Deltona City Commission Regular Meeting – October 26, 2026

The Deltona City Commission met in regular session on Monday, October 26, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the Deltona Commission Chambers. The agenda scheduled Public Forum from 6:00 to 6:30 PM, followed by the business meeting. Mayor Avila presided. The commission recognized students and fire personnel, heard a regional stormwater update, and acted on consent items, a code enforcement fine reduction, a Dairy Queen proportionate share agreement, employee health benefits, the firefighter collective bargaining agreement, a right-of-way vacation, a P&Z board removal, and the data center moratorium.

Presentations & Reports

• Super Star Student Awards for the first grading period of the 2026/2027 school year were presented to students from several Deltona elementary and middle schools.
• Fire Chief Stephen Cousins swore in seven new fire personnel: Deputy Chief Dan Ruth and firefighters Skylar Carn, Nathan Galloway, Ethan Gresham, John Mulholland, Nathan Quartier, and Kale Zinninger. Existing personnel were promoted and pinned, including Adam Clatterbuck to Deputy Chief, Alexander Griffith to Lieutenant, and Lopiccolo-Hawkins and Flores to Engineer.
• Mayor Nancy Miller of Daytona Beach Shores, co-chair of the Volusia County Elected Officials Roundtable Stormwater Mitigation & Flooding Subcommittee, presented an update. She said 28 infrastructure projects and 28 basin studies are underway across the county, Transform 386 has funded more than 25 stormwater projects and 30 studies totaling over $110 million, and a new stormwater resilience dashboard is available at Volusia.gov. She highlighted Deltona projects including the El Cam Boulevard at Lake Helen Osteen Road intersection and the Lake Sweet Gum stormwater drop-down project.

Consent Calendar

• The commission approved, 7-0, consent items A, B, D, E, and F after items C, G, H, and I were pulled for separate consideration: A approved the minutes of the October 5 and October 19, 2026 meetings; B proclaimed Small Business Saturday on November 28; D approved Resolution 2026-97, the Team Volusia Economic Development Corporation Cooperative Agreement for 2026-2027; E updated the city’s representatives to the Opioid Funding Advisory Board (Clatterbuck primary, Dan Ruth alternate); and F approved Resolution 2026-100, pre-qualifying Architects Design Group, Bentley Group, Inc., Borrelli & Partners, CPH, and PQH Group Design for facilities architectural and engineering services.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Kathy Bryan questioned the reduction of a $54,450 code-enforcement fine to $8,500, objected to the Dairy Queen agreement, and asked why the firefighter collective bargaining agreement was not available to the public before the vote.
• Jason Voles, property manager for 271 Fort Smith Boulevard, asked the commission to reduce all fines in the foreclosure matter to zero, dismiss the foreclosure by October 28, and provide dismissal documents by October 29. He said the owners and tenants had suffered losses and called the situation a “black eye” for the city.
• Mohammad Mollah, the property owner, said he did not know about the fine until later and asked the commission to consider the hardship to both the landlord and the new tenant.
• On the Planning and Zoning Board removal, Matthew Borgins and Kathy Bryan opposed acting without reviewing both sides of the dispute; Courtney Krausberg said there should be some consequence or censure; Virgil Ford alleged preferential treatment and political motivation; and Pat Blodgett defended her husband’s record. Tim Blodgett defended his comments, saying they came in response to harassment, but he was escorted out after interrupting the meeting.
• Albert Bryan opposed the Sullivan Street right-of-way vacation, saying the city should not give away property.
• Matthew Borgins spoke against the data center moratorium, supporting a reasonable path for data centers in Deltona because of potential tax-base diversity, technology investment, and jobs.

