- December 18, 2025
It was evident from the packed room at Sprue Creek Baptist Church that residents are concerned about crime both in Port Orange and the rest of the county.
A crowd had gathered at the church on Tuesday, March 6, to get the latest updates about crime trends from Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood. The sheriff told residents that there are two major crimes he has seen going on in the area: burglaries due to cars being
unlocked and kick-in burglaries at homes.
Chitwood said the kick-in burglaries usually follow a similar pattern where a group of people in a stolen car pull up to a home, kick in the door and take whatever they can. As for the car burglaries, Chitwood gave the same message that the Port Orange Police Department has been pushing — keep doors locked.
According to Chitwood, the car burglaries follow a similar pattern as the kick-ins where people will drive in a stolen car and go down the subdivision seeing what cars are open and taking anything that can be quickly turned over.
"There are nights that they tear us apart," Chitwood said. "There is no boundaries with these guys."
Chitwood added that many of the crimes committed are by people addicted to opioids. Last year, there were more than 100 overdose deaths and more than 800 overdoses in the county, according to Chitwood.
Daniel Robins and Bill Wallace, Tomoka Farms Village residents who had organized the event, both explained that seeing the area grow has raised concerns about how communities within Port Orange could potentially be affected.
"As urban sprall moves in, there's an opportunity that we could become victims of things we don't like." Bill Wallace
Robins, a former Daytona Beach police officer, said the ultimate goal is to find ways to prevent crimes from taking place. He noted that one way of doing this is by getting the community involved and making sure residents are more aware of what is happening around them.
"It's hard to imagine how much things have changed within the last 15 years that I have lived here," Robins said. "But as I have learned, the only constant is change. With all this change, at the end of the day, we cannot lose sight of why we chose to live here and what it means to be a community."
Chitwood called the Tomoka Farms Village area a "great neighborhood" but pointed out that because of this it can be a target for criminals looking for a rich environment. He also urged the residents to hold monthly meetings and invite elected officials to discuss what is happening in the neighborhood and receive updates on crime.
"As urban sprawl moves in, there's an opportunity that we could become victims of things we don't like," Wallace said. "If we look into the future of what's going to happen and we preempt those things by involvement, then we're far ahead of where we would be."
