As we do every year, The Beacon is devoting its last issue of 2023 to looking back at the biggest stories of the year. 2023 had big wins, like championship victories and 100th birthdays. But there were big feuds, too, like those among candidates preparing for 2024, between citizens and their elected representatives about their taxes and about what books should be on school library shelves.

What’s in store for 2024? Maybe a look back at 2023 will tell

PHOTOS: A look back at 2023

January

An engineering report finds that the historic Putnam Hotel in DeLand is in danger of immediate collapse. More than $4.5 million was spent since 2018 in sales and attempts to renovate it. The building was demolished in February. The Beacon livestreamed the event in February from the second story of City Hall, which sits directly across from the site. Bricks from the building were then sold to raise funds for the DeLand House Museum and J.W. Wright Building, two historic buildings that are undergoing renovation.

As the year begins, Deputy Property Appraiser Jan Cornelius predicts a land and building value increase of 4 to 5 percent. Later that year, the preliminary tax roll for the year, as reported by Everson in a June news story titled “Volusia property values hit new record high,” shows a 15.2-percent increase as red-hot market conditions continue. 

The just value — the total estimated market value of all Property in Volusia County — hits an all-time record high, closing toward $100 billion. 

A World War II-era tugboat, the ST 479 Tiger, was poised for a triumphant return to West Volusia from Sweden when it ran aground in Astor. The tugboat was unstuck in July and moved to the west bank of the river near the State Road 44 bridge on the St. Johns River. The boat is still awaiting a final place to dock.

After it was denied by the DeLand City Commission in 2022, developers for Taylor Ridge, a neighborhood proposed on 26 acres at the intersection of South Blue Lake Avenue and Taylor Road, take to the Volusia County Council just to be told no again. The developer returned to DeLand in December and received a narrow approval after reducing the project’s density and adding more amenities. 

Louease May is recognized as DeLand’s Volunteer of the Year. May is the first Black woman to receive the recognition.

Harley Strickland, former mayor of Orange City, dies at age 83. 

Dr. Mark Flowers, former Volusia County director of corrections, is officially terminated four months after being placed on administrative leave in the wake of two internal investigations. The investigation found Flowers, who had been in the position since 2017, created a hostile work environment and violated policies regarding the treatment of inmates. Joseph DeMore, of Pennsylvania, took over the position in July.

Lake Helen’s Creative Arts Café decides they meet the requirements set forth by the Volusia County ECHO grant. ECHO is an acronym for the acquisition, preservation or development of environmental/cultural/historic/outdoor Recreational properties. The ECHO program provides funding for purchases or projects that fall under one or more of these categories by levying an add-on property tax of 0.20 mills, or 20 cents per $1,000 of taxable value. 

The county board overseeing the funds disagrees at their meeting the next month. As of June, Lake Helen is under a one-year probationary period to show they meet the requirements of the grant, or be on the hook to pay back $156,626.

The Save-a-Lot supermarket in DeLand is demolished to make way for the DeLand Commons, a new, 180-unit apartment project spanning multiple buildings. DeLand Commons developer Atlantic Housing Partners returned to the DeLand City Commission in November to ask that its tax subsidy be increased in light of high construction costs. Originally, Atlantic Housing Partners planned to use more concrete, but they said in November that they had to switch to lower-cost wood as materials costs kept rising.

Older DeLandites may remember when the store was an A & P Supermarket.

The Deland High School varsity cheerleading team take home first place in their division at a competition hosted in memory of Nix Thomas, a UCF cheerleader who coached hundreds of Volusia County kids. Thomas died in 2022, but his memory provided the carry-through for the students to succeed.

The discussion around books in schools begins in an innocuous manner, as the School Board begins to address the book challenge process and book reconsideration committees are formed.

A 128-acre plot of land around Lake Moore in DeLand is marked as a conservation area through a joint purchase from DeLand and the Volusia Forever program.

Tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of musical instruments and equipment is stolen from Volusia Community Arts. By March, $6,000 had been raised and the group began performing again in April.

February

AutoMall developer Brendan Hurley, who axed Automall plans in April 2021, tells the Lake Helen City Commission he plans to build apartment buildings. The commission, appalled by a possible 40-percent increase in population (1,000 people added to Lake Helen’s population of 2,600) indicated that the plan had little chance of moving forward. 

A state law effective July 1 known as the Live Local Act shish-kebabed their objections. That law allows developers to bypass approvals they would normally need from municipalities if they are planning to build affordable housing in places where affordable housing would not typically be allowed, like commercial or industrial areas. Several municipalities have spoken out about the bill, with DeBary City Manager Carmen Rosamonda a vocal opponent.

Egg prices skyrocket due to supply-chain problems, the avian influenza virus, and the war in Ukraine. The egg-flation dropped precipitously in May, although a December egg market report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows prices ticking up again in November.

Noting the deal to purchase Alexander Island was “three years in the making,” DeBary Mayor Karen Chasez Feb. 1 signed the closing documents and the deed to transfer the 170 acres in the bend of the river to public ownership and recreational use. The city paid $3.5 million for the riverfront property it plans to turn into a passive park with recreational opportunities.

Even though the 2022 ME STRONG 5K in DeLand was billed as the popular charity race’s last, local Rotary Clubs and Florida Cancer Specialists stepped in to make sure ME STRONG could live on. The 2023 race was a success as more than 5,000 racers took to the streets of DeLand to run and raise money for cancer patients.

Orange City agrees to address a dilapidated South Kentucky Avenue, which the city doesn’t actually own. Reconstruction began in December, and once the $800,000 project to fix up South Kentucky Avenue is completed, Orange City will own the road.

DeLand Cloisters changes its business model from assisted-living to “active adult community.” New management tells The Beacon that the old mode wasn’t paying the bills.

Deltona’s city-manager saga continues with another abrupt change in course as the City Commission decides to retain Interim Manager Jim Chisholm. The move would not end the city’s staffing turbulence.

A 3-year-old boy shoots and kills himself near DeLand with a handgun found in his parents’ nightstand Feb. 15. 

A fire shuts down the Wells Fargo bank building at 131 E. New York Ave. in Downtown DeLand. “I noticed the smell, like an electrical smell, and then it started getting stronger,” Pat Dunn, the one who called the report in to the Fire Department, said. “I knew I had to get out, because there was black smoke coming out of the air duct.” 

No one was hurt in the blaze, although the building was shut for months.

March

The Volusia County Council takes up a discussion of whether to allow dogs on the county’s beaches. While the county delayed deciding on a pilot program in March, a third dog-friendly beach opened in Volusia County in November.

A wave of criticism — and, later, litigation — hits Deltona City Commissioner Tom Burbank after he posts a personal attack on Deltona resident Nick Lulli. Lulli had signaled his intent to run for a seat on the Deltona City Commission and he has since filed to run for Seat 6, the seat currently occupied by City Commissioner Jody Lee Storozuk, in 2024.

Following the demolition of the historic Hotel Putnam in Downtown DeLand, the city’s Historic Preservation Board requested that the city give the board more staff time and money to work with. The board’s cries for support weren’t unheard, and the City of DeLand devoted a member of its planning staff to assisting in preservation.

New laws signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis regarding books in schools start a cultural firestorm in Volusia County School Board meetings. Media specialists revolt after the School Board makes minor changes to their library materials and book challenges policies. The issue will continue to dominate public comment during board meetings for the remainder of the year.

The African American Museum of the Arts in DeLand is among the recipients of ECHO grant money from Volusia County. The African American Museum was awarded $500,000 for an expansion. 

The Volusia Sheriff’s Office begins arresting individuals from the U.S. and Canada who allegedly made threatening comments about Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood online. 

