A discussion slated for Volusia County Council’s Tuesday meeting about a possible countywide building moratorium will now take place during a special meeting instead, to be held within the next 60 days.
Council members voted 6-0 Tuesday to delay the conversation originally prompted by a request from Chairman Jeff Brower, who voters recently re-elected to another four-year term. Absent Tuesday was District 2 Representative Matt Reinhart, also recently re-elected.
Dozens of residents still spoke during Tuesday’s open public comment period, sharing concerns about flooding, stormwater drainage infrastructure, and the county’s pace of growth.
Many people voiced support for a building moratorium, often shared hand in hand with a heart wrenching personal story of flooding, storm damage and destruction. But many others also spoke against the idea, mostly people who work in or around the real estate and construction industries.
“I feel for the flooding victims. I’ve been flooded before … It’s a horrible feeling to go through,” said Eric Olsen, who said he hails from a sixth-generation Volusia County family of carpenters, builders and farmers.
“But you can exchange that sad feeling … for the foreclosure signs on the houses,” that would inevitably appear, should a building moratorium be implemented, Olsen said. “Nobody in this room can say they don't know somebody that's in construction, that depends on construction for their livelihood."
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Additionally, Olsen pointed to rain patterns changes, and although some parts of the county that didn’t flood 35 years ago are flooding now, in Olsen’s experience, the reverse is also true.
“Twenty-five years ago, we were in this room talking about how we were in a drought and … we didn't have enough water to have clean water for our kids, right?” Olsen said. “Now here we are, talking about how we've got so much water we don't know what to do with it or where to put it.”
The two problems aren’t mutually exclusive. State data indicates a water shortage could begin as soon as next year. The Central Florida Water Initiative is working on a regional water supply plan, with a final draft due in late 2025.
Brower said it was “disappointing” his fellow council members did not all feel they had enough information to proceed with merely discussing the idea of a building moratorium.
“I did not expect anybody to vote on a moratorium tonight,” Brower said.
Per Council’s vote, county staff will now gather more information to help council members decide whether or not to pursue a temporary pause on certain kinds of development in the county. Meanwhile, Edgewater City Council is slated to vote on a citywide moratorium next month.
