- April 19, 2024
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The Volusia County Council District 4 seat has become the race with the most candidates, as two more have people filed to run this month.
Incumbent Ormond Beach City Commissioner Troy Kent filed to run for the County Council seat on Feb. 1, a transition that will put a cap on his 19 years of service representing Zone 2 in the city. It's a decision the commissioner said was not made lightly, as his "heart is with and always will be with Ormond," but said it was time to help Volusia County as whole.
"I want to work on lowering the tax rate in Volusia County," Kent said. "I want to take a hard look at the gas tax, which is one of the highest in the state, I believe. One of my major goals is going to be making all of our beaches in Volusia County more accessible for our residents."
How? He suggested opening up beach ramps and granting Volusia County households with one annual beach driving pass per year, as he said residents already pay for the beach with taxes. He also wishes to increase the utilization of the Ocean Center.
As far the issue of growth goes, Kent said everyone knows it doesn't pay for itself, so elected officials have to ensure infrastructure is in place so that roads, schools and utilities can handle the impacts.
Kent said that during his time on the City Commission, he has helped keep Ormond's tax rate one of the lowest in the county out of the 16 municipalities, while keeping a high level of services and healthy general fund reserves. Some of the projects and initiatives Kent said he's been heavily involved with include the creation of Andy Romano Beachfront Park, Rockefeller Gardens, keeping the city's 75-foot building height restriction, the Reel in the Fun kids fishing tournament, and bringing reuse water to the south peninsula.
"I think that my results and my leadership really speak for themselves," Kent said. "I get things done."
On Feb. 11, District 4 got its fourth candidate: Michael McLean, a former Seminole County Commissioner and resident of Daytona Beach.
McLean, who owns McLean Strategies LLC, a governmental and business consulting firm, also served on the Lake May City Commission for six years prior to his four-years on the Seminole County Commission.
One Ormond Beach resident has filed to run for the open Zone 2 City Commission seat.
Travis Sargent grew up in the city before enlisting in the Marine Corps, and returned to raise his family. He filed to run on Jan. 27. He said he's been involved in local government for the past several years, having attended City Commission meetings and workshops to stay informed, which has in turn showed him the importance of learning how government works, he added.
"There's such a long process to get anything done," said Sargent, who has worked in insurance for over 20 years. "And that's what I've been studying over the years — how to be efficient and getting done in the government."
One of the city issues he's interested is public safety. Sargent said the city needs to work on recruiting and retaining police officers as well as providing an option for emergency care on the beachside. He's also interested in working on a plan for derelict vessels in the Halifax River and re-examining local options for glass recycling, and believes the city website is due for an improvement to allow people to remotely tune in to city workshops and make viewing projects and planned developments — including their funding sources — more user-friendly.
"I'm going to be listening to the residents and be open-minded," Sargent said. "I'm not going to be a rubber stamp for development. ... I think we have to do what's best for the residents of Ormond."
City Commission Zone 1 also has a new candidate.
Joseph Valerio, a spacecraft systems engineer for the Orion spacecraft, filed to run on Feb. 4. He will be running against current Planning Board member Lori Tolland.
Valero moved to Ormond Beach about five years ago, and said he and his wife chose the city due to its natural beauty and small-town charm. He is no stranger to politics, having ran for county supervisor in 1984 in Santa Barbara, California, and campaigned in the Maryland governor's race several years ago.
"There are a few things that have been going on in the city that I want to get involved in directly," Valerio said. "Voting is not good enough for me. I need to be active, get involved and see if I can make a difference."
Some of the issues he's been keeping an eye on include public safety to improve the benefits and pay for police officers, and growth that is "properly vetted. Valerio said he's concerned about wetlands and believes that any development that occurs needs to take them into consideration. The Zone 1 resident is also concerned about the airport runway extension, which he said he's not in favor of.
"We can't just have growth without considering our infrastructure, and again, protecting the wetlands, and that's not been going on," Valerio said.
