ORMOND BEACH
JUST US VOLUSIA PAGE 2A
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 13, NO. 44
FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2025
Cassen Park is on track to reopen by July 4 Ike Leary has moved into his new bait shop and workers are putting the final touches on the park. PAGE 3A
Walmart submits new remodel plans Ormond Beach store to expand. PAGE 5A INSIDE ARREST
Ormond Beach man arrested for death of 18-month-old son after leaving him in hot truck PAGE 4A
GALLERY ART
The Casements Camera Club announces its 12th spring exhibit winners. PAGE 2B
City to host annual Independence Day Celebration The City of Ormond Beach is holding its annual Independence Day Celebration on Friday, July 4, complete with live music, food vendors and fireworks. The free event will take place at Rockefeller Gardens, at 26 Riverside Drive. Live music will begin at 8 p.m. and the fireworks will start at 9 p.m. According to the city website, public parking is available at City Hall, The Casements and Fortunato Park. Handicap parking is available at Bailey Riverbridge Gardens. A free shuttle service will be available from 7:30 p.m. Pick-up and drop-off locations are Beach Street and Granada Boulevard, and at Riverside Drive and Granada Boulevard. The last shuttle will leave at 9:45 p.m., and end at City Hall at 10 p.m. There will also be road closures: South Beach Street will be closed from Granada Boulevard to Mound Avenue Grove Street will be closed from Tomoka Avenue to Division Avenue New Britain Avenue will be closed at North Beach Street
INDEX
Business..................... PAGE 4B Calendar..................... PAGE 2B Cops Corner............... PAGE 6A Crossword.................. PAGE 2C Letters.........................PAGE 7A McMillan......................PAGE 7A Public Notices............ PAGE 5C Sports......................... PAGE 6B Real Estate................. PAGE 5B
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Let’s boogie! City holds third annual father-daughter dance. This year’s was all about the ’70s . PAGE 1B Casey Herring (right) spins his daughter Kayden (left) on the dance floor at the “Saturday Night Live” Father Daughter Dance on Saturday, June 21, at The Casements. Photo by Michele Meyers
Volusia County School Board to streamline meetings Board to move to one monthly meeting. Less time spent on recognitions and administrative appointments. JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR
Following majority rule during a workshop on Tuesday, June 24, the Volusia County School Board will restructure their calendar to hold one regular meeting a month, rather than two. On June 3, School Board attorney Gilbert Evans had recommended a series of changes to the board’s meeting structure for efficiency and time management. These included eliminating the board’s opening remarks and limiting board member comments to five minutes during discussions. The monthly School Board meeting will be composed of both a workshop and regular business meeting, and a second meeting for consent agenda items only can be held if needed. Currently, the average Volusia County School Board meeting lasts three-and-a-half hours, according
to district staff. A workshop averages about three hours. “The numbers speak loud and clear that we’re not being efficient,” School Board member Krista Goodrich said. To shorten meetings, the amount of time spent on recognitions and administrative appointments may be reduced. Two School Board members weren’t on board with this. School Board member Ruben Colon said the recognitions may be “very Volusia” but it is a good thing. “People get to give really heartfelt words of encouragement,” Colon said. “They get to thank everybody, starting from God to the last person that impacted their lives, appropriately so.” Could that go away? Absolutely, Colon said. Administrative appointments could be placed in the consent agenda. “Or, is it a very Volusia thing that makes a world of difference to their families, to their community, to the community they’re leaving, to the community they’re going to,” he said. School Board member Donna Brosemer said the district could decide which recognitions should continue to happen at the board meeting, like statewide achieve-
ments, and which can be done at schools. As for administrative recognitions, she asked if they could be made more efficient. “Maybe all we have to do is tighten up our process for doing that so that we limit how much time we’re spending on them,” she said. Goodrich said that sometimes it feels like the district is holding an “assembly” at the board meeting. Some families struggle to be present for the recognition, she added, and students often have to sit for an hour or two before they’re called up. “The board meetings are for the business of the board, not for award ceremonies and recognitions,” Goodrich said. “And while that may be something Volusia has always done, as we can see by the times that we’re looking at, it’s not efficient.” She said she’d rather do the recognitions in schools, or holding an east and west side recognition event twice a year — once in the spring and once in the fall. “Very few people actually watch these meetings,” Goodrich said. “Very few people get to see them recognized by the board, but in their communities, that’s a great place to recognize them. So I do think that should be scaled back.”
School Board Chair Jamie Haynes countered that people do listen to the meetings, particularly to administrative appointments to find out who is coming to their schools and who is leaving. “When we are putting people up and they’re being promoted into a position — they’re going to be an [assistant principal] for the first time, we have them here,” Haynes said. “If they’re going to be a principal for the first time, if they’re moving into a district position for the first time, we have them here. This is the right place to do it.” She’s OK to streamline the process, but doesn’t want to see that go away. School Board member Jessie Thompson suggested rather than vote on individual appointments, the district could read them into the record. On recognitions, Haynes said they’re the positive part of the meeting, and “the why.” “That’s why we’re here,” she said. “We’re here to show community the wonderful and great things that are happening here on our campuses.” District staff will be evaluating the board member recommendations and bring back an action item at a future board meeting.