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2009 State of County address
Frank Bruno
County Chair
March 23, 2009

Good afternoon and welcome! It is a privilege and a pleasure as your Volusia County Chair to give the State of the County Address. Each year, I look forward to this opportunity to update Volusia citizens on our progress, and take a look at what’s ahead for our community.

Before I get started, I’d like to point out that we are meeting in the newly expanded Ocean Center, which was finished on time and on budget. Isn’t it beautiful? It not only looks great, it’s also ‘clean and green’ – designed and engineered to use renewable resources and recycled products. Best of all, the $76 million expansion was done without property tax dollars – funding came from the local option “bed” or resort tax on accommodations.

The Ocean Center is our most prestigious public building, a showcase for green technology and a much needed boost for our countywide economic development efforts. I’ll offer more details and a short tour of the facility in the upcoming video.

This is my fifth year presenting our annual status report on County government, and my focus today will be on what we’ve accomplished, the challenges we face, and the tremendous opportunities I see in the solutions.

You know, I don’t have to tell you that it’s tough out there. We are all feeling the crunch. For those of us in government, the challenges have never been greater. Revenues are declining, yet the demand for our services continues to grow. More and more of our residents are looking to us for help with health care, housing and food costs. Some of our returning soldiers need help resuming normal lives.

Tough times – yes – but just as our citizens have tightened their belts, so we have tightened ours. And because we have been prudent financially, forged new partnerships and sought and implemented creative solutions, the state of Volusia County Government today is good. We have made significant progress on many fronts. Our achievements affirm that good things happen when we set aside our differences and work together as a community. By collaborating with our cities, partnering with our school system and joining forces with local agencies and organizations, we are able to do so much more together than we ever could separately.

This year’s video will again showcase the County’s achievements, and also features four community leaders who will be talking about some of the challenges we face as Volusia County citizens and how together, we are seeking solutions. Following the video, I will close with a few additional remarks.

Start video

Frank Bruno, County Chair
New buildings, productive partnerships and an emphasis on environmentally-friendly building practices were among the highlights of 2008. The Ocean Center’s expansion is one of our most significant accomplishments, and the most eco-friendly. The expansion makes the Ocean Center the fifth largest convention, entertainment and sports complex in the state and the only one a few steps from the Atlantic Ocean. An art gallery inside the east entrance gives visitors a broad look at Volusia County’s many ECHO assets. The Ocean Center is the culmination of community partnerships as well as years of research, planning and implementation. It is a fundamental element of our efforts to boost tourism throughout Volusia County. We are confident this expanded facility will produce many new meeting and convention bookings, and bring thousands of visitors to our area.


Another facility aimed at promoting our entire county is the new Beach Lifeguard Headquarters at Sun Splash Park in Daytona Beach. Designed to enhance the existing park, the 22,000-square-foot building replaces the Main Street and Daytona Beach Shores lifeguard stations -each at least 40 years old - and the administrative offices at 440 South Beach Street. The lobby in this high-quality administration building publicizes area businesses, and the top floor can be used for community meetings and business recruitment, in addition to government functions. Best of all, it has a terrific ocean view!

Many of the properties we have acquired through the Volusia Forever program are the result of partnerships. Last year, almost 2,000 acres were acquired for conservation, including a significant addition to the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve in southeast Volusia. The cost was $9.4 million, of which Volusia Forever contributed $7.4 million and the St. Johns River Water Management District contributed approximately $2 million.

Since the inception of this nationally recognized program in 2001, the County and its funding partners have preserved approximately 32,000 acres of conservation lands. By the way, Volusia Forever received the prestigious Better Community Award for 2008 from the 1000 Friends of Florida for its conservation efforts. The award cites “visionary leadership in protection of the significant environmental, recreation, and water resource lands of Volusia County and the Volusia Conservation Corridor.”

A partnership with the City of Deltona will increase the seating capacity at the Deltona Regional Library’s new amphitheater to 1,000 seats. Deltona also will contribute $250,000 annually for ten years to the amphitheater’s maintenance and operation costs. One of our busiest regional libraries, the Deltona Library is undergoing an expansion that will double its size and add an environmental learning center, as well as the outdoor amphitheater.

