Local student works to protect environment

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Local student works to protect environment
PHOTO COURTESY OF RAQUEL LEVY; MAKING THEIR CASE — From left, mom Raquel Levy, Bella Schwartz and Suzanne Scheiber pose for a photo together before Schwartz and Scheiber spoke to the Volusia County Council on Jan. 14 to advocate for a development moratorium.

BY SARA WARD

It’s not every day a 16-year-old stands before the Volusia County Council with an impassioned plea. 

Since hurricanes Helene and Milton flooded low-lying areas late last year, there has been momentum to halt development. County Chair Jeff Brower floated the idea of a development moratorium in late October before his re-election. The idea ultimately failed, but not before over 90 people signed up to speak at a special meeting on the topic Jan. 14.

Bella Schwartz was one of them.

Schwartz, a determined DeLand High School student, has been taken aback by the changes to the trails she grew up on.

“One day when I was biking [Blue Springs Trail], I looked over to my right and I saw bulldozers and machinery,” Schwartz said. “It used to be really quiet and peaceful there, and then it just was overtaken by noise and subdivisions.” 

Schwartz started to volunteer with Dream Green Volusia — a nonprofit organization that tackles environmental issues across Volusia County through projects and advocacy. 

Her mentor was Suzanne Scheiber, director of the nonprofit organization. 

Dream Green Volusia offers opportunities for anyone, including kids, to get involved through volunteering for such activities as Adopt-A-Road quarterly cleanups and internships, Scheiber told The Beacon

Scheiber was the first to suggest that Schwartz could attend County Council meetings to share her passion for the environment.  

“When I heard about it and saw the difference I can make, I decided that I should even speak up there to help preserve our nature,” Schwartz said. 

At a County Council special meeting Jan 14, held to discuss a proposed development moratorium, Schwartz told the County Council and public that no one — including those under 18 — wants to see more construction.

Schwartz told The Beacon her goal was to urge the Council Members for at least a yearslong moratorium and redirection to low-impact development strategies. 

As the youngest representative of Generation Z in attendance, Schwartz didn’t come without a small army behind her. A petition started by Schwartz had more than 2,000 signatures by press time — most of its initial thousand-plus signatures came from her classmates at DeLand High School, she said. 

Schwartz is among a handful of under-18-year-olds who ever speak in front of the County Council. 

“The youth is not a powerless group,” she told the County Council. “We may not have the money or the spots in government or even be of voting age, but teenagers are still the most powerful group because we are the future of this county.” 

After four hours of public comment — including from workers in construction who would take a hit if a development moratorium passed — the County Council opted to let the idea die. 

They took several steps to immediately address flooding, including forbidding filling and building on wetlands and buying more lots to hold stormwater.

“We’re gonna keep fighting to try to make the County Council abide by the wishes of the constituents,” Schwartz said. “I’m going to help keep the movement alive and I’m going to keep fighting for our moratorium, because that’s what everyone wants.”

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