- December 13, 2025
It doesn’t take long for residents of Plaza Drive in Ormond-by-the-Sea to get to Ormond Beach. Their backyards border the city. And now, the residents can just walk a few doors down their street. A lot in the middle of the block has been annexed into the city, and it is in the process of being rezoned from a county designation, “Urban Medium Density” to a city zone, “Low Density Residential.”
The lot is undeveloped and heavily covered with vegetation. All of the other lots on the street are in Volusia County, except for the one on the corner by State Road A1A which has also been annexed into the city.
The Planning Board recently recommended that the city approve the rezoning, and the City Commission will consider it in a first reading tentatively set for Sept. 20.
Residents within 300 feet of the lot were notified by certified letter that the Planning Board was going to consider the rezoning, and that brought a couple of residents to the meeting with a question.
“Why?” one asked the Planning Board. “It doesn’t seem to make sense to have one house annexed.”
Attorney Randy Hayes said the property owner requested annexation.
Board Chairman Doug Thomas said he didn’t know why the owner would request annexation, but perhaps it was because of lower taxes.
“One of the best kept secrets is that people actually pay lower property tax in the city than they do in the county,” he said.
The Plaza Drive resident also asked why the residents were not notified about the annexation, but were notified by letter about the rezoning now that it’s a “done deal.”
Hayes explained that the annexation meeting was advertised in the local daily newspaper, which is the legal requirement.
After the meeting, Planning Director Rick Goss said that the city revised its Comprehensive Plan in 2008. The plan now requires that if a property connects to city water and/or sewer, it must be annexed into the city if it is contiguous with the city. If it is not contiguous, the property owner must sign an agreement to be annexed if it ever becomes contiguous.
“Newly annexed areas and new development shall not impose additional tax burdens on City residents …..as it pertains to public facilities and services,” the plan now states.
Goss said this policy has been enforced since the plan was adopted in 2010. It does not affect properties already receiving city water.
There are lots in Ormond-by-the-Sea along State Road A1A where the owners have entered an annexation agreement when they were connected to the sewer line along the highway.
Goss said by email that since there is no sewer line on Plaza Drive, the property owner will need to have a septic tank installed.
City rules
If a property receives city water and/or sewer and they are outside the city limits, they are required to either (1) annex if contiguous or (2) sign an annexation agreement that would result in annexation once the property is contiguous.
Quote
"It doesn’t seem to make sense to have one house annexed."
County resident
