This isn’t what we voted for in LAST THREE ELECTIONS!!!!

Why isn’t Florida

LEADING the WORLD in solar/alternative energy production?

Because

“Some People”

are Pennywise and Future $tupid! Pictured Left to Right:  Commissioner Janet Deyette, Commissioner Herb Zischkau, Vice Mayor Michael Carmolingo, Mayor Dennis Mulder, Commissioner Zenaida Denizac, Commissioner Paul Treusch, and Commissioner Michele McFall-Conte

Weeks months or even YEARS later, people may not remember the source or specifics of a negative message

but they will remember there was something negative, she said.

Just who are they representing???

Wait until the next election to find out

how much land former/current elected officials and their associates (lobbyists) own onSR 415

Deltona Village may bring hustle, bustle to southwest

But the plans for the center call for shopping and service jobs instead of high-end firms.

Denise-Marie Balona | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted March 7, 2007

GRAPHICS

Graphic: Live, work, play
Mar 7, 2007

About a decade ago, elected leaders hatched plans for transforming about 1,800 acres along Interstate 4 in southwest Volusia County into a version of Seminole County's Heathrow.

But the only development proposal to come forward after years of planning calls for more of what Volusia already has -- shopping and mostly service-wage jobs.

Instead of drawing big firms offering high-end salaries, the first piece of the Southwest Activity Center calls for a grocery store, car dealership, retail anchor, movie theater and other businesses on 150 acres in Deltona.

County Council member Pat Northey is frustrated the activity center hasn't attracted businesses offering high-paying jobs. But she is glad one area has been able to make progress.
"Any activity at the activity center at this point is good," said Northey, a veteran politician who was instrumental in helping develop the center's vision.

It took these folks in Deltona’s leadership TEN YEARS come up with the name “Village”??

How much do we pay them?? Dee Dee Dee

How about A World Class Alternative Energy Showcase and Science Center (ARPA)?

Our World Class Alternative Energy Museum/Science Center should be the “anchor” of the “Showcase/Village” If you build it they will come…. and bring great jobs and services.
Think
City Commission
it’s patriotic
Or we can continue to lag behind
THE WORLD:(
March 6, 2007
”Each generation has a right to choose for itself the form of government it believes most promotive of its happiness”

Thomas Jefferson

POLITICAL PULSE

What would bald Dennis Mulder look like? Help cancer society and you could find out
Posted March 26, 2007

The 28-year-old announced in a city newsletter this month that if the community raises $100,000 through the Relay For Life fundraiser in May, he'll shave off his well-gelled locks.

"I have to tell you, I've never had a bald head. I will be a very unattractive bald man," he said. We'll have the camera ready!
Nice, but cheap, duds
Speaking of appearances, Mulder says he'd like to see an upscale outlet mall?????!!!!! open in town. The city hired a consultant earlier this year to see whether Deltona would be a good spot.

He'd like high-end (RETAIL) stores such as Armani to open there so he doesn't have to drive to Orlando.
"I have a whole closet of Armani T-shirts for $10," he said. "I wear nice things, but I don't like to pay [a lot of money]."

Hey Mr. Mayor,

While you are sporting your new Armani’s and driving your fancy sports car with your bald head you might want to think about the parents who want/NEED decent employment and lower energy costs!!!!

Get a clue, you have a city on the financial edge, (Can you say sub-prime lenders?) yet are vain enough to “want” us to accept your vision of more of the same crap development that has gotten us into this mess!!

This is NOT innovative Mr. Mayor, why are more crap jobs in West Volusia for your constituents so vital to your soul? Is it just so you can save a little money on your fancy shirts??!!!!

What about us, Mr. Mayor? Don’t the Parents of the children in “YOUR CITY” deserve better then this, or do you folks in City Hall think we are not watching or don’t care?

DeltonaVotes

----- Original Message -----

From: DeltonaVotes

To: Gregg Stubbs

Cc: James Dinneen ; Frank Bruno

Sent: Monday, March 12, 2007 8:51 AM

Subject: That is right where our Children's Museum should be, how sad:(

Hi Greg

I hope this note finds you well.  Me, I am a little worried about the state of my city/county at this point.

