New Smyrna Beach

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- One of Volusia County's two beach cams for online viewers is working.

The "Daytona Beach" beach cam at the Dunlawton approach in Daytona Beach Shores shows shows a blackened blackened screen with a brief message that reads: "We are havoing problems with playback. We apologize for the inconvenience."

The cam has been inoperable since last weekend. The audio is fine, but the video feed is off. The other county beach cam on the Flagler Avenue Beach ramp is working fine. 

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- With lots of young surfers in the water for a surfing contest Friday, it was inevitable someone was going to get bitten by a shark.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Already known as the shark bite capital of the world, New Smyrna Beach has another creature making headlines: a 5-foot-long rattle snake spotted in the surf.

“A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.” -- Thomas Jefferson

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Is it not ironic that Thomas Jefferson is an icon of the Democrat Party? And that he would be on record believing that government, in order to be “good” government,” should be minimal and stay out of the way of individuals’ efforts to profit from their labor?

Grade: A

Gov. Rick Scott appointed Jacksonville area State Attorney Angela Corey as special prosecutor to head the state's investigation into the Feb. 26 shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

The governor also announced that Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll will oversee a task force to study the merits of the "Stand Your Ground" law, which Sanford police cited as the reason George Zimmerman wasn't charged in the killing of the 17-year-old Miami boy.

Media and race baiting deplorable

Grade: F

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Firefighters are battling a 100-plus-acre wildfire off Ranchette Road, which is south of State Road 44 and west of New Smyrna Beach, that has already destroyed a mobile home with evacuations ordered for other nerarby residences, Volusia County officials said just after 5 this afternoon.

The fire was reported at 1:42 p.m. with evacuations ordered on Shadow Walk Lane and Oak Rim Lane. One mobile home on Oak Rim Lane has been destroyed.

"According to fire officials, the fast-moving fire is uncontained," said Pat Kuehn, a spokeswoman for Volusia County. She saidVolusia County Fire Services is the lead fire agency. Also on scene are the Florida Forest Service, the Firewalkers Team and firefighters from New Smyrna Beach, Port Orange, Deltona, DeLand and Daytona Beach.

Headline Surfer photos / Above: A memorial outside the New Smyrna Beach Police Station recognizes police officer Roy L. Nelson Jr.  and his k-9 partner, Caesar, killed in the line of duty on Aug. 13, 2005.

By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Before the new police station was built last year, the only public recognition of canine officer Roy L. Nelson Jr., and his dog, Ceasar, was a photo in the lobby of the former facility.