Residents urge citizen police review board, inspection-warrant requirement and conservation protections during Volusia County charter listening session

Robert Clardy of Deltona urged the Volusia County Charter Review Commission to recommend a charter amendment establishing an independent citizen police review board, saying the board would ‘‘provide independent oversight of law enforcement conduct, enhancing transparency, accountability, and public trust.’’ He asked the commission to place the amendment on the 2026 ballot.

Clardy cited examples he said show financial and operational benefits from oversight, saying ‘‘Oakland, California saw a 24% drop in payout over 5 years after implementing theirs.’’ He also said oversight can lower insurance premiums, improve eligibility for federal grants tied to accountability and ‘‘reduce protest related costs and improves cooperation between law enforcement and the public.’’

Another speaker, Robert Sanchez of unincorporated Edgewater, asked that the charter require inspection warrants before code-enforcement officers enter private property. Sanchez said public-record requests show the county conducted about 6,200 inspections with violations from 2014 through 02/23/24 and that only one inspection warrant was recorded in February 2023. He told the commission that requiring warrants ‘‘No exceptions’’ would protect constitutional rights and reduce the risk of government ‘‘weaponizing’’ enforcement.

Sanchez also described procedural problems in administrative hearings, saying board members declined to address alleged trespass claims and that subpoenas requested through the county clerk were not always issued. He urged that administrative boards be required to continue hearings when a citizen’s witnesses are not present and to explicitly address alleged constitutional violations in those hearings.

Catherine Pante of Daytona Beach proposed several conservation and land-use changes to the charter, including writing a 55% conservation target into the Volusia Forever program, removing the county council’s authority for certain direct expenditures, requiring cameras for code-enforcement activity, banning ‘‘fill and build’’ for subdivisions, and ensuring that all matters handled by the PLRDC (Planning and Land Resource Development Committee) are also brought before the county council.

Clayton Jackson, Volusia County public information officer, briefed the commission on outreach. He said the county added a ‘‘submit your input’’ button to the Charter Commission website, included a direct link to the charter and an email address for comments, and had a social media post scheduled ahead of the Oct. 13 listening session at the McGee Room in the county airport. Chair and staff confirmed the submission address as vccharterreview@volusia.org and said staff will include submitted comments in the commission’s October packet. Staff said the charter-review process is expected to continue through about May, with proposed amendments presented to the county council and placed on the 2026 ballot for voter action.

The meeting was principally a listening session: commissioners said they would not engage in extended debate and that staff will compile public input for the commission’s October meeting. No formal motions or votes were taken at this session.