Monday, February 19, 2024

City Offices Closed For Presidents' Day

Saturday, February 24, 2024

EDGEfest Pet-A-Palooza

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Whistle Stop Park

Monday, February 26, 2024

City Council Workshop

4:00 PM

Council Chambers

Saturday, March 2, 2024

The Princess Ball

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Southeast Volusia Family YMCA

Monday, March 4, 2024

City Council Meeting

6:00 PM

Council Chambers

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Economic Development Board Meeting

8:00 AM

Council Chambers

The City Council will hold a workshop on Monday, February 26, 2024 at 4:00 PM in Council Chambers.

Discussion items include:

• Department updates
• Council salary
• Police Department staffing study

Click here to view the full agenda or to view a live stream/recording of the meeting.

Last month as the new year began I highlighted activities from our City departments and this month I will share some information that will be included in the State of the City presentation in the coming months.

Edgewater was founded in 1871 and incorporated in 1951. The City of Edgewater encompasses 25 square miles with a population of nearly 24,000 residents. It is operated as a City Manager form of government with a Mayor and four councilpersons.  

There are 12,578 total structures in the City (12,059 housing units and 519 non-residential). There are 1,425 registered businesses – 546 home based, 110 retail, 32 food service, 67 medical, 41 manufacturing and 2 vendor. 

In 2023 there were 31,287 police service calls reported by our Police Department. Our Fire Department reported 6,916 responses, 1,779 ambulance transports and 4,164 service calls. 

There are currently 42 commercial projects permitted in the City at this time. There are 21 residential projects currently permitted which total 11,117 dwelling units. The total number of permits issued by the Building Department in 2023 was 5,359 with an investment of nearly $110 million dollars. 

Click here to go to the Development Services page of our website to learn more about projects ongoing in the City.

As of November 30, 2023, the City advertised a Request For Qualifications for professional services to develop an updated Master Stormwater Plan. Proposals were due on January 24, 2024 and are currently being evaluated. In the meantime, the City is updating the Land Development Code in many areas, but with regards to stormwater, builders are now required to raise the finished floor elevations of structures to the 100 year storm event.

On West Indian River Boulevard, the City purchased 70 acres earmarked for a future City Hall. Currently the City is working on securing funding sources to begin the design and engineering for the future City Hall Complex.

I would enjoy hearing from you about how we can work together to help our community be its best! I can be reached by clicking here to email me or by calling 386-424-2400 x1203.

I am honored to serve as the Mayor of Edgewater.  I am proud of being one of the youngest mayors in the history of Florida and our amazing country. 

I am a lifelong Edgewater resident. When I was 12 years old, I started a lawn care business only to have all of my equipment stolen less than a year later. The Edgewater community rallied to my side by donating new equipment and money to keep my business going. It was right then that I decided one day I would give back to the community as our Mayor.

As far back as I can remember, I have always been interested in politics. I have aspired to be a politician from a very young age. My first elected position was as Senior CIass President at New Smyrna Beach High School. I recall community members seeing me around town and enthusiastically expressing that I would one day grow up to become president of the United States which I just might do one day.



Transparency and communication are important to me and vital to the success of our community which is why I wanted another way, via this newsletter, to be in touch with our residents and businesses. I would love to hear from you and how we can work together to ensure Edgewater prospers while maintaining all of the things that make it such a special place to live and work.

Click here to reach me via email. I would love to hear what we are doing right and what we can be doing better!  

Congratulations to the Human Resources Department Team (from left: Cheryl Hebert, Julie Christine and Brooke Appy) for earning the Gold Award from Florida Health Care Plans for the 2023 benefit year!

The City has provided a wellness initiative where employees and their families can flourish and put their health first.

Interested in a job with the City? Click here to see the list of current job openings.

Join us in welcoming these new businesses to the City:

Sage Integrative Health LLC

3330 Willow Oak Drive

Taco Bell

1308 South Ridgewood Avenue

The Rusty Wrench Cycles Inc

704 West Park Avenue, Unit E

Vallance Infrastructure Services LLC

2703 Guava Drive

Weis Bros. LLC

2220 Hibiscus Drive, Unit 5

Click here to learn more about how to open a business in Edgewater!

In May of 2023 Edgewater citizens and stakeholders were invited to provide feedback on the current concerns and future direction of the City,

The primary focus was land development, community spaces and streets.

