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VOLUME 13, NO. 17
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FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2024
Year in Review What were this year’s top stories and photos? Here’s a look back at what happened in our city in 2024. PAGES 2-7
Neighborhood Scoop employee Gabby Buckner serves a traditional root beer float. Photo by Michele Meyers
Thank you for your readership, Ormond Beach In one year, we have published over 1,100 stories — all about you and your community.
JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR
And just like that, another year has flown by. Compiling a list of the top news of 2024 from the over 1,100 stories published this year in the Ormond Beach Observer is not just a walk through memory lane: It’s a reminder of the local issues our community faced, and the ones that linger and still need to be watched
in 2025. Like flooding and hurricane impacts, the proposed Belvedere Terminals fuel farm project that has gone silent, the fact the developers of the Tomoka Reserve project remain at impasse with the city and, of course, keeping local elected officials accountable. Ormond Beach has a new mayor
and Zone 3 representative. Jeff Brower remains at the helm of the County Council. The Volusia County School Board, in which Ormond Beach has new representation, may have a new chair in January, less than two months after Jessie Thompson was appointed to the leadership position. The community also celebrated numerous highlights: the opening of the new Tomoka Elementary
campus, artist Perego receiving the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, a torch run supporting Special Olympics Florida and the launch of the Seward Johnson sculpture tour in the downtown. A lot can happen in 365 days. Stay engaged, Ormond Beach! And as always, thank you for supporting local news. See you in 2025.