- December 26, 2024
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Three Ormond Beach projects were vetoed from the state budget last week.
The city was seeking over $2 million in state funds altogether: $1.45 million for the design of a new joint police station and emergency operations center, $225,000 for stormwater improvements, and $333,333 for the Central Park Expansion project.
It’s the second time the new police station and EOC project is met by a veto pen; it was also struck from the governor’s 2023-2024 budget.
“While the city has been fortunate in recent years receiving an unprecedented level of funding to help with the planning design and construction of for projects related to water quality and flood control, utilities, public safety and the development of recreation facilities, this year’s requests unfortunately were removed from the final state budget prior to the approval of Gov. DeSantis,” Public Works Director Shawn Finley said in a statement to the Observer.
Phase 1 of the EOC project — a space needs analysis- — is underway thanks to past legislative funding, Finley said. The city recently contracted JL2 Architecture for the $200,000 study.
This year’s request was aimed at acquiring funds for the second phase of the project, which is estimated to cost about $51 million at this time.
The stormwater improvements funding would have gone the creation of a regional stormwater plan for the neighborhoods north of Granada Boulevard.
“The exclusion of this project from the state budget does lessen the importance of this project or change its priority to the City,” Finley said.
Should Ormond Beach allow a wider usage of electronic changeable copy signs?
The Ormond Beach Planning Board discussed the process to update the city’s Land Development Code regarding these signs at its meeting on Thursday, June 13. The board members will be examining the use of electronic changeable copy signs on a zone by zone basis, and what conditions, if any, should be placed for their approval. They will also consider whether new signs should continue to require a special exception, granted by the City Commission.
The discussion was born after the commission approved four special exceptions for electronic changeable copy signs for gas stations at a May 7 meeting.
When the special exceptions came before the Planning Board in March, Board member Mike Scudiero was the only one to vote against them — but he did so with purpose.
“The only reason I voted against the gas station ones was to provoke this very discussions, because I don’t think it’s fair,” Scudiero said. “... I don’t want to see it overly restrictive. I don’t want to explain to one business on Granada why they can have an electronic sign, but one 100 yards away cannot.”
Electronic signs were banned in the city in 2010. In 2015, a signage amendment was granted to Destination Daytona. Then, in 2019, as Wawa was being constructed at 600 W. Granada Blvd., the commission adopted another amendment to allow gas stations to display their pricing via an electronic sign.
The Ormond Beach Planning Board unanimously recommended approval on Thursday, June 13, for the Ormond Memorial Art Museum’s gardens to be added to the city’s Historic Landmarks List.
The designation comes due to the Timicua burial mound by the museum garden’s waterfall, which was evaluated by the Smithsonian Institute in the 1920s.
Based on the Florida State Antiquities Act of 1906, the mound is a protected site.
The city has extended the deadline for its Young Adult Photography Contest.
Children ages 12-17 are invited to submit a maximum of three photos for the city’s “Park Perspectives” contest.The deadline to submit an entry is now Friday, June 21.
Awards will be given to Best in Show, first, second and third place winners. All entries will be displayed at The Casements during July.
The official entry form can be found at https://forms.gle/tz4n3fbFTVtR2Xj9A.
