- March 17, 2026
Dear Editor:
What is the definition of a “founder”? A founder is a person who establishes, initiates or creates something new. He/she is one who often provides the initial vision, funding and effort and who takes an idea and turns it into reality.
Ormond Beach founder John Andrew Bostrom was such a man. He was the first permanent settler of present day Ormond Beach. His citrus plantation and boarding house “Bosarve” was a beacon to visitors and settlers in 1868. His partnership in the building of the Hotel Ormond and the first bridge across the Halifax River, encouraged travel to our area. John Andrew Bostrom served as Mayor for 15 years. His service to the community, and his ability to work together with John Anderson, Joseph Price and many others, inspired early visitors to become permanent residents.
As such, his achievements for the New Britain colony (to become Ormond on April 22, 1880) should be recognized and celebrated during the upcoming Founder’s Day event. Let us not forget the true importance of Founder’s Day. So let us honor the man who began it all, as we participate with food, fireworks and fun of the day.
A plaque in memory of John Andrew Bostrom rests at the Ormond Beach City Hall/Library courtyard.
It reads:
“In Memory of John Andrew Bostrom
1836-1927
Pioneer Settler and
Founder of Ormond Beach
Dedicated on February 14, 1996”
What is a Founder’s Day celebration without the recognition of its Founder, John Andrew Bostrom!
Alice Howell
Ormond Beach
Dear editor:
Ormond Beach self-government was pronounced dead at 9 p.m. on Friday, March 13, when our elected representatives voted to accept a settlement agreement to allow development of the former Tomoka Oaks golf course. Commissioners reluctantly approved a plan for 254 homes to settle a multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by the developer in federal court.
The settlement also provided for a waiver of $220,000 in developer impact fees as credit toward the purchase of a traffic signal at the intersection of Tomoka Oaks Boulevard and Nova Road. The city and its taxpayers must now pay $220,000 toward a traffic light never needed until an approved plan for the developer’s additional 254 homes, behind a narrow bottleneck entrance to a subdivision our citizens opposed.
Commissioner Deaton, who directly represents impacted Zone 3 residents, voted “no.” The other four commissioners voted “yes,” with a $14 million gun to their heads, compromised by loopholes in weak development rules and a legal defense team (with several hundred thousand dollars already paid to outside counsel) that was no match for developer attorneys.
The settlement came after five years of neighborhood meetings, planning board hearings, and City Commission hearings where hundreds of residents and their professional experts testified against the proposed density. City meetings had to be relocated to large churches to accommodate masses of impacted citizens. The planning board and City Commission subsequently voted unanimously to deny the development. That denial led to the lawsuit in federal court.
Rationales for the denial were clear: potential flooding from high ground and acres of impervious streets, sidewalks, driveways, and foundations, with runoff into the Tomoka River. Problematic, unsafe traffic clogging residential streets with only three total exits to Nova Road and Granada Boulevard. Environmental risks from golf course soil toxins. Density incompatible with the lot sizes and character of existing Tomoka Oaks homes. Inadequate hurricane evacuation routes.
The Tomoka Oaks golf course property has long served as a pristine greenspace in a city celebrated for its tree canopies. Many oak trees will now be removed, the property desecrated, and paradise paved. Our city officials and heartbroken citizens no longer control the density of proposed development. That process is now controlled by out-of-town profiteers, their lawyers, courts and judges.
At the moment of truth, our elected city commissioners capitulated. A bully took our lunch money without a fight.
Other bullies will be coming for what’s left.
Jeff Boyle
Ormond Beach
Dear Editor:
After attending the Ormond Beach Commissioners meeting on Friday, March 13, regarding whether the developers’ latest application for development on the Tomoka Oaks Golf Course will be accepted, I feel that the city basically said to us, “A drone is heading your way with a bomb on it, but you will have to take the hit to save the city.”
The commissioners voted to accept the latest plan of the developers but one more public vote is needed. The next vote will be on March 24 at the Commissioners meeting and we will be there.
Let me tell you: We were blindsided at the meeting on March 13 after fighting this development for five years and getting support from the city. The city agreed that previous plans submitted by the developers did not meet our land codes. We were told that the latest plan meets “all” the land codes. How did that happen?
For five years we pointed out all the land codes that would drastically be violated. Did our words fall on deaf ears? Why would our commissioners decide that this plan, not much different than the others, was meeting “all” the Ormond Beach land codes? The reason is because the builders are in court right now threatening the city. We expect our city leaders to fight this fight against the developers.
According to our land codes, the developers plan cannot negatively impact the surrounding area. That is laughable. The effects of 254 homes being built on the golf course land would drastically affect the surrounding area. We have pointed out for five years (with much research and testimony by our experts and residents) that a high density of homes on the golf course would have a life-altering effect on the residents. Let me point out that we also get support from neighbors outside our area that see this as unjust.
Please come join us and take a close look at the Commissioners votes on March 24 at 7 p.m. at the Ormond Beach City Hall. It will tell you whether they truly support the residents of Ormond Beach and whether future developers will get away with bullying us.
Darla Widnall
Ormond Beach
Dear Mayor and Commissioners:
I urge you to pursue a better outcome than the current 254-home plan for the former Tomoka Oaks Golf Course. This development, placed in the heart of our non-gated Tomoka Oaks community, threatens the open space, safety, tranquility, and quality of life that define our neighborhood. It would permanently impact the surrounding 1,732 homes through increased traffic, potential flooding, incompatible lot sizes and housing styles, and the loss of cherished greenspace.
We recognize the ongoing lawsuits (federal case and circuit appeal) make outright denial risky, but past votes to protect Tomoka Oaks showed real courage. We need that same resolve now — for a solution that improves rather than harms our community.
Approving this plan may satisfy legal requirements, but it fails the community test. You have an opportunity to create a better story for Ormond Beach: one of preserved green space, thoughtful growth, and mutual benefit.
I propose a practical land swap to achieve this:
This could:
Why Riverbend works better:
Please explore this or a similar creative resolution before the final hearing on March 24. It would show visionary leadership, honor resident input, and potentially end years of litigation in a way that benefits all.
Residents stand ready to support you. Choose the harder right over the easier path — preserve what makes Ormond Beach special.
Kirk Thrush
Ormond Beach
Editor's note: This letter was originally sent to the City Commission and republished in the Observer. Additionally, it should be noted that Riverbend Golf Course sits on airport property; any non-aeronautical land use would need approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, which considers new residential developments as an incompatible use near airports.
