VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A highly anticipated discussion is happening now in Volusia County. The topic: A county-wide development moratorium until leaders can produce a better flood mitigation plan.
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The proposal was set forth by County Council Chair Jeff Brower, and is now being called a political move by fellow council members.
“Now he has to deliver on this campaign rhetoric and not one time has he met with our legal department, or experts inside or management team and talk about the possibilities,” said council member David Santiago.
Residents like John and Pat Joslin, who have been impacted by significant flooding, don’t see it that way.
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“The only person I would say that listens to us is Chairman Jeff Brower,” said Pat Joslin.
The couple has been growing vegetables for Central Florida families for the last twenty years. They blame new homes being built higher for turning their farm into what they call a bowl.
“They’re going to have to do something to move the water out of these areas that weren’t low lying before they put up the developments in,” said John Joslin.
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According to the county’s charter, it’s up to individual cities to regulate land use. The county can only control what happens in unincorporated areas. There are two exceptions: beach regulations and environmental protection. But council member David Santiago said that wouldn’t work in this case.
“We need to find some real solutions, but this is all political theater that’s going to distract us but I think the majority of the council today will send a message of let’s find some real solutions, scientific solutions,” said Santiago.
Council members just voted to move the item to a special meeting on January 14 to gather more information, meet with county staff and hear more from residents. Council members want it to be the only item on the agenda for that meeting to give it full attention.
Council members called the moratorium “juvenile” and said it didn’t have any teeth, while Brower argued there would have been no vote on a moratorium tonight, only a vote on a list of goals and plans to be approved by city staff.
Hundreds of residents showed up and are still coming up to speak on the topic for public comment.
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