Edgewater City Councilmembers voted 3-1 to stall development projects to give officials a chance to address flooding concerns.
“Let’s make Edgewater dry again,” Mayor Diezel DePew said before voting yes on the moratorium.
Councilwoman Debbie Dolbow opposed the measure, raising questions about how tax revenue would be affected by the pause, where revenue would come from to fix stormwater problems, and the potential need to raise taxes down the road, among other things. The council also voted 4-0 to pause building permits in Florida Shores, an area hard hit by flooding.
“This is not stopping development. This is pumping the brakes,” said DePew, who said his 90-year-old grandmother has been flooded three times.
DePew said the pause will allow the city a chance to breathe and catch up on its regulations, stormwater plans and other facets of the flooding problem, which has dominated the conversation in Edgewater.
“It should have never gotten to this point,” DePew said.
The development and building permit moratoriums went into effect immediately.
Another moratorium discussion is ahead for a different local government. The Volusia County Council will discuss a possible temporary residential development moratorium on Jan. 14 at the Council Chambers in DeLand.
More details will be coming on how Edgewater can improve its stormwater system when Jones Edmunds and Associates finishes a stormwater master plan.
Residents share stories of flooding loss
People hold up signs during a meeting of the Edgewater City Council on Monday night.
Edgewater’s decision followed lengthy public comment amid packed council chambers. Some residents wore T-shirts with the phrase “Make Edgewater dry again,” and some in the crowd made their opinions known during discussions by holding up signs that displayed a thumbs up or thumbs down.
Many of those who spoke told stories of severe, sometimes repeated, losses from flooding. Comments also came from several people opposed to the moratorium from the business community and people associated with Habitat for Humanity who wanted an exception for affordable housing.
“We are your people. We are asking you to push through this moratorium. Please,” resident Robin Cassesse said. “People are losing their homes. Flooding three or four times? My home’s at risk. Everybody’s homes are at risk that actually live here.”
Volusia County Council Chairman Jeff Brower and District 3 Councilman Danny Robins appeared at the meeting.
Brower spoke during the moratorium vote. He said he was speaking as a resident, not as the chairman. He urged the council to pass the moratorium.
“There are no hard votes. There’s only right votes. … You ran for this office. You ran to serve these people,” Brower said.
What does the Edgewater development moratorium do?
The Edgewater City Council adopted two ordinances on Monday night. Here’s what they do.
One ordinance prohibits building permits in the Florida Shores Drainage Basin if the project would add an impervious surface. The ordinance is in effect until Jan. 5, 2026, at the latest. Impervious surfaces such as pavement reduce the amount of rainwater that goes back into the ground. Developed watersheds have more stormwater runoff and are more likely to see more frequent and severe flooding, according to the US Geological Survey.
The building permits prohibited by the moratorium include single-family homes, home additions, attached and detached garages, sheds, pools, driveways and patios.
The other ordinance puts in place a temporary moratorium on annexations, rezoning, amendments to approved Planned Unit Developments (a type of zoning agreement), Comprehensive Plan amendments, site plans and preliminary and final plats. It also stops consideration of development applications that were submitted for review before the ordinance went into effect. The ordinance is in effect until no later than Jan. 5, 2026.
But there are some exceptions.
Properties with Commercial and Industrial zoning in the Ridgewood and Park Avenue corridors are exempt from the moratorium.
Applications that were submitted before the ordinance went into effect can move forward under certain conditions. If the applicant received approval for an annexation, rezoning or a Comprehensive Plan amendment in the last six months, the applicant will be able to submit a site plan, a preliminary plat and a final plat after that.
People wait in line to speak to the Edgewater City Council on Monday night about a development moratorium.
People who had already submitted a preliminary plat can submit a final plat during the moratorium.
Also, people who have already received approval for their development can proceed under certain circumstances, including ‘that it would be highly inequitable to deny the property owner the right to complete the development.” Property owners who want to develop under that exception by claiming vested rights must apply with the development services director, Ryan Solstice, within 30 days of the ordinance being adopted.
Many residential units can still move forward during the moratorium.
The city has 11,429 residential units entitled to development. Of those, about 4,000 units are eligible to proceed with development under the moratorium, according to Solstice.
The ordinances came after major flooding after a big rainstorm in September and again in Hurricane Milton. The City Council fired City Manager Glenn Irby in September amid the controversy. Interim City Manager Jeff Thurman, the former deputy director of environmental services, is in charge as the city searches for a permanent replacement.
The City Council is also down a member after the resignation of Councilman Rob Wilkie, who ran unopposed and was sworn into office in October. Wilkie said his family and employees had experienced harassment.
― Reporter Brenno Carillo contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Development moratorium in Edgewater is in effect for a year