It is now time for the second survey in the process. As part of this second survey, the City invites Edgewater citizens and stakeholders to provide feedback on the City’s future direction to enhance the community assets, promote opportunities, and further define the community’s identity. This survey allows those taking the survey to confirm and elaborate on what is most important to them and our community.

Click here to take the survey by March 1, 2024.

Those who would like to take a paper copy of the survey, print out the images below or pick up a survey at City Hall. Paper surveys must be returned to City Hall by March 1, 2024.



Click here to email for more information!

The City of Edgewater provides a monthly utility bill. It is often confused as a “water bill” when it is compared to other nearby communities’ monthly water bills. Your monthly utility bill is all inclusive (water, sewer, stormwater, garbage and recycling). In other cities many of these services are billed separately through annual tax assessment.

With over 12,000 utility customers the bills go out to residents in two cycles - on the 14th and 28th days of the month. Payment is due 20 days from the bill date, unless it falls on a weekend in which case it is due the next business day.

If you would like to receive two email payment reminders each month, choose "Utility Bill Email Reminder" and click here to sign up.

Click here for more information and nomination forms.

There are several great events coming up in the next few months. To learn more about the events or become a vendor, please call the Special Events Coordinator at 386-424-2400 x7207.

Do you love animals? We sure do – big ones, little ones, furry ones – we love them all!! The City of Edgewater has partnered with the Edgewater Animal Shelter and will celebrate animals of all kinds at the annual EDGEfest Pet-a-Palooza on Saturday, February 24, 2024 at Whistle Stop Park (651 Roberts Road) from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. 

There will be plenty of fun pet related contests, a lure course, kissing booth, face painting, police K-9 demonstrations and lots of pet resources and vendors on hand. You may even find a forever friend at one of the many rescue organizations who will be represented. There will be food, music and probably a good deal of barking! We will also be collecting donations of food and supplies for the Edgewater Animal Shelter.

Mark your calendar and bring your four legged friends (on a leash, of course).

If your business, civic group, club or rescue organization is interested in getting involved as a vendor or for more information, please call 424-2400 x7207 or click here to email the Special Events Coordinator.

Say hello to Sylvia!

Those eyes! The shiny black coat! Beautiful Sylvia is looking for her forever home!

Click here to apply online to adopt Sylvia or one of our other pets.

Edgewater Animal Shelter

605 Mango Tree Drive

Edgewater, FL 32132

386-402-7476

It is our mission to place our animals in safe, secure, loving, and lifelong homes. Our goal is to find the BEST homes for our pets and to make this a wonderful experience for you and your family. Therefore, we have stringent policies for adoption.

Florida Statutes require that any dog or cat adopted through an animal shelter be spayed or neutered. All our animals are also vaccinated, given flea prevention, dewormed and microchipped. Dogs six months or older have been tested for heartworm. Please understand that some of our animals come from unknown medical backgrounds. Often our animals come to us with ailments such as skin conditions, internal and external parasites etc. With tender loving care we treat what we can, and we do our best to make sure that our animals are in very good health when they go to their new homes.

The Edgewater Animal Shelter provides low-cost wellness services, spay and neuter services, grooming and microchips.

Hours of operation are Monday-Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Click here to visit the Edgewater Animal Shelter website and learn about all the services offered.

The River to Sea TPO is the transportation planning organization (TPO) for all of Volusia County and the urbanized areas of Flagler County including Flagler and Beverly Beaches and parts of Palm Coast and Bunnell.

The River to Sea TPO is the primary forum within which member local governments and citizens voice concerns, identify priorities, and plan for transportation improvements for all modes of transportation–roadway, public transportation, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

 Click here to read their February newsletter.

Park Avenue Water Line Relocation Project

The Park Avenue water line relocation project has begun. It is being done to upgrade water lines in the area. This project was also needed as part of a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) plan for changes to the traffic signals and turn lanes on East and West Park Avenue. FDOT has not set a date or final set of plans for their portion of the project at this time.

Wildwood Lift Station Project

Lift Station 11 in the subdivision of Wildwood is going to have upgrades made to the existing Lift station. Included in the upgrades will be a Bypass pump that will run when there is a power outage. It will also run in case of a mechanical failure of the pumps in the station which in turn will make the Lift Station reliable during storms.

