Deltona is Volusia County’s most populous city and also one of its most visibly blighted, with an aging housing stock and a relatively puny commercial base. Access to basic necessities, like groceries and health care offices, is picking up — but Deltona still lacks the bustling mix of restaurants, shopping, services and other amenities that most cities of nearly 90,000 would expect.
It’s also one of the few cities of size in Volusia County without an officially designated community redevelopment area — a tool Florida cities use to turbo-charge economic growth in the areas that most need it. Thursday, the Volusia County Council should rectify that by approving an agreement that will focus tax money on three tightly defined areas along Deltona’s main arteries. It’s a big investment that could claim up to $10 million in Volusia County tax revenue over the 20-year term of the agreement. But if city officials take full advantage of the opportunities this new agreement would create, both the county and the city will see the benefits long before the redevelopment deal expires.