okay that time is now 7:04 I will now call this meeting to order At this time please silence your cell phones and electronic devices Uh we are sorry they're running a few minutes late here We had a workshop that ran a little bit over time Your greeters at the door tonight is uh economic development director Brian Rademacher and human resources manager Samantha Potts To my far right and your far left we have recording secretary Taylor
Lochert city clerk Susan Dauderis Deputy Mayor Zone One Commissioner Lori Tolland Good morning everybody and welcome Zone 2 Commissioner Travis Sargent It's actually good evening and welcome but thank you I say good morning Yes it was a long meeting Uh Comm Zone 2 Commissioner Travis Sargent got to you already right Directly to my right uh to my left and your right we have zone 3 commissioner Kristin Deaton
Welcome Zone 4 Commissioner Harold Briley I think somebody had a long day Good evening and welcome Yeah City Manager Joyce Shanahan uh Assistant City Manager Shawn Finley City Attorney Randy Hayes and to my far left and your far right we have Police Chief Jesse Godfrey and Fire Chief Howard Bailey and I'm Mayor Jason Leslie At this time I'd like to call Reverend Larry Temple
Life Community Church to come up for the uh invocation uh followed by the pledge of allegiance Let us pray Almighty God we ask your blessing and favor on this meeting this board and the city of Ormond Beach We pray for your guidance peace and clarity for these proceedings today May the best decisions and outcomes come forth from this gathering today And may your hand of provision protection and prosperity cover not only this meeting but the
entire city of Ormond Beach And if you agree with that say amen Amen Pledge of 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 You may be seated Moving on to the presentation and proclamation section of the agenda
This is a time we can acknowledge and celebrate individuals organizations and other community successes or achievements within our wonderful city Today we have two proclamations and one presentation I'd like to invite General Audino to come up here for the first proclamation [Music] It's blocking your [Music]
view Sorry about that General it's good to see you It's good to see how things going Thank God I'm not in Washington DC All right At this time uh if you can hold up your proclamation so everyone can see it And what I'll do is I'm going to go ahead and read it Whereas General Ernest Ernie Audino a distinguished veteran and dedicated public
servant with a long and accomplished career in both the US Army and public service exemplifying leadership and dedication to the country and community And whereas General Audino retired from the US Army with the rank of brigadier general after 28 years of service during which he held significant leadership roles including as chief combat adviser embedded with the third brigade fourth division of the Iraqi army in northern Iraq and as a deputy director of operations
at US Army headquarters G357 contributing to the critical military operations and strategy And whereas following his military retirement General Odino transitioned into public service as a district director for Congressman Mike Waltz right upstairs where he played a pivotal role in supporting Florida's sixth district earning respect for his professionalism leadership in organizing key initiatives and his steadfast commitment And whereas General Odino has been
a dedicated leader in the community having served as the keynote speaker at the Flaggler County Veterans Day ceremony and the Ormond Memorial Arts Museum's Veterans Day tribute sharing his valuable insights from his military service and honoring the sacrifices of veterans And whereas in addition to military and congressional work General Audino has held prominent roles in the private sector including senior vice president at Raiden Corporation and senior fellow at the gold institute for international strategy where he demonstrated
exceptional expertise in national security and business development And whereas General Audino's career in both military and civilian roles leaves a long lasting a legacy of leadership mentorship and dedication As of April 1st 2025 he began a new chapter as executive vice president of the CEO Business Alliance in Daytona Beach continue his commitment to economic growth and civic service Now therefore I Jason Leslie mayor of the city of Ormond Beach do
hereby proclaim May 6th 2025 as a day to recognize General Ernie Adino [Applause] Congratulations also like to present you uh a little challenge coin here as well as another thank you behalf of myself and the commission here So thank you Now it's time for photo
Oh no You got to come up So so when the mayor told me this was coming I told him a I hadn't earned this but b I would accept it on behalf of the team because our team Brandy here Sue Bower many of you probably know Sue Bower Cynthia Miller up in our Palm Coast office Captain Randy Stapleford Nick Bernett a wounded warrior Air Force special operator and Sher Norman They were phenomenal So I had the easiest job in the world frankly and truthfully
And last time I was here here the mayor didn't have a beard Thanks everybody Congratulations No Next I'd like to call up the uh officers all in the back row there for uh National Police Week proclamation And uh of course the police chief where you at There you are And Captain Roos Yes you
How you doing Chief Good Good Yeah Yes I do All right It's good to see you all Whereas in 1962 President John F Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as National Peace Officers Memorial Day in the week in which it falls as National Police Week a time
to honor the service and sacrifice America's law enforcement officers And whereas National Police Week is observed through collaborative efforts led by organizations such as the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund which hosts the annual candle light vagil the fraternal order of police and its auxiliary which organized the peace officers memorial day service at the US capital and concerns of police survivors which conducts a national police survivors conference And whereas the police unity tour founded in 1997 by New Jersey police officer Patrick Montour is a