We are anticipating this new, expanded facility will earn LEED certification, meaning it’s an environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy place to work. LEED is a nationally recognized program by the United States Green Building Council that stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.” The Environmental Learning Center that will be added to the Deltona Regional Library is designed to encourage the discovery and exploration of the County’s ecosystems, and foster community involvement in conservation efforts.

I know I have said this many times before, but I love living in Volusia County. We are blessed with an abundance of natural resources. Our beaches, rivers, parks and open spaces are a source of tremendous pleasure and enjoyment, and they contribute significantly to our economy. The County Council takes seriously its role as stewards of our environment, and we work very hard to protect and preserve these treasures and the conservation corridor, thousands of acres of wetlands and forests stretching across the County’s center. In December, we approved planning changes that will give developers incentives for conserving green space in this area. These regulations don’t change the rights of property owners to develop their land. Instead, they offer bonuses for developers who preserve at least 60 percent of the property. This year, we plan to create more specific regulations favoring development that clusters homes and meets green standards.

Earlier I spoke about the green technology at the Ocean Center. We have taken steps to make all County facilities and operations environmentally aware or “green,” such as using waterwise plants in our landscaping and installing numerous high efficiency devices that reduce the use of electricity.
We encourage our citizens to follow our lead. Our website, www.greenvolusia.org, details what County government is doing to promote the sustainable use of resources and offers tips on conserving water and energy.

Our goal is to reduce our impact on the environment on several fronts, including new construction, transportation and recycling. We have committed to obtaining the Florida Green Building Coalition’s Green Local Government Designation for outstanding environmental stewardship. This program looks at environmental practices as well as incentives and ordinances that foster green practices. We also want to encourage builders to reduce their impact on the environment.

You may recall that in last year’s State of the County, I said the day is coming when the revenue we have available will not be enough to fund new road construction or even adequately maintain the roads we have. The County Council asked the Volusia/Flagler Higher Education Consortium, an organization comprised of the five colleges and universities in our area, to study this issue. Here to report on the group’s findings is Dr. Kent Sharples, President of Daytona State College.

INTERVIEW - Dr. Kent Sharples, Daytona State College

Frank Bruno, County Chair
We appreciate the Consortium’s hard work on this issue, which is critical to Volusia County’s quality of life. Our next step will be to inform and involve our citizens, so that together, we can develop solutions that work for us.

Our economic development efforts continue to be fruitful, in spite of the slow economy. As always, partnerships are essential to our success.

Last year, the County secured more than $2.3 million in transportation grants to support the $64 million construction of the International Speedway Corporation’s national headquarters in Daytona Beach. The headquarters is part of the $437 million Daytona Live! entertainment, dining and retail center under construction on 71 acres across from the Speedway.

More than $50 million has been invested in Volusia municipalities by the County Council to support the redevelopment of blighted areas. More than $10 million will be invested this year in the 16 Community Redevelopment Districts countywide. The investments will help our cities revitalize these areas so they can support increased capital investments by the business community. The funding also will be used to improve safety and infrastructure while creating future employment opportunities.

The County Council played a significant role in obtaining $1.2 million from the State to support the planned consolidation and growth in employment of the high-tech Raydon Corporation. The County Council's investment is helping this Daytona Beach simulation designer secure more than $40 million in new military training contracts.

We partnered with the City of Ormond Beach to fund the development of new industrial acreage at the Ormond Beach Industrial Park, opening the property for 120,000-square-feet of new manufacturing and warehousing space. A partnership with the City of DeLand will add 100 acres of new industrial land at the DeLand Municipal Airport.

It may surprise some of you to learn that agriculture brings in some $780 million a year into our economy. Plant nurseries, greenhouses and landscaping services account for almost half of our agricultural industries, according to a study by our Cooperative Extension and Economic Development staff, working with the University of Florida. The success of agriculture means success for other Volusia County businesses. This information can be used as a basis for future policy decisions and to better support this valued segment of our local economy.

