We'll be doing everything verbal today because we are having some network issues and we have a commissioner also on teams. City Clerk, can we please call the roll?
Commissioner Vila-Vasquez? Present. Commissioner Caldwell?
Here.
Commissioner Howington? Present. Commissioner Novick?
Here.
Commissioner Santiago? Vice Mayor Harriet? Mayor Vila?
Here. Here. All right, at this time we're going to go ahead and do the invocation and the pledge to the flag. If I can please have Commissioner Caldwell do the invocation and also his presentation.
I'll do a moment, silent. Thank you. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you.
Stephen, when you get down there, can you click on the podium mic? The podium mic so I can turn it on.
I'd like to present a certificate of recognition for your service. Lance Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Aircraft Group 29H, MH464 Helicopter Crew Chief, CH-53E Super Stallion Heavy Lift Helicopter. I should probably put my glasses on. In recognition of dedication, service, sacrifice, and commitment, deep gratitude is extended for your contributions in defending and protecting our nations. Thank you, sir. On behalf of the city.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
All right. And at this time, we go to additions and deletions. Commissioner Avila-Vasquez.
Thank you. May I have an addition? If I can, I'm not sure if you were asked. May I? The Deltona Lakes Elementary School is having a Hispanic Heritage Month event next week, I think it is, and I would like to add to approve a proclamation for them, to present them at their events. Okay. To this agenda.
We will add it as, sorry, 10B, as in boy, or would it be permissible under consent agenda, city attorney?
You could add it to the consent agenda if it's the will of the body.
All right. So it'll be 8E. Okay. Any other additions or deletions? Okay. Seeing none, we're going to go ahead and move to presentations, awards, and reports. First, Ms. Terry Ellis is going to be doing a presentation for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Ms. Ellis, if you can just click on it. There you go.
There we go. All right. Good evening, everybody. As you can see, I'm not Dana. And she apologizes. She had to go to Tallahassee a day early. So I was supposed to be here, and then she took over because I wasn't, and then I'm here, and she's not. So thank you very much. So domestic violence 2025 update. Thank you very much for having me. So the first slide here, I want to talk about the domestic violence problem in Belusia County. And the good news is that we've seen a little bit of an increase. 2022, we were third in the state, and for 2024, excuse me, 2023, we moved to fourth in the state. So even though our rates are better as a county, our rates are 562.9 incidents per 100,000 people, and that is still higher than the Florida average. If you look to the right, Volusia County, the Florida average top line is 314 incidents, and we're at 562. So we still have some work to do. And as you can see, our rates are higher than our neighbors, Seminole County, Orange County, Flagler County. So, like I said, we still have some work to do to try to lower that rate. So you've probably seen this slide before, and I always include it because it's very significant to the domestic violence problem because a lot of people, you know, why don't they just leave? And, you know, for those of us that are old enough, if you remember the commercial, this is your brain on drugs, this is your brain on domestic violence, all the things that are swirling around, you know, the where do I go because the shelters are full, and, you know, I don't want to lose my kids and child care, and what about my job, and what about my kids and having to change schools, and I don't have the money for an attorney, and, you know, all these things are swirling around in your head while you are a victim of a crime. You're a victim of abuse or violence or, and so, you know, when these things are circling around in your head, it's easier to understand, you know, why victims have such a hard time trying to break through that fog and make decisions and figure out how to leave. And even, I want to bring up, ICE is a new one. That's a new box, because for the folks that are part of the immigrant community, whether or not they're here legally or not, they have a consideration, you know, to think about ICE, and so that one is a new one that has come up this year, as a matter of fact. So what are we doing here in Volusia County? So one of probably the best things that we have done over the last year, year and a half, two years, is to come together as a group of nonprofit partners. The value of that is we have a coordinated team of organizations and advocates, so we're able to provide support that's greater than the individual organizations. So these are the 11 organizations that are part of the Domestic Violence Partnership of Volusia County. And if you're interested in more information, you can go to the website there. But the beauty of that is that we've been able to come together and function as a team. So, again, we're a partnership of advocates, nonprofits, community leaders, law enforcement victim advocates. I'm going to talk about that in a few minutes. Legal advocates as well. And what do we do? Basically, we're basically help. That's it, because no one has time, you know, when they're trying to figure out all of those things that's going on in their head, nobody has time to try to shop for resources. So we've come together to deliver a response. So victims advocates. So I want to stop for a minute, and I want to congratulate the commission and also give credit to our sheriff's department, because we now have a dedicated Deltona victims advocate. And she's here with us today. And, Laina, could you stand up? So she's here to support us for District 4 for those trauma and crime victims so that we have full support, you know, bridge folks in the community and to help bring those local resources to help them navigate challenges, emergency housing, legal support, help folks better understand their rights, and basically just not get lost in that system. And, you know, I know for a fact that Deltona definitely needed that. That is not, that was not a political move. That was not a, you know, Mike Chitwood trying to get kudos. When I talk to the victims advocates, because they are part of our partnership, and when I talk to them, a large portion of their time was being spent on Deltona, which, you know, we have such a high concentration of single-family homes, and along with that, unfortunately, comes domestic violence incidents. So it was very much needed for us to get some focus. And since we are missing some other things, like social service support, which I won't get into, but, you know, to have that focus for domestic violence services was very, very much needed. So I'm super, super excited that this was a new development for our community, especially for Deltona. So this is to show that Volusia County actually does have a response path. There's a logical way that domestic violence is handled within Volusia County. You know, you see that big circle with DAC, because obviously they are a certified shelter, and they do drive a lot of what goes on in this community. And then all of those partners that are part, as a partner in our partnership, you know, we are also, we're all communicating and working as a team. So there is a logical response path in Volusia County. There's also a logical community help path. So when somebody needs help, you know, what do they do and where do they go? So in the upper, so there's a traditional route and there's a weekend route. And so if you look on the right-hand side, this is just some of the wraparound partners that we have in Volusia County. So it's a lot of ways that somebody is looking for help, a lot of ways that they can enter the help system, so to speak. If it's nights and weekends, you know, go down to the left side. And so we have DAC, that is our certified center. But we also have some folks that also have some housing options as well. So if DAC is full, then, you know, we have some options. And I will tell you that about two months ago, yeah, about two months ago, we had a family that touched all four of those housing resources. You know, we had to work together as a team. DAC didn't have space, but they had somebody that was leaving. Foundations, no, Neighborhood Center had space, but it was a mom and three kids. And so it was really, really tight. And