250 mi ride from Virginia to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington DC Created to honor fallen officers and raise awareness of their sacrifice What began with 18 riders has grown more than 2600 participants nationwide And whereas the Ormond Beach Police Department will proudly participate in the Police Unity Tour for the ninth consecutive year and the 11th year overall with proceeds benefiting the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
Whereas police chief Jesse Godfrey represented the department in the 29th annual Florida tour force a 5-day 270 plus mile charity ride from North Miami Beach to Daytona Beach shores held April 7th to the 11th 2025 The event honors Florida's fallen officers and raises funds for their families uniting law enforcement and communities across more than 40 jurisdictions and eight counties And whereas recognizing the importance of public awareness it is vital for citizens to understand
the challenges and responsibilities of law enforcement professionals who worked tirelessly to uphold safety justice and the rule of law Now therefore I Jason Leslie mayor of the city of Ormond Beach do hereby proclaim May 11th to the 17th 2025 as National Police Week Thank you Congratulations
[Applause] [Applause] All right There's more Tonight we represent the winners of the 2025 Mayor's Health and Fitness Challenge The city of Ormond Beach has challenged our employees and residents since 2013 The Mayor's
Health and Fitness Challenge is a public private partnership to bring the community together to improve the health of Orange Beach residents and staff I would like to thank our sponsors Advent Health Florida Healthcare Plans Halifax Health and our health and awareness partners Astrokate Orin Orin Beach GL Guts Gold's Gym Jazz Eyesize Larry's Giant Subs New Journey Chiropractic Nolan
Nutrition Ormond Beach Yoga Ormond Beach Main Street and Prime for Hydration and wellness Now to the challenges and winners I would like to thank all the challenges for their participation The winners of the 2025 mayor's health and fitness challenges from each group are 17 under Eric Ross [Applause]
[Applause] 18 to 29 Sarah Dion I might have said that wrong [Applause] Sorry 30-39 Felipe Manolas and Noel [Applause]
Eaton 40 to 49 Commissioner Travis [Music] Sargent this was he was looking for the forward to this all night and Marella Miller or Marcella I'm sorry Congratulations Uh 60 to 69 we have WY White and Lucen Kira Casian or Lucin Kia Lucian
Sorry Last but not least I'm not going to mention age category to be nice here Uh Leslie [Applause] McDonald Okay So these are all your winners Give them another round of
applause Okay Do we do a photo now We're going to get everybody together here Yep You guys want to be on the end
Thank you And again to to everybody Oh yes Thank you Oh thank you Good job Okay hand this off Thank you Okay we're going to move on to uh audience remark At this time we will hear from those of you who have signed a card to speak about any item which is not on the printed agenda for this meeting including any items on the consent agenda Each person will be given a total of three minutes
First speaker I'd like to call up uh Barbara Ward Good evening Mayor Leslie and commissioners My name is Barbara Ward I live at 757B Flamingo Drive in Ormond Beach and um in Ocean Village Villas It's a restricted HOA with 250 homes I love living in Ormond Beach It has a beautiful beach friendly people and it's a peaceful community But now I
have something to worry about Before I purchased a home I had a thorough home inspection done But I never dreamed or ever heard of an individual who's buying a home checking the condition of storm drains In 2024 Hurricane Milton collapsed some of our storm drains and several of the homes in our community were flooded seriously flooded Um this damage could have been prevented Our city
utility bill has a monthly charge for storm water that includes storm drainage systems With hurricane season just a month away we are very concerned We need improvements for our storm drainage system as soon as possible Thank you Thank you Barbara
Just out of curiosity for a second does the commission want to just comment on that real quick No comment and I think staff can clarify but this is a private HOA and city engineer Alex Schumann and others have been working with them to determine and to help out if if you can correct me if I'm wrong That is that is correct And we we've been out number times over the years to um Ocean Village Recently Alex has been out there with with representatives from the management company with representatives from the HOA And so we're trying to work with them to give them some some guidance
on how they can help themselves and and look at the areas that we maybe we can help them as well Thank you Shawn Thank you Commissioner Sargent Uh next speaker is Bill Balano Good evening Mayor and Council Uh my name is Bill Milano I live at 4779 South Atlantic Avenue in Pon Inlet I am member of the Ponce Inlet Council and I'm the treasure of the FirstStep shelter Um the
reason why I'm here is because of the First Step Shelter Ormond Beach and Ponce inlet are two of the original founding board members of the shelter You've had Dwight Shelby Susan Persis and now the mayor as the board members Uh comment was made last month during the board meeting that Ormond Beach Council is considering not being a partner in the future with the shelter Um we went through years and years and years together where the council told us that we
would be having warmer dinners coming from the prison to the building of the shelter We did this as a partnership Our success is outstanding In the last 5 years we've placed over 900 people in housing 88 of them are veterans Almost 10% of our placement have been veterans It is my hope that when you begin the budget process as a council that you will consider staying as a partner with Ponce Inlet and part of the shelter to continue the outstanding work
that has happened over the shelter It was as I said it was a concern that they said that you just didn't feel enough people had been placed in the shelter by Ormond Beach and that you are concerned about the expense Um that's all I have to say You have a monthly report that is sent to your board member every single month I distribute it to every single council member my town manager assistant town manager Uh look at the numbers that Ponce Inlet have sent and you guys have