Discussion Items

• Code enforcement fine reduction (Item C): Staff reported the case began in 2019, went to the Special Magistrate on January 22, 2020, and took 978 days to reach compliance; notices were sent to the property address. Staff noted the agenda listed the fine as $54,450 but said the recalculated fine total was $49,400. The Special Magistrate recommended reducing the fine to a single payment of $8,500, including $3,901.25 in case-enforcement costs. The commission approved the reduction 7-0.
• Dairy Queen proportionate fair share (Item G): City staff and the City Attorney explained that the $113,637.32 proportionate fair share payment is owed to Volusia County for impacted county-maintained roadway (Howland Boulevard), while the developer still owes the city $37,544.59 in transportation impact fees. The commission approved the agreement 7-0.
• Employee health benefits (Item H): The commission approved, 7-0, authorizing the City Manager to bind health coverage recommended by the Gehring Group for Plan Year 2027. The city will move medical/prescription coverage from UnitedHealthcare to Florida Health Care Plans/Florida Blue, dental and vision to MetLife, and the Employee Assistance Program to Bree Health after UnitedHealthcare’s renewal showed an average 29.5% increase. HSA, life/AD&D, and short-term disability carriers remain unchanged.
• Firefighter collective bargaining agreement (Item I): A motion to table the IAFF Local 2913 contract to the first November meeting failed 2-5. The commission then approved Resolution 2026-102, the October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2029 collective bargaining agreement, by 6-1. Discussion noted the union ratified the contract 48-9, it is within the adopted budget, the final draft was delivered about 50 minutes before the meeting, and the agreement could be revisited if Amendment 3 changes the city’s finances.
• Public hearing on vacation of right-of-way (Resolution 2026-86): The commission heard testimony under oath on the request by HYR Properties, LLC to vacate 0.180 acres of platted alley right-of-way associated with 468 Sullivan Street, including 25-foot and 15-foot alleyways in Block 20 of the Beauty Spot Orange City Plat, to consolidate property for a future single-family residence. Staff reported three utility non-objection letters and recommended approval. The resolution passed 5-2, with Vice Mayor Avila-Vasquez voting no because a previous resident with a similar request had to pay.
• Removal of Planning and Zoning Board member: Commissioner Santiago moved to remove Tim Blodgett from the Planning and Zoning Board, citing disrespectful comments toward a female resident. The City Attorney said P&Z members serve at the pleasure of the commission and that Florida Statutes Section 112.501 is informative but not mandatory for this board. After public comment and discussion, the removal motion passed 4-3.
• Data center moratorium revisions: The City Attorney presented red-line revisions to Ordinance 19-2026, the temporary moratorium on data centers, to coordinate with Volusia County’s adoption. The commission voted 7-0 to move the revised ordinance to second reading.

City Manager and Commission Comments

• The City Manager complimented the State of the City video and said Deltona University would be held the next evening; 37 residents had signed up, with three openings.
• The City Attorney said an executive session in Dunice Magliati v. City of Deltona would be scheduled before the next commission meeting. The Mayor asked that it be scheduled early enough, such as 4:30 PM.
• Commissioner Howington raised resident questions about cable companies working in the city, underground utilities, and the possible use of the city-owned house next to the Eastern Plant for cold-weather shelter.
• Commissioner Heriot requested, and received consensus, for staff to develop a code of conduct for all appointed board members and representatives.

Key Outcomes

• Approved consent items A, B, D, E, and F (7-0).
• Reduced the code-enforcement fine to $8,500 (7-0).
• Approved the Dairy Queen proportionate fair share agreement (7-0).
• Approved the employee health benefits carrier transition for Plan Year 2027 (7-0).
• Rejected tabling the firefighter CBA (2-5) and then approved it (6-1).
• Approved the Sullivan Street right-of-way vacation (5-2).
• Removed Tim Blodgett from the Planning and Zoning Board (4-3).
• Approved moving the revised data center moratorium ordinance to second reading (7-0).
• Directed staff to draft a code of conduct for appointed board members and representatives.
• Scheduled an executive session in Dunice Magliati v. City of Deltona before the next commission meeting; Mayor Avila said he would not serve as a “shadow mayor” after the November 9 gavel exchange and urged residents to vote.