then Halifax Urban Ministries moved somebody out of foundations to freedom. So then DAC had space. It was crazy. But the point is that we were able to work together as a team. So the two things that I want to focus on, and you're going to hear me say it a little bit more in a few minutes, is space. Every time that I get up here, everybody that I talk to, I always talk about there's just not enough space. We always have more space than there are victims. That's very unfortunate. And it would be great if we got to the point to where that was not the case because, you know, if we have a situation where we have somebody who needs to leave immediately and we don't have, we happen not to have somewhere to house them, and we have had that situation. Even with all those resources, we have had that. And then it's a matter of, you know, they go back to their abuser or, you know, try to find something else. And unfortunately, you know, we've had some cases where folks have wound up going back to their abuser. So space is very much needed. So challenges. So the challenges that I want to really focus in on is the need for support groups. When we have those folks, when we have folks out in the community who either, because not everybody leaves, not everybody leaves, you know, but they need help to unravel, you know, that domestic violence knot. And so having support groups, you know, allows them to talk to people who have experienced it and have walked through it. And so it's so very, very helpful. We are starting to see more support groups in the community now. And, you know, I hope that we definitely see more. The second challenge that I want to talk about is the lack of comprehensive reporting. Because somebody asked me, you know, well, is our money effective? And I had to tell them, I don't know. And the reason that I don't know is because we don't have a way to clearly define how many cases are out there. Yes, we have the information from law enforcement. However, that's if a domestic violence case actually touches law enforcement. And then we have HMIS, but not every agency has HMIS. So if somebody is working with one of those wraparound partners and that partner doesn't put information into HMIS, there's a chance that that family or that client might not get counted in reporting. So, you know, I've had some conversations on the county level about the lack of comprehensive reporting. So, you know, that is something that the partnership is trying to focus on because, you know, we do, you know, it's always about space and money, unfortunately. And so we want to try and get that reporting so that we actually know how many cases we have and how much money we need, you know, to take care of that and how well we're using our money. And then lastly, I want to talk about the need for shelter and transitional housing. It's a great big yellow box there, and that's for a reason. And, you know, I said it before, we always have more victims than there is space. And so because we only have the one certified shelter in Volusia County, and DAC does an absolutely fantastic job, but they just can't do everything. That's why we need that going back in those slides a few minutes ago, that's why we need those wraparound partners. That's why we need the domestic violence partnership to work together as a team, because no one organization can do it all. And even as much as DAC does, you know, they can't do it all either, and they need assistance. So the transitional housing, we only have, last year I said we don't have any transitional housing here in Volusia County. Well, I found out that we have two transitional housing apartments, and that's through Halifax Urban Ministries. As far as I know, that's the only transitional housing that is focused for domestic violence in Volusia County. So, and I bring that up to, and also, so we have a problem, a space problem, and within a problem, we have the problem with families. So, in some instances, we have some housing and some space, but it's not necessarily space for mom and three kids, or mom and four kids. So we have a space problem, and then we have a space problem because it doesn't always accommodate families either. So, to that end, I would just say that as, you know, it is very much needed in Volusia County, as we're talking about nontraditional housing, you know, tiny housing, and as, you know, folks are bringing forth projects and so forth, just please, just keep this in mind. Because, you know, the lack of housing stability, period, we are, you know, it's already very difficult for, you know, costs have gone up, and, you know, we are, we all know that, you know, some families are really having problems. But it hits a domestic violence victim even harder because you might be somebody that left your apartment or left your home, you went to the shelter, you got to start over, you got to figure out your life. You might go to a shelter that's in a different city. Unfortunately, we've had to, you know, we've had to accommodate that and help someone get to a different city here in Florida because Volusia County did not have space. So, if you're in a different city, you have to find somewhere to live. You got to find a new job. You got to put your kids in school. You got, you know, and then you get help moving into a place, and then you got to figure out how to pay the rent in that place. And so, you know, it's about getting housing, keeping housing, losing housing, ultimately, you know, along with being a domestic violence victim, you know, trying to keep housing. So, I just can't say enough, you know, how the housing issue is so, so, so very important for us to actually be able to deliver services. And so, just please keep that in mind, you know, as you're seeing projects or even for the nonprofits that are maybe come before you to look for CBGG funds. So, you know, please keep that in mind as you're making those decisions. So, thank you very much. Does anybody have any questions for me?
Yes, actually, I was wondering if Ms. Bunkov, and I hope I said that right, if she can leave some, all the commissioners, at least a business card and a couple additional for some residents. So, thank you so much. Commissioner Avila Vasquez.
Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Terry, for the presentation. Absolutely. I know that you can say locations or anything like that, but didn't Deltona have emergency shelters at one time?
I don't know of any emergency shelters in Deltona in going backwards in history. It's, I seem to remember that there was something at one point in time, now that you brought that up. I do seem to remember that there was something.
There was, because I remember I used to drop clothings. Okay. Although I couldn't take it to the place, but I had to drop it off in the land, in a porch.
Yeah.
And, you know, I was told that it was coming to Deltona, so I wasn't wondering if they were still open or...
I, if that organization still exists, I don't know the name of that organization. You know, if, you know, you happen to find out, then I will be glad to reach out and find out if that's an organization that's still functioning. But I don't know of anything directly here in Deltona.
Thank you. And thank you for bringing all this information to us.
Absolutely. Commissioner Howington, unfortunately, I can't see you. I don't... Did you have any questions?
I did, yes. I actually raised my hand, so I don't know if somebody can tell you when I do that.
Yeah. If, when the screens are off, I can't see her hand being raised, so... All right. Go ahead, Commissioner Howington.
Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Ellis, for coming and speaking to us. This is a very important, realistic situation in our community. And I would love it if we would look at potentially using some of those CDBG funds, as we've talked in the past, kind of partnering with nonprofits to look at opportunities to use some of that funding to help bring shelters into our community. I would love it if we could potentially look at domestic violence shelters as an opportunity to use those funds, if anything like that would be possible. Yeah. And that's all that I have.
Thank you, Commissioner Howington. Any other comments? Thank you so much, Ms. Ellis. Thank you. As always, thank you. All right. This time, we're going to ask Dr. Victoria Falberg. Did I say that correctly? Falberg? I applaud this. Got it. Okay. She's going to be doing a presentation on the First Step shelter. If you can just click on the mic so I can turn you on. Got you.
