Council narrowly approves short rule asking public commentators to state city or unincorporated address

Volusia County Council approved a procedural motion 4-3 at its Jan. 14 special meeting requiring public speakers at that meeting to state their address and to indicate whether they live in unincorporated Volusia County or within one of the county’s municipalities. The motion applied to this meeting’s speakers; council members clarified that the practical effect was to have speakers tell the dais where they lived so staff and council could better triage neighborhood‑specific complaints.

The motion was made by Councilmember Danny Robbins and seconded by Councilmember David Santiago. Robbins said the change would help the council “direct and allocate our resource pinpoint where some of these issues are actually existing.” Chair Jeff Brower said he would oppose the measure on grounds of speaker safety but the motion carried 4‑3 after a roll call.

Context and effect: The procedural rule was limited to the Jan. 14 meeting; council clarified during debate that asking for a city vs. unincorporated designation would be sufficient for the council’s triage needs and that the public record is already open for this information. Robbins said the intent was to make it faster for staff to verify where flooding complaints were occurring and to route follow‑up appropriately. Brower expressed continued concern about personal safety for speakers who might not want a full street address in the public record.

Vote details: Motion by Danny Robbins; second by David Santiago. Motion passed 4‑3. Robbins and Santiago made the motion and several council members argued for public clarity; the chair opposed on safety grounds.