voter list, Living Waters allegedly targeted seniors who may have been more likely to support the proposed community center since they would like get the most use from it in terms of socializing.
Benfield openly alleged the city manager led municipal staff under his supervision in designing the mailers and generating the targeted voters to the PAC.
Benfield didn't mince words at the the Oct. 17 DeBary City Council meeting against McLemore and others, during which she demanded his resignation.
An investigation ensued and the city manager was given the chance to defend himself in a Nov. 14 special council meeting, well after the referendum vote.
At that subsequent meeting McLemore vehemently denied Benfield’s allegations: “This city has not spent one penny on that PAC,” he said.
Benfield, in using the mailers to counter the city manager's denials, said the facts were irrefutable: “It was reviewed and critiqued by staff on city time. City time is city funds. They’re not volunteering their own time.”
Furthermore, Benfield reminded her colleagues on the dais that Florida statutes bar governments and public state agencies local governments from active involvement for or against candidates or causes, period.
The DeBary referendum for approval on "Community Center Bonds" was overwhelmingly rejected in the Nov. 6 elections by two thirds of those who voted, thanks to Benfield's perseverance rooting out the corruption.
The subsequent special meeting became anti-climatic with the community center's rejection in the November election - with McLemore conceding mistakes were made and and responsibility for it was on him.
The important thing was Benfield put the insider lobbying in the Sunshine where it was dealt with, saving the taxpayers millions, especially seniors on fixed incomes who likely would not have been able to enjoy the activities at the center any way had such an exorbitant tax increase otherwise comes to fruition.
The important thing was Benfield put the insider lobbying in the Sunshine where it was dealt with, saving the taxpayers millions, especially seniors on fixed incomes who likely would not have been able to enjoy the activities at the center any way had such an exorbitant tax increase otherwise comes to fruition.
• LOWEST TAX RATES Benfield led the fight to hire a permanent city manager, Carmen Rosamonda, early last year after several years of DeBary being saddled with a part time interim city manager in McLemore.
And due to Benfield almost single-handedly leading the charge to root out corruption that led to the community center referendum going down to crushing defeat in 2018, that alone clearly has since added to the quality of life for DeBary seniors on fixed incomes.
As a result of Benfield's oversight, DeBary still maintains the lowest property tax mileage in Volusia County.
• CRIME RATES LOW TOO DeBary enjoys one of the lowest violent crime rates in murders, robberies and reported rapes in Volusia County as well as property crimes such as burglaries and larcenies, due in large measure to Benfield's ongoing dialogue with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, which provides contractual law enforcement services around the clock to this small bedroom city, with most of the traffic on Interstate 4 and US 17-92, between Orlando and Daytona Beach.
Headline Surfer video / Highlights of endorsed candidate Erika Benfield.
Campaign Funding
With the Aug. 18 GOP primary on the horizon , only one of the three Republican candidates among Barnaby, Benfield and Denizac can move on to the November general election to take on the Democratic candidate, Dolores Guzman. Below are the campaign contributions each candidate has raised, how much they have spent and the amount they still have available moving forward.
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