done between 25 and 30 a year We need you We were we're a great partnership We have worked together and I hope we continue to work together Thank you And if you have any questions you've got my card All right Thank you Bill Mayor may I ask for a personal privilege to address this resident Um sure Well he's not a resident here but I'm strictly I'm sorry this citizen That's okay
I love Ormond Beach You got one of the best little restaurants and ice cream shops down the down this street And my wife comes here for her haircuts from Ponce Inlet We do I'm Granada So pleased Well we I mean we we can uh do something real quick cuz I just I got a lot of speakers here so I want to try to move along here All right I just wanted personally to extend my gratitude to First Step Shelter for the invaluable work that you do do in our community Um you have been sharing the statistics via email and they're proof of your unwavering commitment to serving our homeless
population Um the dedication of the first step shelter um offering a safe haven exemplifies the very best work in compassion and action and I appreciate all that you do and towards healing recovery and simply helping those get back on their feet So I just want to just say thank you Thank you I appreciate that And thank you mayor for allowing me to state that No problem
Commissioner Anytime My phone number is there I'm from Broward County originally and I was a high school principal there for 18 years So please feel free Thank you Commissioner Deaton want to say one thing real quick I'm sorry I'd like to thank you for coming out I do appreciate that Um your comment is rather concerning to me I know I've personally never said anything negative regarding First Step Shelter or polling funds and I did actually ask the city clerk if she could find that we had minutes regarding that and she said we have never spoken about that So I just want to assure you that we are trying to fix our transient issue in Ormond Beach and I do think that
we do need the first step shelter to help with that Thank you And remember we have a safe zone You are correct Thank you Have a good evening Next speaker is Sal Gentle Gentle gentle Yeah Sorry I can't read the writing here It doesn't matter Gentile Gentto doesn't make a difference Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be here today Uh my name is Sal Gentiel and I'm a disabled Army National Guard veteran and I'm also an international and national tenitis or tenidis
which is ringing in the ears expert life coach And basically what that means is I help people around the world I've helped hundreds of people try to restore the quality of their life I live with um severe four severe noises probably started uh most likely in basic training back in 1970 from loud explosions and the type of training we had and of course it didn't materialize for decades
and um you know I had a faint sound in my ear and then approximately 15 years ago on the day after my birthday um and I in Bibe I woke up that morning with four loud noises and they were horrific I thought I had brain damage Uh I didn't get out of bed for 4 days and finally went to um went to GPS and several different um hearing professionals And all I was told
was you need to learn to live with this and suck it up But that wasn't good enough And I have to tell you that there are approximately 700 million people including disabled veterans like myself who live with phantom noises and our silence has been stolen literally And so um in support of what I've just explained and to get right to the point I'm asking the committee
if there's anything that you can do to promote National Military Appreciation May month anything at all Perhaps I'm sure the residents would appreciate that I know I would So by helping me uh we're basically helping others and even if you promoted me and my contact information um I'm experienced in the field that I've been in I've been doing this for 15 years and so
um again I ask if there's anything you can do the media um they just focus on you know current administration events over and over again and um they they have lack of staff now and I really get no place with the with the media So if there's anything that you can do to help I really appreciate that Thank you so much and I appreciate your time Thank you S Mr Mayor would
it be appropriate to ask Jen to share contact information with Mr Gentiel to help Yes Thank you Next uh Jennifer Bright At 700 p.m April 15th the city council meeting there was an agenda item to approve an intent to build CDBG Division Avenue North Side Sidewalk Improvements At 1:37 p.m on April 15th prior
to the committee meeting at 7 the count uh the city scheduled and released notification of a pre-bid meeting for the above agenda item again prior to tonight's meeting and the agenda item attempt attempt attempt to bid CDBG Central Park Trail has been placed on the city's calendar for 5:22 for a pre-bid meeting and the intent to bid airfield pavement reunification and remarking
project was added to the city calendar on Sunday September uh excuse me April 27th at 9:00 a.m for a May 27th pre-bided conference It would appear that the bureaucrats of this city do what they want and our commission is not in control but only here to rubber stamp the spending Second the council just finished the second and final goal setting workshop The city has a third party the strategic government resources SGR come in and facilitate the goal setting workshops
From what I heard in the first workshop SGR was used two years ago when this exercise was done Interested into what SGR charged the city I submitted a public information request and the city did inform me that the cost to find out would be approximately $121.19 by which Florida statute section 119 is allowed And for that I want to say thank you I downloaded and rooted through the transparency portal only to find one invoice for strategic government resources and
that was from 1920 or excuse me 2022 and it was for a job ad Interesting Never did locate any other invoices that SGR billed the city But I was able to ascertain that the city spent at least $2,966 at Publix Starbucks Panera and The Grind just for this first phase of the workshop Bon-apetite Next up is uh Victor Cesari