Animal Shelter Upgrades

Parks and Recreation Department crews have been diligently working for the past several months to build the new building expansion for the Edgewater Animal Shelter. This expansion will have 26 new dog kennels, a kitchen and meeting room. The concrete dog kennel walls just went up and crews then sealed the concrete block and painted them. The ceiling and walls have been insulated with foam insulation that greatly improve the energy efficiency and acoustics of the building. Next, the gates have been ordered and will be installed. The floor will be painted with a non-skid epoxy paint and the fencing will be installed outside for the dog kennels. It is anticipated that the building will be ready to welcome dogs in the coming months.

Whistle Stop Park Improvements

For the last two years, Parks & Recreation has been seeking a solution to install safety netting along the outfield at the ball field at Whistle Stop Park. This was a tricky solution because there is little space between the back fence line and sidewalk and there are underground utility pipes along the area. 

Coastline Fence engineered, designed and built the fence posts that can withstand the weight of the safety netting, winds and chain link fence. The posts were installed a few weeks ago with concrete footers and once cured, Parks and Recreation crews strung up the safety netting. Over the coming days, they will close all the seams and secure the edges. This will help prevent potential injury from home run hits going over the fence into the path of people using the mile long walking loop around the park.

Also, Parks and Recreation crews are aerating the ball field for better future growth. The City was able to borrow a Top Dressing machine from the City of New Smyrna Beach to flatten out some of the divots in the out field left over from the improvement construction project. Thank you City of New Smyrna Beach!

YMCA Building Improvements

The City owned building where the SEV Family YMCA is housed is undergoing some much needed updates thanks to a HGMP Grant (Hazard Mitigation) for a Wind Retrofit Program for a new roof, windows and doors to withstand 150 mph winds. 

Work crews began the work on the roof huggers the week of January 15, 2024 and are working their way around the building removing the old windows and doors and installing the new. 

The SEV Family YMCA remains open during this construction work. Members may need to use alternative doors for entrance and exit. 

The Strand (as Riverside Drive was known in the early days of Hawks Park/Edgewater) originally ended at what was called the South Canal. The first bridge, made out of wood, was built in the 1890’s so that people could travel to New Smyrna Beach using the Strand. 

The South Canal is now known as the Gabordy Canal. The Gabordy Canal was built by colonists brought to the New Smyrna Beach area in the 1700’s by a Scottish doctor named Dr. Andrew Turnbull. Three canals, including the Gabordy Canal, ran east-west and were linked with a fourth, longer canal that ran north-south. These hand dug canals provided irrigation and drainage for crops and were used as a mode of transportation in the area.

Local historians believe that the Gabordy Canal was named after the Gabardis, an original colonist family who lived in the vicinity of the canal. There is a historical marker on the east side of the Gabordy Canal just as South Riverside Drive winds into New Smyrna Beach.  

There are several positions available with the City of Edgewater. Currently there are openings for:

Refuse Equipment Operator

Permit Technician

Police Officer

Senior Planner

Parks and Recreation Maintenance Worker

Lead Mechanic

Parks and Recreation Team Leader

Combination Building Inspector

Wastewater Instrumentation Control Specialist

Distribution System Operator Recruit

Wastewater Plant Operator

Wastewater Maintenance Technician

Firefighter-EMT/Paramedic

Stormwater Equipment Operator



Click here to learn more about these jobs as well as the other job opportunities available.

Each of the over 200 City employees strive to provide the best service possible to the residents of and visitors to our community.

• The Environmental Services and Parks and Recreation Departments were praised by a local resident for "keeping the City beautiful, the grass mowed, the trees trimmed and the public streets and sidewalks clean and free of trash".

• Max Sizer, Field Operations, was praised by a resident for assistance with water leak and billing issue.

• Tammy Watkins, Planning Technician, was praised by a resident for her assistance with a variance related issue.

 We would love to hear how our employees are doing. You can let us know by clicking here.  Want to join our team? Click here to see a list of open positions.

Knowing who to call is nearly half the battle of tackling that question you have or issue you would like to address. 

While the City can address most of your questions/concerns by calling 386-424-2400 or using this link to the online contact system there are several areas outside of the direct jurisdiction of the City. Below you will find links for other agencies that you may find helpful. Just click on each listed to be redirected to their website.

• Railroad Related (Florida East Coast Railway)

• Aircraft Related (Federal Aviation Authority)

• Fish and Wildlife Related (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)

• Roadway Related (Florida Department of Transportation)

• Nuisance Alligator Hotline

• Volusia County Mosquito Control

• Volusia Business Resources

Your feedback matters to us and we would love to hear from you regarding what you would like to see more or less of in this newsletter. Click here to email your suggestions and thanks for reading!!