I feel like I had a good segue with the last speaker because I'm here to talk about a shelter. You probably heard about First Step shelter. It was opened about five and a half years ago. I've been the first and only director since that time. And I'm here today also with Daniel Fireman. He's our director of client services. And he's actually a resident of Deltona. So you may be familiar with him as well. So I just want to tell you a little bit about our shelter because I'm trying to convince you that you might want to join us. This is a picture of the shelter. It's right on 92. It's about 20 minutes, 21 minutes from here because it's like right off 4. You get off 4, you go up 92, and then you're there. It's about halfway to DeLand from Home Depot in Daytona Beach. We are a 100-bed shelter, single adult men and women. We can't take children, but we have had many victims of domestic violence at our shelter, but they're single women. This is the large men's dorm. We have a women's dorm as well that's similar but smaller. This is the main activity area. This is like where everything happens, where people eat, where people do everything. We have a regular, full-service kitchen. We cook about 300 or so meals per day. So we have three meals every day for about 100 people. This is what's called the safe zone. This is particularly interesting for law enforcement. It's one of the reasons when other cities have joined us. This provides law enforcement an opportunity that if you have a person in your community that is committing minor violence ordinations like trespassing or sleeping in the park or sleeping in front of a business or urinating in public, things like that, you can bring this person up. The law enforcement can bring the person up to our safe zone, and we will keep them there for 24 hours. Overnight and then in the morning, our staff, our nursing staff, will go out and interview the people who are in there and ask them if they would like to actually come into our shelter program. So the way our shelter works is it's not a shelter where people just come in and spend the day and get a shower and something to eat and then leave. We are a housing program, so I'll talk a little bit more about that. This area can hold up to 24 people. We have had that many in here before, but we usually have about an average of eight people a day, and they are pooled from all of the different cities that participate with us. So the average age of our residents is about 50 years old, a little bit older. About 40% are female, 60% are male, 35% are black, about 65% are white. About 90% have some sort of a medical or psychiatric condition, and the average length of stay per person is around 61 days. The lifespan of a person who lives on the street is 57 years. So that's pretty significant, the way that living on the street will reduce one's lifespan. When we get people into our shelter because they're elderly, because about 85% have a history of alcoholism or drug abuse, because so many of them have chronic medical conditions, we have a health unit at our shelter. And we have a physician who's a volunteer who comes in about once every three weeks, and we have two nurses who are on our staff, and they're there six days a week. So about 65% or more have a severe mental illness. About 84%, 85% have a history of drug or alcohol addiction. 85% have all these other disorders, chronic disorders like diabetes or hypertension, asthma, COPD, kidney, liver, lung failure, just all kinds of different issues, MS, cancer, HIV. So what we do when we get people into the shelter is our goal is to help people to recover as much as they can and to stabilize their life. Because if you just shove people into housing and they're not really able to sustain themselves, they just end up back on the street. So the goals of our program are to stabilize the people physically, their health, their addictions or other behavioral issues. Anybody who needs medication, psychotropic medication, it's part of our requirements that they have to be on it. We have a very strong relationship with Halifax Hospital, and we work with our different units, but the psychiatric unit are particular partners of ours, and so we can just send people down there to be assessed. Sometimes they need to stay there for a while so the medication can be controlled the right way, and then they come back to us, and then we help them with the other things they need. So we help with socialization, and we also help getting everybody into housing. Oh, and I should mention that we help people get health insurance. We help people get Social Security and Medicare, Medicaid, or whatever, and employment if they're able to work. A lot of the people who come to us, about half, have disabilities, so we also help people who have disabilities to get SSDI. So the two programs we have are the shelter program, and as I already mentioned, we have our safe zone, which is that outdoor pavilion. So as I mentioned, we're a path to housing. So the way our program works is that people can come in. People generally stay a couple of months, maybe three months. However, if a person is doing everything we've asked them to do in our program and we have not been able to find housing for them, we don't kick them back on the street. Our whole goal is to end homelessness. Now, I know we probably won't, but that's the goal. So it's silly to help people for a couple of months, get them ready to go into housing, but they're just waiting for a place to live. And the reason they can be waiting, it may be that they're waiting to get their SSDI. It may be because that they have a lot of evictions on their record, and people don't want them in their housing. We had a situation like that a few months ago. So a woman and her two adult sons came into our program. The one younger son had some disabilities, and he was actually able to go live with his father. So when we got to the point of housing, the mother and the son, they didn't have work when they came in. We were able to help them both get a job. The mother also had some disabilities, so she was able to get SSDI. But they had evictions. They had a record of evictions, and nobody wanted them to take a chance on them. So through us, they were actually together able to save enough money so that they could go into housing, but they had to pay a full year's rent up front. But they were able to save it by living with us, and then we were able to get them out. And then they were able to keep their jobs and then to keep moving along. But it's just the barriers of getting back into housing when you have a felony or when you have a criminal record, when you have bad credit history, when you have a history of evictions. So part of what we do is we really can help people because we have a lot of relationships that Daniel, particularly in his team, have established with landlords. We also have a lot of relationships at this point with employers. So we're able to help people get employment, those who are able to work, which is about 28% of our population of people are able to work. The rule at our shelter is if you can work, you must work. The other thing is after people in our shelter for a couple of weeks and they've settled in, they must look for at least 25 jobs a day and apply for them so that we are able to move people into jobs pretty quickly. And we're pretty strict with our eligibility criteria as well as with just people need to do these things while you're here. But it has been successful for us. So anyway, we go through all of these things with everybody and get them into housing. We just celebrated a big event a week ago Sunday. We have housed over 1,000 people now since we opened 5 1⁄2 years ago. And 93% of the people we've put in housing are still there. That's data that you get through the HMIS database that your other speaker was talking about. Because anybody who provides homeless assistance services, it's required by HUD that you use the same database. It's a national database. So everybody across the whole United States uses that database. So this is just some of the data that I was mentioning that we've had 2,162 people actually come into our shelter. We've been able to house 1,072 of those people and 93% of those people are still in housing. And then some of this other data will just tell you some of the other benefits that we've been able to get people. And those benefits are necessary in order for them to become stable and to sustain themselves once they're in housing. So some of the other services we provide are all here. I'm trying to stay in my time limit. It's going to be tight. So anyway, whatever they need, we try to provide. We have many community partners that we work with. This is a list. VA is a big partner of ours. We, about anywhere from 8% to 11%, at any given time, are shelter residents, are veterans. And we've housed about 172 veterans so far. Oh, I'm sorry, 102. So 11% who have been through our program are veterans. What? Okay. Anyway, I'm still going to try to get through this quickly. So these are just some data from the people who stay in our safe zone, which we've had almost 4,000 people in our safe zone program who have not been part of the shelter program. And then we're also, we work with the Volusia County Emergency Medical Services during hurricanes. So we have partnered with them for Nicole, Adalia, and Milton. And we have a way that we can open up our shelter, that we can separate the residents and open up, and we can bring in another 45 people during that time. So we partner with the EMS. They provide us with a couple of overnight staff. We also have overnight staff who stay at the shelter. And so anyway, that's just another one of our functions in our Volusia County community. Okay. There it is. So the last thing I'll say is that we do partner with nine other cities across the county, including DeLand. And the others are, like, more on the east side. But New Smyrna Beach, when I have to drive from the shelter to New Smyrna Beach, it's about twice as long as it is to drive down here. I was really surprised. And you kept telling me it wasn't that far. But I know it's not now. So anyway, if you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer them. Sure. And we're just really happy that you allowed us to come and do this presentation today. Absolutely.
Vice Mayor Harriet and then Commissioner Avila Vasquez.
Thank you, Mayor. Do you have numbers on where those individuals that you housed come from and not necessarily just where they were found, but also, like, where they have lived prior to?
We keep data on where they came from in terms of, like, where they were found.
Yeah.
But we don't have data on, for example, like, maybe where they were born or where they were a resident, an actual resident, before they became a transient. We don't have that data.
Okay.
I will tell you that the VSO, so the way that the shelter works, the way that we actually get funded is we're different than a lot of the other shelters. Most of the other shelters get a lot of federal money, and we don't. Right now we don't have any federal funding at all. But what we do have is about 50% to 60% of our funding comes from local government. And so that's how we get our funding. So we have these partnerships with the towns so that they are able to use both our safe zone as well as our shelter program. And I had thought I'd put a slide in here of our cities because, I mean, I can sort of rattle them off. It's like Daytona Beach, Holly Hill, Daytona Beach Shores, New Smyrna Beach, Oak Hill, Ormond Beach, Port Orange, Ponce Inlet, and DeLand. I did it. That's good. So those are the partner cities.