As a parent I am fully capable of supporting my sister city, Orange City  when I need retail crap or a swim in the springs, I am fully capable of supporting my sister city, Lake Helen in their efforts to lead Florida in Bicycle friendly events.  I am fully capable of supporting my sister city, DeLand if I need/want a low mileage gasoline powered vehicle or a fun night on the town.

The parents of my sister cities would like to have a reason to support Deltona, yet our leadership has given in once again to the clueless developers "vision" of more of the same crap.

While in Washington DC I learned volumes about how my governments works, and doesn't work, so maybe our elected officials need a refresher on our democracy.  I don't have time to teach them, but in essence in works like this.

1ST- Parents elected them, not builders

2ND- Parents elected them, for our future's sake, which includes being patriotic and reducing  America 's/Deltona's needs for Middle East oil

3RD- Parents elected them, to lead our families to a brighter future without the influence of clueless developers on campaigns or the "good ole boy" politicians that value them.

Keeping the faith and always watching,

DeltonaVotes

Deltona needs some Angels

Afterall

FP&L NOW HAS the lines in place to accept Volusia Solar Farm energy production on S.R.415


Florida Power & Light (FPL) has opened the largest solar array in the state. The array also the second-largest in the Southeast, uses 1,200 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. The system is capable of producing 250 kilowatts of energy.
Construction of the system was made possible by FPL’s Sunshine Energy program, a voluntary green power program offered as a choice for FPL residential and commercial customers who want to support renewable electric generation. Since Sunshine Energy’s inception in 2004, more than 37,000 FPL residential and business customers have enrolled in the program

“I am thankful for the leadership of the Sarasota County government and Florida Power and Light in partnering to provide alternative methods of powering our homes and businesses,” said Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

--Charlie Crist, Governor of Florida

VOLUSIA COUNTY 'S CITIZENS

WANT SOLAR FARMS ON S.R. 415,44 & 46

AND AN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SHOWCASE/ARPA ON I-4 AND HOWLAND BLVD

February 13, 2007
Fewer 'peaker' plants; a new energy path for state
By R. NEAL ELLIOTT
FLORIDA VOICES
A new academic study shows that energy efficiency and renewable energy together can reduce Florida's future electricity needs by almost half (45 percent) over the next 15 years -- almost half.
The group I work for, the American Council for an Energy-Efficiency Economy (ACEEE) recently released the study, "Potential for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy To Meet Florida's Growing Demand." The council is not involved in the debate over what type of energy Florida ought to use. Our goal is to narrowly focus on where Florida gets its energy from, what it costs, how it is used, and what the future might hold if we use existing technology to slow demand without difficult sacrifices for industry or residential users.
The hard fact is that Florida's electricity demand is growing faster than the state's population. Florida can take action -- now -- to meet the demands of both population growth and increased energy usage. A particular challenge is peak demand -- those times when extreme heat or extreme cold crank up air conditioners and heaters. Peak demand is growing even faster than Florida's regular day-to-day electricity demand, and it is the most expensive type of electricity. Fast-rising peak demand requires utilities to build high-cost "peaker" power plants that run only a few hours a year.
Florida's energy vulnerabilities have become more apparent during the past several years. Florida is one of the most natural gas-dependent states in the country, with more than a third of its electricity generated by natural gas. In December 2005, the natural gas "crisis" drove utility prices from less than $3 per thousand cubic foot in the late 1990s to more than $14, a price that hurt Floridians' pocketbooks. The pain got worse when Hurricane Katrina disrupted natural gas supplies and jeopardized electricity generation. While the price of natural gas has fallen over the past year, it still costs more than two and a half times more than it did when many of the state's new natural gas power plants were planned. It is not the bargain we once thought.
The state now faces plans for expensive and environmentally questionable investments in new power plants relying on coal and nuclear energy. Fortunately, another energy course is available. Our study objectively proves that energy efficiency, coupled with renewable energy, can slow future electricity demand. It would also diversify the state's energy resources, making Florida less vulnerable to global markets.
The council study shows that implementing energy efficiency policies alone, such as efficient windows, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and Energy Star appliances can almost offset the future growth in electric demand. Energy efficiency is the most affordable resource, as evidenced by states from Texas to Vermont finding energy efficiency resources available at less than 4 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared to the cost of building new power plants in Florida of 5 to 10 cents.
Adding renewable energy such as wind, solar, and biomass to energy efficiency cuts electricity demand even more. Today, Florida only generates 0.1 percent of its electricity from renewable resources, compared to a national average of 2.3 percent. Previous research shows that energy efficiency and renewable energy together generate twice the jobs in Florida that would be generated from the same investment in new power plants.
Florida has the power to change course and realize the benefits of greater reliability, cost savings and a cleaner environment. All it takes is leadership.
Elliott, Ph.D., is the industrial program director for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C.
It’s official, Florida Public Service Commission has Approved Net Metering

