- April 26, 2024
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The City of Ormond Beach presented former City Commissioner Gerald Brandon with a key to the city for his service representing Ormond Beach on the Volusia Growth Management Commission for the past 25 years.
Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington awarded Brandon with the key during last week's city commission meeting on Sept. 18, where he was also recognized as the longest serving member of VGMC.
"I just want to thank you very much for your dedicated service and honor you tonight," Partington said at the city commission meeting.
Brandon's history with Ormond Beach dates back to when he was in his early teens. His parents moved to the Daytona Beach area from Canada, and after discovering Ormond Beach, decided to raise their family there. Brandon said the city had a population of about 6,800 people at the time; in 2016, the U.S. census estimated had a population of 42,162 people.
“It was very quiet," Brandon said. "It was a very nice community to grow up in.”
Brandon represented District 3 as a city commissioner from 1989-1990. While Brandon served on the VGMC, he spent nine terms as chairman of the commission, and later chaired the Personnel, Operations and Procedures Committee and the Budget Committee while also serving as vice-chairman and secretary of the commission for seven terms. These are only a few of the ways he has been involved in the community.
“I feel very fortunate to live in Ormond Beach and to represent the citizens of Ormond Beach over all these years," Brandon said.
He said the three most memorable achievements during his time both serving as a commissioner and representing the city on the VGMC were encouraging Volusia County EMS to have more than one ambulance serving Ormond, instating a fire station behind the Breakaway Trails community and improving the sidewalks leading up to Ormond Beach Middle School between Sanchez Avenue and Domilicio Avenue.
“I’m very proud of him," his wife Andrea Brandon said. "I think he deserves it with all that he has done. He’s helped a lot of people, he’s helped the city, he’s helped the county. He’s really moved things forward in a very positive way.”
Gerald Brandon hasn't stopped helping the community yet either. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Ormond Beach Public Library, where he was president for 12 years. He's also become part of the Volusia Community Organizations Active in Disaster and plans to continue to help local people affected by the hurricane.
