ORMOND BEACH
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 14, NO. 33
Property tax for teacher salaries? Volusia County Schools, teacher’s union, discuss voter referendum for teacher, staff pay. PAGE 7A INSIDE ANOTHER MOVE
Volusia County Schools is considering relocating alternative program from Ormond to Holly Hill. PAGE 4A
PALS ON THE RUN
Ormond Beach Police Athletic League raises $18K in annual Donut Dash 5K. PAGE 1B
STATE BOUND PAGE 8B
FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2026
Hand Ave. redesign limits access to Prince of Peace The new median impacts the church’s thrift store and back entrance, forcing parishioners to make a U-turn further down. JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR
Volusia County’s $5.1 million road project on Hand Avenue in Ormond Beach was designed to increase capacity and safety. It’s also blocking an entrance to one of the city’s largest churches. Members of Prince of Peace Catholic Church, located at 600 S. Nova Road, approached the Volusia County Council on Tuesday, April 21, asking for a median to be removed from the county’s redesign. The median, which is under construction, blocks the church’s entrance on Hand Avenue to drivers traveling east seeking to make a left-hand turn into Prince of Peace. “We understand these projects are meant to benefit the broader community,” Prince of Peace Rev. Justin Vakko said. “However ... the newly installed median directly in front of our west entrance has cre-
ated a significant and unintended hardship.” The entrance on Hand Avenue is the primary access point for the church’s thrift store, Like New Shop. Church member John Malafronte, who is the chairman of Prince of Peace’s facilities committee and member of its finance council, was the project manager for the thrift store when it was built over 10 years ago. “When we started planning for our new store, we had to solicit input from our neighbors and businesses and hear their concerns,” Malafronte said. “We held open meetings for local residents and then asked the city of Ormond Beach for approval.” The church wasn’t notified that its eastbound access from Hand Avenue would be impacted until the county placed the barriers for the new median. After numerous calls to county staff members, Malafronte said he received a call back from County Engineer Tadd Kasbeer, who informed him the change was made for safety — and that those wanting to enter the church’s thrift shop can make a U-turn at the Wellington Station condominiums’ entrance. “I asked him if there was an
appeal process, and he said no,” Malafronte said. In addition to removing the median, Malafronte suggested that other remedies could include adding a traffic light or adding a new entrance onto Prince of Peace near the retention pond or east by Wellington Station. The Prince of Peace parish serves 2,000 registered families, said Betty White, a church member who serves on the parish council. Beyond the thrift store, Hand Avenue provides access to the church’s adoration chapel. With the city’s growth concentrated on the west side of Ormond, most parishioners likely access the church on Hand Avenue, instead of on Nova Road, she said. “It’s not about being an inconvenience,” White said. “It’s about limiting access to the property.” The church’s food pantry, also near the Hand Avenue entrance, served over 10,081 families last year. This year to date, the pantry has served 2,903 families, and if the need continues, the church expects to serve over 11,600 families by the end of 2026. The food pantry is funded by the church’s thrift store, which had over 35,000 sales last year.
Many of the parishioners are seniors, Vakko said, and the new median design forces them to “take longer, more complicated routers or make risky turns.” “What was once a simple and safe entrance has become a barrier for the very people we serve,” Vakko said. “We are not asking the project be undone but we are respectfully asking the council to revisit this specific design decision.” Though the Hand Avenue changes are a county project, Ormond Beach City Commissioners briefly discussed the issue at their meeting that same evening. Deputy Mayor Lori Tolland, who is a parishioner at Prince of Peace, asked if her fellow commissioners and mayor would be willing to write a letter to the County Council to support the church’s position. “Half of the parish uses the back entrance,” Tolland said. “... I would like to keep being proactive as much as we can, until they say no indefinitely. But I’m hopeful.” The road project isn’t only affecting Prince of Peace, Commissioner Travis Sargent said. He’s also received concerns from his church, Tomoka Christian. Email jarleene@observerlocal news.com.
REMEDIATION
Volusia County Schools identifies W-2 reporting error. PAGE 7A
ELECTIONS 2026
Alachua County firefighter files to run for Ormond mayor. PAGE 4A
INDEX
Business..................... PAGE 8A Calendar..................... PAGE 2B Cops Corner................PAGE 2A Crossword.................. PAGE 2C Letters.......................PAGE 10A Public Notices............ PAGE 5C Schools....................... PAGE 3B Sports..........................PAGE 7B Tributes ...................... PAGE 4C Real Estate................. PAGE 4B
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Seabreeze wins District 5-5A baseball championship. PAGE 7B Seabreeze junior Merrick Campbell (11) celebrates with his teammates after hitting a homerun in the District 5-5A tournament game against Matanzas on Wednesday, April 15 at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex. Photo by Michele Meyers
Tartan pride Ormond MainStreet hosts 15th annual Celtic Festival, honoring the festival’s late founder, Chuck Spano.
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