Posted on March 4th, 2008 by Paul Bland.
Categories: Solar Electricity, Building Green, Renewable Technologies, Green Legislation.

Florida Public Service Commission Approves Net Metering and Interconnection Rule

Tuesday March 4th 2008 Florida’s Public Service commission (PSC) has voted and approved net metering and expedited interconnection standards.

The rule was made to promote grid-tie and interconnected customers (Wind and Solar Electric power production) and reduce costs for those customers by allowing them to realize a faster payback and a better return on their investment into renewable energy technologies.

It further promotes renewable energy by expanding eligible systems from 10KW to a full 2MW and expanded the systems to include not only solar electric (Photo voltaic) but all renewable technologies.

“This rule is expected to increase the development of renewable generation in Florida, which will enhance fuel diversity and reliability,” said PSC Chairman Matthew M. Carter II. “Customer-owned renewable generation also effectively acts as a conservation measure by reducing the amount of electricity purchased from utilities.”

Solar Energy Research and Advancement Act of 2007
- Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a research and development program to provide lower cost and more viable thermal energy storage technologies to enable the shifting of electric power loads on demand and extend the operating time of concentrating solar power electric generating plants. Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2012.Instructs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on methods to: (1) integrate concentrating solar power into regional electricity transmission systems, identifying new transmission or transmission upgrades needed to bring electricity from high concentrating solar power resource areas to growing electric power load centers throughout the United States; and (2) reduce the amount of water consumed by concentrating solar power systemsDirects the Secretary to establish: (1) a competitive grant program in the Office of Solar Energy Technologies to create and strengthen solar industry workforce training and internship programs in installation, operation, and maintenance of solar energy products; (2) a research and development program to assist in demonstration and commercial application of direct solar renewable energy sources to provide alternatives to traditional power generation for lighting and illumination, including light pipe technology; (3) a research, development, and demonstration program to promote less costly and more reliable decentralized distributed solar-powered air conditioning for individuals and businesses; and (4) a program of grants to states to demonstrate advanced photovoltaic technology.
Authorizes appropriations for all these programs for FY2008-FY2012

"Maybe it's a generational thing, but there seem to be plenty of people

from world-class companies who

want to do something more meaningful

with their lives."

Lionel Fretz, the chief executive of Carbon Capital Markets

July 04, 2008

Deltona considers special fee

Plan could jump-start Activity Center

By MARK HARPER
Staff Writer

Talked about for some 20 years, the Activity Center has been little more than a center of inactivity.

* * *

In the past 40 years, the push north and east from Orlando has forever changed the land that became Deltona.

The one-time rabbit-hunting grounds grew from a sleepy outpost to a city of 85,000 and counting. But the expansive malls, gleaming corporate headquarters and mixed-use town centers that have dotted the Interstate 4 interchanges in Seminole County have yet to make it to Deltona.

City officials will be looking at a plan Monday night that could open the door to the kind of development that Altamonte Springs, Lake Mary, Heathrow and Sanford have experienced.

The Deltona City Commission will consider tacking an extra fee on top of property taxes(!!!??!!) by creating a Special Assessment District. If the plan is approved, each property within the district will have to pay approximately $4,000 per acre to the district. The district would then use the funds -- an estimated $22.2 million -- to build roads, fancy intersections, "wayfinding" signs and water and stormwater lines.

Some of the biggest developers support the concept.

"My cost would be $525,000 a year," said Frank DeMarch, a developer who wants to build the movie theater and an adjoining retail complex. "But it will accelerate development and motivate others to sell their property."

And the way the land was divvied up into 500 parcels now owned by some 200 people is perhaps the biggest reason this type of development has yet to reach Deltona.

"Various developers have been trying to assemble property out there for 20 years," said Tom Burbank, the city's planning manager. "It has been a major challenge to assemble all of these pieces."

