[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6319286,"mediaKeyId","2362951-a2b628f02a84d9d787c257b817f275ee","parentId",2362951,"title","City council approves renewal of DeBary Babe Ruth agreement; league to help fund dugouts","audioSeconds",195,"startMs",2267000,"endMs",2462000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2362951-a2b628f02a84d9d787c257b817f275ee&start=2267&end=2462","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2362951-a2b628f02a84d9d787c257b817f275ee/thumbnail_2267000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6319286/Florida/City-council-approves-renewal-of-DeBary-Babe-Ruth-agreement-league-to-help-fund-dugouts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6319286-6106ef691097d4a1f5c133ba8306c805/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176794&Signature=aX8-Q-Oq~XTUUf377KGUNvV8T0kS5FQgsyFLtvafUYUoVIFstgIoSX0XJu8xZnWKFyuF2MQaEwAyRu0fPA9QxW1o9Xt0z8yZx7uoQo-F-DzCxZwF6rjDE2XuIx-idx-tHQHxZ39-a0KSHrGxYb2cC0XJLdZlknPqZ2SV20tkOmcpDI0UfyLBe3hT5sGtnKmod9PprphFUznQH-QMy1Hu~5O6zwaeddSPMax3A5CpcWldV4xURuQl2uyZqOsKOhYaYuIuJt2STmmbM1tqG9qFt2VdylWPZUtHZ42OA98BlKrB2WK4~--0nGGTWsohboyYSHJV8n-fGURnkHHaCJ9xRg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of DeBary, FL","date","2025-02-20T12:21:47Z","article","The City of DeBary City Council voted unanimously on Feb. 19 to renew its agreement with the local Babe Ruth baseball league and approved the consent agenda earlier in the meeting.

Parks and recreation director Jason Scheidz presented the renewal and said the city is in the third year of that agreement and “No changes this year.” He described a long-standing relationship with the league and noted the league’s financial support for planned dugout replacements.

The nut graf: The renewal continues the city’s existing partnership with the West Volusia Athletic Club (the Babe Ruth league) and funds for two dugout projects at Keller and Sullivan fields are expected to be paid largely through league sponsorships.

Joe Zubel, president of the West Volusia Athletic Club, told council the league raised sponsorships and will contribute the majority of funding for dugout improvements. “This past year has been an amazing year. It’s been my first year as president … and we’ve made a lot of adjustments to just how we operate,” Zubel said, adding the league plans scoreboard sponsorships and other fundraising to finish remaining dugouts.

Councilmember Sowell moved to approve the 2023–2025 DeBary Babe Ruth agreement renewal and a second was recorded; council members voted yes without recorded opposition.

Votes at a glance:

- Consent agenda (items 1–3): motion made and seconded; Councilmember Papalardo, Councilmember Veil, Councilmember Stevenson and the mayor voted yes; outcome: approved. Details of individual consent items were not specified in the transcript.

- 2023–2025 DeBary Babe Ruth agreement renewal: motion to approve moved and seconded; Councilmember Sowell, Councilmember Papalardo, Councilmember Stevenson and the mayor voted yes; outcome: approved.

Council members and league representatives encouraged public attendance at opening-day events and thanked volunteers. No amendments to the agreement were reported during the meeting.

Separately, during council reports and the city manager’s update, the manager said the city’s ECHO grant application was approved to support a planned pickleball-court project, listed at $220,000; the transcript indicates a matching contribution described as “a 10 from the city, and a 10 from the county” but did not clearly state whether those were percentages or dollar amounts. The manager said the ECHO grant award will be before county council on March 18 and that budget considerations will follow.