Thank you.
Commissioner Avila Vasquez.
Thank you, Mayor. So you won't have a percentage of how many Deltonians you service? No. You don't. Okay. Well, I just want to tell you thank you for this presentation. You might maybe even help Terry some way, somehow. And I also want to tell you that I'm glad that you're here because now Daniel, who lives in my district, will stop haunting me and asking me. Great person. He was always telling me about this organization and how I had to learn about it and visit it. So I'm glad that we were able to bring you here. Thank you so much.
Commissioner Novick.
Thank you, Mayor. A little history lesson. Five, six years ago with this, Commissioner Vasquez, I think you remember the start of this organization. They solicited all the cities, and the formula that was come up with by the mayors, I think, at the time was the contribution was based upon population. And the shelter was being built out on the east side of the county. Most of the cities that are partnered with them are east side cities. And so Mayor Apgar from DeLand at the time took the lead, and we chose to put Deltona money into the neighborhood center and building an expansion of the neighborhood center in DeLand so that our Deltona residents had something on the west side of the county that was more accessible to the neighborhoods where they were coming from. So I think that listening to the presentation tonight, that's still the case is that the majority of the cities that are funding this program are east side cities. And, again, Halifax out there where they have their mental health facilities, Stuart Marchman and such. So you get into an issue of a very good question was asked how many Deltona residents are being served by this facility, and we don't have a number. So, again, I very much appreciate the presentation and the information, but we need to look at if we're going to move forward with partnering, it needs to be something that's more on the west side of the county and or expanding something in the Deltona, southwest Volusia, Deltona, DeBerry, Orange City, because we are the largest city in the county and considerably underserved in this need. Thank you, Mayor.
Commissioner Howington, I see you have your hand raised as well.
Yes, thank you. Thank you, Dr. Fahlberg, for coming to speak with us. I have a question kind of for the city. Do we have a program that we're currently working with, perhaps with a neighborhood center, that has something like the safe zone?
Jordan, are you able to answer that? Because I don't see Quentin or Angelia here. Commissioner Howington, Mr. Smith, says he can get with you at a later time to answer that, because nobody from housing is here.
Okay, thank you. Could I just say, well, one of the reasons Deland, the city of Deland, joined us a little over a year, it's about a year and a half ago, I think, is because they don't have a safe zone, and they also, the bridge only has space for 30 people, and so that, it wasn't sufficient. And so that's why Deland actually became a partner with us.
And to kind of add on to that, the reason I asked the question is because earlier this week, I had a resident that reported he has some people who are sleeping in his driveway. And so that was reported to VSO, but I don't know if we have any sort of resources. I know I've heard in the past that we've had challenges with the neighborhood center having space available. So I don't know if this is something where maybe this could, you know, be looked at as CBG funds or that potential partnering that we had talked about at a workshop earlier in the year. But I definitely think that we need to look at some options, because what we're currently doing, I'm not sure, is working most efficiently for the city.
Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Howington. Before I go to Commissioner Vila Vasquez again, my biggest concern is when it comes, mine is actually more related to domestic violence, right? I find it where, at least with all the conversation that I've had with a lot of these different organizations, their biggest issue when it comes to spaces is mothers that have multiple kids. For domestic violence, that's absolutely. They're turned away, not because they don't want them, they're just, they don't have the ability or capacity to be able to house them there. I'd be more interested in seeing something like that where we can help, because that has the biggest need, to be very sincere. And there's really not a lot of people out there trying to fulfill that need. And one of the biggest complaints that I get, whether it's from Ms. Alice's group or any of the other groups, like Nuevo Sendero, there's a couple, is that they can't find space for domestic violence victims that have multiple kids. So that is my biggest concern, because I just heard you said something about you can probably add some 45 units or something like that to house or give space for people to sleep. But maybe if you can figure out a way to kind of calculate that towards maybe parents or domestic violence victims with kids.
Well, with the population that we work with, it's not a good mix with children. Okay. So our mission, like the bridge and us, we're the only ones that focus on that population. There are other domestic violence shelters. There's another one in Flagler County called Family Life Center. So most of the people in our, what they call a continuum of care, usually go to either DAC or to the Family Life Center.
Thank you. Commissioner Vila Vasquez.
Thank you, Mayor. So I sometimes get involved with emergency families issues. And I can tell you that we don't have a place the way, like Commissioner Howington is asking. The only way I can turn to is our fire department and New Hope services that come up with vouchers for hotels for days, maybe one, two, or three days. Those are the only two organizations that are able to help families in need.
Thank you so much for the presentation. Thank you so much for having us. Of course. Thank you. Have a good day. All right. At this time, we're going to go ahead and move to a proclamation on National Community Planning Month. So if the commission can meet me down in the bottom and planning staff can come. And Commissioner Navig, would you like to read the proclamation?
We're ready. Whereas change is constant and effective community planning helps manage this change in a way that provides better choices of how people live, work, and play. And whereas community planning provides an opportunity for all residents to be meaningfully involved in making choices that determine the shared vision of their neighborhood, community, or region. And whereas the full benefits of planning require public officials and citizens who understand support and demand excellence in planning and plan implementation. And whereas planning recognizes the many competing interests that must be balanced in the process and provides guidance to create resilience, equity, and prosperous communities. And whereas the American Planning Association and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, have designated the month of October 2025 as National Community Planning Month to highlight the important role of planners in planning and creating vibrant communities. And whereas this year's theme, building stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities, underscores the critical role planning plays in addressing housing needs, infrastructure, climate resilience, and economic vitality for present and future generations. Now and therefore, we, the mayor and city commissioners of Deltona, Florida, do hereby proclaim the month of October 2025 as National Community Planning Month. In Deltona and call upon all citizens, public and private organizations, and all levels of the government to recognize the importance of community planning and creating equitable, sustainable, and thriving communities. Executed this sixth day of October 2025, given under the seal of Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr., Mayor, City of Deltona.
All right. At this time, I'm going to have Ms. Barker come up for Deltona community events.
We have a few events coming on the next couple weeks. So, first is Friday night. It's the first Friday of the month. So, we have Bonkers Comedy Show, as always. Tickets are only $8 if you buy them in advance. A couple of cleanup events this weekend. First is our Community Shred Day. We've done a couple of these in the past. Quite popular. It's a great opportunity if you have documents in your home that you need to dispose of safely. You can bring it down here to City Hall on Saturday, 9 a.m. till noon, right there in the parking lot. Bring your documents. We'll shred them right in front of you. We're also accepting sharps if you need to dispose of sharps. And then we will be collecting pet food and supplies for the Halifax Humane Society again. And then we have Spruce Up Deltona. That's two days, Saturday and Sunday. It's going to be where it has been in the past on Day Road behind the post office. We'll have some dumpsters out there so you can dispose of large furniture, yard waste, mattresses, things like that. We're not taking large appliances or hazardous materials.
We've got a question on the last one. Oh, which one? If you don't mind, the Spruce Up Deltona.
Okay, go ahead.
Will large cardboard boxes be accepted as part of construction debris or some sort?
Correct, yes. Fantastic.