The proposal is not without controversy.

At a City Commission workshop in May, Commissioner Herb Zischkau voted against a preliminary version of the plan, saying it is unfair to the owners of smaller properties, that it might force them to sell below market value.

"This is worse than eminent domain, if we can take it and sell it to a developer,"
he said.
"People have value in their property.
This benefits the large developers and wipes out 90 percent of owners in the Activity Center.
It is grossly unfair."

The vote that night was 6-1 to go forward.

* * *

Bill McDermott is director of economic development for Seminole County, where thousands of jobs have been created in the past 10 years.

The corporate headquarters of AAA Motor Club in Heathrow begat JPMorgan Chase, Convergys, Fiserv Inc. and The Hartford. Later, the Colonial Town Center grew to be the county's largest landowner and home to businesses, upscale apartments and a movie theater.

While the economy might not appear to be the best for Deltona to be attracting businesses, McDermott said the 472 interchange does appear to be the next "logical" location for this type of development.

"A lot has to do with rooftops and the price of gas," he said.

The city and other nearby communities, such as DeLand, Orange City and Lake Helen, continue to grow in population.

And McDermott believes that, as Deltona residents' pocketbooks are squeezed by their long commutes into Seminole County, Orlando and Daytona Beach for work, they will become more likely to look for closer-to-home places to shop, dine and seek entertainment.

Which could finally make the Activity Center a hub of activity.

mark.harper@news-jrnl.com

@news-jrnl.combob.koslow@news-jrnl.com
WHAT: Deltona City Commission

WHEN: 7 p.m. Monday

WHERE: City Hall, 2100 Providence Blvd., Deltona

ON THE AGENDA: A proposal that would create a Special Assessment District for the 900 acres that comprise Deltona's portion of the Southwest Volusia Activity Center, a planned area of development.

Think Volusia County, it’s patriotic

Or we can continue to lag behind THE WORLD:(

CENTRAL FLORIDA The Area In Brief

Retail-office project wins OK

January 18, 2008

VOLUSIA COUNTY - The Volusia County Council approved a 70-acre retail and office project Thursday in an area adjacent to DeLand, Deltona and Orange City.

The development, which is along State Road 472 near the Interstate 4 interchange, is the first to go into an 1,800-acre area that local governments designated as the Southwest Activity Center years ago.

Developers expect 525,000 square feet of retail uses, 200,000 square feet of office space and a 73-room hotel in the Victoria Pointe development. The property has a mobile-home park and small retail center.

Deltona officials have “worked” for years to develop their section of the area -- about 900 acres.

And what did their “leadership” bring us?

More gasoline powered vehicles that we could have gone to DeLand for, DEE DEE DEE. Instead they SWIPE a business from our sister city and don't understand why she might be pissed   With gasoline heading toward $100 a barrel it is obvious that our city has its head up its arse

Mayor Mulder was born in Washington , N.C. on July 8, 1978 and is a graduate of Deltona High School

Gee I guess that explains

his lack of civic understanding and forward thinking,

when you have a history in used cars you do what you know instead of what you know is RIGHT

How sad for Deltona and her children and our expectations for change we had when we elected him.

January 21, 2008

Smart car finally arrives in States

Associated Press

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. -- Americans who want to drive Smart like their European and Canadian counterparts are finally getting their chance.

The first car was delivered to a New York buyer last Wednesday, and there'll be plenty more behind that.

"I think it's really an amazing accomplishment by our associates and dealers," Smart USA President Dave Schembri said. "A year ago, there was not one dealer, not one customer, no cars in the U.S. and relatively low awareness. . . . Our thinking when we developed the business plan that America has never been more ready for a car like this seems to be a reality."

The flagship dealership and corporate headquarters for Smart USA opened last week in a Detroit suburb. The dealership is one of 68 in 31 states expected to open this month to sell the 8-foot, 8-inch Smart Fortwo microcar.

The French-made cars have been sold for nearly a decade in Europe.

Hundreds of Fortwos were shipped out of ports in Maryland, Florida and California and have been arriving at dealers since last week. And Smart has been contacting the 30,000 people from all 50 states who plunked down $99 to reserve the tall, round yet tiny two-seater during the past year.

