Volusia Matters Podcast

About Volusia Matters Podcast

Volusia Matters by Jim Cameron

Publisher

jimta

Category

news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

7 Feb 2023

Latest episode

22 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

184 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Oct 2026

   EP 178 Lou Paris - Volusia Economic Development

   Jayson Meyer’s new Fountainhead Innovation Center’s new business model is introducing LaunchPad Volusia, a free, nine-week business accelerator offered through the Volusia Innovation Hub. The program helps entrepreneurs turn business ideas into workable business models. Participants learn to test their concepts with potential customers and determine whether their ideas have real market potential. Oct 19 - DeLand City Commission repealed their Downtown Fair Share Agreement.. Oct 19 – Deltona City Commission allocated $1M fed ARPA money for Lake Windsor stormwater management project. The Commission and Planning & Zoning Board had a workshop to update their comprehensive-plan. Oct 20 - Port Orange City Council entered Phase 1 of Cambridge Canal and Pump Station Improvements project….an estimated cost of $14 million…. another example of local entities’ efforts to control flooding. addressed several amendments to their Pension Plan with the Police Officers Union. Oct 20 - Ormond Beach City Commission addressed ordinance regarding the city's data-center comprehensive plan……defines data centers, reaffirms they're not permitted uses, adds policies barring excessive electricity demand. City Manager Joyce Shanahan reported Ormond has 18,683 employed residents…up 63 over last month….however, unemployment increased from 4.8% from 4.9%......for 2026 to date, permits totaled about $31.5 million. Oct 20 – County Council updated their inventory of properties available for affordable-housing thus bringing them into compliance with Florida Statutes. confirmed Jason Watkins as Dept Director of Aviation and Economic Resources. He replace Cyrus Callem. Oct 21 - Daytona Beach City Commission approved their FY 2026–27 contract with Team Volusia Economic Development Corporation approved a $50 K grant to improve the building on S Ridgewood Ave. addressed a 6-month moratorium on permits for new data centers….2nd reading is Nov 18 Volusia Forever Advisory Committee meets Oct 23 to determine if 5 proposed projects meet Volusia Forever criteria to be eligible for their 2026 Cycle 3…. Volusia County Schools has just been recognized for earning Fla’s Academically High-Performing School District designation for 2025–26. Only 18 of Fla’s 67 districts received this honor.. Sept 30 - Fla Sen Kathleen Passidomo stated she plans to vote NO on Adm 3 due to her concerns that communities/special districts would be hurt. “Local voters should hold their own city/county officials accountable for their budgets”. Oct 20 - Fla Senate President Ben Albritton said he’s voting NO on Adm 3…..”its impact Fla rural counties…..Fla’s Taxation and Budget Reform Commission should address it next year”. Fla’s Taxation/Budget Revision Commission, which meets every 20 years, is set to meet next year. It'll include 25 voting members: 11 picked by governor, 7 by House Speaker, 7 by Senate President — none may be sitting legislators —  plus 4 nonvoting ex officio legislators. As for early voting…..out of Volusia 399,601 Eligible Voters Unofficial Voter Turnout TO DATE is ~46 K….~12 % About ~33 K mail-in ballots have been received so far…..and ~13 K have early voted around the county…. Of these….. Democratic  <17 K    ~37% Republican   >18 K    ~40% NPA’s   >8 K   ~18% Other parties….Green, Libertarians   >1,3  ~3% NOTE..these numbers will increase daily until Sat evening ANOTHER REMINDER that early voting continues thru Oct 31 (8 AM - 6 PM) at 9 sites throughout the County (mainly community centers and libraries). You can vote anywhere in the county and your vote counts in your home district. ALSO…..TODAY Oct 22, 5 PM is deadline to get a mail-ballot. Federal Reserve Board Chair Kevin Warsh spoke at an IMF event….. gave no signal on the Oct 28 rate decision….traders see that as a hold in October, pushing possible hike to December. noted September’s 3.7% inflation rate was well above their 2% target. AI investment boosts the econ

2. 

