Editor, The Beacon:
The predicament faced by Deltona’s present City Commission is similar to that of someone inattentively painting themselves into a corner. For decades, previous decision-makers routinely rubber stamped approval for residential development. Building houses, after all, was the biggest source for revenue.
The original zoning for the budding community was for residential retirement. Much of the Land Use Code for Deltona’s Comprehensive Plan mirrored what the county had. Few, if anyone, considered how over time the allowed construction practices would impact things on a more concentrated large scale.
The building of homes continued in a big way with about as little thought being given to the inclusion of commercial development as there was to the impact of construction practices. After some 15-20 years, this overlooked element in community growth created a financial imbalance for the city.
How did past city leaders deal with this elephant in the room? They didn’t. Instead, they approved even more and bigger residential development. This gross negligence resulted in not only a problem in having mostly a residential source for taxing revenue, but all kinds of infrastructure implications, such as flooding.
Thus, the past stewards of Deltona’s growth led their citizens and future leaders to the plethora of growth problems. The cash cow led us all astray.
Larry French
Deltona
The previous leaders were more interested in making money than they were in their citizens or the infrastructure of the city. The current situation is so large that the leadership in place has no idea how to deal with it. This is what happens when Ego, greed, and politics become priorities over doing the right thing by the people and for the people.
You reap what you sow.