- May 2, 2024
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Mayor Bill Partington delivers his annual address at the 2023 State of the City event. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Debbie Cotton sits alongside City Commissioners Harold Briley, Susan Persis, Travis Sargent and Lori Tolland at the 2023 State of the City event. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Mayor Bill Partington said the State of the City "remains strong." Photo by Jarleene Almenas
City Commissioners Harold Briley, Susan Persis, Travis Sargent, Lori Tolland and Mayor Bill Partington at the 2023 State of the City event. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Ormond Beach Police Capt. DW Smith, Ormond Beach Fire Deputy Chief Nate Quartier, Ormond Beach Police Capt. Chris Roos and Lori Partington. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
City Attorney Randy Hayes listens to the mayor speak at the 2023 State of the City event. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
The theme of the 2023 State of the City event was "Advancing Innovation." Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Ormond Beach Economic Development Director Brian Rademacher listens to the mayor's address at the 2023 State of the City event. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Ormond Beach City Commissioners Harold Briley, Susan Persis, Travis Sargent and Lori Tolland watch the annual video address at the 2023 State of the City event. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Mayor Bill Partington congratulates former Judge Hubert Grimes, one of the recipients of this year's Mayor's ACE awards. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Former Judge Hubert Grimes and Mayor Bill Partington. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Joan Tague listens as Mayor Bill Partington introduces her as one of the award recipients at the 2023 State of the City event. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Master Naturalist Joan Tague and Mayor Bill Partington. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Billie Jo Kaler, of Realty Pro Title, speaks at the 2023 State of the City event. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Bill Navarra, of Realty Pros Assured, speaks at the 2023 State of the City event. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Debbie Cotton speaks at the 2023 State of the City event. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Maryam Ghyabi-White, one of the award recipients, and County Councilman Troy Kent at the 2023 State of the City event. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Venture Development Realty Broker Associate Elizabeth Kargar, Maryam Ghyabi-White and County Councilman Troy Kent at the 2023 State of the City event. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Advancing innovation.
That was the theme of Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington's 2023 State of the City address, delivered to a crowd of about 210 people at Oceanside Country Club on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
"Ormond Beach has always celebrated its timeless charm, evoking thoughts of our close-knit community and the warmth of small town life, paired with unparalleled amenities and events," Partington said. "As we celebrate this past year, we are not just preserving that identity, but also embracing our potential as a beacon of novel ideas and transformative initiatives."
The annual event was presented by the city and the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce. It celebrated the achievements of its manufacturers, locally owned businesses, upcoming investments and partnerships. As customary, the mayor's address was accompanied by a video highlighting milestones reached over the past year.
Among those were the expansions of GermFree and Valiant Modular, two local manufacturers. Since January, over 690 jobs were added to Ormond Beach's economy, according to the city.
"Our business community has always offered fresh perspectives, but is now on the cusp of pioneering breakthroughs," Partington said. "The spirit of entrepreneurship is evolving, challenging the status quo and setting ambitious milestones for our city."
The video address highlighted pedestrian safety projects, including the Florida Department of Transportation's planned improvements for Granada Boulevard from Yonge Street to A1A, and from A1A north to Sandra Drive.
FDOT will also install seven new pedestrian crossings on A1A equipped with Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons. This is planned to be completed early next year, said Commissioner Harold Briley in the video.
"These projects will slow driving speeds, improve pedestrian safety and encourage multimodal use," he said.
The city's Public Safety fund — a dedicated property tax fund created in fiscal year 2021-2022 — budgeted the addition of nine police vehicles, the replacement of a fire brush truck and wholesale tactical equipment replacement, and two new commercial gear dryers for the 2022-2023 year. For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the city plans to replace another nine police vehicles and add two new police officer positions as well as one fire inspector.
The city also plans to replace all of its body cameras and implement an enhanced fire hydrant inspection program.
City Commissioner Susan Persis spoke in the video about the development of the downtown, including the newly-expanded Ormond Memorial Art Museum, the Cupola at Oceanside townhome development and the 121 East condominiums.
"Such redevelopment projects not only rejuvenate the community but strengthen its ability to cater to local amenities and businesses," she said.
The address celebrated the purchase of 19 acres of land known as the Penland and Pomerenke property near Riverbend Nature Park. This was the city's first partnership with Volusia Forever.
"This joint effort will preserve environmentally sensitive land for its natural resources for future generations, while allowing the city to expand with recreational opportunities for our residents," Commissioner Lori Tolland said in the video.
The city also received $7.5 million in state appropriations for three of its water projects: a stormwater pump station and force main to provide flood control benefits in the Central Park area, a new reclaimed water storage reservoir to reduce the city's discharge into the Halifax River to less than 10%, and a watermain loop along S.R. 40 and Airport Road for consistent water pressure.
The video address also celebrated the opening of a new outdoor basketball court at the South Ormond Neighborhood Center and two new collaborations: One with the Volusia Flagler Chapter of SCORE to establish a business assistance center at City Hall and the other with the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce for its youth leadership program.
"The city is blessed with many philanthropic projects, which helped build the capacity of the city to advance the quality of life in Ormond Beach and creating quality space for our residents for generations to come," Commissioner Travis Sargent said.
Partington said serving as the city's mayor is an honor. (Partington announced in March that he would not be running for reelection, filing instead to run for the Florida House.)
"Let's make 2023 a year where Ormond Beach doesn't just resonate with its past, but forward crafts its innovative future," Partington said.
In the video, he quoted late Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs: "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."
"Here in Ormond Beach, we are leaders," Partington said. "We are innovators and our collective efforts over the past year have resulted in extraordinary progress, touching all aspects of our lives."
