Cops Corner

Joint meeting planned for redistricting maps

The new maps must be adopted by Dec. 31, and will be used in the 2022 elections.

JARLEENE ALMENAS

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

A joint meeting between the Volusia County Council and the Volusia County School Board to discuss proposed redistricting maps will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 18, at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center in DeLand. The maps will dictate what the governmental bodies’ districts will look like for the next decade, and designate which populations vote for which representative.

In the County Council, five of the seven council members are elected by voters within their districts. In the School Board, all members are elected in this manner. Districts are redrawn every 10 years as a result of the U.S. Census, and the 2020 count showed Volusia’s population has increased by almost 60,000 people since the 2010 count.

The County Council discussed its redistricting maps at its meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 5, deciding on map option “F” as its preference. According to a county press release, this map would keep two of the districts unchanged, while moving the city of Lake Helen to District 3 and parts of the southern section of Port Orange into District 2.

“We want to keep it as simple as possible,” Councilman Ben Johnson said.

However, the county’s map did not take into account the locations of schools, and one of the criteria for the School Board’s maps is to keep schools in existing districts as much as possible. Many of the maps, both from the county and School Board, also propose a District 3 that is vastly larger in landmass as compared to its current boundaries, extending from the northwest section of U.S. 92 between DeLand and Daytona Beach down to the city of Osteen.

“That’s one thing I think a lot of us have to consider: How many schools we have to serve and visit,” said School Board Chair Linda Cuthbert, who represents District 3, at the School Board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 12. “It’s not just the population, it’s not the people who vote, but the ones we have to serve, because I’d hate for one board member to have two dozen [schools] and another member have less than 12.”

She pointed out that the School Board’s plan “I” meant her district would lose Creekside Middle School, leaving only one middle school in her entire district, and fewer than a dozen schools. District 1 would have almost double that number of schools. Some of the maps also split the city of DeBary between Districts 1 and 5.

District 4 School Board member Carl Persis said he felt no city with a population under 50,000 should be split.

“And I think any city that is split should only be split at the most twice,” Persis said. “It shouldn’t be split three times if we could avoid doing that.”

Both the council and the School Board need to choose a map before Dec. 31. They are not required to choose the same map, but the bodies are aiming to do so.

“I am very hopeful that the School Board will join us and have the same districts,” said County Council Chair Jeff Brower at the council’s meeting. “I think it would be much easier for the public to understand where they’re voting and who they’re voting for.”

“I am very hopeful that the School Board will join us and have the same districts. I think it would be much easier for the public to understand where they’re voting and who they’re voting for.”

JEFF BROWER, council chair

REDISTRICTING MAPS ONLINE

To see the School Board maps, point your phone’s camera here:

To see county maps go here:

SEPT. 30

‘STOP PAINTING OVER ART’

8:21 — 400 block of North Nova Road Vandalism. A city employee called police for the documentation of graffiti, found at the racketball courts of a local park.

This was not the first time this had taken place. The previous day, police were called to document the exact same graffiti on a concrete wall: “3D-type ‘S’ letters,” the word “sex” and right beside it, the statement, “Stop painting over art,” according to the incident report. Another statement, this one crudely denouncing racism and including an anti-police slur, was also found at the scene in black marker.

The city estimated the damage to be $100.

OCT. 4

ZOMBIES

8:50 a.m. — 1500 block of North U.S. 1 Larceny. A 66-year-old Mims man told police that, while giving away groceries to people he described as “zombies from a cult religion,” an unknown man stole his BB gun, a watch and a golden chalice.

According to the police report, the man met the suspect after he parked his RV in an abandoned lot. The suspect offered to wash his RV and the man accepted. As they began talking, the man offered the suspect some groceries to take home, as the suspect claimed he was living in an abandoned building. The suspect told him he could bring the food to a church to give away, and gave him directions to a local hotel.

The man called the people “zombies” because the hairs on his arms raised up “due to a religious gift his mother gave him,” the police report states. As he was distributing groceries, he believes the suspect entered his RV and stole his belongings.

While he waited for police to respond, he walked to the abandoned building where he believed the suspect was living and collected random items to hold as ransom until his belongings were returned. Police told him he couldn’t do that, and then the man said he wished to pursue criminal charges.

The reporting officer determined homeless people had been living inside the building, and returned the basket of items, which included feminine hygiene products, clothing and papers.

OCT. 7

OPEN WARRANT

3:33 p.m. — 1600 block of North U.S. 1 Possession of fentanyl. Police arrested a 36-year-old man for being in possession of less than a gram of fentanyl, a substance the man claimed to not know about. He told police that he bought it from a friend to ease his back pain.

The man was residing in a local motel, and police were called to his room in reference to a warrant attempt. The man had an open warrant out of Flagler County. He was taken to jail.

OCTOBER 14, 2021

Sports 11 Business 13 YOUR NEIGHBORS

Homecoming King Mac Chiumento and Queen Kyla Anderson.

Photo by Michele Meyers

ROYALTY

FRESHMAN COURT

Freshman homecoming royalty court winners Margueritte Pittochi and Brielle Jackson.

SOPHOMORE COURT

Sophomore homecoming royalty court winners Chance Schaack and Mollie Martin.

JUNIOR COURT

Junior homecoming royalty court winners Reilly Vaughan and Jenny Torres.

Holding court

Kyla Anderson and Mac Chiumento were named Homecoming king and queen at Seabreeze High School’s homecoming football game on Oct. 8.

Anderson plans to major in psychology or ministry next year in college. She is most proud of her accomplishments in cross country and track as well as serving on mission trips.

Chiumento plans to continue his athletic and academic career in college. He is most proud of his athletic endeavors and his growth as a person.

The other members of the senior homecoming court were Michael Jones, Aiden Mojica, Chad McAuliff, Brody Ochipa and Tashod Troutman.

The junior court winners were Reilly Vaughan and Jenny Torres. The sophomore court winners were Chance Schaack and Mollie Martin. The freshman court winners were Brielle Jackson and Margueritte Pittochi.