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Two issues stand out. First, Deltona leans too hard on new rooftops for revenue, and housing rarely pays its own way: homes cost more in services than they return, so each subdivision shifts the burden onto existing residents. The commission's recent move to raise impact fees helps, growth finally starting to pay its share. The next step is revenue without rooftops, a real economic base of commercial, recreation, and ecotourism along the St. Johns corridor and our lakes, so jobs and visitors help fund the city, not just homeowners. Second, flooding. Since Ian, too much of Deltona floods while water rates stay high. I will invest in stormwater and wetland parks that store water and protect homes.
I would move Deltona toward priority-based budgeting. Instead of taking last year's numbers and nudging each line up, you list every program, attach its real cost, and fund them in order of how well they serve residents. Essentials first: police, fire, roads, stormwater. Everything else earns its place or faces fees, partnerships, or cuts, in the open. I also want to widen our revenue base so we lean less on homeowners. With impact fees rising, the work is growing commercial, industrial, and visitor revenue that pays in without raising service costs. And I will protect reserves, because a city that cannot weather the next storm is fiscally lucky, not fiscally responsible.
Yes. Because of the federal disaster declarations for Debby, Helene, and Milton, effectively every Florida city, including Deltona, counts as an impacted local government under SB 180. Through 2027 it blocks us from adopting more restrictive land-use rules, certain moratoriums, and some impact fees, even when the goal is flood protection or making growth pay its share. That collides directly with what Deltona needs. My approach: use the tools still available, stronger code enforcement, capital planning, and grant-funded resilience projects, while joining the cities and counties pressing Tallahassee to narrow SB 180 and restore local authority over floodplain and growth standards.
Deltona is the county's largest city, yet we often act like a junior partner. I would change that by showing up to regional tables with data and a clear ask. On growth, neighboring cities and the county share the same roads, watersheds, and traffic, so our plans should be coordinated, not competing. On housing, I would align where workforce housing goes with where jobs and transit already are, and pool grant applications so small cities are not outbid for the same dollars. I would also treat the St. Johns corridor and our parks as regional assets worth protecting together. Partnership beats grievance, and it earns Deltona a real seat at the table.
Deltona's recent commission has spent too much energy on personal conflict and not enough on the work. I will not add to that. My approach is simple: disagree on the issue, never the person. I will come to every meeting prepared, assume good faith from colleagues I differ with, and keep disputes about policy rather than personality. With the mayor and every commissioner, I will look for the shared goal first, because residents did not elect us to feud. Professionalism is not weakness. It is how a board actually delivers roads, drainage, and a budget that holds up.
Deltona sits in the Blue Spring springshed, where state data blames septic systems for about 74% of the nitrogen polluting our largest spring, and nitrogen there has risen, not fallen, since the 2018 cleanup plan. It is a state mandate with almost no state money behind it, and conversions run $10,000 to $30,000 per home. I will not drop that on residents as a surprise bill. My plan: chase every grant, make new growth fund its own nitrogen-reducing systems, convert homes nearest the spring first, and start with the cheapest legal win, a real fertilizer ordinance and Florida-Friendly lawn incentives. That cuts nitrogen now, lowers residents' bills, and buys time before anyone faces a five-figure conversion.
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