- November 17, 2025
Water quality is top of mind when it comes to the city of Ormond Beach's requests for state funding in 2026 — but is there a shovel-ready stormwater project that could be added to the list?
The Ormond Beach City Commission unanimously approved its legislative action agenda at its meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The city is planning to ask the state for $1.375 million to fund two water quality and resiliency capital projects: $750,000 for a new 16-inch reclaimed water main across the Halifax River, estimated to cost a total of $2.9 million; and $625,000 for a new sanitary sewer force main crossing near Granada Boulevard, to cost a total of $2.55 million.
"We were advised to not really go too far at this legislative session," Assistant City Manager Shawn Finley said. "I think that they're going to be pretty lean and mean. We would really like to focus on what we can have a good chance at getting."
According to a city staff report, the reclaimed water main project would add a second crossing connecting the beachside to the mainland reclaimed water facility, addressing customer concerns of reduced delivery pressures as reclaimed water has increased in demand on the beachside. The project would also allow future expansion of reclaim water to 600 properties in the south peninsula.
The sewer force main crossing would replace the existing one, which was installed in 1981 and is now at the end of its intended service life, the city staff report states.
The legislative action agenda item was requested to be pulled from the meeting's consent agenda by Mayor Jason Leslie, who asked city staff if there were any flood mitigation projects the city could add to the list.
A few minutes earlier, commissioners had heard from two citizens who live on Cumberland Avenue who are experiencing significant flooding and stormwater drainage issues. The Cumberland neighborhood is identified as a problem area in the city's 2023 stormwater master plan, which identified some possible mitigation projects.
Commissioner Travis Sargent suggested the city move those projects up the priority list.
"This needs to be a top priority to get this whole area ... a resolution sooner than later," he said.
Finley said the city is working to get those projects to be shovel-ready.
"Having things ready to begin construction gets us a long way to get the money," Finley said. "That's our goal right now is to get there. This area was developed in the '60s, early '70s. A lot of the pipes that we're finding in there ... they aren't ones that our code today would allow, so we need to get those replaced."
Then, he added, there's the tidal issue due to nearby waterways.
Finley said the city is working with Volusia County's Transform386 program to obtain funding for a stormwater project. The county was allocated $328.9 million for Hurricane Ian and $133.5 million for Hurricane Milton for disaster recovery from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Commissioner Harold Briley said that, in his discussion with a couple of legislators, the expectation is that the upcoming session will be more stringent than 2025's — for which the city received $350,000 for its "Miracle Field" for its special needs population. A $500,000 request for a stormwater analysis project — for a 500-acre neighborhood with homes developed before 1970 — was vetoed.
"They said we'll be lucky to see this much money this year from Tallahassee," Briley said.
Sargent said he knows the state budget will be tight — but that if he were a citizen in the audience, it would feel like an excuse to delay addressing the issue.
"I think it's time for us to step in and really get a resolution to this area, whether it's dredging, whatever it may be," he said. "We need a resolution and we need to probably fast-track it so maybe it can get added into this legislative year."
Finley said staff would bring the commission some options for additional legislative asks before the week is over.
