- December 3, 2024
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Mum’s the word on Belvedere Terminals’ plans for a fuel farm in Ormond Beach.
Despite a $10 million allocation from the state to help relocate the project, Volusia County officials haven’t heard from the company in several months. On Aug. 28, over six months after Belvedere Terminals submitted a conceptual site plan application to the county, County Manager George Recktenwald wrote a letter to Belvedere Terminals CEO Edwin Cothron seeking to discuss the project.
“After several attempts to reach you and your associate, Noah Valenstein, via phone, I continue to seek information from you, or any of your associates, to ascertain Belvedere’s intentions with regard to the site in Ormond Beach or any other alternative site you may have identified,” Recktenwald wrote.
Valenstein, a lobbyst, is a former secretary for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and a former chief resilience officer for the state.
Recktenwald’s letter comes a month after Belvedere Terminals submitted an Environmental Resource Permit to FDEP, an administrative step, according to the county’s website tracking new developments regarding Belvedere Terminals’ fuel farm proposal.
The county submitted written comments on the ERP application, noting discrepancies in wetland impacts.
The $10 million state allocation is aimed to help Belvedere Terminals relocate to a different site within Volusia, Flagler or Brevard counties.
“Please know the resolution to this issue is of paramount importance to the county and the residents in Ormond Beach and I stand ready to discuss further at your convenience,” Recktenwald wrote.
In an email to the Observer, Ormond Beach resident Elena Krafft noted that it’s been over 80 days since the state allocated the $10 million for the project’s relocation.
“Our community is holding its breath until a decision is made and it’s really a sign of deep disrespect for them to keep us in limbo for this long,” Krafft said. “This company is proving how little regard they have for Ormond Beach each day that passes without an answer.
Though construction on the second of two buried seawalls to protect State Road A1A was set to begin on Sept. 3 the Florida Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that its start date has been delayed to Monday, Sept. 9, when the contractor will place temporary asphalt along southbound A1A to accommodate a slight traffic shift.
“As soon as Sept. 9 and 10, drivers should expect a rolling daytime lane closure with flagging operations from just north of Marlin Drive to just south of Sunrise Avenue,” an FDOT press release states.
The seawall will stretch from Sunrise Avenue to Marlin Drive in Ormond-by-the-Sea. In March, FDOT began construction on a seawall in Flagler Beach. Together, the two seawalls will span about 2.6 miles of A1A.
The purpose of the seawalls is to provide longterm protection against future storms and erosion, according to FDOT.
The next steps in construction will involve clearing vegetation from dunes and adding sand. Drilling the piles for the wall is expected to start in the fall.
A special exception for the redesign of Cassen Park, three land development code amendments, zoning district reviews and the start of the 2045 Comprehensive Plan update are all on the agenda for the Planning Board’s meeting at City Hall at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12.
The land development codes concern electronic changeable copy signs, the Live Local Act and outdoor activities. The board will also review these zoning districts:
The Volusia County Council adopted 6-0 a property tax rate of 3.2007 mills — or $3.2007 per $1,000 in taxable property value— at its first budget hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
The general fund tax rate is 1.8% higher than rollback, or the rate that would generate the same amount of tax revenues as last year.
Other tax rates are also going up: The county’s Law Enforcement Fund tax rate is going up by 18.9%; Volusia Forever, ECHO and the Ponce Inlet and Port Authority Fund are all increasing by 8.1%; the Fire Rescue District Fund will be going up by 8.3%; and the Municipal Service District Fund will go up 8.4%.
The Library fund, Mosquito Control Fund and Silver Sands-Bethune Beach MSD Fund will all go to rollback.
Volusia’s 2024-2025 budget is over $1.3 billion. The next budget hearing will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17.
