- May 11, 2026
Ormond Beach Zone 2 City Commissioner Travis Sargent is seeking reelection.
Sargent has served on the commission since 2022. He filed to run for reelection on Feb. 23. A veteran with the U.S. Marine Corps, he has been in the insurance industry for over 20 years and currently works for Foundation Risk Partners.
If reelected, he would be serving his third term in office.
"We're just getting started," Sargent said. "Being two year terms, it takes a little while to get to get things rolling. I really want to continue to give back to the community — it's what it's really about, leaving it better than we found it."
Enhancing public safety, continuing to update the city's technology and kickstarting an artificial intelligence advisory board are some of the initiatives Sargent said he wishes to continue in a third term. Over the past four years, some of the accomplishments he's most proud of include keeping the property tax rate as the second lowest among Volusia's 16 municipalities and upping the pay for police and fire, which led to filling vacancies in public safety.
"I was the one that led the initiative for us to do the self-DOGEing of ourselves," He said. "Thankfully, the others on the commission agreed, and we were able to have the staff to go through it. Honestly, our budget is very, very lean."
But, while it's hard to find places to cut, he said, some opportunities may be present in areas such as outside legal counsel and reviewing its auto-renewal contracts.
One area the city can improve on is distributing information to the public, Sargent added. Social media is a challenge, as people look to it for news and are met with information that isn't always accurate.
With respect to Zone 2, residents continue to experience some flooding issues. Fixes are in the works through projects made possible with the county's Transform386 program, he said.
Sargent added that maintaining Home Rule is also an important issue for him. He was one of three recipients of the Florida League of Cities' Home Rule Hero award this year in Ormond Beach. Deputy Mayor Lori Tolland also received the award, as did City Manager Joyce Shanahan.
"Us elected officials are elected by our residents to make local decisions," Sargent said. "We know it better than Tallahassee does."
Only one other candidate has filed to run against Sargent to date. Jennifer Bright, a retired financial data analyst, filed to run in June 2025.