The Smart's base price is more than $12,000 with destination charges included. A fully loaded Smart Fortwo Passion convertible goes for more than $17,000 with those charges.

Schembri said customers have responded well to the reservation system, which was part of a nontraditional marketing campaign last year that included 50,000 test drives in 50 cities. Smart will continue the reservation process in the dealerships. Expected delivery time varies depending on where people live.

Smart has a steel safety cage and four air bags, including two in front and two on the sides to protect the head and abdomen. It also has standard electronic stability control, which is designed to stop vehicles from swerving off the road.

The 1,800-pound car gets 33 miles per gallon in the city and 41 miles per gallon on the highway.

Amid concerns about climate change, the company is testing a fleet of about 100 electric-drive Smart cars in London. Zetsche said

the company hopes to develop a similar partnership with a

U.S. city

(Could of/Should of/Would have been Deltona, Mr. Mayor and City Commission)

to study electric versions of the vehicle.

AND WHAT DID DELTONA DO???!!!!

SWIPER, STOP SWIPING!!

VOLUSIA WATCH

Auto dealership to build in center

October 18, 2007

DELTONA - An auto dealership

DeLand Nissan:(

will be the first business to start construction within Deltona's section of the Southwest Activity Center ,

a roughly 1,800-acre parcel at Interstate 4 and State Road 472 that county and city officials HAD envisioned as a hub for economic development.

More gasoline powered vehicles that we could have gone to DeLand for,

INSTEAD WE "SWIPED OUR SISTER CITY" OF THEIR BUSINESS!!!

DEE DEE DEE.

Why can't we all just get along?!?!!

With gasoline heading toward $100 a barrel

it is obvious that our city has its head up its arse

AND DOESN'T CARE WHAT IS DOES TO IT'S SISTER CITY!!!

DON'T YOU THINK OUR WEST VOLUSIA FAMILY

SHOULD ACT LIKE ONE?

WHY WOULD THEY LURE DeLAND NISSAN OUT OF DeLAND

WHEN THEY COULD HAVE HAD A NEW DEALERSHIP

AND

PARTNERED WITH:

January 07, 2008

Demand revs up for microcar

Daimler AG says orders for Smart Fortwo outpacing production capacity

WASHINGTON -- Thousands of motorists want to be among the first owners of the fuel-sipping Smart car in the United States, demand that is racing past production capacity.

Smart, which reaches U.S. dealerships this month, has received $99 deposits from more than 30,000 customers to reserve the two-seater and about nine in 10 are placing full orders, said Daimler AG Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche. More than 50,000 motorists have taken the tiny vehicle for a test drive at road shows around the country.

"We were totally amazed by the kind of reaction we got,"

Zetsche said at a breakfast with reporters. He declined to release the vehicle's 2008 sales projections in the U.S. but said the orders are "going far beyond the production capacity we have available for next year."

The 8-foot, 8-inch Smart Fortwo, which can park nose-to-curb, is being marketed toward urban drivers, college students and baby boomers who no longer need a big car.

Amid concerns about climate change, the company is testing a fleet of about 100 electric-drive Smart cars in London. Zetsche said

the company hopes to develop a similar partnership with a

U.S. city

(Could of/Should of/Would have been Deltona, Mr. Mayor and City Commission)

to study electric versions of the vehicle.

"Maybe it's a

generational thing,

but there seem to be plenty of people

from world-class companies who

want to do something more meaningful

with their lives."

Lionel Fretz, the chief executive of Carbon Capital Markets

Solar Energy:
An Economic Inevitability

Founded in 2003,

the Prometheus Institute for Sustainable Development is a US-based non-profit focusing on collecting and disseminating information on all types of technology and processes used in promoting global economic, industrial, and societal sustainable development.

Community Jobs in the Green Economy

"Cities across the country are facing similar challenges and it is important that we come together to raise the issues in one voice to get the attention of the federal government," said Mayor Douglas H. Palmer, President of The USCM.

During the meeting, the mayors will also release a climate protection survey that highlights what over 130 cities large and small are doing NOW to reduce global warming, especially in the absence of federal support.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,139 such cities in the country today, each represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the Mayor.