Good evening Uh Victor Cesari from 738 Bravo Flamingo Drive in Ormond Beach I just moved there last year from Daytona to Ormond Beach I love my community From Ocean Village I'm a board member I am a treasurer I'm also a reserve analyst for condos and HOAs and I want to remind the those responsible for maintaining these storm drains in our community that's the
city's responsibility that it's very important to keep up with the repairs and the maintenance of the storm drains Us as a community as a board as an HOA we are being proactive We're getting our cameras our storm drains came We're most likely going to get them relined And yes people have been out here to help us And we'd like the continuation of that support Please Um I I when I just moved here and I've heard that this issue has been an ongoing issue for many years and
I think it's great work what you guys are doing currently now with the storm drains I think it's uh very overdue and this is not this is a very big ticket item This isn't pennies here This is we're talking thousands of dollars Um there is a section of our community that we would like addressed It seems like the city is kind of strayed away from that area but again I'd like the continuation
of the the support from the city and and Alex as well and and other people have come in and told us this and that It's conflicting and we we just we're going to take care of our responsible storm drains or what's our responsibility when it comes to storm drains We'd like the city to to please address theirs A lot of we we don't have a private road so anyone can come in So that we're that that is city's responsibility and in some areas in in our community you can
see the road kind of dipping or could be a collapse could be a small failure So and this has been going on for years So I just like to thank everyone for their uh support and and please just we'd like to get things done in a timely fashion Well overdue Thank you Thank you Victor Next is um Victoria Fberg
Good evening I'm Victoria Falberg I'm the executive director of First Step Shelter At our last board meeting on April 14th Mayor Leslie let us know that his city commissioners were had concerns about our shelter and were concerned about funding it Again I want you to be sure to know that we care very much about our partnership with Ormond Beach And anytime anyone has any questions please just give me a call I left my card with the clerk and so please don't ever hesitate Ormond Beach has been a great partner and we wanted to stay that way I have a
great rapport with Chief Godfrey and last year he invited me on a ride along with Lieutenant Larson and that went really well too Mayor Leslie said that you are all concerned about our numbers Since opening between the safe zone and shelter program we've had over 5,000 referrals from law enforcement alone not to mention all the referrals from elsewhere Nearly 1,900 people have come through our shelter program and 940 of them have been successfully housed Um of those who have
obtained housing for at least 2 years 93% are still in housing We've successfully housed 88 veterans According to a 2014 study by the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness the cost in today's dollars for inpatient hospitalizations emergency room fees incarceration and other systems associated with homelessness for just one single chronically unhoused person is
$41,192 a year Although most of these costs are not directly impacted by Ormond Beach your participation with us makes our entire county a better place to live Beyond the financial benefits First Step Shelter provides our county with both a compassionate and comprehensive way of addressing homelessness We do not give people a fish that lasts for just a day We teach people how to fish
so that they'll never be back on the streets again We help our clients find their dignity and self-respect Thank you for this opportunity to speak You are always welcome at the shelter and I'm always open again to any concerns As you enter this budget season I ask that you continue your partnership with us Thank you Thank you Mr Mayor I have several questions on this Um would now be the correct time to do that No not u We're going to move on to the approval of the minutes now So when would be the correct time Mr mayor to address these concerns Do that for your closing
comments Thank you Mr Mayor The minutes for the April 15 2025 city commission meeting have been sent to the commission for review and post to the city's website I don't know what that's all about Does anyone have any corrections or changes Move approval Second Any other conversation All those in favor say I I I All those opposed Motion carries Minutes approved We're going to move on to consent agenda Items on the consent agenda are deemed routine and non-controversial The
action proposed is stated for each item Unless the city commissioner removes an item from the consent agenda no discussion on individual items will occur and a single motion will approve all items Does any member of the commission wish to pull any items from the consent agenda Move approval Second Any other discussion Uh city clerk please call the vote Commissioner Tolland yes Commissioner Sargent yes Commissioner Deaton yes Commissioner Briley yes Mayor Leslie yes Any commissioners wish to comment any of
the consent agenda items at this time Seeing none Okay Move on to next Uh we're going to move on to 8A City clerk please read the title ORDINANCE NO. 2025-18: AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 17-5, RESERVED, OF CHAPTER 17, STREETS, SIDEWALKS AND OTHER PUBLIC PLACES, OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES; BY ADDING A NEW SECTION TITLED, PRESERVATION OF PUBLIC SPACES; PROVIDING TERMS AND CONDITIONS; AND SETTING FORTH AN EFFECTIVE DATE. This is the second reading of ordinance number 2025-18 read by title only I have no cards at this time Second Any discussion Seeing none city clerk please call
the vote Commissioner Sargent yes Commissioner Deaton yes Commissioner Briley yes Commissioner Tolland yes Mayor Leslie yes Move on to nine now Uh we'll move on to staff and commission report suggestions and request Starting with the city manager Joyce Shanahan Uh thank you very much Mr Mayor Uh thank you all for your time this evening as you went through your strategic planning process That's very helpful for staff especially considering the upcoming meetings we