The council did not take separate action on the pickleball or other capital updates during this meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Special City Council Meeting 02-19-25","oneSentenceSummary","The City of DeBary unanimously approved a multi-year renewal with the Babe Ruth league and heard that the West Volusia Athletic Club will fund the majority of new dugouts. Council also approved the consent agenda earlier in the meeting.","taxTitle","City of DeBary, Volusia County, Florida","taxId",71131,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6319291,"Sheriff's deputies credit training, technology for high clearance rates in DeBary",1543,90000,1633000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2362951-a2b628f02a84d9d787c257b817f275ee&start=90&end=1633","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2362951-a2b628f02a84d9d787c257b817f275ee/thumbnail_90000.jpg","/articles/6319291/Florida/Sheriffs-deputies-credit-training-technology-for-high-clearance-rates-in-DeBary","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6319291-8bd5fed80a2f1a8a2e579144b8cbe77c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176794&Signature=o78Qu4sI7TXW8UX2rPAGbXUh1np0vh-X5kyDgVB9s4Oa8j1mVOKxyfqvNLHeG4qcUzvNgzyc4DIqrlkO~aH6595WR9PJrpSVnYYhwv8-GpW126GmNDOmeLe5Z1GkN6SGMU~v1FMCcZ~kF-VUqHkA8iCZmeDzAFVS2njw7eUNqOnIBceDRq-gPDutKCQu19YN38tvkFS5qE33QuZR3zwAZpUE0mun5W6qSFNoc6om5vtkMdDIlhihhNy5J0q7XboU0huIPjZ~7inSy9eGGtdpQWDBYKlsXhpvToPMyII4X5lmmjRd3uxt--aoFNbK~t2an8VRj9AfCQxm9jG18bhiIw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Captain Ben Israel, the District 6 commander for the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, presented the agency’s 2024 year-in-review to the City of DeBary City Council on Feb. 19, describing a year of high clearance rates and frequent use of technology and training to resolve incidents without loss of life.

The review emphasized investments in license-plate readers (LPRs), expanded traffic enforcement and training in de-escalation and less-lethal tactics. “I am the new captain here in District 6. I assumed command in October. What we’re gonna do this evening is present the 2024 year review,” Captain Ben Israel said.

The nut graf: Deputies and the city credited coordinated technology and targeted enforcement for helping recover stolen property, locate suspects who move through multiple jurisdictions and keep traffic incidents down; Lieut. Cameron Tucker said many incidents are committed by nonresidents passing through the city.

Tucker, who presented crime statistics and case examples, said the city’s LPRs and other technology were essential to several recoveries, including a stolen vehicle tracked to De Leon Springs and a multi-person arrest after vehicle burglaries in a subdivision. “In most instances … the cases are not being committed by people who live here in DeBary,” Tucker said, adding that the city’s location makes it a frequent pass-through for suspects.

Tucker described several incidents shown in a video the department played for council, including multiple mental-health calls that deputies resolved without fatal force through planning and patience. One detailed case involved a person described by family as autistic; deputies used coordination and additional resources to take the person into protective custody without injury. Tucker said the department’s computer-aided dispatch system can flag addresses requiring special response.

Tucker and Israel also reviewed traffic enforcement numbers for 2024: within DeBary alone deputies logged 5,083 traffic stops, issued 3,132 citations and 2,646 written warnings; they recorded 286 motor-vehicle crashes in the city, down from the prior year. Specific high-visibility operations yielded 291 daytime traffic stops (308 citations, 13 arrests, seven for DUI) and a New Year’s Eve operation that produced 265 stops, 90 citations and 17 arrests.

On crime-reporting standards, Tucker explained the statewide and national shift to incident-based reporting, saying the old Uniform Crime Reporting hierarchy covered fewer classifications and that the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and Florida Incident-Based Reporting System (FIBRS) use many more categories, which can make totals appear higher even when incidents are falling.

Tucker summarized the 2024 clearance figures presented: the department reported a total of 494 Group A incidents with 385 cleared, a 77.94% clearance rate; for person crimes they reported an 87.22% clearance for the year. Tucker noted that the national average clearance rate is about 41 percent and called the local rate “an outstanding feat.”

Council members thanked deputies for their service and asked for follow-up data. Councilmember Papalardo requested the share of traffic citations issued to residents versus nonresidents, saying the nonresident share has been “trending in the low 60 percents” in earlier summaries; city staff and deputies said they are working on a methodology to tag citations by residence and will provide those numbers in the future.

City Manager Carmen (first name given in the meeting) and deputies said the city will propose additional LPR placements in next year’s budget and continue quarterly enforcement operations targeted at traffic and quality-of-life issues. The council and sheriff’s representatives discussed upcoming coordinated operations in 2025 and the city’s continued support for equipment and training.

The presentation closed with council praise for the department’s training, technology and community partnerships and no formal council action was taken on the presentation itself.","Volusia County Sheriff's Office District 6 officials presented a 2024 year-in-review to the City of DeBary Council, highlighting license-plate readers, traffic enforcement and an overall clearance rate well above national averages; council members asked for resident-versus-nonresident citation breakdowns and praised de-escalation efforts.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

City council approves renewal of DeBary Babe Ruth agreement; league to help fund dugouts

Sheriff's deputies credit training, technology for high clearance rates in DeBary