DAYTONA BEACH
Observer — 2026 STANDING O edition —
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 1, NO. 15
1,000 FOR MANLEY PAGE 8B
FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026
You deserve a Standing O!
Family Renew Community’s Lindsay Elliott, helping house the homeless, is among 8 Observer honorees. PAGE 1B
Standing O: Skyler Michael Founder of Golden Hour Run Club. PAGE 3A INSIDE
A Northern right whale yearling spotted in Ormond Beach. Courtesy of the Marineland Right Whale Project
DEPUTY ARRESTED
Endangered right whales already have 15 new calves
Flagler Sheriff’s Office detention deputy arrested on domestic battery charge by Daytona Beach police PAGE 2A
37 YEARS
Speedi Sign owners retire after almost four decades of serving Volusia, Flagler. PAGE 5B
SEABREEZE FALLS
Matanzas holds off Seabreeze 54-51 to end Sandcrabs’ 10game win streak. PAGE 10B
FIRST BABIES OF ’26 New Year’s Day births. PAGE 2A
INDEX
Business..................... PAGE 5B Calendar..................... PAGE 2B Cops Corner................PAGE 2A Crossword.................. PAGE 4C Letters.......................PAGE 12A Public Notices............ PAGE 5C Sports......................... PAGE 8B Tributes ...................... PAGE 2C Real Estate................. PAGE 4B
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Marineland Right Whale Project is seeking volunteers to whale watch 70 miles of coastline. SIERRA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
The critically endangered right whale is righting the ship: In just one month since calving season began, 15 right whale calves and mothers have been spotted. “That is unheard of,” said Terran McGinnis, project coordinator of the Marineland Right Whale Project. “This is a very early start.” Typically, she said, the whales begin having calves in the area from January to April. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the first Northern right whale calf and mother pair was spotted on Nov. 28 in South
DAYTONA BEACH POLICE K-9 BRUMER DIES ON JAN. 3 Daytona Beach Police Department K-9 Brumer died Jan. 3 after nine years of service with the DBPD. Brumer, born Nov. 28, 2015, joined the DBPD in June 2017. He assisted in the DBPD in community service and is responsible
Carolina. Since then, mother-and-baby pairs have been spotted up and down Florida’s coastline, including one in Ormond Beach on Dec. 26 and in The Hammock near Jungle Hut Road on Dec. 19. The Marineland project collects volunteers who live in St. Johns, Flagler and Volusia counties to formalize their whale watching into this citizen science effort. “There’s so few of these whales left,” McGinnis said. “There’s fewer than 400, which means that every individual matters.” The Marineland Right Whale Project covers 70 miles of coastline, from Ponte Vedra Beach south to Ponce Inlet. McGinnis said they expect they’ll have hundreds of volunteers, and anyone can join at any time during the season. The project held a volunteer organizational event on Monday, Jan. 5, at the University of Florida Whitney
Lab in Marineland. Volunteers, or even casual observers, can find an elevated location from which to watch whales. That could be a dune walkover or a pier, such as the Sunglow or Main Street piers in Daytona Beach. If a right whale is spotted, the volunteer should call 1-888-97-WHALE. Northern right whales can grow to 55 feet long and weigh around 70 tons as adults. They are identified by the white patches across their heads and backs. In 2025, just 11 babies were sighted, according to NOAA Fisheries. The biggest causes of death for sea animals are entanglement in the ropes and nets used in fishing and boat strikes. Volunteers who take part and whale watch are actively saving the lives of these whales by reporting their whereabouts, McGinnis said. “There’s an immediate response
for the detection and seizure of thousands of grams of drugs, 61 firearms, five vehicles and $1.6 million in U.S. currency, according to a DBPD Facebook post. “More than the numbers,” the post said, “Brumer was a trusted partner and a valued member of our DBPD family. His service made a lasting impact, and his legacy will not be forgotten.”
when a whale is seen,” she said. “That information goes out to all the mariners on the water so they can back off. So when a volunteer goes out there, it’s not just great for the volunteer when they see a whale, but it can literally be saving that whale’s life.” Volunteer administrative coordinator Zoe Rauscher and her mother, Laura Rauscher, have been volunteering with the Marineland program since 2018. Now, the two are responsible for the educational brochures and updating the website and Facebook page. To join as a volunteer, those interested only need to fill out the application on the nonprofit’s website, at marinelandrightwhale.org. Volunteers are divided into areas based on where they live. Those who can’t commit to volunteering, can save the hotline to their phone to call in a sighting of a right whale.
DBPD K-9 Brumer died on Jan. 3. Courtesy photo
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