DELTONA, Fla. — Deltona’s Mayor Santiago Avila Jr. is under fire after he attended the presidential inauguration on the taxpayers’ dime. Commissioners have now added a vote of no confidence to the next meeting agenda.
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The city’s travel policy says all trips must be approved by the commission. It also says the city won’t reimburse travel for a guest or spouse and Avila Jr.’s wife was with him in D.C.
Two commissioners, Dori Howington and Stephen Colwell expressed concerns over the trip.
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“We have a problem. We have policies in place and nobody is following them. If we don’t take a stand now, then when?” said Howington.
“The mayor is well aware of our travel policies as this was brought up about a year ago when he traveled to Mississippi,” said Colwell.
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Former commissioner and vice mayor Jody Lee Storozuk calls the situation unacceptable and has now submitted paperwork to run for mayor to replace Avila Jr.
“It’s a historic event, everyone is entitled to go. But why do we have to pay for it? People are complaining about their property taxes but yet here we are spending thousands of dollars on a hotel room for him and his wife to go on another vacation,” said Storozuk.
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Commissioners have voted to suspend the mayor’s use of all city funds until the next meeting on Feb. 17, where they will also discuss a vote of no confidence.
The Mayor of Deltona has released the following statement:
RESPONSE OF MAYOR SANTIAGO AVILA TO FALSE AND MISLEADING STATEMENTS CONCERNING HIS OFFICIAL TRAVEL ON BEHALF OF DELTONA.
DELTONA, FL- Mayor Avila has been falsely attacked for representing the City of Deltona in Washington D.C. last week, and responds with the following statement. Mayor Avila attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors in D.C. last week, which occurred January 17-19. During the same period, with the background of the non-partisan inaugural events taking place, Mayor Avila met with U.S. Senator Rick Scott and his staff regarding the crucial $44 million expenditure that passed the U.S. House last year for the benefit of the City of Deltona, in order to ensure his continued support when it arises this year in the U.S. Senate.
Mayor Avila is also officially trying to schedule a future meeting with now U.S. Senator Ashley Moody to build a relationship with her and gain her assurances of support for the future vote on the $44 million for Deltona. This meeting is pivotal for the city’s future.
Further, Mayor Avila did not charge any expenses related to clothing, shoes, dry cleaning, or rentals for himself or his family during his official travel. Importantly, in an attempt to save city funds, Mayor Avila chose to utilize the official city vehicle for travel, because itwas a more cost-effective option compared to a flight, which was upwards of $850 per ticket during that time period. This decision alone saved the City nearly $1000+ in funds.
The City of Deltona paid for a hotel expense that covered only the dates of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and not the inauguration ceremony. Further, no city funds were spent on any of the celebratory galas attended by the Mayor. Lastly, Mayor Avila also does not possess a “City Credit Card.”
With these important facts now public, Mayor Avila is confident that his fellow city commissioners will rescind the motion for an unnecessary and very costly quasi-judicial hearing regarding the legal authority of he, or any other city leader, to travel to important events on the city’s behalf. This travel authority is essential to communicating Deltona’s needs and future requests.
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