Two people sentenced to death in the Xbox murders, a 2004 mass murder in Deltona, are set to be retried. 

With an eye toward saving money, the Volusia County Council unanimously votes to stop giving funds — known as event sponsorships — from the public coffers for charities and other nonprofit civic groups. The move was lauded by some, but some in the nonprofit community said they would miss the county’s help in funding events and other initiatives.

Ahead of launching a full agricultural education program, George Marks Elementary School in DeLand gets a host of farm animals, including cows, chickens and a donkey, to help educate students about how to take care of animals, gardening and more.

Construction materials behind the Orange City Marketplace near the intersection of Saxon Boulevard and Enterprise Road in Orange City catch fire March 30, releasing toxic smoke into the air. Fire crews rushed to put out the blaze. The cause has yet to be determined.

April

DeLand’s Historic Dutton House is sold to a private investor in the latest attempt to renovate the old building.

With the goal of getting license renewals and other mundane — but necessary — tasks done, Volusia County Tax Collector Will Roberts announces plans to open an office in the county’s most populous city, Deltona. The office officially opened its doors in November.

Local tattoo artists begin calling for the DeLand City Commission to amend outdated rules preventing them from operating tattoo shops in Downtown DeLand. Less than six months later, after a Beacon story and advocacy from local shop owners at city meetings, the rules were changed. 

When the Museum of Art – DeLand asked the owners of the Stetson Mansion to return a painting of the university and mansion’s namesake, the owners of the mansion pushed back. Following multiple court proceedings over the course of the year, a Volusia County judge ordered that the mansion had to return the painting, and it was removed from the mansion in November.

The Volusia County Council devoted $1 million to ensure Avelo Airlines, a budget airline looking to offer flights to and from Daytona Beach International Airport, gets off the ground. Avelo launched its inaugural flight from DAB in June.

The City of Deltona announces that e-commerce giant Amazon will occupy a 1 million-square-foot warehouse directly across North Normandy Boulevard from its fulfillment center. The announcement came more than a year after speculation began over who would use the warehouse space.

The DeLand Black Heritage Trail, a self-guided historic tour through DeLand’s Black history, is launched April 16.

Beacon reporters Carmen Cruz and Chase Berger are honored by Stetson University for their writing work at the university. Berger was awarded the Josephine Field Davidson Award for Integrity in Journalism for her 2022 story in The West Volusia Beacon “Animal shelters are overwhelmed.” 

Cruz was awarded the Diane Smith Gibson Renaissance Award. The recognition goes to a student who “demonstrates unusual intellectual breadth by excellent work in different intellectual or academic areas.” Berger left The Beacon earlier this year and now works as a producer at WJAX TV in Jacksonville, and Cruz recently accepted a role in Stetson University’s communications department.

Floridians get a rude awakening when a test of the state’s emergency alert system mistakenly triggers at 4:45 a.m. April 20. A spokesperson for the state’s Division of Emergency Management said that the system would be used “appropriately henceforth.”

The Deltona City Commission enshrines voluntary-only sewer connection into city ordinance.

May

The Beacon reports on the increased incidence of female athletes tearing their ACLs in comparison to male athletes. According to experts, women athletes are three times as likely to tear their ACLs as men because they don’t receive the correct training for their body types.

Stone Island homeowners sue the City of Deltona for damages caused by flooding following Hurricane Ian in 2022. The city’s use of a drainage system compounded their water woes, critics said.

More than 20 years in the making, the SunRail commuter train system, still unfinished and much maligned, celebrates an official groundbreaking in DeLand. The DeLand extension expands the rail line’s northern terminus from DeBary to DeLand and is expected to be fully operational next summer.

Less than three days into the trial of the Xbox murders, Gov. Ron DeSantis signs into law that only eight of 12 jurors must sentence someone to death. The trial is halted while the law goes to appellate court — the two convicted murderers, Jerone Hunter and Troy Victorino, who showed up every day in suits, were sent back to state prison.

