Commission OKs fee waiver for Volusia County veterans 'stand down' at Deltona center

The Deltona City Commission voted unanimously Monday to waive rental fees for Volusia County to hold its annual Veterans Stand Down at the Center at Deltona on March 1920and 20, 2026, after a presentation from Volusia County Veteran Services Director Scott Olsen.

Scott Olsen, the county27s veteran services director, told the commission that "Volusia County currently has over 50,000 veterans that reside here" and that the county opened a veteran services office in July 2023 that has "served almost 6,000 veterans." He described the stand down as a multi-agency event whose "primary mission of the stand down is to provide essential services to homeless veterans and veterans that are at risk of becoming homeless." Olsen said the event also fosters community and camaraderie and asked the city to waive the rental fee and help promote the county27s newly created Volusia Veterans Endowment Fund.

The request mattered to commissioners because the event brings direct services to veterans and has measurable outcomes: Olsen said that at an earlier stand down at the Ocean Center the county hosted 55 different resource providers, had 21 volunteers, recorded 668 veteran sign-ins across two days, distributed 300 donated food bags and provided lunch for more than 200 veterans. He also said the VA medical disability exams office attended for the first time and that on-site exams shortened claims processing times that normally take months.

Commissioners discussed the appropriate precedent for fee waivers. Vice Mayor Harriet said he supported the waiver but stressed the city should not broadly waive facility fees for every outside group: "I am supporting this 100% and waiving the fee because it's the county doing it. And I think we need to kinda rein in some of these fee waivers for, you know, the other requests that we've done," he said. Commissioner Santiago thanked Olsen and said, "count on us," expressing support for bringing the event to Deltona. Olsen confirmed the event is a two-day Friday-Saturday program; the county had initially requested an additional Thursday evening for setup but said it could proceed as a two-day event with a possible earlier setup window.

The commission first sought consensus to allow discussion and public comment; a brief public speaker expressed preference for the stand down over other potential uses of city funds. After discussion, Commissioner Villalazquez moved to approve the fee waiver; the motion was seconded and the city clerk recorded a 7-0 vote in favor.

Next steps: staff will process the waiver and coordinate event logistics with Volusia County; Olsen said the county will continue outreach for sponsorships, volunteers and donations to support the event and the Volusia Veterans Endowment Fund.