ORMOND BEACH
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 13, NO. 51
MEET DEXTER PAGE 1B
FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2025
Ormond cuts budget for lower tax rate Proposed tax rate increase reduced to 7.66%. Mayor wants more cuts. Commissioners asked, ‘Where?’ PAGE 5A
What broker fee is best in the long run? Employee benefits broker vote tabled as officials question cost differences.
Bucs’ comeback Mainland wins kickoff classic 14-13 over Osceola Kowboys. PAGE 8B
PAGE 4A INSIDE LABOR FORCE
Unemployment rate rises in Volusia, Flagler for July 2025. PAGE 5A
WELCOME BACK
JetBlue returns to Daytona Beach International Airport after almost 7 year absence. PAGE 4B
STATE FUNDS
Sen. Tom Wright presents $400,000 check for Volusia County’s Emergency Operations Center expansion. PAGE 6A
STORM PSA
Hurricane Erin is expected to bring rough seas and dangerous rip currents. PAGE 6A
CITY LAUNCHES NEW UTILITY PORTAL Have you registered for Ormond Beach’s new Utility Payment Portal? The portal was launched on July 25. Residents who were previously enrolled in automatic payments will need to re-enroll. Need help? The city’s Utility Billing Department’s office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through the Friday. For more information, call 386-6763209. Visit the portal at https://www. municipalonlinepayments.com/ormondbeachfl/utilities.
INDEX
Business..................... PAGE 4B Calendar..................... PAGE 2B Cops Corner................PAGE 2A Crossword...................PAGE 7B Letters........................ PAGE 8A Public Notices............ PAGE 5C Sports......................... PAGE 6B Tributes ...................... PAGE 3C Real Estate................. PAGE 5B
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Mainland brass celebrates after their halftime show at the kickoff classic against Osceola on Aug. 15 at Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
City Commission approves Walmart expansion plan Commission directed Walmart to improve the western buffer within three months. JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR
The proposed Walmart expansion is a go. On Tuesday, Aug. 19, the Ormond Beach City Commission unanimously approved an amendment to the retailer’s Planned Business Development that will allow for the construction of a 5,101-squarefoot building addition for the Ormond Beach store, located at 1521 W. Granada Blvd. The project will allow Walmart to expand its online grocery pickup area to meet current demand. The amendment was first reviewed by the city’s Planning Board in March, but concerns regarding overgrowth of vegetation in the green belt buffer, security, transients and the store’s proposed aesthetic led the board to table it until Walmart could come back with a new proposal. The new proposal — which included exterior façade improvements to a “Mediterranean Beach style,” updated signage, parking lot modifications and improved landscaping — returned to the board on July 1, following the cleaning of the buffer. The board unanimously recommended approval, with a
Walmart plans to improve the existing façade to match a “Mediterranean Beach style.” Courtesy rendering
condition that the western buffer also be cleared within 18 months. Commissioner Kristin Deaton said she has been in communication with Walmart about the project since a neighborhood meeting was held in February. “I know I was pretty adamant about the façade being more pleasant than the spaceship that it looks like currently,” Deaton said. “The only thing I’m not truly happy about is the 18 months to fix the green belt. I know there’s been improvement. It looks like trash — we’ve got to fix that.” Planning Director Steven Spraker said that section fronting Granada Boulevard has to be completed with the expansion project. The 18-month condition was for the western buffer area, which was first discussed at the July 1 meeting. Her concern, Deaton said, is that after the overgrown vegeta-
tion was cleared from the Granada Boulevard section, the buffer looks “half-done.” City Commissioner Lori Tolland agreed. “That’s our gateway,” she said. Tolland thanked Deaton and the Planning Board for working to make the Walmart project better for residents. “Particularly Doug Thomas for championing this and for Walmart to be receptive to elevate that building to the standards that we enjoy in Ormond Beach,” Tolland said. On behalf of Walmart, attorney Rebecca Wilson said that the irony of the green belt issue is that it was a condition on the store’s development order to leave the buffer alone. “For years, we’d actually asked the city if we could clean it out and we were told, ‘No, it’s in your
[development order] that you have to leave it the way it is,” Wilson said. “So the reason we started cleaning it so quickly is we have always wanted to do the same thing. We don’t want people back there either. We didn’t want the trash that was there either, so we were very happy to clean it out.” She agreed with commissioners that it looks “terrible” at the moment, but said that’s because the landscaping hasn’t been replaced yet. Wilson said Walmart plans to finish improving the buffer facing Granada Boulevard by the end of the month, but in case of storms, asked for a three month timeline. The commission gave Walmart a three-month timeframe for the western buffer, and a six-month timeframe to complete the east. Email Jarleene Almenas at jarleene@observerlocalnews.com.