have You'll have your regular uh meeting um on Tuesday May 20th Tuesday June 3rd is your CIP budget workshop That's the first in the series of the budget workshop is the capital budget first and then the operating budget So um and then you uh take a brief break through um from on June 23rd you're going to CIP workshop at the regular meeting and then you'll review the uh capital improvements plan On July 22nd will be the operating budget and you take your break
um between June 3rd and July 22nd So please mark those on your calendars Um I want to um recognize Susan Dauderis tonight Um Susan has uh she loves that she's Susan stood up our citizen academy and it's been wildly successful The mayor of the town of Strawburg Virginia Brandy Hawkins was so impressed with our citizens academy program she requested information from our city clerk and has since begun to promote their own citizen academy Congratulations to the city
clerk and their staff for their hard work in delivering such a great program to our citizens Uh please join master naturalist Joan Teague from the Halifax River Audabon Society for a free series of casual bird watching walks at the Environmental Discovery Center along the trails of Central Park on Wednesday May 9th and May 13th at 8:00 a.m Uh Swing into Spring uh free concert series begins on Thursday May 8th from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m on the casement's north lawn
Enjoy live performance by Lucy Sports Registration for summer connections day camp is underway and will remain open until filled Please contact leisure services for more information We also um have the opportunity uh free to the city and free to the camp participants to offer breakfast and lunch for those um camp participants Uh you heard from Firstep Shelter we have shelter statistics that we can provide you if you're interested And let's see what else do I
have And lastly I would like to recognize the Ormond Beach Police Department and all their personnel for the outstanding work that they do in our community every day under the leadership of Chief Godfrey uh Captain uh Roos and Captain Smith So thank you [Music] all and I'm available to answer any questions you may have Thank you Joyce Okay Thank you Uh assistant city manager
Shawn Nothing Nothing further Have a good night City attorney Uh nothing this evening Thank you Good night Thank you Randy Um this evening we'll begin with Commissioner Briley Thank you Mr Mayor Um in the interest of time is pretty quick this evening I'll be brief Um I would like to reference um and I don't have it in front of me but I'd like you to reference an email uh that probably most of us got if all if all of us didn't get it from uh former commissioner Jeff Boyle in regards to the A1A sidewalk uh replacement Um you know I concur with Mr
boyle that we I think as the city of Ormond Beach were expecting when they remove when DOT removes a concrete sidewalk to replace it with a concrete sidewalk not something that's asphalt Um I didn't I I read a response from the DOT representative to Mr Boyle's email and and I have to say I disagree quite a bit with what he has to say Number one um I think most of us know that asphalt does not hold up near as well as concrete especially when it gets hot It's hotter than concrete Um people like
to walk their dogs along those types of trails It's very hard on a dog any sort of animal Um it does not hold up as well As I said concrete can get soft in the summer heat Um it's not attractive and it's a maintenance nightmare Uh water will collect on asphalt and create potholes We see it all the time with roadways Doesn't happen with concrete So I would like us as a city commission to reach out to the FDOT and let them know that an asphalt multimotal facility or or multi-purpose
facility trail if you will uh is not acceptable with the city of Ormond Beach, I don't know what if if anyone else has any comments on it but that would be my uh my my my suggestion would be for staff to reach out to FDOT and tell them we we are not happy with what they're doing up there So I was at a meeting with this or uh Ormond Beach Scenic Loop and Trail They request a meeting with FDOT and uh probably about 2 or 3 weeks ago and I was fortunate enough to be in attendance and that
was their big gripe as well Um I will say FDOT was very congenial and and a lot of the problem was a communication issue Um but at the end of the day the uh scenic loop open and trail people really wanted the concrete as well So just wanted to share that And but the only other thing I I need to put out there is I also had conversation with Pat Nory who does a lot of the trails in Volusia County and she said that the asphalt is a preferred trail for pedestrians and bicyclists
saying that her trails are in the land in and tree canopy areas This is somewhat unique in that it's up on A1A right And it's going to be exposed to the sun all day Correct And and I again I can I can appreciate FD FDOT being congenial but they're congenial with a lot of things and still do what they do what they do what they want to do So you know they can be as high as they want to be about it and just keep going the way they're going So point taken Commissioner Sargent I think
it was a horrible idea what they did up there We have people that walk to and from the beach and you're going to put asphalt down black asphalt I mean I'm I'm I I guess it's great that the Scenic Loop people who are not even our residents can ride their bicycles through here No the Scenic Loop people wanted concrete Oh okay I thought you were saying that they did not the the trails people generally like trails because they're softer in asphalt but those trails are generally
canopy driven through Commissioner Briley can you pave over asphalt with concrete Can you pave over asphalt with concrete Not suggested Okay So they would have to rip it all up And so basically we're stuck with it Correct Thank you I'm willing to send a letter but it's unfortunate Well they could remove the concrete Excuse me They could remove the asphalt I'm good to send a letter I've received a number of complaints mainly from people who are walking dogs Okay We like to put a letter together then if we could do so and prepare it Thank you Um you have any more closing remarks
