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Volusia County highlights tax cuts, fee eliminations and launches permit concierge program
Summary
County Chair Jeff Brower and Councilman David Santiago outlined 2024 fiscal moves including elimination of a communications tax and a business tax receipt, reductions or maintenance of millage rates, and a new permit and concierge program to streamline permitting for residents and businesses.
Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower and District 5 Councilman David Santiago used the 2025 State of the County address to highlight last year’s fiscal changes and a new permitting service intended to simplify permitting for residents and businesses.
Brower said the County Council and administration worked with the Office of Management and Budget in 2024 to lower or maintain Volusia County’s millage rates and adopt what he called a balanced, fiscally conservative budget. David Santiago identified several specific reductions, saying, “We eliminated the communications tax, pet registration fee, off beach parking, and on beach driving fees for residents this year.”
The council also ended the business tax receipt and directed staff to simplify the permit application system; Santiago said the Economic Development Division introduced a permit and concierge program that provides a dedicated point of contact to guide residents and businesses through permit steps.
Why it matters: Brower framed these changes as part of a broader push to reduce residents’ tax burden and make Volusia County “open for business.” Council remarks tied the budget choices to maintaining core services while supporting economic development.
Details and next steps: Officials described the permit and concierge program as a new service from the Economic Development Division; Brower reported county-level coordination with the Office of Management and Budget. No ordinance, statute citation, or formal vote on these items was recorded in the address. The County Manager and relevant divisions were directed to implement the permit improvements; Brower said the council had “directed staff to simplify and streamline the permit application system,” and Santiago described the program as launched by the Economic Development Division.
The address did not specify projected costs or timelines for the permit service, nor did it reference specific ordinance numbers or statutory changes for the tax and fee eliminations. Those implementation details were described as staff actions to follow.