Bring Solar Roofs to Your Community • • • • •

Announced in June 1997, Million Solar Roofs (MSR) is an initiative to facilitate the installation of solar energy systems on 1 million U.S. buildings by 2010. The initiative includes two types of solar technology: solar electric systems that produce electricity from sunlight, and solar thermal systems that produce heat for domestic hot water, space heating or heating swimming pools. The MSR Initiative is designed to support states and local communities as they develop sustained deployment of solar energy technologies. To learn about the MSR partnership in your area and how to become involved, click on www.millionsolarroofs.org. Contact your Department of Energy regional coordinator at www.millionsolarroofs.org/contactus.

Elections are important, but it is more important to hold them accountable then to cry about it later. Our leaders need to hear from you, do you want low-end retail jobs OR a World Class Alternative Energy Musuem/Science Center for your kids to learn at and high quality alternative energy products and service jobs that will come with it to West Volusia County ?

May 7, 2007

Residents demand answers on Deltona land-use change

A vote to change industrial land use in the planned economic engine known as the Activity Center to multi-use residential was tabled Monday night until May 24 at 7 p.m. to allow public input from upset homeowners in Deltona.

The residents at Monday's meeting demanded to know why a

City Commission vote slipped through after midnight

April 16 to approve the change in a section of the city's 900-acre property at Graves Avenue and Howland Boulevard

But Mayor Dennis Mulder said residents don't have all the facts yet,

though he added that he takes the blame for not educating the public about the process.

"I stood outside and only heard one or two things that were accurate," he said.

"If they're provided with all the facts and they still hate it, we'll work through that."

Still, argued Diane Smith, Volusia County School Board representative for the area, the schools are too crowded for the amount of housing.

Wait until the next election to find out

how much land former/current elected officials and their associates (lobbyists) own onSR 415

March 14, 2007

Supercenter ushers in commercial development of Deltona By SARA KIESLER
Staff Writer

"We see that we can provide shopping and cut down on driving into other cities to shop,"(Is shopping in Orange City really that inconvenient for the residents of Deltona that we must sacrifice our future? Our leadership in this City is concentrating on developers instead of us parents and our future quality of life) said Greg Stubbs, planning and development services director. "Obviously, it will offer a better quality life for the residents of Deltona." (Only obvious to someone who hasn’t been in our city for more then six months Mr. Stubbs)

However, not everyone is excited to see the changes. With its streets filled with housing, Deltona's main opportunity? to grow lies along S.R. 415(how about I-4/Howland??) -- where Osteen residents and others have come to enjoy a rural life style.

The city has been meeting with county officials and listening to fears of Osteen residents (how about Deltonians fear????) for more than a year to shape a plan for roughly 4,000 acres east of State Road 415. In that plan, city officials hope clustered housing, industrial complexes and the environment can coexist peacefully. (In our conservation core!!??)

Barbara Evans and her husband live less than a mile from the new Wal-Mart, but there's no way she could battle the cars and trucks flying by to walk to it.

Evans said she is so worried about the dangers of increasing traffic that growth like Wal-Mart and other planned developments near her home are bringing she plans to stand outside her home tomorrow with a sign demanding motorists slow down.

"I've almost got T-boned three or four times coming out of my driveway," Evans said. The 55-year-old, whose house has been in her husband's family for about 60 years, said she also questions why a traffic light is at the entrance to the store on Howland, but not at the corner of S.R. 415.

Stubbs added that if the state does not allow any more traffic added to S.R. 415, it may stifle Deltona's plans for economic development. (We can only pray that Tallahassee hears our prayers and stops this insanity)

But to Evans, keeping businesses from buying out her neighbors' property and halting the growth would be the answer to her prayers.

"A lot of those old people here could live good and better somewhere else," she said,

"but they got blood, sweat and babies born on this land.

Let them die on it."

Wait until the next election to find out

how much land former/current elected officials and their associates (lobbyists) own onSR 415

Happy shoppers

At a city retreat last weekend, Deltona leaders discussed how the city had improved during the past year.

New Commissioner Paul Treusch complimented City Hall on its improved customer service. He compared it to service at the Wal-Mart Supercenter off Howland Boulevard, which celebrates its first anniversary in Deltona in March.

Some officials have even higher aspirations.

"I was asking if we could scale up to Target," joked fire Chief Bill Godfrey.

Wonder why our taxes are so high?

Wrong priorities!!!