Orange City Council Member Kellianne Marks irks some locals after she places some 2,000 small U.S. flags around the town around Memorial Day. The flags had a card with the message “Marks for Mayor,” in advance of the 2024 municipal election. Marks, who later apologized, was accused of mixing patriotism and politics and campaigning at an inappropriate time. With Marks and fellow City Commision Member Bill O’Connor both vying for mayor, some meetings became tense.

The Volusia County School Board continues to catch strays of the national culture war, as people take the opportunity to speak for or against books in schools. Ultimately, the district already had many of the state-mandated book challenge procedures in place. Some critics argued the law had a chilling effect on teachers, while others thought the School Board had not gone far enough. 

DeLandites Chris and Jessica Levings break ground on Northwest Square, the marketplace project planned for the 1.3-acre Trinity United Methodist Church building at 306 W. Wisconsin Ave. The couple bought the former church for $1 million in 2022 with the goal of turning the first floor of the historic building into a community hub for vendors and artists, and converting upstairs space into 13 apartments.

Stetson University raises funds to support four undergraduate students who came to the university from Ukraine after Russia began its invasion of the country in 2022. The students settled in, and two of them — Yuliia Balan and Yana Verbova — are on track to graduate in May 2024.

June

The first Memorial Day celebrations held in person since COVID-19 made up for lost time by going bigger and better than ever before.

After years of back-and-forth, the DeLand City Commission turns down a proposed development to replace the dilapidated Old Jail at 130 W. New York Ave. from local company GlassHouse Square LLC. While the city selected GlassHouse Square in 2019 as the developer to take over the city-owned property, the City Commission denied — and chose not to grant the developer its requested do-over —  the project over concerns that it was not well-defined and may lack vitality.

The DeLand Middle School Lady Terriers basketball team end the 2022-23 school year on top of the world with 13 wins and just one loss, its first Westside Volusia County championship victory and the first Volusia County championship win the team has brought home since the 1981-82 season.

Deltona faces legal actions from former staff after a period of instability in 2022. Former Acting City Manager John Peters is suing the city for allegedly improperly firing him and not honoring his contract, and former Deputy City Manager Stacey Kifolo filed a suit alleging she was subjected to a hostile work environment after Peters left and before she was fired.

A plan for a two-block chunk of West Voorhis Avenue will fix up sidewalks, reduce traffic speeds and work to incorporate West Voorhis Avenue into what people consider Downtown DeLand’s core area. Design plans were finally approved after two years of discussions, and city staff were tasked with determining how to fund the roughly $3 million project. 

Lake Helen votes to terminate their City Administrator Lee Evett and then realizes without Evett, there would be no one in the top spot of city administration. Then-Mayor Cameron Lane flies home from a vacation trip to call an emergency meeting, and the City Commission votes to keep Evett until they find a replacement. In December, James Gleason of New Hampshire was hired. In other Lake Helen news this month, longtime Public Works Director Rick Mullens is also rehired.

July

Chickens: Everyone loves them. The Beacon devotes an entire issue to chickens, whether they be backyard egg-growers, feathered friends or, well, dinner. 

Duke Energy announced it will build a facility to produce hydrogen at its plant in DeBary. The hydrogen will be derived from reclaimed water and burned as an alternative to natural gas to generate electricity. The effort is part of Duke’s commitment to produce and use more renewable energy.

Following the end of the legislative session, a number of anti-transgender laws went into effect, and The Beacon interviewed a number of West Volusia locals who were impacted by the regulations they said made them less safe. In addition to the laws restricting bathroom usage for some people, tense words also came from the Florida House, where West Volusia Rep. Webster Barnaby called transgender people “imps,” “demons” and “mutants.”

Volusia County signs a deal making Pepsi the official soft drink of the country’s government offices. The 10-year contract will see Volusia receive a minimum of $845,000 over the decade. 