Commissioner Briley Okay Um Commissioner Tolland Deputy Mayor Great Thank you so much Um this month uh is recognizing that the need to support mental wellness It's mental wellness month uh to those in need of mental wellness and those struggling with addiction um know that they there are people there to support you I applaud the organizations that are meeting the needs of the community head on Sometimes closely related to mental health conditions or drug and alcohol abuse
I'd like to share with you that according to our medical examiner the overdose deaths are down by 25% in Volusia County The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more people who overdose are able to be revived The hope is to get them into recovery Much of this success of the decrease in overdose deaths can be attributed to the Narcan as well as education on how to use it The one box narcan kits distributed by Volusia Recovery Alliance funded by Advent Health and
the County Vending Machines through Foundation to Freedom all contributed to this decrease I hope that this downward trend continues and we can continue to address the stigma that is attached to mental health conditions I also want to thank Sal Gentiel for coming today and bringing to awareness to Military May Um I want to thank you for your service and what you're doing for our community Um I I know that Jen with the city has given you information I al also ask that you reach
out to the Ormond Beach Observer and um I'm sure their number is on the paper and I'm sure they will be able to help you as well reach out to the community Um I put a little fundraiser card up on your desk and I went to the Volusia County Lions Club Um what they're doing is it's a fundraiser and what they are raising funds for is because they offer free vision and diabetes screening They were just at our library last week Um Hank Lunsford and his group does just a tremendous job
and travels all around Volusia County Um I'm just going to list a few of the events that we probably all went to just for the sake of listing for the our residents We all appreciated the Casement's Guild appreciation lunch There was an Earth Day and Tree celebration which was very successful The Ormond Beach Chamber Golf Tournament was raising money for the Rob Ritter Scholarship There was an event with the Florida League of Mayors a regional event in Sanford that was very um enlightening
The Jewish Federation um had a concert at our uh performing arts center Misha Beton is a musician and a storyteller and he shared his personal experience regarding the October 6th attack of Israel Um I was able to enjoy going around um with the Ormond Beach Chamber honoring the teacher of the quarter It was a lot of fun Um it's always fun when you surprise folks Um the Ormond Key uh Ormond
Beach Yacht Club presented living shorelines last night and that was offered by the Marine Discovery Center down in Ponce inlet Um great ideas um looking at our shoreline and how we can restore some areas Um and I also attended a storm water task force meeting where municipalities heard from FDOT the county and other municipalities um ch um challenges with flooding Uh the group discussed how cities will move forward and collaborate um addressing flooding and pending storm water issues
with weather events The biggest takeaway is that Ormond Beach is ahead of the game and I just want to thank our staff for being proactive with what we do here Um and finally on a very sad note I would like to expend extend my deepest sympathy to the Fred Heynes family Fred was a very passionate man of service to others He particularly to this community He served on many boards His love was
the business of the airport particularly and Fred will be missed and may he rest in peace Good night Thank you, Deputy Mayor, Uh Commissioner Sargent Thank you Mr Mayor I was hoping to have an open dialogue earlier when the speakers were here but um I was denied that privilege So therefore I I'll have a a one-way conversation and just um express my thoughts that I have um regarding the First step shelter then I'll get into my closing comments So back on April and pardon me I have a
lot of information here that I just want to get out Um on April 15th at 12:24 the Daytona Beach News Journal posted an article and it had comments in there that I'll just read verbatim Um it said "Our representative on the board warned that his city commission have expressed doubts about the shelter." And then it goes on to say and uh Ormond Beach commissioners are unhappy with the results
Then at on April 15th at 4:10 those comments were redacted and the following statement was put in and it said um our representative warned that his city commissioners have concerns about the number of homeless people in Ormond Beach That is correct We discussed that on the dais Um and then it another comment in this article the the new article says
"I can't stress this enough I think we're on thin ice We could be in jeopardy of losing tens of thousands of dollars." So it's a little interesting how these articles got redacted or changed And and then we get multiple emails from other board members um listing concerns that were discussed at that board meeting I'm not going to go on to read them all where everyone wants to get home But I will say that
there is strong evidence that our board appointee has misspoken on my position regarding the Firstep Shelter I support the Firstep Shelter I think they do an amazing job Yes we may not utilize it like we could but look what our neighboring municipalities and how they're utilizing it And those are less people coming into our communities So I just want the Firstep Shelter and the board
members to know that the comments that were made do not represent Commissioner Travis Sargent With that being said commission I think it would be in the best interest to show our support to the First Step Shelter by sending a letter of support to them And we all can sign it or we cannot sign it It's up to you But I would like to send a letter of support for past support and future support And I would like this to be done before their Monday board meeting
We can either scan it or have it handd delivered whichever you all would like Would anyone else like to send a letter I would be willing to send a letter of support I as well am willing to send a letter I'm also concerned that I was spoken for and um that's not necessarily my perception of First Step Shelter Yeah I have no problem with the letter Thank you Thank you So Joyce I believe we have a consensus on the dis and if that letter could be ready before