Facilitating job expansion and creation is a continuing goal of the County Council, and in today’s economy, its importance cannot be overstated. The Center for Business Excellence, which provides employment and training to Volusia citizens and businesses, last year noted a 55 percent increase in the number of people seeking jobs. Rick Fraser, the President of the Center, tells us what is being done to help our residents find jobs.

INTERVIEW - Rick Fraser, President of the Center for Business Excellence

Frank Bruno, County Chair
As Rick noted, becoming a successful employee requires training, skills and education. Tomorrow’s workers are today’s students, and it is crucial they receive a quality education from our schools. This not only prepares our children for a bright future, but it also boosts our economy by attracting high-paying employers to our area.
Unfortunately, the recession, coupled with inadequate state funding, has pushed our school system to the breaking point. The County Council believes support for our schools must be a top community priority. Dr. Margaret Smith, Volusia County’s School Superintendent, will describe how this funding crisis is affecting our schools and how the community has responded.

INTERVIEW - Dr. Margaret Smith, School Superintendent

Frank Bruno, County Chair
Central Florida communities share plenty of sunshine, proximity to the ocean and tourists. The region also shares many of the same concerns and challenges involving education, transportation and water. It just makes sense for Volusia County and our municipalities to work with our neighbors to develop a coordinated, comprehensive plan that addresses how Central Florida should be developed. That’s the mission of myregion.org, a group of public and private civic leaders who are creating a collective vision for our area, ensuring Central Florida's place in the global economy and improving opportunities for generations to come. Shelley Lauten, president of myregion, will tell us how a shared vision is created and implemented.
INTERVIEW - Shelley Lauten, president, myregion.org

Frank Bruno, County Chair
We have many soldiers returning home from military service, and some have needed help in putting their lives back together. Volusia County has one of the largest populations of veterans in the state of Florida, and we have always believed we have a top-notch Veterans office. So it was no surprise when the County’s Veterans Division was named the “Service Office of the Year” by the Florida’s Veterans of Foreign Wars for its diligence in ensuring Volusia veterans and their families get the assistance they need. We are thrilled that Volusia County was selected.

End of video

Frank Bruno
As you know, we have a new president who was elected on the promise of change in government. Not to steal his thunder, but Volusia County Government has beat him to the punch.

We have changed to green, environmentally-friendly energy and technology.

We have changed how we think about pets. We no longer allow unrestricted breeding that leads to thousands of unwanted dogs and cats crowding our animal shelters. Our new ordinance promotes responsible pet ownership by requiring dogs and cats in unincorporated Volusia to be spayed and neutered.

We have changed how we handle the chronically homeless and mentally ill people who cycle in and out of our jails. Our new contract for mental health services with Stewart Marchman-Act Behavioral Healthcare steers them away from expensive jail stays and into community-based programs, with the aim of becoming productive citizens.

We have changed how our organization is structured to save money while continuing to provide quality services.

And we are ahead of the curve in property tax reform. You may remember the Volusia County Council in 2006 went to rollback tax rates before being required to do so by the state as part of property tax reform. We were one of only two counties in Florida to do this. As a result, Volusia County citizens have paid approximately $85 million less in taxes in the past two years. In addition, you will not pay some $30 million in taxes this fiscal year under the current millage rate. That means a three-year tax reform total savings of $116 million. That’s change for the better, and good news in these challenging financial times.

I am confident our economy will recover, but it will take time, and there will be more changes along the way. Our departments continue to be creative in looking at new ways to do more with less. For example, the Sheriff’s Office has trained its Citizens Observer Patrol volunteers to take reports for lesser events, such as minor traffic crashes, lost and found property and well-checks on elderly residents. This new program uses these trained and dedicated volunteers more efficiently, thus freeing our deputies to handle priority calls.

County Manager Jim Dinneen, County Attorney Dan Eckert and our entire leadership team are to be commended for their careful financial planning and proactive thinking. And, I want to give special thanks to our hardworking employees. Many of our cost saving ideas have come from this talented group of professionals.

Working together, we can be more cost effective and efficient. Working together, we can come through this difficult time. Working together as partners, on the same team, I believe our best days are ahead of us. Thank you.

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