ORMOND BEACH
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 8, NO. 42
NEW IN SCHOOL 7 THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020
Be prepared: Hurricane guide 2020 Up to 19 named storms are predicted this year. How will shelters work with COVID-19? PAGES 9-11
Susan Persis re-elected
MARCH FOR CHANGE Protestors and law enforcement, marched to Daytona Beach City Hall. PAGE 3
A brief look ahead to the local 2020 election. JARLEENE ALMENAS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The qualifying period for the 2020 elections is now closed, and four out of five Ormond Beach commission seats are up for election on Nov. 3. Zone 3 City Commissioner Susan Persis ran unopposed and is therefore re-elected. Her husband, Carl Persis, was also re-elected to continue representing District 4 in the Volusia County School Board. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, Volusia County Clerk of Circuit Court Laura Roth, Supervisor of Elections Lisa Lewis and Property Appraiser Larry Bartlett were all re-elected as well. The City Commission seats up for election are Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 4 and the mayoral seat. All have two candidates — the incumbent, plus an opponent. The election is scheduled for Nov. 3.
People hold up signs outside City Hall during the “I can’t breathe” protest on Thursday, June 11.
Photo by Jarleene Almenas
INSIDE ECONOMIC RECOVERY
UCF economist says we have exited COVID-19 recession. PAGE 4
DEVELOPMENT IN THE LOOP Plantation Oaks amendment request triggers public outcry PAGE 5
INDEX
Letters................... PAGE 6 Real Estate............ PAGE 8 Your Town...............PAGE 7
‘Buyer’s remorse’ for beachside K-8? In order to cover the cost of a K-8 school at either the Ortona or Osceola site, the district would have to pursue a $20 million bond.
JARLEENE ALMENAS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The Volusia County School Board may not pursue constructing a K-8 school on the beachside after all, as budget projections for the district’s five-year-plan report likely declines of revenues due to COVID-19. With school sales tax revenues projected to decrease by $8.5 million, according to a June 9 budget presentation during the School Board virtual meeting, the board faces a decision if it moves forward with building a K-8 in either the Ortona or Osceola Elementary sites: Should the district opt for a
$20 million bond? Otherwise, the board would have to push construction back a few years. But with schools like Turie T. Small Elementary in Daytona Beach also in need, some School Board members began to backtrack on their decision to build a K-8 on the beachside. School Board Member Ruben Colon said he had “buyer’s remorse” when revisiting the budget. He said he was having a hard time justifying spending $44 million on a K-8 the community may or may not want, when they could build a new elementary school on the beachside and rebuild Turie T. for the same amount of money.
COPS CORNER JUNE 15
FAILED $2 HEIST 6:51 p.m. — First block of North Nova Road Fraud. A local restaurant employee called police to notify an unknown man tried to use a fake $20 bill to pay for $2 in food. Once she noticed the bill was a counterfeit, she entered her office to call police and by the time she came out, the man had already left. Patrons in the store told her that the man fled on his bike. He left without his food and police were unable to locate him. The fake bill was taken into evidence.