Friday so we could all sign it and have that delivered I believe their board meeting is on Monday Thank you And I really appreciate all that Firstep Shelter does When I read through the uh the weekly update that we got pardon me I thought I had it handy so much of these emails In 5 years they have supported 158 veterans with an average of over 40 veterans every year in
the last 3 years I mean the numbers just go on and on and on It's a great organization I can't say it enough I support the First Step Shelter The only comment I ever made about the First Step Shelter and possibly taking away funding was last year when it there was discussion about it being privatized and then I would not be willing to support it But as it stands today I will fight to support the First Step Shelter I think they do an amazing
job Now on to other closing comments Could we get an update Could staff get an update from Volusia County Schools regarding the status of Ormond Beach Elementary I know that there's been talks about that going away and something Can we just get clarification Thank you Is there a status update on reclaim water I've seen some issues happening maybe out in breakaway area where
they were it's was intermittent I don't know if there's an issue with the reclaimed water I know that we're in a drought season but just wanted to see is there anything Yeah we're at the um that time of year where where we're have a stressed system Um so we see people using them using the water outside the the watering limits and so we have had a couple occasions we did have a break um at the connection point to Deer Creek which we we've I think have got addressed and and and taken care of Um we have had occasions here in the past uh couple weeks where we've had to turn it off on
non-watering days to to limit it So we make sure we have water for um for for the residents to use on those watering days Um we do try to communicate that as best as we can and we will do a better job if we haven't done a good job If we can get that out on social media maybe just Yeah that would be great Thank you Um art in the park this past weekend was great Thank you to staff This is an event that parks and recreation puts on It was great to see so many families parents grandparents dog owners everyone just enjoying the beautiful weather that we had The rain came a little bit
but held off for the most part and it was just a great event to go partake The one thing I would ask is if we could next year offer a section for children to be able to sell their items at a and and charge them a reduced rate I I think it's important for them to understand how to run a business and I think that they should pay a fee to to an entry fee to it but I don't think they should have to buy a whole booth if you will The city of Daytona did this down at the Espionage 2
months ago just for kids and it was completely sold out and most the residents that were there most of the kids were from Ormond Beach So I don't know if we can look into that please Uh the mayor's golf tournament was a great event I first time I swung a club in 15 years Um it was sold out event uh that the chamber puts on And it's unfortunate the the gentleman that I filled in for cuz he had to leave town Don Young passed away last night at 55 um suddenly So his
family is with um in my thoughts and prayers Uh the mayor's fitness challenge that was great a key note on that There was five of us that won it last year as well So I think that's a key good fact on how much weight did you lose That number wasn't shared 10 lbs Okay Just asking The the health department recommends uh 2 and a2 pounds per week So I'd like to follow rules Um the doughnut dash was a fundraiser for the police athletic league Was after your
way out the back before that that was uh before Thank you, Commissioner Briley Um that was in, the trails That was a 3.1 mile run My oldest son Everett at nine came in second in his age group My youngest son finished with me carrying him on my shoulders for more than half the way but he we finished Um this past weekend was the second law enforcement torch run which was held out out held out at the quads Um it was a fun one mile race and it was great to be able to carry the torch for a
little bit in that race And in the past two years it has grown um to support from 60,000 um special needs athletes to over 78,000 um to date And these athletes get to participate in events at no cost to them or their families And Ormond Beach police public safety officer Pauline sang the national anthem She did a great I mean amazing job and she was getting married that
afternoon I mean it was very great It was great to as always to see the the police or the fire department with their fire truck out there with the ladder with a big American flag flying That just is a just amazing to see every time y'all do that I'm almost done Um thank you S for your service I too am a disabled veteran I think we can get that out on social media and appreciate your [Music] service Today the go governor Governor DeSantis signed a bill that bans fluoride
in Florida's drinking water goes into effect July 1st and his quote was "It's forced medication when they're jamming fluoride into your water supply." That was from Governor DeSantis Now on to another note This month of the month of May is mental health awareness month Let us take a moment to reflect on an on an aspect of our lives that often goes unnoticed and unspoken The state of
our mental health Just as excuse me just as we routinely care for our physical well-being we must prioritize our mental health with the same urgency and compassion Mental health affects each and every one of us It is woven into the fabric of our everyday experiences shaping how we think feel interact with the world around us Yet despite its universal impact mental health is often shrouded
in stigma misunderstanding and silence This month serves as a vital reminder that we must break the silence shatter the stigma and foster an environment where open conversations about mental health are not just welcomed but embraced One in five adults experience some some form of mental illness each year These numbers remind us that mental health challenges are common and can
