DELAND The first Volusia County tax collector in 50 years took over Tuesday, beginning a yearlong transition to assume all the duties of the office, from collecting property taxes to issuing driver’s licenses, birth certificates and concealed carry permits.
Will Roberts was sworn in on the steps of the Volusia County Historic Courthouse, with a small crowd of elected officials, staff and family somewhat socially distanced. The temperature slowly climbed from an overnight low in the 40s.
“For the guy with the most unpopular job in the county, this is a pretty good turnout,” a smiling Roberts said after taping a printout of his new office s logo over the Volusia County seal on his podium.
Volusia County officials think so.
The council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to have county officials reach out to Deltona about potentially returning to the drawing board for the JPA, also known as the Osteen Local Plan.
The Osteen JPA is an area located in southwest Volusia County along the SR 415 corridor between Lemon Bluff Road and Acorn Lake Road and includes 3,990 acres, according to county documents. The plan was a result of extensive intergovernmental coordination between the City of Deltona, County of Volusia and community stakeholders.
The JPA was supposed to facilitate certain level of land use intensity with a mixture of land use types and urban for areas along S.R. 415, according to Deltona staff reports. The Mixed Use Village Center and Osteen Commercial Village promote a mix of land use types such as commercial, institutional activities, medium density residential, including multi-family, single-family, and live/work options.
The Volusia County Council on Tuesday held its final meeting with its present lineup. Two new members will take their seats at the Jan. 7 meeting which will be the biggest change for the body since Ed Kelley was elected county chair in 2016.
As always in final sessions, this last go-around was emotional with several members still smarting from the election fights and defensive of their records. Going through this last campaign, began outgoing Council Member Deb Denys, the things that we do to serve you, you never know. And you never know what a family goes through, what they walk away from, what they endure, what they hear you ve been called, what they hear their mother called, what they hear their grandmother called, and they have to smile and take the high road.
CARES Act money runs out; $30 million has gone to small business and housing assistance Mary Helen Moore, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
COVID-19 relief package: No stimulus check, but offers extra $300 in unemployment
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DELAND – As CARES Acts funds run out this month with no guarantee of a second stimulus, Volusia County announced Tuesday that more than $30 million has gone to help residents and small business owners weather the COVID-19 pandemic.
And it’s not over yet – residents have until 5 p.m. Dec. 30 to apply for rental and mortgage assistance. Those who qualify can receive up to $1,500 per month for three months.