Thank you.
And that's 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. And then we have another concert this Saturday night at the Amphitheater. It's the Perpetual Praise Gospel Choir. So it's a free show over at the Amphitheater, Saturday night, 7 p.m. And this is a community event that the American Legion Post 255 forwarded to me. They participate in Wreaths Across America every year where they put wreaths on the graves of veterans. And so they're doing a fundraiser this Saturday. They're going to be at the Osteen Diner from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., raising funds to help their efforts and making certain that veterans have wreaths on their graves at the holidays. And then we have a couple big Halloween events coming up the weekend before Halloween. So we're bringing back the ACONT. We did it for the first time last year, doing it again this year. This is for the little kids. It's an ACONT. And then afterwards we'll be showing the movie Scooby-Doo. And so that's at 6.30 on the Friday the 24th. And then the very next day, the 25th, this is for the older kids, our annual Spooktacular, which is a huge event here. The Haunted Trail will be back. We'll have a few small carnival rides this year, food trucks, tons of fun. Both these events are at Dewey Boaster. Spooktacular is 5 to 10. And then over at the center on Sunday the 26th, Pro Wrestling Action, PWA, is doing a wrestling show event at the center. This is a ticketed event. You can get tickets on Eventbrite. That's at doors open at 5 o'clock on that Sunday. And then another community event that reached out to me is Volusia County Elite Panthers. They have spring registration going on right now for youth cheerleading and tackle football. So this is for kids ages 5 to 15 that would like to participate in that. And then this is actually, I'm looking ahead to November, but this is going to be a huge event. So I wanted to start talking about it now. You know, we did the Celtic Fest in the spring. Well, we're bringing it back, but we're also doing that actual Highland Games, like official Highland Games. So this is going to be bands and the athletics and food and craft vendors. So this is going to be a great, huge, fun event. So that's going to be November 8, also at Dewey. The event starts at 10 a.m. And that's what we have going on over the next few weeks. So tons of stuff, something for everybody. If there's any community organizations that have some events that they want to share, just reach out to me and I will share them with everybody.
Thank you, Ms. Parker. This time we're going to go ahead and move to new business, Section 7A. If I can please have the city attorney read the resolution request.
Yes, Mr. Mayor. This is resolution number 2025-150, a resolution of the City Commission of the City of Deltona, Florida, ratifying the collective bargaining agreement between the City of Deltona and the International Association of Firefighters, Local 2913, for the contract year October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, authorizing the city manager to execute the agreement on behalf of the city, providing for implementation at an effective date.
Vice Mayor Herriot.
Thank you, Mayor. I'd like to make a motion.
Go ahead, Commissioner Novick. What is the point of order?
Before we move forward with this resolution, I'd like to have legal read into the record the opinion from the Ethics Commission with regards to my ability to vote on this, please.
Okay. Can we do that after the motion and the second, please?
Yes, we can do that.
So there's, can you read the motion out for the secretary, please? And then Commissioner Vila-Vasquez is next.
I move to approve resolution number 2025-150, representing the October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026 collective bargaining agreement between the City of Deltona and the International Association of Firefighters, Local 2913.
There's a motion by Vice Mayor Herriot, Commissioner Vila-Vasquez. You're on the mic.
Before I second the motion, can I speak to, can we have a comment from the chief?
Yeah, he's going to come up after we do the second. We always do that to start conversation.
Okay, I'll make a second.
Okay. All right, we have a motion and a second. If I can please have legal read the legal opinion, and then we'll go to chief.
Yes, Mr. Mayor. So we had reached out to the Florida Commission on Ethics asking essentially two questions, both related to Commissioner Novick and his ability to vote on the CBA and matters affecting the firefighter's pension due to his status as a former firefighter and member of the firefighter's pension, as well as the employment of his son with the City's Fire Department. The short answer to those questions is that there is no conflict of interest as defined under Florida statutes for Commissioner Novick, so he may vote on those items. And I've also provided a copy of that opinion to the city clerk who can share that and enter that into the record. You were also provided with a copy earlier today as well via e-mail.
All right, and Vice Mayor had a point of order as well. Commissioner Avila Vasquez, do you want to speak to the chief or the union president? Go ahead.
I was just going to correct the union president.
President, okay. Is anybody representing the union here? He's coming. And if you can just sit on the mic and he'll turn on your podium.
Good evening. Do you have a question?
Yes, I do. So this was presented to us, and I looked at it, and I just want to make sure that we are providing to our fire department everything they need to service our community.
I would say yes. I think both parties came to the table in good faith, and it was actually a very smooth process, and I think we worked together very well.
Okay. Thank you. That's all I wanted to hear. Yes, ma'am. Thank you.
Is there any public comment?
I do have one.
We always do the request after a public comment.
I would request a PRR for all negotiators for the city and the fire union, all advertisements for this contract, for all meetings, and I would also like all the audio for all the meetings and all the transcripts for the meetings.
Thank you.
All right. Thank you, city clerk. Vice mayor?
Thank you, mayor. Commissioner Avila, I think that that was a great question that you had, and I want to point out that this process in the past has not been that smooth, and I want to highlight something that the fire union said, is that both parties, they feel both parties came to the table in good faith, and I think that's a huge step forward for our city. It speaks a lot to staff on both sides, to the firefighters, and this contract isn't about giving the fire department everything that they want. It's about taking care of those that take care of our city and our residents. So I wanted to thank staff and for the fire union for doing that. Thank you, guys.
All right. Can we please vote?
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Oh, Commissioner Howington, I'm sorry. Go ahead. I apologize.
Thank you. I just wanted to ask a couple of questions. Zach, I hate to put you on the spot, but I was hoping that just because I've had some questions from residents, can somebody please explain why we're doing the one-year agreement just so that the public understands why we're just doing a one-year versus a three?
Yeah, so I guess I can answer this, and then, of course, if the city manager has anything additional, this was what was discussed with the fire union of doing a one-year, and what was presented to the commission previously was to do a one-year and then to begin negotiations on a successor agreement that, per Florida law, cannot exceed three years. So that's what we're looking at next after this is looking forward to the successor agreement.
Okay. Thank you. So I just wanted to have that clarified for people. And then I'm assuming because it was a smooth process that there wasn't a significant back and forth with negotiations. Would that have impacted the need for a public hearing at all?
So all negotiating sessions are open to the public and are noticed and were properly noticed and open to the public during this negotiation period. And it is a requirement of Florida law that a collective bargaining agreement be ratified both by the bargaining unit and by the public employer, so there is always a public hearing required for action, you know, as the city commission to adopt the agreement.
Okay. Thank you. I just wanted to make sure that we kind of dotted all the I's, crossed the T's, that sort of thing. And then I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone involved with the negotiations. I know that wages have been kind of a hotbed item and the raise is fairly significant this year. But the raise this year is based on base rate rather than base plus longevity. And I want to thank everybody involved because I think that that's something that's been a major concern to the community. And I really appreciate the work that's been done both on the union side as well as the city side that is a savings to the city while still bringing our firemen up to a better wage rate with that 10% increase, which is significantly higher than CPI. But I appreciate the fact that we're recognizing their jobs are worthy of that higher level of pay. So I want to thank everybody for that work that you've done. And I believe the quote to us was that the city would end up with about a $300,000 savings. So I think that that's important to mention because this is definitely something where the city and the union came together for the betterment of the residents while still taking care of our staff members. So thank you all very much. And that's all I have.