affect anyone regardless of age race gender socio and e socioeconomic status Whether it is anxiety depression bipolar or any other condition we must acknowledge that these challenges are real and deserving of empathy and support Let us remember that mental health is not simply the absence of mental illness It is the state of well-being It encompasses our emotional physiological and social
well-being influencing how we think feel and act Good mental health can empower us to cope with life stresses engage with others meaningfully and make informed decisions Conversely poor mental health can lead to significant challenges impacting our relationships productivity and overall quality of life This month I urge you all to educate yourself and those around you
share resources attend workshops and participate in community events Let's discuss mental health openly in schools workplaces and homes By fostering a culture of awareness and understanding we can create safe spaces for individuals to share their struggles and seek help without fear of judgment Additionally let us not forget the importance of taking care of ourselves Simple practices such as mindfulness exercise and building supportive networks can contribute
to significantly can contribute significantly to our mental well-being Let's encourage one another to seek professional help when needed because reaching out is a sign of strength not weakness As we move forward may we carry the spirit of mental health mental health awareness month in our hearts and actions throughout the year Let's commit to standing together supporting one another and advocating for the future where mental health is recognized as a fundamental part of
the overall health Together let us inspire change spread awareness and cultivate a community where mental health matters If anyone ever needs anything you can call me on my cell phone at 386 481 0567 I think this is a very important month and I take it personal I had a roommate in the Marine Corps who took his own life and if we can save one life just by answering that phone it's impactful Thank you Commissioner Deaton Thank you Um it feels like we have attended a lot of
events lately I'm particularly disappointed that I had to miss the torch run this past Saturday My son qualified for regionals as a freshman for varsity track and we had to be in Satellite Beach So I'm I'm sorry I had to miss that I would like to encourage everyone to please um go to Ormond Beach Burger Week There are 20 local restaurants who are participating All of the burgers are $10 each Um you can get a lot of the information on social media Um but it is good through Sunday I have done I believe eight now So I definitely encourage everybody to definitely go
if you can I think my favorite is Fat Poly So definitely try that one That one's a great one Um lastly I definitely have concerns regarding the statements for the First Step Shelter Um I don't think I don't think we can be proactive about our transient issue if we are shutting down the doors worthy funding for First Step Shelter I also don't think that that's something that we should be speaking about when it is something that we are going to have to vote as a commission on So I I don't think that that sort of thing should be brought up Um that's just my personal
opinion I'm not going to elaborate I know there was some other elaborations on it but that's I have concerns That's about where I'll leave it Thank you and good night Thank you Well going last here I have a lot of things that everyone touched on because we go to a lot of the same events too Um so I'll just be a little more I'll be a little more summarized on it The uh I'd like to congratulate the PAL organization and everyone else involved with the doughnut dash That was a lot of fun Uh I know my colleague to my right here participated as well Good job Um
the torch run uh was really a success I think too Um that lo the location used this year I thought was really uh was really well planned out Um so I I was really happy with that as well Excuse me Um I'd like to thank staff for um helping us with some of the obstacles that we have to go through and emails um when residents reach out to us Um I know that one of the things I talk
about is with government things move slow and I'm kind of more of a fastmoving per type of person um coming from the private sector So when a resident reaches out to uh to at least me and uh there's an issue with something that could be corrected pretty fast um I directed to staff and staff has really done a good job be on top of that and then hearing back from a resident at a pretty timely fashion thanking me for you know doing what they do and thanking staff It's it's really nice to get that gratification as well Um I think our our our workshop went very well
um the uh the speaker that we had did a great job with putting our goals together Um it's something we've been working on for quite a bit now and I think it it was really really good So I'm looking forward to moving ahead with uh some of those goals that we have in mind Um I will say that the uh event at Sanford that we went to uh myself and uh Commissioner Deputy Mayor Tolland did that was a nice uh event those events are so the uh the League of Mayors uh president um who is a Daytona Beach Shores mayor as well Nancy Miller she she one of her priorities in that program was to
uh we mean business and bringing business together and your local government So we always have a great time with connecting with some of the uh local businesses in the different cities that we uh we visited We did St. Augustine as well That was another nice trip Um as far as some of the other comments that were made about the first step um I'm not going to really get into that too much tonight Um I think I said what I had to say um that was in the newspaper Um I am focused on just trying to uh work on transient issues like everyone else I think that's sitting here in the DAIS, And I think that's what's important You know this finger pointing
thing going back and forth is just not something that I really want to engage in Um I think that we all have the same goal and that's to have a successful program that's giving people options for a place to go and uh and I think that's what our focus is and we're going to continue doing that as a as a group here I think So with that I'm going to close out the meeting Good night everyone