Bella Schwartz, 16, says she’s concerned about overdevelopment in Volusia County, so she launched a petition asking people to “stop overdevelopment” and also voice their support at Tuesday’s Volusia County Council meeting for a development moratorium.
“I decided to start this petition because I really want to do something about all the tragedies on nature that have been happening in my community,” she said.
Schwartz was hoping to get 1,000 signatures and has already surpassed that goal. As of Monday morning, the petition had gathered 1,568 signatures days after being launched. Some people left a comment on the page, too.
“We pay storm water fees every year and yet we can’t get adequate or even updated drain fields?!? Stop building in volusia!! No one needs another car wash or storage facility!” one comment read.
The council will hold a special meeting on Jan. 14 to discuss a possible temporary moratorium on development. The meeting will start at 4 p.m. in council chambers at 123 W. Indiana Ave. in DeLand.
Council Chairman Jeff Brower floated the idea as a way to give the county and cities time to work on flooding fixes.
The Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce and people in the construction industry have voiced opposition to a moratorium over concerns about what it will do to the local economy.
“It’s not only the potential loss of jobs, but it’s the continued impact after the moratorium ends resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenues for our County,” reads a Facebook post from the chamber from November.
The city of Edgewater recently put a yearlong development moratorium in place because of flooding concerns.
Bella Schwartz
Outcry after flooding from Hurricane Milton and heavy rain in September led to discussions about a moratorium.
Schwartz said she’s spread the word about her petition at DeLand High School and received “remarkable” support from fellow students.
“Many of my classmates were also victims of the flooding, and they hate the traffic,” she said.
Schwartz said her concerns about development include flooding, water quality and preserving animal habitat. She noted that some are calling for another bear hunt in Florida.
“There is not an overpopulation of bears. There is an overpopulation of people,” she said.
While Schwartz is calling for people of all ages to get involved, she said she wants teens to know that they can still make a difference even though they may not be of voting age.
“They’re not powerless,” she said.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia County development concerns prompt teen to launch petition