Thank you, Commissioner Howington. City Clerk, if you can please turn on your mic and please do a roll call. Commissioner Vila-Vasquez?
Yes. Commissioner Caldwell? Yes. Commissioner Howington? Yes. Commissioner Novick?
Yes.
Vice Mayor Harriot?
Yes.
Mayor Vila?
Yes.
6-0.
Motion passes 6-0. At this time, we're going to go to the consent agenda item. We're going to go to consent agenda item. Go ahead, Vice Mayor. Did you have a question?
No, I was getting ready to make a motion.
Okay, hold on. Go ahead and make your motion.
I'd like to make a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented, including item 8E, I believe.
Okay. There's a motion by Vice Mayor Harriot to approve consent agenda A through E. Is there a second? Commissioner Novick?
I'll second.
There's a second. Is there any public comment for consent agenda items?
Sorry, Mr. Mayor.
I'll get to you. I know you want to read. I'm sorry.
One second, please. Yes. Ms. Brandy-White, please. 8C. Oh, I apologize.
Can you click on the – try it now. There you go. Are you sure? Okay.
All right. Have we done a – I specifically want to talk about Team Volusia because I do this every year, obviously, and I get no answers every year again, and nothing changes again, but I'll bring it up again. Have we done a CEA or a CBA, not to be confused with collective bargaining agreement, by the way. A CEA, for those who don't know, is basically it's an analysis to determine the cost effectiveness, hence CEA, cost effective analysis. A CEA compares the cost of different interventions or options to quantifiable non-monetary outcomes, and it really helps us choose a method that is most effective and efficient for our city. For a CBA, which is a cost-benefit analysis, it quantifies all the costs and benefits in a monetary terms to determine an overall financial value. The purpose of doing a CEA, of course, would be to assess and compare the costs and outcomes for what we actually get versus what we pay Team Volusia. We can go into how it works, but I'm kind of short on time. So it's often used in certain environments where you can't easily assign a monetary value to the service that's being provided to you. Versus a cost-benefit analysis, of course, it determines the total financial benefits of a project and the decision to outweigh its total cost. Typically, frequently used in, like, business or public policy to evaluate the overall economic viability of your decision. I don't believe, and I believe it's been proven year after year, that we deeply analyze the city's efficiency and effectiveness enough in many areas, not just this one. And it does show. It shows at budget time. No, it doesn't need a third party or a consultant. Pretty much anyone in our financial department should have the skill set and ability. If they don't, then we probably need to reassess the pay structure and make sure that it's based on the qualifications of each person because this is, like, basic 101. I will offer my services, again, for free. It's something that I have on my resume that I can and have done many of times for large corporations. Again, free. I offer it every year. Never get taken up on it every year. But if there is not an ability for somebody to do an analysis like this on things like Team Volusia, I believe there's another one coming up on here so that I'm not wasting my breath. Yeah, the lobbyist. We go over this every year, too. What actually are we getting for the money that we're providing? I believe last time there was some things thrown out there, but the cost analysis wasn't there. So I'm wondering why we keep throwing money at something that has no return or no benefit that meets that cost. It's just like pissing away money. It doesn't make any sense to me why we keep using ineffective ways of bringing business here. I also find it odd that in all these campaigns, we hear that it's you guys that bring the businesses here, not Team Volusia. So, again, I'm just wondering why we continue to spend the money when we don't see the results. And if anybody could provide me with a CEA or CBA, I'd be more than happy to review it and correct my statement here today. But I won't hold my breath on that.
Thank you, Mayor.
That's the only one. All right, if I can please have this. Go ahead, Commissioner Howington.
Thank you. Ms. White, I actually probably have some information I'd love to sit down with you and discuss. And if you would like, I could set up a meeting with Team Volusia for us to sit down. We can discuss some of the opportunities that the city of Deltona is receiving. One of the things that we're doing now is, you may or may not be aware, we brought on John Cox earlier, well, late in the year, last year. And he is our economic development director. And he has been participating in a lot of events that we are afforded the ability to participate in through Team Volusia because Team Volusia pays the large sums of monies for the membership in various organizations. And so with that, Mr. Cox has been able to go out into various arenas to advertise for the city of Deltona. This is something that we have not done previously. And so in the prior year, we paid $55,000. And based on the breakdowns that I saw, we are definitely getting our money's worth based on the opportunities that we have available to us. With that said, we also have some projects on the table that are about $40 million. And while they're not signed, they have not been officially discussed, there are opportunities out there. They are working on opportunities for the city of Deltona, as well as I believe the first time in three years they brought their quarterly meeting to Deltona, to the center. And I was able to speak to several business owners that didn't even realize that the center existed. So that opened the door for those businesses to realize that we do have a venue that is available to be utilized. And so Team Volusia is actively trying to work with us more frequently to bring in additional value to the city of Deltona for what we are paying. But I'd be happy to sit down with you. And if you'd like to go meet with Team Volusia, I'd be happy to set that meeting up. So just feel free to reach out. Thank you.
Thank you, City Attorney. Can you please read the motion before we go to a vote?
Yeah, Mr. Mayor, I just wanted to clarify, because the motion on the floor is to approve items 8A through 8E.
Through F, adding that to the E, where it's an additional proclamation to E.
Thank you. So this is a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented, items 8A through F, including the addition of 8E.
Yes. Did you want to go ahead and read it before they start doing the roll call?
That was the motion. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Commissioner Vila-Vasquez? Commissioner Caldwell?
Yes.
Commissioner Howington? Yes. Commissioner Novick?
Yes.
Vice Mayor Harriet?
Yes.
Mayor Vila?
Yes. Okay, 6-0. Motion passes 6-0. All right. This time we're going to, excuse me, go to ordinances and public hearings. If I can please have the city attorney read 9A.
Yes, Mr. Mayor, this is ordinance number 28-2025, an ordinance of the city of Deltona, Florida, establishing article 10, lobbying of chapter 2, administration of the general ordinances to require lobbyist registration, lobbying disclosures, and payment of fees, providing for conflicts, codification, severability, and an effective date. So this previously came before you all at the city commission workshop, or sorry, the city commission meeting in April 21st, 2025, and the June 6, 2025 regular meeting. It was tabled in order to have a further discussion at a workshop, which occurred on August 11, 2025. This ordinance reflects the direction provided at the workshop and previous hearings.
Before we go into further discussion, Mr. City Attorney, I'm going to entertain a motion at this time.
Yes.
And then a second.
Yes, Mr. Mayor.
Commissioner Avila-Vasquez, you were up first.
I have a question.
Okay. I'll return right to you. Is there a motion on the floor, Commissioner Novick?
Make a motion to approve.
There's a motion by Commissioner Novick. Is there a second?
I'll second.
Vice Mayor Harriet?
I'll second.
Okay. There's a motion by Commissioner Novick and a second by Vice Mayor Harriet. Is there any public comment before we continue with the city attorney?