Volusia County enacts a “stupid motorist” law that applies during periods declared to be a state of local emergency, such as a hurricane. Under the county’s ordinance, any person caught “driving around a barricade to enter a flooded stretch of roadway” may be fined as much as $500 or sentenced to 60 days in jail, or both.

DeLand city officials reveal that a local population of Muscovy ducks were preventing maintenance of some areas of Downtown DeLand. While the city has yet to devise a plan to deal with its duck problems, potentially evicting them is on the mind of city officials. The project stalled when the head of DeLand’s internal duck removal committee took a job elsewhere.

DeLand moves closer to making a deal with transit company Lake Mary Shuttle to establish a trolley route between the soon-to-open DeLand SunRail stop and Downtown DeLand. 

Statistics from the Volusia/Flagler County Coalition for the Homeless indicate that homelessness is up nearly 20 percent in the area. 

With prices high and more people in need, charities try their best to help. The Beacon profiled some of those charities in November, shining a spotlight on food insecurity in West Volusia.

August

Approximately 20 years of visioning, planning, revising and re-revising culminated in the Deltona City Commission’s approval of an ambitious mixed-use project. The approval came after the City Commission turned down the project in May, only to vote for it later. Deltona Village is set to have 652 apartment homes and 700,000 square feet of retail-commercial space, including a Starbucks and a Panda Express.

Vernon Burton, who ran for Lake Helen mayor four times in total over the years, is finally elected. Burton became part of history as the city’s first Black mayor.

Code-enforcement violations cause friction between the owner of City Limits Taproom & Grille and Volusia County in a scuffle that would continue for months. Bar owner Pete Ferrentino says he’s well within his rights as a business owner, while his neighbors and Volusia County allege parking and noise violations.

Volusia County joins an effort to preserve endangered land — and also to boost the Florida-grown food supply. The county agreed to participate with the Alachua Conservation Trust in an effort to seek federal funding for the purchase of more environmentally sensitive lands and the creation of more conservation easements on agricultural lands.

Fentanyl, a highly addictive and dangerous drug, kills more in Volusia County than car crashes and natural deaths combined, according to the Volusia County Medical Examiner. 

More on this story: https://beacononlinenews.com/2023/08/17/the-impacts-of-fentanyl-on-our-communities-and-the-drug-that-saves-lives/

As a scorching heat wave sends Volusia County temperatures soaring, the county turns libraries into hot-weather shelters. But just when people needed it most, a few libraries experienced air-conditioning problems and unexpectedly closed down for several days. 

It’s standing room only in the Deltona City Commission Chambers Aug. 7, when perhaps 200 or more people upset about pending increases in their stormwater and trash collection charges make their presence known to elected leaders. Despite outcry from residents, the city adopted its property-tax increase in September.

Amid statewide concerns that aspects of the course might be illegal to teach under new Florida laws, Volusia County Schools decides not to offer AP Psychology as a course for high-school students in the county’s public schools. Volusia joined districts across the state, including Hillsborough County, Lake County and more, in offering the alternative courses rather than the standard College Board course.

A study conducted by the City of DeLand determines that residents want less development, less growth and more focus on maintaining a small-town feel. The results of the survey played a role in the development of the city’s new strategic plan, which was officially adopted in December.

Deltona’s interim city manager, James Chisholm, abruptly quits with an effective date in September. The City Commission later terminates him retroactively to Aug. 15. The city, plagued with leadership turnover since 2020, sees another round of turmoil. As of December, Public Works Director Glenn Whitcomb fills in as interim manager. The City Commission has stepped up its search for a permanent city manager. 

On Aug. 25, around 1 p.m. on a Tuesday, Jayvion Barthel, 20, lay dead on the street on Woodland Boulevard, the main thoroughfare in DeLand. Barthel was shot dead by officers after the DeLand Police Department and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office attempted a traffic stop.