Ask them why landscaping is more important then our kids future

Massive development may be in Volusia's future

Etan Horowitz | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted March 23, 2007

County officials said representatives for Miami Corp. have suggested building about 20,000 to 40,000 homes on the property over nearly 70 years.
The current zoning on the property, which stretches from near Deltona in Volusia to northern Brevard, allows 4,280 homes.
"It's just another proposed mega-development, and hopefully it will be done through good, green practices," said Fred Milch, a planner with the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council who toured the Miami Corp. property. "They were talking about this as a city." Nearby cities get nearer
"Right now you have the city of Edgewater already adjoining this property, and you have Deltona three parcels away," Storch said. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure what will happen to this property if you don't plan for these areas."
Michele Moen, an environmentalist who is a member of the Volusia Soil & Water Conservation District, is concerned about the ripple effects of development on the Miami Corp. property.
"When people think rural stewardship, they think all the growth will go into this one spot," Moen said. "It doesn't stop growth anywhere else."

Mayor Dennis Mulder VOWED in his election campaign to address the situation.

The city is even hiring staff to focus on economic development.

DELTONA -- An estimated 400 homeless people live in Volusia County 's largest city, according to a presentation by the Volusia/Flagler Coalition for the Homeless at Deltona's Monday night commission meeting.

Among those, 153 children are registered as homeless within Deltona's schools, said Lindsay Roberts, executive director of the coalition -- and the registrations are usually lower than the actual amount. Roberts came before the city commissioners requesting financial help as the budget is planned from the end of March through mid-September.

The city's donation -- $13,200 -- will come from the planning and service development department's budget, where money is available because of several unfilled positions.

Great City Management Steve!

How many citizens expected these positions to be filled with folks helping us secure a modern world class science center/museum? If you want to support the homeless in Deltona that is expected; after all we are a “Christian” City in a “Christian” State in our “Christian” Country with “Christian” values, RIGHT??? Just budget (that is the process when you REALLY set your priorities and walk the talk) for it next year and try advertising your open positions online nationally so that more people could apply!!!

DeltonaVotes

Larry French
Posted February 18, 2007

After almost two years of court battles the Leffler annexation was ruled illegal. Like the voter-mandated call for urban-growth boundaries, efforts are under way to sidestep the landmark Leffler decision.

The mechanism that has pushed residential development for years in Deltona hasn't changed. Volusia's biggest city, with nearly 90,000 residents, didn't get as big as it is by careful planning. Its tax-revenue base is mostly residential, an imbalance that concerns those on fixed incomes and families beginning the quest for home ownership.

March 31, 2007

Deltona land sale irks group

Residents seek candidate to unseat commissioner

By SARA KIESLER
Staff Writer

DELTONA -- Wanted: A new commissioner for District 2. Applicants should seek input from residents along Red Fox Drive.

Neighborhood activists are recruiting candidates for their representative's seat because they see Commissioner David Santiago as the antagonist in a battle to rezone a nearby property from commercial to multi-family residential.

Owned by former Mayor John Masiarczyk and another man, the property at Howland Boulevard and Red Fox Run has been sold to Picerne Affordable Development, which plans to build a 96-unit apartment complex, pending a successful rezoning.

To Santiago, his position as real estate agent in the deal and elected representative of the neighborhood where the property is located is "absolutely a conflict of interest," but it's also just part of making a living.

To Karen Hollensbe, the unofficial spokeswoman of the 40 upset residents organized against the rezoning, his dual role is "a disappointment.

"If he's my city commissioner he needs to know what capacity the schools are at; he needs to know about traffic on Howland," Hollensbe said. "He should have told the developer, 'Oh, I'm sorry, thanks for your interest, but it's zoned commercial -- go down the street to where a 40-acre land is zoned multi-family.' "

Activists convened a meeting Wednesday to assign speechwriters, sign makers, and neighborhood petition canvassers. Hollensbe and her neighbors say they are determined to keep the zoning commercial.

The commission does not address the rezoning until April 16, but even with three kids and a job at a day spa, Hollensbe plans to research, educate and prepare.

Santiago said he is required by law to abstain from the vote on that day, and will do so. He says he does not plan to discuss the issue, though no law prevents him from doing so.

Santiago, who is currently unavailable as he travels in Europe, is also the commissioner representing the residents of the area.

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