DEBARY, Fla. – City leaders in DeBary are initiating legal actions against the Volusia County School District regarding plans for a new school.
City officials held a news conference on Thursday to discuss the school board’s recent decision to purchase property known as the Spring Vista site.
On April 22, the Volusia County School Board voted to purchase the site for $8 million.
The proposed location for the K-8 school—located on Spring Vista Drive near the intersection of Shell Road—would replace Enterprise Elementary, which was built in the 1960s.
With significant population growth in the area, the district has maintained for years that DeBary and its surroundings require a new educational facility.
However, DeBary city leaders argue that the construction of the school violates Florida law, and issued a cease and desist letter demanding that the school board from any further efforts to design, engineer, or construct a school on the property.
“We issued the letter to be proactive as Volusia County Schools will be spending a lot of taxpayer money on design, engineering, and other pre-construction costs, only to realize they cannot legally build a school at the Spring Vista site,” said DeBary City Manager, Carmen Rosamonda. “Trying to build a school on this site to violate our statutorily required local agreement and Florida law concerning the city’s comprehensive plan.”
The city said it remains committed to working with Volusia County Schools to identify solutions that respect its comprehensive plan and reflect the community’s interests.