   15 Oct 2026

   EP 177 John Nicholson

   Jayson Meyer’s plans for the new Fountainhead Innovation Center……just north of Destination Daytona….I-95 / US 1 interchange in Ormond…. building is coming together….. If your business is looking to relate or expand OR if you know of another business looking to open….. I wanted to remind you that Jayson has different types of office space available… Details regarding square footage and type a business can be discussed. Call me at 566-2140 and I'd be glad to arrange a tour. Amendment 3 offers Fla homeowners a larger exemption from non-school property taxes: it goes from the current $50 K to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. It needs 60% voter approval….2 separate Sept polls show support ranging from 45 to 55%, AND a recent Stetson University poll at 56% AND an Edge/MDW poll at 50% support…. The debate is therefore about both potential household savings and the effect on local services. Amendment 1 to expand the state's budget stabilization fund…… 46% support. Amendment 2 to provide agricultural property-tax exemptions….56% support. With 23% undecided on each State amendment. DB City Commission approved adding manufactured housing to the City’s 2026–2029 Local Housing Assistance Plan….it would help mobile-home owners and renters and support housing stability. Biketoberfest 2026 runs TODAY, October 15 to Sunday, October 18. Traffic is expected to increase during the rally. Friday and Saturday may be the busiest days, especially around Main St and Destination Daytona. 53rd ANNUAL DAYTONA TURKEY RUN is Nov 25 - 29…Wednesday – Saturday 8am. – 4pm and Sunday 8 am – 2 pm. South Daytona approved a $45,000 contract amendment to add a berm at Reed Canal Park… part of a renovation funded partly by a County ECHO grant. First Step Shelter Board…… discussed the idea of how to weatherize the Roseanne Tornatore safe zone No real consensus on that topic…. discussed plans to acquire “next step housing” for individuals who have completed their stay at the shelter. looking to put in a walking trail within the grounds as well. Oct 13 — School Board meeting: Student Progression Plan 2026–2028— grade advancement, grading, graduation requirements; Safety & Security policy overhaul (Policy 510) And approved 2027–28 school calendar. Dr John Castelli was approved to become the District’s Director of Operations. Oct 15 — County’s Planning Land Development Regulation Commission (PLDRC) reviews the data-center ban (Council’s first reading passed 7-0 on Oct 6). Factors to be considered include power water business estimate Oct 20 — County council final vote on the data-center ban. Oct 22 — Deltona State of the City (chamber event) with Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr. US Sept inflation increased 0.6% from August.....annual inflation rate jumped from 3.4% to 3.7% Gas prices jumped 9.1%.....a big impact on this monthly increase along with rising housing costs and other expenses….. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, increased 0.3% monthly and 2.6% annually. Inflation outpaced wage growth for 6 consecutive months, adding to consumer affordability concerns. The latest report complicates the Federal Reserve’s efforts to reach its 2% inflation target. Stocks fell, Treasury yields climbed, and the dollar strengthened following this report. REMINDER…early voting is Oct 19 - 31…8 AM to 6 PM including weekends. See the county election website OR Volusia Matters newsletter for poll locations. All voters can vote anywhere in the county during this time……and your vote counts back in your homes’ district. Kristin Weiss just celebrated her one year anniversary as President/CEO of Daytona Regional Chamber Nation’s $40 trillion national debt….. is a warning that persistent borrowing is adding to the nation’s obligations and deserves a bipartisan plan to put the budget on a sustainable path. FY 2026 federal deficit was about $1.85 trillion (Congressional Budget Office’s estimate) ~$218 billion more than in FY 2025 Community

3. 

   8 Oct 2026

   EP 176 Drake Wyman - Daytona Regional Chamber

   Podcast News Topics The new Fountainhead Innovation Center located just north of destination Daytona….at the I95 / US 1 interchange in Ormond…. The building is coming together….. Jayson Meyer has different types of office space available… Details regarding square footage and type a business can be discussed. If your business is looking to relocate or expand, call me at 566-2140 and I'd be glad to arrange a tour. Oct 1 local budgets…….see all tax rates and new year budgets in Volusia Matters newsletter…… Oct 6 - County Council…… addressed the Army Corp of Engineers to complete a $3 million coastal-risk study at no cost to the County. voted 7–0 to advance an ordinance banning large-scale data centers in unincorporated areas. This comes after new legislation took effect, preserving local authority to regulate large data centers through land-use rules. voted 6-0 to implement a 12-month moratorium on license-plate readers on county rights-of-way….as opposed to an outright ban. Sheriff Mike Chitwood told council members all cameras have been turned off and will be removed within 30 days. voted to support the ECHO Advisory Committee recommendations to fund10 projects totaling $12.7 million. approved new technology to support Sheriff’s Office 911 dispatchers handling medical, fire, and law enforcement calls. Port Orange City Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding negotiated with their Firefighters Union Ormond City Commission addressed several resolutions pertaining to city employee healthcare. Deltona City Commission addressed an ordinance to update their Land Development Code to match changes to Florida’s Live Local Act. Deland City Commission renewed their membership with Team Volusia and Deland Chamber of Commerce. Made appointments to their Airport Advisory Bd and Volusia Growth Management Commission. Approved a REVISED resolution to update their building permit and inspection fees to make them compliant with state law. I’d like to thank WSBB GM/Announcer Ammie Ryan for hosting our recent issue programs. Sept 15 - Charter Adm 1 – pertaining to selection of the County Chair……CRC Chair Mark Watts spoke in support and County Chair Jeff Brower spoke in opposition. Sept 29 - Charter Adm 5 - creation of a conservation lands registry…CRC Chair Mark Watts spoke in support and Growth Management Commentator Catherine Pante spoke in opposition. Oct 6 - Fla Const Adm 3 - pertaining to Homestead Exemption……Stan Escudero spoke in support and Edgewater Mayor Diezel Depew spoke in opposition. October 7…..political forecasters are seeing Democrat momentum in the House, while the Senate remains closely contested. Republicans currently hold a 220–215 House advantage, and Democrats need a net gain of 3 seats. In the Senate, Republicans hold 53-47 majority…..so Democrats need to 4 seats to win that majority. US added 29,000 jobs in September, fewer than economists expected. Unemployment was 4.2%, with about 7.1 million people unemployed. Volusia…..Votes by Mail to Date 10/7……Total Votes by Mail Returned 9,031….Democrats 3,406…..Republicans 3,475…Other Parties 299…NPAs 1,851 Volusia School District’s Audit Committee will meet Thursday, October 15, 10:30 AM at Facilities Services Bldg purpose is to review recent audit findings, discuss FY 2027 Risk Assessment, and consider audit priorities and planning activities for the upcoming fiscal year. US Senate has passed the Protect College Sports Act 77-22 that would create national rules for college athletics and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) payments. (Sen Ashley Moody voted YES/Sen Rick Scott voted NO). It would give college athletes a clear federal right to earn money from their NIL Daytona Regional Chamber Advocacy Director Drake Wyman spoke about the Chamber’s role in expressing the business view on issues in Volusia, Tallahassee and Washington….

Who has been a guest on Volusia Matters Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Larry Bartlett
• Ken Strickland
• Dr Carmen Balgobin
• Lois Paritsky

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 35 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

46

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

60

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Guest appearances

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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.