City of DeBary parks and recreation staff presented a holiday video and handed out awards for the Light the Night and Christmas parade contests during the council’s special December meeting.

Jason Scheitz, parks and recreation director, and Delaney Lehman, recreation manager, ran the ceremony and thanked volunteers and participants. Scheitz announced the parade drew 67 floats and listed winners across multiple categories, including HOA Throwdown (first place: DeBary Plantation), Rudolph’s Rookies (first place: Maria Beltran), Santa’s Favorite (first place: Cynthia Hodges), Christmas Spirit (first place: Robert Boggs) and Light-a-Palooza (first place: Nathan Ballo). Fan-favorite awards, decided by resident QR-code voting, went to Robert Boggs (214 votes) and Michael Brown (runner-up, 168 votes).

Scheitz said the city saw “a great turnout” and asked residents to continue participating in annual events. The ceremony concluded with recognition of staff and a transition to the council’s business agenda.

The awards segment was ceremonial and did not require council action. City staff encouraged winners to collect prizes and sign acknowledgement forms at the stage.