A true representative to people, please. You're good? Okay. No, Mayor.
Okay. At this time, we're going to go directly to Commissioner Avila-Vasquez. So I believe she had a question. Commissioner Avila-Vasquez? Yes. There you go.
Thank you, Mayor. Zach, going back to the workshop, I remember that we had decided that every lobbyist needed to submit a report of lobbying with any of the commissioners or any – was it also including staff members? Yes.
It included commissioners and staff decision makers, which has been defined as city manager, deputy city manager, planning director, building official, or fire marshal, essentially anyone that has a final decision-making ability in order to track those communications. Right.
And at that workshop, there was a vote that went out saying that the commissioners did not have to fill out a report, it was just the other developers or anybody else there, but not the commissioners? Is that applying to this here? Yes. Because I would like to withdraw my vote because I think commissioners need to file a report as well.
Okay. Understood. Yeah. This includes the lobbying contact logs are the burden of the lobbyist. The lobbyist must prepare them and submit them, and that the staff decision makers and commissioners would not be required to prepare those logs.
Right. I think that commissioners should be required as well. There's no way to find out if the lobbyist does not file a report. How do we know it did happen? I think one should back up the other, if I make it any sense.
Understood. We followed the consensus at the workshop. If there's a different consensus tonight that you'd like to amend that, we can change that between first and second reading.
Thank you. Commissioner Howington, I see your hands up.
Thank you. Yeah, I had a couple questions. I agree with Commissioner Villavasquez in that if the staff and commission logs are not required, then this has no merit to me whatsoever. So, I mean, just until that would be corrected, I could not vote yes on this. Additionally, I believe we had asked for principals to register as lobbyists, as we know that owners can lobby on their own behalf. Did that get included in this? Or are principals still excluded?
The, excuse me, as I look through my definitions quickly just to confirm. So this has, we have included here that the principal does not have to register, but any individual working for the principal whose primary job dues it is to influence decisions of the, of a governing body or of staff would be required to register. So that's contained within the definition of, of lobbyist.
Okay. So in other words, if a developer has 50 acres of land and they want to develop it and they own the land and they are lobbying on their own behalf, they are not required to file.
That, that is correct. They would be exempt under this ordinance. Okay.
And then as far as, um, there was a clause about 10% owners, I believe it was five or 10% owners, which for large organizations, that would become rather difficult to name all of the ownership.
Yes. That was removed.
Did that get removed?
That was removed.
So, so we have one of the, or one of the three. Okay. So still no staff or commission logs and the principal still get to lobby us without having to report anything whatsoever. That does not seem like this has any teeth behind it and I can't support that. Thank you.
Okay. Does, uh, the motion or, or the second or the person that made the second, uh, would like to address, vice mayor, go ahead.
I'd like to keep my second as it, as it stands.
Okay. Commissioner Novick, do you want to?
Okay.
All right. And Mr. Mayor, if I may, before voting, I would request that the motion and second. Include direction, um, because at the workshop, we did not get direction on a fee. So, um, there are three fee options that I'd like to present to you. And I request that the motion and second include, would it be feasible that when, when I go back
to commissioner Novick who did the motion, that, uh, the direction would be to have another workshop on this item so we can discuss fees and maybe whatever other amendments need to get done. Um, I, I mean, it's, um, I just don't want to have a bad ordinance out there. We need something that's enforceable and we, I want to make sure that, you know, obviously you guys are smart and you guys have, uh, modeled it after a couple of the cities because I know we've spoken about it and going by state statute. I just want to make sure that everybody on this dais is agreeable to it.
Yeah. And that is, if that's the will of the body is to have a second workshop. Sure. That is acceptable. The, um, it is also possible that you can move this forward on first reading with direction and then have the second reading.
That's what I'm saying to have another workshop before a second reading.
Yes.
Understood.
Commissioner Novick, you're on.
I would just suggest that we see if there's will to even have the ordinance first and then we can always do a second motion to go ahead and give further direction if this in fact passes and there's, there's a will to go ahead and even do it. Okay.
Okay. Sounds fair. City clerk, please call roll.
Is that motion including the change that I requested?
Commissioner Novick is trying to see if there's a will first and then he's going to, I believe the comment was that you would make another motion. Is that correct? Is that correct for direction?
Yeah, we can.
No, it doesn't.
That, that would be what I would want to do. I'd want to see if there's a will to go ahead and even have this. And then if there is a second motion could be made to give direction to staff as to a workshop or any additional comments that wanted to be added before second reading.
Well, I would support this if the motion includes my request that commissioners are also required required to file a report and then everything else money wise or whatever can be discussed at the workshop.
I'd like to make a motion to take ordinance number 28-2025, lobbyist registration, lobbyist and disclosures and payment of fees at 11th of fees to a workshop. Commissioner Novick?
No. Commissioner Novick?
Vice Mayor Harriet? Mine was a yes.
Yes. So the motion fails. Commissioner Villavazquez, go ahead.
So we can make a motion to take it back to workshop? Yes, you can. All right. I'd like to make a motion to take ordinance number 28-2025, lobbyist registration, lobbying disclosures and payment of fees at 11th of fees to a workshop.
Commissioner Colwell? Second. There's a motion by Commissioner Villavazquez, second by Commissioner Colwell. Could we please vote again? Hold on. You have to turn on your mic. I'll turn you on right now.
Yes. Commissioner Colwell?
Yes.
Commissioner Howington?
Yes.
Sure. No.
Yes. Let's make sure we correct the screen. It's 5-1. We're going to go ahead and move to 9-B as in boy. Can I please have the city attorney read the public ordinance?
Yes, Mr. Mayor. This is ordinance number 34-2025, an ordinance of the City of Deltona, Florida, amending section 110-319 PUD, Planned Unit Development of Article III, Establishment of Classifications and Official Zoning Map of Chapter 110 Zoning to reduce the minimum parcel size required to establish planned unit developments, and Table 1 permitted use table of Article III, Establishment of Classifications and Official Zoning Map of Chapter 110 Zoning to update uses in planned unit developments, providing for conflicts, codification, severability, and an effective
date. Okay.
At this time, I entertain a motion. I think I was told this was supposed to be continued until October 20th.
Was this? Oh. I apologize. I'm reading item B.
So was this table?
Okay. I apologize. The correct ordinance is ordinance number 30-2025, an ordinance of the City of Deltona, Florida, amending section 70-30 definitions of Chapter 70, General Provisions, and Chapter 74, Administration of the Land Development Code of the City of Deltona, Florida, to include procedures that encourage the development and redevelopment of urban infill properties, providing for conflicts, codification, severability, and an effective date. Okay.
At this time, I'll go ahead and entertain a motion. Vice Mayor Herriot?
I move to approve ordinance number 30-2025 at first reading.
There's a motion by Vice Mayor Herriot. Is there a second? Commissioner Novick?
I'll go ahead and second for purpose of discussion. Okay.
Is there any public comment? All right. Commissioner Vila-Vasquez, I see that you are on the board. Yes.