A firearm was located on the floor of the car. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

The results of a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation, mandated after any officer-involved shooting, are pending until review by the State Attorney’s Office.

September

Seven months after the beginning of a formal investigation, DeLand Police Capt. Francisco “Frank” Williams was fired from the DeLand Police Department for homophobic and sexist comments. Williams was one of the leaders at the DPD and had been on paid leave for seven months.

Startling data from organization Smart Growth America showed that parts of Volusia County are the most dangerous areas to walk in the entire U.S. Data is from 2022.

American Legion Post 6 in DeLand, with help from other nonprofits and groups, helps a DeLand veteran evade homelessness. Since The Beacon reported on Michael Smith’s situation, he has moved into a new home.

Deltona favors a moratorium on storage facilities and dollar stores, but changes its mind in December.

On Sept. 22, the very first day the Brightline high-speed passenger train was in service, DeLandite Harlow Hyde takes the train from Orlando to Miami and back. He detailed his journey for The Beacon, which he said he wholeheartedly recommended. While Hyde said he hopes to see the rail line expanded, he also hopes they offer coffee the next time he rides it.

Three students are arrested in one day after incidents at University High School in Orange City. A 15-year-old student was arrested Sept. 11 for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and possession of a weapon on school grounds after he allegedly attacked another student with a small knife during a fight at the Orange City school, and two other students were taken into custody after allegedly striking campus advisers who were attempting to break up that fight.

October

DeLandite Bridgette Gordon is named the Florida A&M University women’s head basketball coach. She was celebrated by the Volusia County FAMU Alumni Association with green and orange galore, school pride and a $5,000 check to kick-start her fundraising for the women’s basketball program at FAMU.

The Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel, as well as the ensuing reaction by the Israeli government, are felt at home in West Volusia. Places of worship and student groups mourn the dead and hope for peace.

Book bans return as a hot topic when the Volusia County School Board pulls 14 books — including classics from Kurt Vonnegut and Toni Morrison — from school shelves. The books were pulled after members of the public read excerpts during the board’s public comment period. If speakers are interrupted by a member of the board — which they were — state law says the books must be pulled from shelves for further scrutiny.

After residents appear at a DeLand City Commission meeting to complain, city staff jumps into action to get the Hunter’s Creek apartment complex into compliance. Residents complained of mold, faulty appliances and other problems. Since then, many of the city’s code-enforcement complaints have been fixed, while the outstanding complaints are on track to being fixed.

November

The Beacon reports on grave problems at the Lake Helen-Cassadaga Cemetery. Specifically, shoddy record-keeping has led to uncertainty about where bodies are buried.

Volusia County issues a moratorium on industrial development after a proposal from the company Belvedere Terminals to build a fuel-storage facility next to Ormond Beach is met with public outcry.

The Volusia County Council rejects a request from the School Board to share the cost of putting law-enforcement officers at seven middle schools. 

“There’s nobody up here that is against school safety,” County Chair Jeff Brower told Volusia School District administrators who had come to present their request. “That’s your responsibility.”

Local officials celebrate as water and sewer lines from DeLand are connected all the way north to McInnis Elementary School in DeLeon Springs. The school had previously ooperated on well water and a septic system.

Despite qualms about possible unfair competition with the private sector and a loss of transparency, the Volusia County Council agrees to explore the idea of setting up a special website for public notices and legal advertisements. This move is met with opposition from local newspapers including The Beacon and Hometown News as well as the Florida Press Association.

December

The City of DeLand broke ground on its $83 million upgrade to the city’s wastewater reclamation plant. The Beacon reported on the plans in October to boost the plant’s capacity and make it more cost- and energy-efficient as DeLand continues to grow.

After 15 years in operation, the West Volusia Regional Chamber of Commerce shuts its doors, transferring all of its members over to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida. Operating the chamber because unsustainable after its executive team paid off an unforgiven Paycheck Protection Program loan of $17,000.