Thank you. So I'm trying to understand this. I've read it so many times, but so what you're saying is that this ordinance will give public planning and development services the authority to approve anything that comes up to them according to this without coming to the commission?
Commissioner, the only thing that the planning director will have authority to do is plots and replots. Variances, rezoning, conditional uses will still go to the planning and zoning board and city commission. And this is per Senate Bill 784, which was adopted by the Florida legislator in the last legislative session. All right.
Thank you.
Commissioner Caldwell? Yeah. Jordan just answered my question. Thank you.
All right. We're going to go ahead and if you can please... Commissioner... No, I've heard hands not up. Commissioner Howington, just in case, did you have a question?
No, I'm good.
Thank you. Okay. Can we please go ahead and vote? Yeah, we can start voting and then when he gets back we get his vote. Commissioner Vila-Vasquez? Yes. Yes.
No.
Your mic is off again. Sorry. There you go.
It's doing itself. Go ahead, Commissioner.
Commissioner Howington?
No. Commissioner Novick?
Yes.
Vice Mayor Harriot?
We'll come back to him for a vote. Okay.
Mayor Vila? Yes.
4-1.
He's coming. Is it the same motion that I made? Yes. Yes.
Okay. 5-1. Okay. Commissioner Vila-Vasquez, I see you're back on. Okay. Next one. This time it was 5-1. It was the dissenting vote. Commissioner Howington. Action Items 10A and if I can please have the city attorney read the consideration.
Yes, Mr. Mayor, this is an item for consideration of one appointment of a city representative to the River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization, R2STPO.
All right, Commissioner Avila-Vasquez is on the board and then Commissioner Novick. Thank you.
So I would like to nominate Commissioner Novick. He was our representative for TPO back when he was a commissioner if he accepts. And he did a really great job representing the city and bringing back funds and information
to us.
Commissioner Novick. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Commissioner Maritza. Thank you. I'm only appointed for 13 months. This is, there's a significant learning curve and looking beyond that 13 months, I don't know that I would run. I don't know if I would get elected. I would be happy to serve as the alternate. But I really think another commissioner, possibly the vice mayor, I understand, but he's been here. I've been out of the loop for a little while. So he's been the alternate is my understanding from the manager. So he has a little bit better insight as to what staff has been doing and what the current procedures are and stuff. So, although I sincerely appreciate your recommendation or consideration for the position, at this time I think it would be better served by the vice mayor who has been functioning as the alternate and is up to speed on the current status of projects and the process. It took me a year the first time to learn the process. And although it probably hasn't changed too much, there is a whole new staff and a new city manager. And I know there's a new staff at the TPO as well. So I think we...
Would you like to nominate him? Is that what you're trying to do?
I would be happy to nominate the vice mayor at this time as well as if we could consider me to be the alternate. I'd be happy to do that at this time. Okay.
So Commissioner Novick is requesting we nominate our alternate, make him the permanent, and then have him as our alternate. Would you accept that nomination, vice mayor? Yes, sir. All right. So apparently... So that's... That's a motion. That's your motion. Is there a second? I'll second the motion. I'm allowed to second. Correct. All right. Is there any public comment on this? City... Okay. Can you please call the roll?
Commissioner Villavasquez? Commissioner Caldwell? Commissioner Howlington? Yes. Commissioner Novick? Commissioner Novick? Yes. Vice Mayor Harriet? Yes.
Mayor Villa? Yes. 6-0. Okay. Motion passes 6-0. All right. This time we're going to go to the city manager comments. Did I miss one again?
It's city attorney comments. Oh. I will be very brief.
I apologize. Usually when Gemma's here, and I know she's on Zoom or on Teams, I try to skip her because she talks. I'm just kidding.
Go ahead. I just have a... I love you, Gemma. One next update is that a few meetings ago we received direction to draft an ordinance implementing SB 462, which is related to micro mobility devices. to give you all a quick update that we have a draft of that ordinance, we have transmitted it to the general counsel for BCSO to get comments on any changes that they might have related to enforceability, et cetera, before bringing that to you all for feedback and scheduling to a first reading.
Thank you, Mr. Good. That was really good.
City Manager. Thank you, Mayor. Just like to take a moment, recognize our planning and zoning Administrator Jordan Smith. Last week, I promoted Jordan to the position of community development services director. So this will encompass all aspects of development under one umbrella. Jordan now will oversee the building department and permitting. This is a position normally found in an organization our size that'll bring Jordan's responsibilities to include now planning and zoning and housing, as well as the building department itself. Jordan's been a solid performer for the city and the residents of Deltona and can do even greater things by bringing continuity to the development and permitting process. So appreciate that. Thank you.
All right, we're gonna go ahead and move to City Commissioner. City Commission comments. We'll start off with Commissioner Avila Vasquez. Sorry, give me one minute.
Go ahead. Just wanna give a shout out to the community gardens. I stopped by very briefly. They did a great job. There was a lot of people there, surprisingly enough, buying plants and stopping by, taking pictures with the butterfly that we have there. So kudos to all the members of the community gardens for putting this event together and thanking everyone that came out today.
Commissioner Howington.
Thank you. I don't have much, but what I would like to ask is, when we went through the budget, we were told that the lightning detection system was already on the books and would be worked into the parks very soon. I'd like to know if we could get a timeline and which parks would be getting the detection systems.
Yes, we can get that for you, Commissioner. Thank you.
Thank you. And I think that's all I have. Well, actually, one more thing. I just wanna apologize to everybody for not being there. I'm actually in North Carolina for work. So that is why I'm not physically there in the office today, but I am here online. Everybody have a wonderful week.
Commissioner Caldwell. Thank you. Okay, Commissioner Novick. Hold on, I got it. There you go.
Thank you, Mayor. I'd just like to thank the city manager, the city attorney's office, and all the staff, deputy manager. This last week, it's like being fed information with a fire hose. A special thank you to Sandy and Bridget for getting me all the pieces, parts, and, of course, the city clerk for keeping me in line with all of the paperwork and forms and things that need to be completed. So a lot of changes in the last few years. I'm getting up to speed. God bless you. But thank you all for welcoming me back, and it's good to be back on the team up here. Thank you.
Vice Mayor Herriot.
Thank you, Mayor. Commissioner Novick, I look forward to serving with you on TPO. I'm excited for what we can do in the next year. The first thing that I wanted to mention is Wreaths Across America. I want to mention that again from the presentation this morning. There is an event this Saturday at the Osteen Diner. That is not the only event. They're collecting money from now until December 13th. I also wanted to kind of extend a friendly challenge to my commissioners. Last year, I think I pledged $150. This year, I will up my own to $200. So I'd like to see if anybody...
I'll pledge $500.
Dang. Well, I'd like to see if any other commissioners would like to contribute to such a great cause with the rest of us. And then also, the Highland Games, a group of neighbors have reached out that are competing in the Highland Games this year. And ask that I share with anybody else that would like to practice. They are doing kind of an impromptu practice being set up by just the competitors this Saturday... Sorry. Saturday the 18th at 10 a.m. at Tom Hoffman Park. It's two Saturdays from now. So that's all I have, Mayor.
Thank you so much. I just want to wish everyone a great week. And that's it. Meeting's adjourned.